The former Oshun restaurant (5 E Huron Street) is getting a drastic makeover, as it transitions to Streetlight Brassiere. To that end, owner Danny Lettieri (co-owner of Savoy in Allentown) has retained the builder-designer services of Brian Wilcox (Wilcox Design Division of RP Oak Hill Building Company) to create a dramatic new look for the restaurant, which will feature seating cubbies, 32’ of butcher block counters for a new bakery area, a custom Champagne and whiskey display, a Chuck Tingley mural, and greenery galore. Lettieri has embarked upon the project with partners Nina Lettieri, Cari Lettieri, and Matt Milano.
For upwards of five years, the restaurant sat vacant, awaiting a concept that would be fitting of the space. And that’s exactly what the Streetlight Brassiere does – it fits the space perfectly. The “brassiere” concept is long overdue in Buffalo. Lettieri and his team are bringing a European concept that will be embraced by anyone that is sick and tired of restaurants operating with weird hours and days, unreliable menus, etc.
How many times have you wanted to go out to eat on a Monday, to find the options severely limiting? Or how about a bite to eat in-between lunch and dinner hours? Or arriving 10 minutes too late to enjoy a breakfast menu, and resorting to eating a sandwich? What about trying to find a place that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals at the midnight hour (and beyond)?
Streetlight Brassiere will open early in the early morning, and it will close late at night. I’m talking about long and reliable hours of operation, seven days a week.
“The bakery and the coffee shop will be open all day, every day, early-to-late,” said Lettieri. “It will be fully operational whenever it’s open. There will be a full kitchen, cocktail lounge and bar. People will be able to have breakfast and coffee at the bar in the morning, or at the stools in the window, or at the couch seating. We can accommodate the solo person or large format meals. The menu will be the same all day long. Customers can get blueberry pancakes at 8am, or 2am. We will have high end steaks, fish, pasta, chicken and waffles… all served with our fresh baked goods. Every day – you know that we’re open and happy to serve you. We will be able to pull our employees from Savoy, to work at Streetlight. It will be the same cocktail menu, for easy training. That’s how we are going to get through the staff shortage caused by the pandemic. Will will also pay well, and we are hiring at the moment.”
Lettieri told me that he was inspired to create this concept for a couple of reasons. He has lived in Italy, which is why the brassiere concept (a single food menu served up all day long) is so appealing to him. And he currently resides in the neighborhood, just down the street from Streetlight. He is convinced that this is the type of restaurant that is needed in the neighborhood – a place where people can order an espresso and sit in the window, while working on a laptop. Or engage with the baristas after dinner. The bakery will be operational from early morning to late at night. there will be no down time.”
“The motor’s always running,” said Lettieri. “After the pandemic, it’s hard to find a decent coffee drink at all hours of the day, in downtown Buffalo. At Streetlight, there will never be in-between hours. Customers’ definitions of lunch times and dinner times are very different. There will never be a question about if, what, and when we’re serving. People will always know that we are there for them. Personally, I don’t even start to think about dinner until 8:30pm. So many place stop making stuff – people have different schedules and want to know what they’re getting. There are times when I want to grab a bite to eat at midnight, without worrying if I’m going to keep the staff late. You know that feeling, when you walk through the door. We will be open at least until 2am. And if there are customers, we will keep going. It’s never going to feel awkward.”
As for the design of the restaurant, Wilcox is well on his way towards creating a look that meshes with the concept. He had great architectural and design bones to work with. Currently, he is in the process of sensitively covering a series of historic wall frescos, which prevented the back bar from being truly functional. When Wilcox got ahold of the space, it was completely stripped down, with a wide open floor plan, except for the front bar, which will be incorporated into the design.
When asked about the project, Wilcox noted that there’s a lot more to the restaurant that meets the eye. That’s because there is an absolutely massive basement that has marble floors, terracotta subway tiles, and other significant architectural details. The overall footprint of the restaurant is amazing, according to Wilcox.
“The basement has an enormous kitchen – even bigger than the one upstairs,” said Lettieri. “There are also bathrooms that will be open to the public, which will be more like power rooms – much different than the bathrooms upstairs. They will be spacious, with seating areas, etc. The basement will also have an area for private parties, with a private bar.”
Between the various seating configurations, the bakery, the bar, bottle service, the brassiere concept, the design, the greenery, the lower level amenities, the location, and the no hassle “we got you” attitude, Streetlight is going to be a big hit with Buffalonians, I am convinced.
One thing is for certain – you will never have to check your phone, to see if it’s open and what they’re serving. Lettieri is making sure that the puzzling experience of finding the right menu, at the right time, on the right day, is no longer an issue to contend with. Now that’s a relief.
Streetlight Brassiere will be opening in early fall.
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