Roberta’s Tasting-Menu Spot Blanca Is Closing | Eater NY
"The critically acclaimed tasting-menu restaurant founded by Roberta’s Carlo Mirarchi and Brandon Hoy is closing after service on April 12; the restaurant adjacent to the Bushwick Roberta’s location has long been a New York critic favorite since it opened in 2012. High-profile chef Victoria Blamey — who shepherded the restaurant to one of the top favorites of New York Times former critic Pete Wells — made the announcement on Instagram, saying, “I have shocking and sad news to share,” and revealing that the landlord did not renew the lease. She added, “It’s been a year and 5 months in this space, running, working, creating . . . showing and sharing what I had to offer in this room, like no other,” and thanked supporters and her cooks. In an early review, Pete Wells described Blamey’s cooking: “minimalism gave way to an intense and elaborate inventiveness. Drawing on her Chilean childhood and her training in forward-thinking kitchens like Mugaritz and Corton, she cooked, among other things, crab empanadas laced with fermented black beans, ají dulce peppers and a sweet trickle of Chartreuse.” The restaurant’s critical arc includes Wells awarding it three stars in 2015 (up from two in 2012, when Mirarchi and then Hoy ran the kitchen), a playful fine-dining spirit evidenced by eclectic murals, a spotlight on vinyl records, and an initial lengthy 27-course menu. It had at one time landed a Michelin star; controversially — with fans questioning Michelin inspectors — it did not during Blamey’s reign, despite its critical acclaim. Before steering this kitchen, Blamey was head chef at two New York icons: at one point Chumley’s (which, after she left and the ownership changed, turned into the short-lived Frog Club, and is now on its way to becoming something else); an iteration of Gotham Bar and Grill that closed in 2020 (which reopened under new owners and is closed again); and her own spot, Mena. As to what’s next, Blamey told Wells that she may look beyond New York." - Melissa McCart
