BREAKING: Anna Castellani to open Nina in DUMBO on December 1st.
This sprawling corner restaurant channels the Mediterranean
Anna Castellani—the owner and creative mind behind Dekalb Market Hall, The Hugh Food Hall, ANA Bar & Eatery and the late Foragers Market and Foragers Table—will open Nina, a Mediterranean restaurant in DUMBO, on December 1.
The sprawling 3200-square-foot restaurant takes the place of Foragers Market on the corner of Adams and Front Streets. At Nina, you’ll find two magnificent bars, 130 seats, and a state of the art hi-fi system where DJs will spin a large collection of vintage and contemporary vinyl.
Nina’s chef, Sagi Azrouel, was previously a private chef flying under the radar here in the city. He and Anna met by happenstance, when she and business partner Moshe Ziv (an investor in Eyal Shani’s restaurants as well), stopped into 260s, the small coffee shop Sagi runs next to the Drama Bookshop in the Garment District. Anna and Sagi began chatting and quickly bonded, eventually teaming up to create the menu for Nina. It’s a place Anna hopes will serve as an inviting respite for DUMBO residents, a place to wander in with the kids for an early dinner, to meet friends for drinks and snacks, to settle in for a leisurely dinner and late-night vinyl party.
Sagi has channeled his unique Mediterranean perspective, a mix of European and Israeli influences, with a vegetable-forward menu. His menu is for taking and passing with salads, breads, small plates, pastas, and a nice list of larger dishes.
The makings of a sharable feast might include the “Bread Tapas,” a collection of warm housemade breads with dips like matbucha, baba ganoush, and za’atar; an Evergreen Herb Salad mixed from parsley, cucumber, celery, cilantro, pomegranate, and mint; a hummus plate dotted with pine nuts served with a stack of piping hot pita; a Burnt Eggplant Carpaccio with fresh chiles and tahini; and a platter of crispy wild mushroom-filled cigars.
Sagi’s also doing a grilled whole Dorade in the style of a Greek taverna, glossy with grassy olive oil, served with some simple salsa, herbs, and french fries. A skirt steak on butcher paper comes with chimichurri, rosemary potatoes, and crunchy herbs; cracker-thin slices of crispy schnitzel (in chicken and eggplant versions) get plated up with preserved lemon and cherry tomato salad, and one magnificent burger is made from spiced beef in the style of a kebab, topped with an overnight spicy tomato and pepper matbucha, tucked inside a homemade challah roll.
Adam Ziv, the general manager, has created a menu of cocktails for the front and back bars and oversees a wine list sourced from across the Mediterranean with an emphasis on natural producers.
The vibe will be welcoming and lively, buoyed by the gorgeous sound system and a room decked out in a mix of vintage mirrors, mosaic-inlaid ceramic tile, and warm wood. It’s designed by Dror Sher and Tal Friedland Sher, the acclaimed team who have also curated the interiors of many of Eyal Shani’s restaurants.
“This is a restaurant for the community and the neighborhood,” said Castellani, who is a longtime DUMBO resident. “We want it to be a place to come and share beautiful moments with family and friends.”
Nina is located at 56 Adams Street. It will open December 1st.
Opening hours are Tuesday - Saturday, 5pm - late, with DJ vinyl sets on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Reserve on Resy.