The team behind Hear & There (109 South 6th St.), a Japanese-inspired listening bar with an omakase counter, has transformed their first project into a seafood spot called Boro Brine.
Third Date Hospitality Group, run by husband and wife duo Howard Ng and Samantha Nie, opened Hear & There this past March only to close the listening bar months later on September 6.
After a short six-week shift, Nie and Ng debuted Boro Brine on October 22 with a seafood-heavy menu, citrus-forward cocktail list, and Hear & There’s custom sound system still intact.
Co-founder Samantha Nie explained that she and Ng decided to overhaul the concept because they wanted to give guests “a more approachable menu that reflected New York City.”
“Boro Brine celebrates our great city’s unmatched culinary scene through seafood in all of its forms, from raw to fried and from comforting to elegant, but always with a New York edge,” Nie said.
“Our team is made up of people who were raised in New York City, and we hope Boro Brine helps other New Yorkers celebrate the place we all love to call home.”
Boro Brine’s menu is almost exclusively focused on seafood. To create it, Executive Chef Mark Nobello pulled inspiration from his childhood in Queens and years working at top restaurants across the city like Manhattan’s acclaimed Atoboy and most recently, Tadhanà, a modern Filipino restaurant.
“Every dish we create at Boro Brine tells a story. Influences from our team’s experiences working, living, and growing in this city show up in every bite,” Chef Nobello said.
One highlight of Chef Nobello’s menu is the skate sando, his take on a Filet-O-Fish sandwich, with comte cheese, kimchi, and tartar sauce. There’s also the lobster pot pie, the tilefish with creamy mushroom and nigiri sake sauce, and the bluefin tuna carpaccio with crispy pork belly, fried capers, and tonnato sauce.
Beverage Manager Omar Bautista, who worked for Manhattan’s Crown Shy and Torrisi, created Boro Brine’s beverage program with seafood in mind.
His menu offers a wine list focused on minerality and citrus-driven cocktails. Two highlights are the Big Apple Fizz with sunchoke-infused tequila reposado, honeycrisp apples, tamarind, and soda, and the Eden’s Garden with shiso-infused vodka, elderflower, cilantro, cucumber, and soda.
Boro Brine is open Wednesday to Sunday from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Not exactly my cup of tea but nicely written and beautifully photographed.
Good luck to them.