Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Matthew Kenney bringing yet another plant-based restaurant to 2nd Avenue



Plant-based chef Matthew Kenney must really like Second Avenue.

Signage arrived yesterday on the southwest corner of Second Avenue and Fourth Street for Arata, another Kenney-backed restaurant. Here's more about this concept:

Arata highlights the diverse and abundant plant-based ingredients of Asia. Japanese for fresh and new, Arata will offer steamed buns, small plates, noodle bowls, tempura, vegetable sushi and Japanese inspired desserts. Arata will have an innovative cocktail and sake program. Opening in EARLY MAY 2018...


[Photos by Perri Silver]

Kenney, whose bio says that he is "crafting the future of food®," is also involved with 00 + Co. and Bar Verde right next door on Second Avenue.

Last month, Kenney teamed up with Pure Green to launch PlantMade, a cafe on Second Avenue between Ninth Street and 10th Street. So that's four restaurants with Kenney's involvement within six blocks on Second Avenue.

Meanwhile, the signage for Arata means the end for the previous tenant — La Contrada, which opened in July 2016. This corner has seen its share of turnover in recent years with the arrivals and departures of Contrada, (not to be confused with La Contrada), Calliope and Belcourt.

Thanks to EVG reader Perri Silver for the photos!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm getting dizzy with the name changes in this location.

Anonymous said...

I recall a story I was told about the men fighting in the trenches of WW1. After a short time in the trenches they learned not to make friends with their fellow soldier because the odds were their new friend might be killed in a short time.

This is how I feel about the commercial space revolving door of restaurants and shops in the neighborhood. Before most businesses have had tine to work out the kinks which every new business has, their time is up.

Ronnie said...

I remember years ago with Frutti Di Mare was in that space. It was the sister restaurant to Cucina Di Pesce. It was always busy with slightly better food than it's sister restaurant across 4th street. Since it closed it has been a revolving door of short lived mediocre restaurants in that corner space. It will be interesting to see how long this business lasts... I tried oo + Co. once and alas, never went back.

Anonymous said...

The key word here is cocktails. You can bet my plant-based steamed buns they'll be a lot of drunk girls -- and guys -- getting with Kenney's cocktail and sake "program."

Anonymous said...

Aww Jeeze, at least the restaurants that have been in that space lately were so slow that the chimney did not add much to the smoke that already billows into my apartment from all the other restaurants/bars on the block; since Kenney started working with Bar Verde next door the stink is even worse, and there will be more drunks and smokers crowding the sidewalks.

ACNYN said...

I give this place 2 months. We really dont need this douchebag joint around here.

Stuy laundress said...

We have so many Japanese ( sushi, noodles, etc) places here already.. what we really need is another Pure Food and Wine.. and I guess, it’s also fair to say that Matthew Kenney is back to cooked and animal foods