Jeffrey Chodorow had done a lot of not-so-smart things lately, but planning a restaurant called the Spotted Dick was not one of them. The eatery, which will occupy the let’s-not-say-cursed space that formerly housed Rocco’s and Caviar & Banana, looks to be one of Chodorow’s coolest ventures: His company confirms that it will be a New York gastropub called Boroughs, helmed by none other than Zak Pelaccio. (And here we thought Jeffrey was done with name chefs.)

Drawing on artisanal ingredients from the city’s small butchers, bakers, dairies, and markets, Pelaccio will return to the kind of eclectic, funky cooking he was doing at Brooklyn’s Chickenbone Café, before he rose to stardom with 5 Ninth, Fatty Crab, and various other projects. Boroughs is still at least a couple of months away from opening, but when it does, we’re betting he won’t need to take out any pricey ads to defend it.

Earlier: Chodorow Roars Back! [Grub Street]