Grayz, the restaurant that traded opening chef Gray Kunz for Martin Brock, will now change its name to Gneiss (pronounced “nice”) and unveil a new concept in 2009. In an announcement released today, the owners did not describe what this new concept might be, but the name might give us some guidance. Gneiss (at least according to Wikipedia) is a glittery rock whose name might come from the “Middle High German verb gneist (to spark; so called because the rock glitters) … Other sources claim the root to be an old Saxon mining term that seems to have meant decayed, rotten, or possibly worthless material.” Considering Brock had done some time in Michelin-starred restaurants in Germany, we’ll go with the former. If you still want to eat Grayz’s food, the current menu will be available throughout the month. As for the chef himself, Kunz says he’s looking for opening opportunities in New York and Asia and “planning the launch of new initiatives focused on nutrition and wellness and developing green protocols for chefs.”
