[Photo by Allen Semanco]
We've been keeping an eye on the former Yaffa Cafe space at 97 St. Mark's Place, where the owners of St. Dymphna's down the block are opening a restaurant called Taberna here between Avenue A and First Avenue. (In January, CB3 OK'd the beer-wine license for the new venture.)
DNAinfo's Lisha Arino talked with co-owner Eric Baker, whose business partners — wife Patricia Martins and sister-in-law Raquel Martins — are both Portuguese, about what you can expect.
The restaurant will serve small and shareable Portuguese dishes like caldo verde — a traditional potato-based soup with shredded kale and optional chorizo slices — and bacalhau — dried and salted cod.
Yaffa's illegal back patio, which was partially responsible for its closing, will be turned into a garden, Baker said, and windows will be built into the back of the restaurant so customers can look at the landscaped area.
Gothamist wasn't too keen about this small-plates news yesterday:
Because theworldEast Village needs more sockless men gesticulating over a gram of food at 4 in the afternoon.
After a major overhaul, Baker hopes to have the space open this July.
Yaffa Cafe closed after 32 years last fall, as we first reported.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Yaffa Cafe is officially gone; back garden dismantled
More about Yaffa Cafe closing
St. Dymphna's owners look to take over the former Yaffa Cafe space on St. Mark's Place
14 comments:
I was excited to hear about this place, but I am not so excited to hear it is going to be one of those small plate places. I wish they would reconsider that plan and offer real meals. A lot of us aren't small plate people. We want a filling lunch or dinner! I am glad to hear they are landscaping the back space and turning it into a garden.
Agreed. The Portuguese part sounds good, not so much the small plates and sockless guys part.
How can the dishes be "small and shareable"? Aren't "small" and "shareable" opposites?
If the excellent restaurants in Newark are any indication, Portuguese food isn't small plates.
Small plates. Big prices. Low satisfaction.
Chorizo slices that are optional? What kind of sick world do we live in.
You guys don't understand, its not about eating - that has little to do with it - its about creating an experience for certain market segments.
It's not about eating, it's about making the rent each month.
I hate those small plates places because everyone leaves hungry.
I think its AMAZING that are small plates, I LOVE family style dinners. Wishing lots of luck and can't wait to eat by the garden!
Portuguese food...CAN'T WAIT! Finally
It would be great if they'd preserve the mural; is that too much to ask?
The NY version of tapas always feels like a rip off, unlike actual Spanish tapas where they are priced right so you can order enough food to feel satisfied and not broke. Here you have to pay $10-$15 for two slivers of fish, and are meant to share it. I always have to stop somewhere on the way home to have a real meal. I've never left one of these small plate restaurants feeling happy about it.
I wish them all the best, they are great neighbors , they have a Pub on the same street with great food and great prices , they support the community and some local schools, they have kids so they understand parents and reality is that Yaffa closed because they did not make enough to stay open and they are starting a new business , Im glad that some people are supportive !
I was kind of annoyed that Gothamist was all bent out of shape because Portuguese food is sorely underrepresented in the New York restaurant world, but they're so right, this is a fucking disgrace. Caldo verde is supposed to be one of those hearty soups that you make a meal out of, why the fuck would you want a small plate of it? Also, if you're going to open a Portuguese restaurant at least attempt to find a chourice supplier. Chorizo is not chourice, and it's definitely not "optional" in caldo verde if you want it to be delicious. What a joke.
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