L'Espalier's Frank McClelland Is Opening Riversbend in Essex

A new restaurant headed to Essex this summer features the cooking of noted Boston chef Frank McClelland, who is the owner of L'Espalier in Back Bay. He plans to open Riversbend by mid-June, according to Boston Restaurant Talk.

Riversbend, previously called "Tides" when news first emerged about McClelland's plans, will take full advantage of the chef's proclivity for farm-to-fork food, with the addition of some wood-fired cooking, according to the restaurant's website. The restaurant, which overlooks the Essex River, is now hiring employees ahead of its projected summer opening, including managers, cooks, dishwashers, servers, bartenders, hosts, and bussers, per a post on Craigslist.

McClelland, who lives in Essex and has been known to source ingredients from a farm he owns, will craft a casual menu "inspired by nature, New England and the bounty of local farmers," according to the job posting. Riversbend will be open for lunch and dinner, and it will have a rotisserie and fire pit.