Mexican Seafood Spot Ensenada Opens in Williamsburg

The vegan Mexican spot Black Flamingo, as soon as often called a nightclub at night time, has remodeled into a brand new restaurant at 168 Borinquen Place, at South Second Avenue, in Williamsburg. Ensenada, named after the coastal Mexican metropolis, is Black Flamingo co-owner Bryce David and his group’s homage to regional mariscos (seafood) and mezcal. It opens on Friday, February 18.

David tells Eater he had been planning the concept for the restaurant for some years, however couldn’t discover the precise lease. As a substitute of opening elsewhere, he dropped the vegan menu and renovated the prevailing area to really feel as if a Pacific breeze had handed via.

The brand new menu begins with choices just like the Mexican shrimp soup caldo de camarones and tostadas with tuna. There are Baja-style fish tacos, and an entree-sized fish of the day, served butterflied with roasted pineapple relish and pineapple butter. On the coronary heart of the menu, although, are extra massive format dishes like ceviches and aguachiles. The whole lot is supposed to be shared.

Adam Friedlander/Ensenada

For the aguachiles, prospects can decide from shrimp, fish, a mixture of seafood, or cucumber for a vegan model. They are often ordered in three variations: the verde with a serrano chile base, rojo with Clamato tomato juice, and negro, a definite darkish brown shade made with salsa negra.

Govt chef and David’s companion, Luis Herrera, who’s Venezuelan, is fast so as to add, “I don’t suppose we’re inventing something new right here [with Ensenada]… it’s all written already.” Lots of the dishes are based mostly on historic recipes however are introduced with fashionable thrives.

Ceviche in Mexico might be traced again to Peruvian roots, and whereas comparable, soupy aguachiles are Mexico’s own distinct creation.

Visits to the stylish restaurant Contramar in Mexico Metropolis, and Mariscos El Submarino, the informal seafood spot that opened in Jackson Heights through the pandemic, have been reference factors whereas constructing out the Ensenada menu, David says. Whereas Mariscos El Submarino serves its model in a hefty molcajete, aguachiles listed here are plated in ceramics.

Herrera tells Eater that he’s most excited to showcase sustainable, high-quality seafood at Ensenada, working with suppliers that target sourcing within the Northeast.

Adam Friedlander/Ensenada

Adam Friedlander/Ensenada

Herrera beforehand labored at Mexican tremendous eating restaurant Cosme, Roberta’s speakeasy restaurant Blanca, and was the opening chef of Venezuelan spot, Casa Ora. In the course of the pandemic, he was additionally one of many cooks that got here ahead about his expertise working at Outerspace, the outside restaurant in Bushwick, which unceremoniously closed final yr. Within the months since, he’s been internet hosting pop-ups however was desirous to get again to a restaurant setting.

When it opens, Ensenada will be part of eating places like Sobre Masa, For All Issues Good, and Aldama, all which have opened up to now two years and ushered in a new era for Mexican cooking within the metropolis. Collaboration is vital: For All Issues Good provides Ensenada’s masa to make their tortillas; tostadas will come from Sobre Masa.

Adam Friedlander/Ensenada

Jorsand Diaz, who labored with Herrera at Cosme and is of Peruvian descent, has created a mezcal program with bottles from Oaxaca, Jalisco, Durango, Michoacán, and Puebla. He hopes to showcase the regional taste variations of the agave plant with the number of mezcals.

“There’s quite a lot of give attention to mezcal from Oaxaca however there are quite a lot of nice ones coming from different spots in Mexico,” says Diaz.

Adam Friedlander/Ensenada

The cocktail record appears to be like throughout Latin America: there’s the restaurant’s tackle a michelada and mezcal negroni, in addition to the “Inexperienced Dream” with honeydew and sotol (an agave-like plant), among the many record. The group additionally shares that there might be a rotating frozen drinks program.

Followers of Black Flamingo don’t have to worry, although: the identify will dwell on because the downstairs bar space, the place there might be dancing on Fridays and Saturdays till 4 a.m.

“We would like the dual-level area to really feel like a mezcaleria,” says David.

To begin, Ensenada might be open for dinner service 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., with Saturday lunch service from midday to 4 p.m., launching this spring. David additionally shares that he plans to open a separate aguachile takeout window, with a barely extra paired down menu, below a reputation separate from Ensenada, on Borinquen Place, this summer time.