Suba and Boqueria Vet Yann de Rochefort Opening Manzanilla in Flatiron
Over the past decade, restaurateur Yann de Rochefort orchestrated Dinners in the Dark at Suba, launched Boqueria with Seamus Mullen, and expanded that burgeoning tapas brand to Washington, D.C. His latest chef-collaborator, Dani García, is best known for the two-Michelin-starred Calima in Marbella, Spain. Their new venture, Manzanilla, shares its name with another García restaurant in Málaga, but takes a more New York-centric approach. The menu, to be executed by García emissary Santiago Guerrero, features pâté buñuelos, cod tartare with molecular-gastronomical “nitro-tomato,” and bacalao with citrus-gazpachuelo sauce, plus simply grilled steaks and a liberal sprinkling of Ibérico pork throughout. Spanish wines loom large, as do sherries by the glass, and cocktails incorporate everything from Spanish sloe-flavored liqueur to Brooklyn gin. What was once a Staples has been outfitted with herringbone-patterned concrete tile, a wood-clad ceiling, and a 40-seat private dining room.
Manzanilla
345 Park Ave. S., entrance on 26th St.; 212-255-4086
This article originally appeared in the February 18, 2013 issue of New York Magazine.