After the historic ENRICO’S unceremoniously closed a few weeks back, I was wondering who was in play to take it over. Well, whaddya know, it’s the neighbors: Ian Begg and Ryan Maxey of the takeout sandwich shop, Naked Lunch, will be taking over the space. In a move similar to what the new tenants at Washington Square Bar & Grill are doing, they aren’t continuing the Enrico’s legacy, and instead are naming the space TXOKO, according to the Inside Scoop. A txoko is a dining club of sorts, when Basque men (rarely women) get together to cook and eat and talk and generally get drunk without their wives being around. They hope to open in April, and will be serving pintxos and other small plates, along with larger dishes, including roasted suckling pig (the kitchen has a wood-fired oven). Full bar, and it will be open late. Naked Lunch will reportedly continue to be open. 504 Broadway at Columbus.
Just across the street, THE VIN CLUB is going to be starting EAT ME AT THE VIN CLUB, a walk-up sandwich window. (I am not EVEN going to make a comment about the name, and on Broadway? No sir.) Owner Dario Zucconi (of Tommaso’s) is partnering with Ben de Vries of Luella on the venture, which will serve sandwiches Mon-Fri 11:30am-2pm. Their targeted opening date is Wednesday March 9th, stand by. There will be a daily salad, soup, and three sandwiches, all of them pressed, plus iced tea and lemonade. One is with slow-roasted pork belly, housemade pickles, aged cheddar, and bacon; another with marinated artichokes and arugula and housemade ricotta; and then there’s going to be a third one with braised beef cheek and pecorino béchamel. All three will range from $9-$10. You will be able to call your order in ahead of time at 415-314-5337; their website should be up in a week or so. 515 Broadway at Kearny.
Meanwhile, just blocks away, the Frascati team has opened CAMPANULA KITCHEN & BAR in the former Basque spot, Iluna Basque. It’s a small 40-seat spot, serving a variety of affordable (and mostly American) dishes (check out chef Mike Pawlik’s menu here, courtesy of Eater). Open nightly for dinner (until 12am Fri-Sat), full bar, no reservations. 701 Union St. at Powell, 415-829-7766.
Enrico’s exterior photo from Yelp/Kevin Y.
