QUEENS — CityRib, a high-end barbecue restaurant that closed in Jamaica after two years, has been replaced by an American comfort food restaurant, owners said.
Located at Moda — a building constructed several years ago atop of the former Queens Family Courthouse at 89-14 Parsons Blvd. — Moda Grill will offer a variety of old-fashioned eats, like burgers and chicken wings, according to Regan Uriarte, who co-owns the restaurant along with The Dermot Company, the building's developer.
The Poulakakos family, a Manhattan-based restaurant group behind Harry’s Café and Steak at Hanover Square, which co-owned CityRib, withdrew from the venture, the owners said.
Moda Grill, which can seat up to 200 people, remains one of only several sit-down restaurants in downtown Jamaica.
Uriarte, a former CityRib’s manager, said that a barbecue restaurant was not the right concept for the area.
“So instead we will serve very simple, comfort food,” he said. “We also want to make it more friendly for customers who want to eat healthy.”
He said he spoke to patrons about what they would like to see on the menu at the new restaurant and came up with a selection of dishes based on the top-selling items at CityRib.
The restaurant will now also serve a variety of burgers, which the previous eatery did not offer, including a classic burger ($8), salmon burger ($11), as well as turkey and veggie burgers ($10).
The menu also features Philly cheese steak on a club roll ($10), hot ham and cheese on white toast ($8), grilled chicken breast served with macaroni and cheese and mixed vegetables ($14), sirloin steak ($17) as well as vegetarian penne pasta in marinara sauce with broccoli, zucchini and carrots ($12).
In addition to several salads, Uriarte said he also introduced grilled shrimp skewers ($9) and several kinds of chicken wings, such as Buffalo, sweet Thai chili and garlic parmesan ($10).
"We listened to the residents and wanted to give this place a fresh start," Uriarte said.
The restaurant will be open Mondays through Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. On weekends, it will also be open for lunch.
