La Grenouille, Frozen in Time, Now Serves Fancy Food From a Chinese Chain

A Chinese chain has moved into Upper East Side icon La Grenouille – leaving the dining room pretty much as it has looked for the last 50 years, New York Post first reported. Chinese duck house iDen & Quanjude Beijing Duck House – with only one other location in North America – has opened in the former space, offering 80 seats and the same La Grenouille ambiance – with a very different menu and backstory.

The original location of iDen opened in China in 1864 and now has around 50 locations there. Andy Zhang bought the La Grenouille building (3 E. 52nd Street, at Fifth Avenue) last year for an eye-popping $14.2 million; he also owns a location in Vancouver. A manager told the Post they considered designing the interior like the Canada location, but “people suggested not to do that, and to keep most of the old La Grenouille because it has so many good memories for New Yorkers,” he said.

The restaurant’s specialty is the “Quanjude Signature Beijing Duck,” priced at $128, or a version with caviar for $268. Other items on the menu include an Indonesian bird’s nest with malva nut($98) and a 24-inch sea cucumber ($88).

Two new brunches for the weekend

Dhamaka (119 Delancey Street, at Essex Street) on the Lower East Side is rolling out a regional Indian brunch for $45 per person from 11:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. weekends. It starts with a Kashmiri wazwan, according to a spokesperson. Dishes include a choice of paneer kanti with chiles or a grilled yogurt-marinated chicken. Second-course choices are chaman kaliya, paneer in yellow gravy, or mutton meatballs.

Another new brunch option comes from Preston Clark’s Bar Mercer (24 W. Houston Street, at Mercer Street), with items like smoked salmon toast, buttermilk blueberry pancakes, hangover pasta, crab cakes Benedict, and a brunch burger topped with bacon and a fried egg. The menu runs Saturday and Sunday; doors open at noon.

A new döner spot opens in Bayside

Döner Haus opens a Bayside (4004 Bell Boulevard at 40th Avenue) outpost on June 13, but today from 6 to 9 p.m., to celebrate the opening, the shop is offering döner sandwiches for $1. The sandwiches are listed as $12.99, filled with halal beef, chicken, or a combination of both. Döner Haus first opened in the East Village with a logo that Pornhub threatened to sue them over.