Aura Cocina

New York Yankees Chef and Per Se Alum To Open Cuban-Asian Fusion Restaurant Aura Cocina in Williamsburg | Eater NY

"I'm reporting on a 200-seat Cuban-Asian fusion restaurant coming to East Williamsburg that is tentatively opening in mid-March at 315 Meserole Street (between Waterbury and Bogart Streets), with a tentative date of March 12 though the exact day is still to be determined. Ricardo Cardona—best known for serving as the chef to the New York Yankees and as a personal chef to Marc Anthony—and Carlos Letona (a Jean Georges and Per Se alum) are teaming up, with Cardona collaborating with restaurateurs Steven and Elaine Almonte and Letona serving as co-executive chef. Cardona says recent trips to Thailand and Japan inspired the menu, noting similarities with Latin American cuisine in the use of cilantro and coconut and the interplay of sweet and spicy flavors; that influence shows up in dishes such as a spring roll with oxtail, tuna ceviche with yuzu, jalapeño and fresh mango, churrasco steak with chimichurri, hoisin, wild mushroom, soy and yucca fries, churros with ginger and dulce de leche, and lemongrass crème brûlée with passionfruit sauce. Appetizers are expected to run $10–$15 and mains $18–$30. The massive space, designed by Alfonsina Waters, mixes 1950s Havana motifs with the neighborhood's industrial vibe—leather and velvet couches, rows of tables and chairs, exposed brick walls, a marble-clad bar, and a green wall are shown in the renderings—and the opening had been delayed from an originally planned Thanksgiving debut; a craft-cocktail “brewery” is also slated to open later this year in the same building." - Beth Landman