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“Iron Chef” America champion Jesse Schenker has a revamped restaurant that unlike his two other eateries is off the grid.
In 2018 and 2021 respectively, the longtime chef and his hospitality partner Claudia Taglich opened 2 Spring and Four, two separate, yet adjacent restaurants on Spring St. in Oyster Bay.
Back in April 2020, they began a so-called “cloud restaurant” called Spring St. 2Go. Schenker described it as a digital-exclusive eatery that got its start as a child of the COVID-19 pandemic, which shuttered restaurants island-wide and popularized delivery and take-out.
Now, this virtual eatery has a menu completely distinct from Schenker and Taglich’s other restaurants and remains exclusively available for curbside pickup outside their restaurants, as well as delivery. This means it’s off-limits for the diners seated inside 2 Spring and Four.
“2 Spring obviously was shut down and we kind of pivoted to making more comfort homey food that travelled, that people could eat, that’s scrumptious that would feel good during the peak of COVID,” Schenker said. “Now that there’s a peak again and it’s winter, we figured it was a good time to relaunch with a more updated menu.”
‘Soggy and flavorful’
Five greasy and comforting sandwiches anchor the virtual experience. The Little Mermaid boasts blackened salmon with soy and ginger slaw and sesame mayo, while the Down on the Bayou is stuffed with butter poached lobster, arugula and lemon confit.
A “Pulp Fiction” fan, Schenker offers a cheeseburger topped with caramelized onions and a secret sauce he named the Royale with Cheese.
“What’s interesting about 2Go is it’s the same product, same technique that we would do in a fine dining restaurant,” Schenker said. “We buy brisket, we buy short rib, we buy fat back, and we actually grind our own meat for the burger. We bake our own buns from scratch. But it’s still a greasy burger at the end of the day.”
Courtesy of Spring St. 2Go’s Instagram.
There’s also the Brunch in Wien with a fried pork cutlet, potato salad, mustard and a hard boiled egg and the Little Tokyo, a play on Japanese street food made with a sous-vided chicken thigh, maple glaze, kewpie, pickled cucumber and yuzu juice.
“It’s just a chicken sandwich at the end of the day,” Schenker said of the Little Tokyo. “You could put it on a plate with a little drizzle and make it look fancy. Or you can put it on a bun and enjoy it at home, or while you’re driving or in some place you feel comfortable.”
For sides, Spring St. 2Go offers potato salad, a deep fried potato topped with mojo and picked chili, and a Caesar salad with lemon and anchovy vinaigrette. There is also graham cracker ice cream available by the pint.
A self-proclaimed “fat kid at heart,” Schenker said his 2Go delicacies do not have to be eaten as soon as they are picked up. If they sit for a while, that will only enhance the flavor, he said.
“They’re good when they’re fresh and they’re good when they’ve been sitting in foil for thirty minutes because they’ll get soggy and flavorful,” he said.
