Show Me a Sign: Estela, Open to the Public Tomorrow Night

Thomas Carter ran the wine program at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Ignacio Mattos has worked in kitchens all over the world with stateside stints at Chez Panisse, Il Buco, and, most recently, Isa. Though his time at Isa was cut short when Taavo Somer, the restaurant's owner, dismissed mattos just over a year ago to date (June 11th, 2012).

Mattos spent the past year out of restaurant kitchens, but the opening of Estela tonight in the former Nolita House space marks his return. At Estela, Carter and Mattos aim to fill a void where good wine and good food are enjoyed in a casual atmosphere - without, as Carter mentioned in an interview with Eater, "a lot of the other bullshit."

Expect small, tapas-inspired plates. Mattos tells Eater, "These should just be plates of food, nurturing and relatively cheap, that remind you of the home-cooked meals you never experience anymore." Carter has built the wine program around unique, estate driven wines and will sell them following what we call the Downtown Approach, where casual service and fair prices replace the suits and high markups synonomous with the uptown experience.

Estela opens tonight, but is closed to the public for a private event. The restaurant will open at 6pm every night (closed Mondays) and close at 11pm during the week and midnight on weekends. The bar will be open until 1am.

47 East Houston Street | 212-219-7693 | www | map

Taavo Somer Takes Isa Fishing and Throws Chef Ignacio Mattos Out to Sea

Eric Asimov paid a visit to Isa while he was the Times' interim restaurant critic. He awarded the restaurant one star and the attention brought Isa to new heights. The James Beard Foundation nominated Isa for Best New Restaurant. Things were looking up and much of this was due to the culinary mind of chef Ignacio Mattos, who was making very interesting, "quirky" food. 

The kitchen staff were pioneers leading Isa down the path of culinary reinvention. That's why it was such a suprise Monday when the Gone Fishin' sign went up and it was announced Taavo Somer let go of Mattos. Sous chef Jose Ramirez and pastry chef Pam Yung jumped ship shortly after. A post on Craigslist confirms the newly available kitchen spots at 348 Wythe Street in Williamsburg.

It seems the forward thinking of Mattos and his gastronomic visionaries clashed with the direction Somer wished to take Isa. The restaurant plans to reopen tomorrow with back of the house help from restaurants Freemans and Peels, both owned by Somer. Isa 2.0 will include lunch, delivery, and kid-friendly menu items.