Top Chef Alum Mark Simmons to Open New Zealand-Inspired Eatery on Union Street

Chef Mark Simmons, who appeared on season 4 of Top Chef and was previously involved with Park Slope restaurants Get Fresh and Melt, will be opening up a restaurant that focuses on traditional New Zealand cuisine in the space most recently occupied by Lucas Fine Foods, at 847 Union Street, between Sixth and Seventh. 

Simmons, who hails from New Zealand and lives in the neighborhood, told me that the eatery, to be called Kiwiana, will be "a comfortable neighborhood restaurant, with prices that aren't too high." He's still fine-tuning the menu, but it will feature lamb and seafood, two of New Zealand's culinary claims to fame. 

He plans on opening the restaurant, his first, in late August or early September.