Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

Looks like Mamajuana Cafe (570 Amsterdam, btw. 87th/88th) is finally getting ready to open.

Back in August a GM told me they were shooting to open by Labor Day and a reader spotted a sign stating they were opening on September 1st. On 9/1, I spoke to someone there who told me “two or three more weeks…”

Better late than never.

I received a press release today saying they’re opening “next week” — will post an update when they officially open their doors.

I walked past the space the other day and it certainly looked like they were ready for business. Of course, I forgot to take a picture, so the graphic above will have to do for now.

The restaurant will feature 150 seats and offer “a new and inviting environment for relaxing with a handcrafted cocktail, dinner, or late dining.” The kitchen is headed up by Executive Chef Ricardo Cardona, who has previously worked at Sofrito, Lua, Hudson River Cafe, and Gabbana.  Per the release:

Drawing from his own personal culinary history and from research travels to the Dominican Republic, [Chef Cardona] has created a menu for Mamajuana Cafe that offers guests a broad selection of classics, serving as a reflection of the contemporary dining scene in that tropical, modern paradise , and highlighting the Spanish influences on that country’s cuisine.

This will be the second NYC location for Mamajuana — the original is in Inwood and gets mostly solid reviews on Yelp. There appear to be plans to open a location in Midtown East as well.

Hopefully this opening turns out better than the most recent transplant from Inwood.

In closing news, or at least temporary closing news…

If you missed the post this morning, a fire broke out at Georgia’s Cafe & Bakery just before 1:00 am today.

MUW reader Beth stopped by Georgia’s today and sent in this update:

Ran into the afternoon staff outside just now. Investigation seems to be honing in on a compressor in the basement. They are already cleaning up the space with hopes of reopening soon.

“Soon” seems to be a relative term (Beth speculated “before the end of the month”), so it’s unclear when exactly they might re-open. I hope to have an update later this week or next.

MUW reader Regina also passed by Georgia’s today and sent in this photo:

Filed under: Food & Drink, Going Out, Manhattan, New York City, News, NYC, Openings/Closings, Restaurants, Upper West Side, Upper West Side Blog, UWS 3 Comments »
Tags: 2418 Broadway, 570 Amsterdam, Chef Ricardo Cardona, Closing, Fire, Gabbana, Georgia's Cafe & Bakery, Hudson River Cafe, Inwood, Lua, Mamajuana Cafe, New York City, NYC, Opening, Sofrito, Upper West Side, UWS