Important Sparrow Update - Reyes Has Left the Building

Even though it's still LIC week, I had to interrupt it to bring you the latest news about Sparrow and its chef Reyes who I love very much. Reyes is the mastermind behind Sparrow's delicious eats including their phenomenal burgers, sandwiches and of course the decadent pain perdu. So it was with great dismay that I learned yesterday that not only was Reyes leaving Sparrow, last night was his last hoorah. He was gracious and wrote to me personally to break the news. I was shocked and sad but wish him all the best and much success in the future.

With that said, Dan and I went over there to pay our respects to the man, the legend, the burger genius. He was expecting me and came out of the kitchen to say hi. We conversed and I thanked him for all that he does. His future plans are still unknown but he said that he wants to "explore more, learn more and to move forward." I have no doubt that he'll succeed and can't wait for the day when he tells me where we can find him next. Mark my words, I will follow this man wherever he ends up--and Dan is right there with me.

And although we already had dinner, we saved room for a Reyes dessert. Chocolate mousse was the special treat last night and not only was it presented beautifully, with Reyes' careful touch but it tasted oh so luxurious. I kid you not when I say that we finished it in less than a minute--destroying this generous piece and licking the plate clean (see picture for proof). The best part of the mousse cake was the cinnamon-liquor embellishment on the side--it was fun to dip the cake into it and the liquor gave it an unexpected kick. You can always count on Reyes to deliver something special and make the ordinary unique.

It was a bittersweet goodbye last night but I'm glad that we saw this culinary genius off. Good luck Reyes--Astoria will miss you!

Where will he go next? I promise to let you know...