George MacEwanThe basement of Chattanooga's Warehouse Row will take on a Japanese flavor next month when Nashville's Two Ten Jack opens its second outlet in the Scenic City.
The Japanese-inspired neighborhood pub, or izakaya, will be located in the former Food Court of the six-story retail, office and entertainment complex. Two Ten Jack will bring a third full-service restaurant to Warehouse Row, following the 2009 opening of The Public House located on the southern end of Warehouse Row and the 2013 opening of Tupelo Honey on the east side of the complex.
"Two Ten Jack Chattanooga will have its own identity unique to the city's culture," said Patrick Burke, CEO of Seed Hospitality, which owns Two Ten Jack.
With the addition of Two Ten Jack, Warehouse Row will be about 85 percent occupied, according to Jamestown Properties, which owns and manages Warehouse Row.
As workers prepare the basement location for the new restaurant, Seed Hospitality announced Friday that George MacEwan will serve as chef de cuisine for the new Chattanooga Two Ten Jack.
Originally from England, MacEwan has worked in the restaurant industry since he was 15 years old. In 2006, he moved to Chattanooga where he worked his way up through the restaurant ranks, first working at The Pickle Barrel as kitchen manager. Most recently, MacEwan served as the executive chef at the chef-inspired grocery store, Grocery Bar, which closed in January.
MacEwan said he fell in love with Two Ten Jack's izakaya concept as a patron in Nashville. He is now studying under Jessica Benefield, the chef of Two Ten Jack's Nashville location, to execute the izakaya's small-plate driven menu, which features sushi and sashimi, yakitori skewers and signature kodawari (artisanal, handcrafted) ramen.
"I've never encountered this level of energy, detail and authentic inspiration for Japanese comfort food in the South," MacEwan said in a statement Friday. "Even down to the ramen broth, which takes three full days to make, Two Ten Jack is clearly committed to the integrity of the food, the bar and the entire experience."
The new restaurant will feature shochu a Japanese distilled spirit- and agedashi tofu a traditional Japanese fried tofu dish.
Burke said MacEwan "is the perfect fit for us.
"He's a remarkably talented chef and he has been taking the pulse of Chattanooga's evolving and expanding culinary scene for years, so he really understands the nuances of the landscape, the people who call Chattanooga home, and the universe of local ingredients that are so critical to our culinary philosophy," he said.
The new Two Ten Jack is expected to open in the third week of March.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or at 757-6340.