"A new Mediterranean restaurant backed by a popular Long Island chef is now open in Williamsburg. Dubbed Pomp & Circumstance, the restaurant will serve freshly baked bread, seafood, and meaty plates from chef James Ahearn, who previously ran the kitchen at now-shuttered Italian-American restaurant Verde Wine Bar and Ristorante in Deer Park. It’s a project from Ahearn and his wife Melissa Morales, who have been looking for a new spot since Verde Wine Bar closed last year. The menu at Pomp & Circumstance leans Mediterranean and is divided into sections including breads, accompaniments for breads, small plates, and cheese. Foie gras liverwurst, bone marrow, and tomato conserva are among those bread pairings, while small plates include poached oysters, dry-aged lamb meatballs, and roasted cauliflower. A few larger dishes like broccoli rabe pesto fettuccine and rabbit leg are also available, and much of the food will be cooked out of a dome oven, Morales tells Eater. 'We wanted to create a place that we would love to go to on a night out or just stop in while in the neighborhood and still get an interesting menu and great service,' Morales says. The new restaurant quietly opened its doors last week at 577 Lorimer St., near Metropolitan Avenue, where Settebello Pizzabar once stood. It’s a 30-seat space with an open kitchen, and brunch is set to begin this weekend. Reservations are now being taken for the chef’s counter, too, and the duo is waiting on a liquor license to introduce the drink program. Ahearn was previously a co-owner and executive chef at Verde Wine Bar & Ristorante, which received a 'very good' review rating from the Times in 2014. The Long Island restaurant closed in December 2018 after the landlord sold the building, Morales says. While there, Ahearn became known for cooking off-cuts of meat, and some meatier options have made their way onto Pomp & Circumstance’s menu, such as veal sweetbreads, tripe, and wagyu brasato. Pomp & Circumstance is open every day except Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. It stays open until midnight on Friday and Saturday." - Carla Vianna
