Eleven Madison Park Alum Champ Jones Opens Vegan Restaurant Sans In Brooklyn

Photo Credit: Erika Kramer
Chef Champ Jones (most recently of Eleven Madison Park and The NoMad) has partnered with acclaimed sommelier Daniel Beedle (The NoMad, Betony, Juni) to launch vegan restaurant Sans in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. After spending four years with the Made Nice group as a sous chef for the NoMad and Eleven Madison Park, Jones is embarking on his first solo restaurant journey. The goal behind Sans is to explore the idea that plant-based dining can be indulgent and satiating to non-vegan, as well as vegan diners.

Photo Credit: Erika Kramer

While not a vegan himself, Jones’ lifestyle centers around a mostly plant-based diet, and he has cultivated a deep interest in that style of cooking. The restaurant features a vegan menu alongside a beverage program from Beedle. Jones is opening this year-long restaurant project in the former Seersucker and Nightingale Nine space, where he worked for years with chef and owner Rob Newton.

Photo Credit: Erika Kramer

Small dishes include a Tarte Flambe with maitake, and “parmesan” cream spiked with brewer’s yeast; a Black Plum Terrine served with orchard fruit jam, pickled plum and housemade brioche; Sea Vegetables in their broth, Smoke and Fat with dulse, wakame, with smoked olive oil; a Sunchoke Salad with roasted and pickled sunchokes, fried sunchoke skin, and almond curds; and a Soft Set Iowa Tofu with demi tomato golden beet and olive oil. Larger plates include a Lasagna and a TV Dinner (a take on a meatloaf) with peas, carrots and potato and a Porcini Risotto with Barley and Juniper risotto. The concise dessert menu offers two options: Caramel Ice Cream with Chocolate Crumble; and Green Apple sorbet with preserved lemon and apple cream. Sans also offers a five course tasting menu for $65/person with additional courses like Olive Caviar and Blini.

Photo Credit: Erika Kramer

Overseeing the beverage program is partner Daniel Beedle, who served as a sommelier at The NoMad, before taking over as the wine director at Michelin-starred Betony and Juni, and later became the corporate beverage director at Old World Hospitality, opening up Indian Accent London and New York. The cocktail program focuses on minimizing waste by repurposing ingredients throughout the menu, and features house made savory and sweet cold ferment shrubs.

Photo Credit: Erika Kramer

Options on the seasonally changing cocktail menu include: My Usual, a refreshing, complex shandy made with an amaro blend, molé bitters and Flanders Red Ale; The Drink I Had Last Time with tequila, gentian and celery shrub; A Couple Moments, an herbaceous sour with Old Tom gin, muddled sugar snap peas, lemon and hyssop; and One More featuring pineapple skin rum, peach and mint for a fresh and fruity take on the daiquiri.

Photo Credit: Erika Kramer

Sans opens on Friday, September 14th offering dinner service Wednesday through Sunday 5:30pm – 10:00pm. For more information, check out the Sans website.