Jay Strauss

Coming Up

Hospitality took shape early through the work at Concord Hill in Brooklyn, New York, where Jay Strauss was photographer and co-owner from 2014. That mix of front-of-house judgment and visual attention helped define a place-making instinct built around neighborhood fit, easy pacing, and a restaurant that feels matched to the day rather than imposed on it. Westville, founded by Jay Strauss as founder and partner since 2003, extends that same logic: practical, welcoming, and clear about what it is.

Where They Are Now

The Westville model comes from the first location: casual American food, with vegetables and seasonal specials treated as a central part of the menu rather than a side note. That keeps the cooking tied to market supply and gives the room a steady sense of movement. The point is not polish for its own sake, but a kind of everyday good eating that stays responsive to what is available. Westville is not vegetarian; it is a vegetable-forward neighborhood restaurant. That distinction is the framework. The menu still covers casual American comfort, but the vegetables are given real weight, which keeps the style balanced and direct. The result is generous without feeling heavy-handed, and grounded in freshness and clarity rather than fuss. “It’s how I like to eat.” That line is the operating principle. The menu translates a personal standard into restaurant form, and the fact that it has continued to resonate points to a concept with staying power. The discipline is in the repetition: seasonal, approachable, and built around foods people actually want to come back to.

Signature

Fearless Frank is among Jay Strauss’s signature dishes. The name gives the dish a little edge, but it fits within a broader Westville approach that keeps the familiar at the center and lets personality come through without overstatement.

In Their Words “It’s not vegetarian but instead of a 12-ounce steak with a few vegetables we focus on the vegetable choices. It’s how I like to eat. It struck a chord.”