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I got the notice below by e-mail yesterday, the same day of the closing. With so short a notice, I couldn't manage to attend the closing "fiesta." I truly hate seeing a beautiful Spanish restaurant like Manzanilla close. Yann de Rochefort still has his two Boqueria restaurants in Manhattan and another in Washington, D.C., all of which are packed most of the time.
MANZANILLA SPANISH BRASSERIE | |
|
Dani García, in a Facebook post, wrote this about the closing:
Después
de un año en NYC, debemos revisar el modelo de negocio y entendemos que
la cocina Española debe tener una representación en la cultura
americana sin perder la esencia y el sentido culinario Español.
Sin embargo, es necesario una refundación con operadores que traten de
enseñar la cocina Española de forma directa, honesta y sin
"americanizar"; creemos que tenemos un alto nivel en nuestro país,
apreciado internacionalmente y seguro que NY lo tendrá en breve.
Próximamente tendréis nuevas y buenas noticias de la cocina Española en NY, esta vez en "estado Puro".
Dani García.
Translation: "After a year in New York City, we need to revise our business model and understand that Spanish cuisine should represent American culture without losing the essence and sense of the Spanish culinary experience.
Manzanilla NY has received an unforgettable reply from the public and habitual customers.
(GD Note: In retrospect, Dani might want to re-phrase this "unforgettable reply" line.)
Nevertheless, (paraphrasing) going forward we need a "rebuilding" (of our approach) with "operators" who try to show Spanish cuisine in a direct, honest way, without "Americanizing" the food; we believe that we have a very high level of cuisine in our country, a cuisine that is internationally appreciated and which New York will surely have shortly.
Soon, you will have new and good news about Spanish cuisine in New York, this time in "estado Puro, it's pure state." (This a cryptic reference. Does he mean that Estado Puro, a small group of modernized traditional Spanish tapas bars by Chef Paco Roncero in Madrid, is coming to New York or does he mean that someone will do "pure state" Spanish food that "represents American culture?")
Dani García.
Interesting takes on Manzanilla Spanish Brasserie:
Dani García and Yann de Rochefort’s Manzanilla Closes Tonight, Grub Street
An Import With a Foot in Spain Restaurant Review: Manzanilla in Manhattan
Pete Wells, New York Times, April 16, 2013
What's a Modern Spanish Brasserie? Dani Garcia brings a touch of avant garde to Gramercy,
"Several modern Spanish chefs closed their New York restaurants not too long after they opened them, so it would be understandable if García were reluctant to commit entirely to anything too haute or experimental. As a "modern Spanish brasserie," which is what Manzanilla calls itself, the restaurant seeks a safer sort of middle ground—permission to fool around in experimental fine-dining territory, right next to the promise of reassuring crowd-pleasers like a 12-ounce strip steak and a "snack" of Brussels sprouts. While it's charming that a smart, technique-driven chef has come from Spain to present New York with a dish of eight fried sprouts ($12), it's also a bit peculiar: Served in one long row, slightly raw in the center, they're like the punch line to a joke that's been lost in translation." Tejal Rao, www.villagevoice.com
April 8, 2013 El País, Critic José Carlos Capel (Also President of Madrid Fusión):
Dani García, Manzanilla, NuevaYork, spanish brasserie... (in Spanish)
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