1. Tasting menus are out, but seasonal, locally sourced ingredients are always in.

Beloved though Fulgurances was, Finch acknowledges that tasting menus simply aren’t the way most diners want to eat on a daily basis. To that end, he’s swapped the chef-chosen procession of small plates for substantial, seasonally driven starters and mains. While Arthur’s menu leans heavily on his time spent in France, it’s not French per se. There’s an Alice Waters-esque locavore sensibility — a hallmark from his time in San Francisco — as well as a predilection for bold flavors and stealthy hits of fish sauce courtesy of his time in Bangkok.

For evidence of both, look no further than the salad. Like everything at Arthur, it seems simple, but it’s not. “We’re constantly working with the farms in the area to give us the absolute best produce, so the lettuces will change throughout the seasons, as will the garnish, whether it’s radishes and turnips or flowers and herbs,” Finch says. “It’s really just the terroir around us.”

A sprinkling of raw shallots add bite, while a caramelized shallot and sherry vinaigrette with a splash of fish sauce rounds it all out. “It is very, very rich,” Finch says. “It’s all raw, but it feels like you’re eating something cooked and fulfilling because the dressing has this very deep flavor.”

Above all, Arthur is a restaurant dictated by seasonally available ingredients. “We really want to highlight the Northeast as much as possible,” Kevin says. Unlike some fine-dining chefs, Finch isn’t entirely militant about the approach. “I do want lemons on the menu and peppercorn and bay leaf and all these things that don’t grow in the area,” he says. “But as far as produce goes, the rule is if it has a main presence on the plate, then it has to be grown around us.”

2. Expect familiar classics with an updated twist.

3. Be sure to order dessert.

Although desserts will rotate, diners can expect to see more of Finch’s thoughtful, French-inflected approach on the sweet side. One opening headliner is the tart Ambroisie, named in honor of L’Ambroisie, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris that first invented it.

“It’s a very classic chocolate sabayon tart with chantilly,” Kevin says. He couldn’t resist adding a few personal touches, such as introducing banana to the ganache and chocolate, then making a banana peel-infused rum caramel to serve on the side. “Banana peel is entirely edible, just not very yummy,” Finch says. “But we’re using it to just get a ton of banana flavor out. It just tastes really good, plus it’s a little less food waste, since we’re going one-to-one on banana and peel.”

You’ll also find a brown butter sundae with brown butter ice cream and strawberry, as well as housemade madeleines with Meyer lemon and pistachio, plus blood orange sorbet.

4. Get ready to drink Champagne.

France’s splashiest, most celebratory wine can often feel like a luxury, but beverage director Charlotte Mirzoeff wants to change that. “I love drinking Champagne with meals,” she says. “I think it’s the perfect food wine. I want more people to understand that you can order a bottle of Champagne to have with your steak.”

To help people bust out of the notion that Champagne is a once-a-year anniversary celebration drink, Mirzoeff is offering a variety of Champagnes by the bottle “at an affordable price,” she says. Affordable is, of course, a relative term. But Mirzoeff is so determined to make it accessible for diners by reducing the standard restaurant mark-up. Bottles of Champagne will start at as low as around $84 and go up as high as $450. The single Champagne served by the glass, a Premier Cru, Brut Grand Reserve from Vilmart & Cie, is priced at $28 per glass.

“We’re just not gonna make as much money on it as we are the other stuff,” she says. “I think it’s like a little bit of a hit that we can take if we can get people to appreciate what we’re doing.”

Other wines offered by the glass range in price from $14 to $25.

5. Expect rotating batched cocktails and wines spotlighting less-known grapes.

French bubbly aside, the wine list showcases many American producers, including some from the Northeast, plus a wide selection French, Italian, Spanish, and other Old World offerings. “The type of wine that I like and thus build the list around is wine from small producers that are treating the land with respect,” Mirzoeff says. “They don’t necessarily have to be certified anything or have to be biodynamic or organic but of that ethos.”

Rather than try to stock a full bar within the limited confines of the space, she went with a less-is-more approach with three to four batched cocktails. “They hit all the same notes that a classic would hit,” she says. “So, a martini will be salty and bright and refreshing and a good aperitivo. A daiquiri will be tart and sweet and strong, et cetera, et cetera.”

As with the rest of the menu, the cocktails and spirits will rotate seasonally, although one in particular is likely to stick around. “The one we’re especially excited about is the brioche-inspired martini,” Mirzoeff says. “We’re doing a butter fat wash on the gin using a whey eau de vie, dry vermouth, and then diluting everything with barley tea instead of water, and that gives it that toasty bread vibe.”

6. It’s a restaurant by and for Greenpointers, with a design that leans into the history of the neighborhood.

As this once-industrial neighborhood has evolved, the space at 132 Franklin Street has lived quite a few lives. Before it became a restaurant, it was a working laundromat for decades. In the 1940s, it was Pentecostal church. In 2021, the Fulgurances team intentionally left the “Laundry” sign on the window.

Finch wanted to preserve as much of the space’s historic character as possible, including the sign. Since much of the original paint had flaked off with time, they hired an artist to bring it back to life. “We thought the original sign was gold leaf, so we hired a painter who specializes in gold leaf,” Kevin says. “Then he’s like, ‘Actually, this is just paint.’”

Now, repainted with actual gold, the sign shines brighter than ever. The team added a few other thoughtful adjustments. There’s a small bar at the front for three or four people that faces out onto Franklin Street — ideal for an aperitif and some people-watching while waiting for your table.

“We’re trying to take what the space already has, which is gorgeous lighting, brick walls, and tin ceilings,” Lex says. “We’re really just leaning into it and being new stewards of the space.”

In keeping with the local vibes, everything from the upholstery to the woodwork in the new space was made by Greenpoint residents. Ceramicist Jordon Colón was responsible for all the plates; Jeva Design Studio was behind the plasterwork; and Brian Welch was responsible for the gorgeous walnut tabletops, bar, and shelving. Look closely and you’ll note that the two-top tables neatly slot into one another when you push them together, forming a perfect whole.

“We know what this place did well and what it represents and all the work that went into it,” Lex says. “We’re able to highlight the things we like, keep and what was working, then be able to move things around and add little bits of character and charm to bring a different warmth.”

Arthur is open Tuesday through Saturday starting at 5 p.m.

Diana Hubbell is a senior associate editor at Saveur as well as a James Beard Award-winning food and travel journalist whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Guardian, Atlas Obscura, VICE, Eater, Condé Nast Traveler, Esquire, WIRED, and Travel + Leisure, among other places. Previously based in Berlin and Bangkok, she currently lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Follow her on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.