He’s back on the menu!
A Sheepshead Bay native has returned to southern Brooklyn to spice up the menu at Marine Park’s Third and Seven Tavern after 27 years honing his cooking skills in Dirty Jersey. And the Academy of Culinary Arts grad is bringing his metropolitan chops to a hometown haunt, a manager said.
“We have our steaks, chops, burgers, wings, but he brought some pizzazz,” said manager Peter DiFiglia. “He’s bringing something different to our neighborhood.”
Chef Evan Miller began his culinary career in Manhattan Beach, where he began working as a bus boy at 13 years old. But that only served to whet his appetite, and it wasn’t long before the scrappy saucier was in the kitchen doing what he loved, he said.
“By 15, I was doing cold foods, cutting fruits, and, little by little, I worked some line jobs,” Miller said using service-industry lingo “line” to refer to where cooking is done. “I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
The young chef left Brooklyn with his folks when he was 17, and they headed to Jersey, where Miller enrolled in the Academy of Culinary Arts before embarking on a career that had him slinging food for catering services, in posh country clubs, and at restaurants throughout the Garden State and the five boroughs.
“I’ve done it all,” he said.
His coming to the Quentin Road eatery is part of a shake-up at Third and Seven — DiFiglia took over as manager and started making changes to bring the restaurant into the 21st century, according to the new manager.
“The owners wanted to make some changes,” he said.
The sports bar now features live music, karaoke, and monthly theme parties — including an upcoming disco night on Jan. 15, DiFiglia said.
And Miller is enjoying seeing some familiar faces, he said.
“I just ran into a buddy of mine — he had no idea I was working there,” Miller said. “I ran into some people last week. Yeah, I definitely have some friends in town.”
Third and Seven Tavern [3622 Quentin Rd. between 36th and 37th streets in Marine Park, (718) 336–6300].
