Natalie Rinn 507 East Sixth Street A storefront that has been vacant since a fire shuttered 6th Street Kitchen a year ago will soon hold a pan-Asian restaurant, with a veteran of one of the space’s previous occupants, Oriental Grill, serving as head chef.
Jimmy Lin worked as a cook for seven years at Oriental Grill, the neighborhood joint that was open for 15 years before owner Chris Genoversa transformed it into 6th Street Kitchen. After his time at O.G., Mr. Lin worked at other restaurants, including Spice, Aja, and Asia Kan. Now he’s returning to 507 East Sixth Street as a chef-owner, with his longtime friends Yun Feijiang and Sally Lam as partners.
Ms. Lam, whose family previously owned the shuttered Magic Chef restaurant in Ossining, N.Y. and King Buffet in Staten Island, said the new restaurant, Purple Ginger, would likely serve Thai and Malaysian cuisine and include a noodle bar. The dining room will hold 14 small tables and should be ready to open after another two or three months of work.
