New Heights Restaurant Channels the Bronx With James Beard Star Power

The team behind Helen Greek Food & Wine is going for restaurant number two with Arthur Ave Italian American, a Heights eatery that will specialize in, you guessed it — Italian-American cuisine. The menu is still under wraps, but one can expect rustic dishes that inspire spirited communal dining, as well as one heck of a red sauce. Arthur Avenue is a special place in the Bronx, a nexus of old-school Italian restaurants, delis and bars that has attracted locals and tourists alike for decades.

Though the team at Helen is transitioning from Grecian fare to Italian feasts, they’ll be utilizing Helen‘s proven winning formula, which recently earned the restaurant a James Beard award semifinalist nomination for Best New Restaurant (Helen was the only Texas restaurant nominated in the category).

The Arthur Ave lineup will include Helen’s executive chef, William Wright, manning the kitchen; director of operations and partner Sharif Al-Amin alongside managing partner Tim Faiola — the duo who helped open Helen; Helen owner and sommelier Evan Turner will assemble the wine offerings; and Lainey Collum (Prohibition, The Hay Merchant, The Pass & Provisions) serves as beverage director. Designer Erin Hicks, who brought Helen’s ambience to life, will oversee Arthur Ave’s interior design.

Arthur Ave is set to open this summer at 1111 Studewood St. in the building that formerly housed Piatto).