Mark Regan

Even at the very beginning of this story, something seemed…off.

It started back in July with the announcement that Matt Levin, chef and owner (along with partner Kar Vivekanathan) of Adsum, was going to be stepping back from the stoves. This was at toward the end of the month, and word on the street was that Levin was easing his way out in order to focus on some new project he had his eye on. There were promises that he was still going to be involved in the restaurant–that he was still going to be kicking around the joint and acting as an “inspiration” for the kitchen–but not, you know…cooking anymore.

A couple days after that, there was another announcement. Levin had named his sous chef, Rah Shabazz, as his successor and chef de cuisine. This seemed like a wise move: Shabazz had been there since day one, working alongside Levin, and was a man who understood the sometimes bizarre notions that whipped through the Adsum kitchen. You know, like making Tastykake sliders or doing a dinner based around the much-maligned 4 Loko. Shabazz got it, in other words. And even though his style was not quite so extreme as Levin’s, he vowed to maintain some of that spirit of weirdness that had animated Adsum under Levin. He worked up a new menu. He did tastings for the staff and for Vivekanathan. Everything seemed to be progressing smoothly.

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