(Photo courtesy of Nai)
Two neighborhood standbys have reopened their doors–one in Brooklyn, the other in Manhattan. Nai, the Galician tapas bar that closed in July after eight years in the East Village, has reopened an avenue over. And Anella, the Greenpoint longtimer that closed that same month due to a fire, will reopen tonight in a rebuilt space.
(Photo courtesy of Nai)
First off, Nai is now occupying all two stories of the former Bareburger space at 85 Second Avenue, at the corner of 5th Street. The bright, airy rooms are a step up (literally) from their subterranean space of yore, but maintain a homey feel thanks to mismatched chairs, a rustic farm table, portraits of chef Ruben Rodriguez’s family, and a shot of his mom’s restaurant in Spain.
Ramen Gallego (Photo courtesy of Nai)
The chef’s menu is divided between traditional tapas like the obligatory croquetas and Spanish tortilla and modern creations that employ Japanese ingredients like yuzu and tobiko here and there; there’s even a “Ramen Gallego” that puts cabbage noodles in a Galician broth. For splurges, there’s the option of an $85 tasting menu that includes sangria, annotated with the chef’s words: “Just do it, joder,” which translates to “Just do it, fuck!”
Don’t worry, the flamenco performances haven’t been replaced with kabuki; dancers pound the upstairs floors on Thursdays and Saturdays.
View this post on Instagram
Welcome to your new favorite table. #weareback #opentonight #anellareturns #welovegreenpoint
Over in Greenpoint, Anella— a pioneer of farm-to-table dining in the neighborhood when it opened in 2009– has recovered from the fire that damaged its homey, rustic digs at 222 Franklin Street in July. And by the looks of the above photo posted to their Instagram today, they’ve recovered quite nicely. The dinner menu can be found online; starting tonight, it’ll be served from 5:30pm during the week and from 5pm on Saturday and Sunday; brunch will run from 10am to 4pm on weekends.