In Old Rattigan's Space, Thistle Hill Revives Neighborhood Spirit

In author Pete Hamill’s 1994 memoir “A Drinking Life,” the now shuttered space at Seventh Avenue and 11th Street was an essential neighborhood gathering space.

It was Rattigan’s Bar & Grill, the old-time pub that features heavily in Hamill’s book about coming of age in Park Slope and entering the news business. But it has been decades since the space, which was most recently a dry cleaner’s, has served such a vital function in the community.

Now owner David Massoni hopes he can bring something of the space’s old world charms back, when he opens his new restaurant Talde in mid-September.

Of course, Massoni’s new space, which he will open with Thistle Hill barman John Bush and Top Chef Dale Talde, will be quite a bit different from the smoke-filled, testosterone-heavy Rattigan’s of decades past.

Rather, Talde will be an Asian-American eatery, inspired by Chef Dale Talde’s own experiences growing up Philippino-American, and cooking is way through New York and Chicago’s better Asian restaurants, like Buddakan, where he was most recently Creative Director of Asian Concepts.

“The restaurant is basically Dale’s culinary history,” said Massoni.

The menu will consist of items drawing inspiration from all over the map, like Korean-style fried chicken, perilla leaf salad with toasted shrimp, coconut, tamarind, and caramel, and pad thai made with Benton’s Bacon and Frank's Red Hot sauce. Eventually, the eatery will serve up lunch, and like Thistle Hill, there will be vegan and vegetarian options as well.

“He’s really taken the entire breadth of Asian cuisine and translated it though the lens of an American chef,” said Massoni.

The restaurant will have about 70 seats, with a large “chef’s counter” looking into the open kitchen, and a 12-seat bar where Massoni hopes folks will stop in for a nibble and one of Bush’s .

But despite the Top Chef and fancy eats, Massoni said that the eatery’s main goal will be to serve the neighborhood much like Rattigan did.

“We’re going to keep it casual, warm and friendly, regardless of the cuisine,” said Massoni, who himself has lived in Park Slope for a decade. “We want it to be another great neighborhood joint.”

In fact, when Massoni realized his new space just might be the former home of Rattigan’s, he reached out to Hamill and invited him to Thistle Hill for lunch.

“Rattigan’s was the neighborhood joint for many years,” said Massoni. “We want it to be the great neighborhood joint that it once was.”