Breaking: Johnny Brenda’s Is Back!

Paul Kimport, co-owner of Standard Tap and Johnny Brenda’s, is back in the kitchen. After a stint in the Tap’s kitchen four years ago, the self-taught Kimport had taken a step back from the stove to focus on management duties. Recently, however, wanting to give the J.B. menu a sharper focus and bring it in line with the obsessively fresh-local-seasonal standard set by Tap, Kimport recently replaced chef Albert Anderson.“I want Johnny Brenda’s to have its own personality, but now it’s more in tune with what we’ve been doing at Standard Tap for years,” he says.

Kimport has expanded the daily blackboard menu to include more snacks and small plates — perfect for the spot’s concert-goers — and grilled items like yakitori. The difference is noticeable: A recent meal at Johnny Brenda’s included a surprisingly refined mushroom and chicken liver pâté, a hulking and flavorful grilled Cuban sandwich, and zesty plate of falafel and hummus.