East by Northeast Will Close in March

"The last five years have been exciting, educational, frustrating, fulfilling, and I will always look back at this time fondly," writes East by Northeast chef/owner Phil Tang in a newsletter today, which continues:

"EXNE was a chance to express myself as a chef by cooking food that was personal, unique, and inspired by my Chinese American experience. I have also learned a great deal about the operation and ownership of a restaurant and those experiences will only help me as I continue to do what I love in the future. I am eternally grateful for the support from friends, family, dedicated staff, and loyal guests.

As I move forward in my career, I am thrilled to share that I’ll be working on a new concept with The Gallows Group. I hope you’ll keep an eye out for further details this spring. I will miss the familiar faces I have come to see every week (you know who you are), but I hope to see everyone at our new venture. Please brave the terrible weather and join us at East by Northeast in the remaining few weeks before we close our doors.  Our last day will be March 8^th and I invite you to stop by, have some drinks, and we’ll send food until we run out."

Tang and general manager Blayne Daley recently spoke with Eater about the Inman Square restaurant's five years, including a recent makeover and revamp of the menu. "When you hit five years, it's always good to keep things moving a bit," Tang said at the time.

The Gallows Group is currently working on opening a restaurant in the former Hamersley's Bistro space in the South End, and unless they've got something else brewing as well, it sounds like that's where Tang will end up. As previously reported, the new restaurant will feature "international flavors in the form of small plates and easily shared dishes." A job posting also mentioned "Asian and Mediterranean flavors."