The Wall Street Journal reports that the Harlem restaurateur and bar owner Karl Franz Williams plans to open Solomon & Kuff, a Caribbean-themed gastropub, on Dec. 11.
Mr. Williams, 40 years old, who also operates the cocktail bar 67 Orange Street, is billing the 5,000-square-foot, 120-seat space as “a modern translation of West Indian culture and style.”
That means an emphasis on rum, with a list of 70 bottles that covers all styles of the spirit and all points of origin, including South and Central America. “I’ve tasted some incredible rums. That’s one of the fun things about this project,” said Mr. Williams.
It also means creative island cocktails: Mr. Williams said he would offer 10 to 15 signature drinks, including a version of the classic Dark and Stormy cocktail that uses a house-made ginger beer. As for food, Solomon & Kuff plans to offer contemporary takes on island dishes, such as peppered goat pie and fried fish with yucca chips.
The restaurant’s name has a rum connection, referring to the saga of Venture Smith, an American slave who was purchased for four gallons of rum but who later bought his way to freedom. Mr. Smith’s two sons were named Solomon and Cuff, though Mr. Williams took liberties and changed it to “Kuff.”
Solomon & Kuff, 2331 12th Avenue, New York, New York, solomonandkuff.com.
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