By Lani Gering

We have been getting inundated with inquiries about the opening of Succotash here in the Harbor. For those of you who haven’t ventured to the Harbor lately or to the southern end of Waterfront Street for that matter, the trio of Chef Edward Lee, Jason Berry and Michael Reginbogin are opening Succotash. Coming from such vibrant and metropolitan cities the likes of New York City, Los Angeles and Miami, these three gentlemen bring expertise from the west coast, the east coast and the south!

Chef Lee is the Chef Edward Lee of “Iron Chef”, “Top Chef” and the Cooking Channel’s “Foodography” show fame. Any of you readers who are real foodies are probably familiar with Lee’s culinary style. He draws inspiration from his Asian heritage, his New York training, and his embrace of the American South, coupled with the best ingredients from local farms.

Jason Berry grew up in Los Angeles and has been in the restaurant business since he was 15 years old. He was the Regional Operations Director of Rosa Mexicano and helped grow the popular chain from 3 locations to 19. We definitely like the Rosa that we have here in the Harbor.

Michael Reginbogin has been working in the restaurant industry in Miami for years and owns the popular restaurant Tongue & Cheek there. Michael also owns his own design company and is responsible for the design of Succotash.

Succotash is going to feature a variety of Chef Edward Lee’s southern recipes. Some favorites on the menu include: Fried chicken – both traditional and a dirty version glazed with sweet and spicy gochujang and honey sauce, fried green tomatoes served with goat cheese, arugula, peaches, and buttermilk dressing, Weisenberger Mills skillet cornbread served with sorghum butter; Rappahannock oysters served with a refreshing watermelon mignonette, smoked dry rubbed chicken wings, baby back ribs, shrimp n’ grits, just to name a few.

Cocktails will be a big part of this place and I am told that they will be both contemporary and classic including: the Manhattan, the Old Fashioned, the Whiskey Sour, etc….but what will probably get a lot of attention is their golden, clear milk punch which is blended with old Forester Bourbon, Averna Amaro, Carpani Antica, Rhum Barbancourt, and clarified creole bitters. I am a pretty adventurous “adult beverage” consumer but I may have to think about this one.

Initially, the restaurant will be open for dinner only from 4 pm to 11pm Sunday through Thursday and until Midnight on Friday and Saturday. They hope to offer breakfast and lunch in the near future beginning at 7 am on weekdays and weekends at 9:30 am. They have Happy Hour slated to run Monday through Friday from 4 pm to 7 pm.

We welcome another new eatery to the Harbor. We really are getting to be a fine dining mecca and that is a good thing!