BlackBook

When Taavo Somer opened his Brooklyn restaurant Isa during the fall of 2011, gourmands flocked to get a taste of chef Ignacio Mattos’s eclectic menu. Eric Asimov of The New York Times described it as having a “complementary primitive aesthetic,” and he wasn’t alone in being charmed by the Williamsburg haunt. Yet, despite the reviews, Isa shut down this June after Mattos and other chefs left.

Just when you thought Taavo Somer and William Tigertt’s chic Freemans Restaurant  couldn’t get any hipper, they decided to have Bench-Made Bespoke Studio open up in one of their bookcase-shrouded rooms. Adding on to the already stylish clothing boutique Freemans Sporting Club, the sleek barbershop, and the cabin-in-the-woods-style restaurant, Freemans has become the go-to for the modish male looking for a trim, a suit, and lunch.

Peels, that new Freemans spin-off on the Bowery, is a beautiful, bi-level space. Every detail - from the menu font to the artful manner in which the waiters fold your bill - is designed to heighten your experience. If you've been here or to Freemans, then you know: aesthetics first, food second. It seems, however, that Taavo Somer and crew might have a small problem on their hands, just slightly out of their jurisdiction, that they might want to look into.

Jean Adamson and Sam Buffa met while both were working at Freemans. Their relationship gave way to sharing a love of the food and aesthetic that formed Vinegar Hill House. Sam is also partners with Taavo Somer in the FSC Barbershop. Six months into their Brooklyn venture, the Vinegar Hill House team found Brian Leth, the chef de cuisine since April, formerly of Prune and Allen & Delancey. Leth excites patron with his locally sourced menu with ethnic flairs.

Serge Becker is a partner in New York dining and nightlife staples like The Box, Joe's Pub, Café Select, and La Esquina. His stake in the nightlife industry began as art director at Area and continued with his involvement in some of the city’s most exclusive spots (MK and Bowery Bar). Currently, he's taking a break from nightlife and exercising his green thumb.

Freeman's and Rusty Knot co-owner Taavo Somer talks about his failed busboy career, the proper use of porno paneling, and why he strives for simplicity when doing three jobs at once.

Who’d have thought you could build an empire in the hopelessly ill-mannered contemporary New York City by reviving the aesthetics of 19th-century gentleman hunters and topping them off with a dollop of good ol’ Southern gentility? But Taavo Somer and Sam Buffa’s Freemans Sporting Club and Freeman's restaurant, indeed, came on the scene like Adolf Loos and Philippe Stark never happened, and became de facto hipster stomping grounds. Now they takes their act West, with FSC Barber opening this week on a charming corner of Horatio Street.