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Estano, a Spanish Basque Country-themed pinxtos (small snack) bar from musician Bruce McDaniel and Arabella Casa Di Pasta restaurant owner Mowgli Pierlas, has closed after an eight-month run on St. Claude Avenue, reports Todd Price at NOLA.com.
The narrow space with a courtyard at 2266 St. Claude Avenue opened in August, serving croquetas, canned seafood, baguette toasts topped with cured meats, and a traditional pan con tomate. While Basque County-style serving would traditionally see customers retrieve their own prepared snacks from the bar, Estano covered the serving part, with food displayed out on the bar, likely a new experience for most New Orleanians.
Pierlas recently agreed to take over management of nearby St. Claude Ave. music venue Siberia and its kitchen, which factored into the decision to close Estano, reports Price. The move comes after Siberia’s Eastern-European kitchen Kukhnya, that has served out of Siberia for seven years, is moving into its own space on St. Bernard Avenue, according to the Gambit.
Another neighborhood favorite is in talks to move locations and take over the Estano space, and told Eater it will be able to confirm its plans next week.
As for the food replacing Kukhnya at Siberia, Pierlas has hired Gustavo Naar, who also worked with him at Estano, to build a menu of Brazilian street food.
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