Ciao, Porchetta

[bklynite]

Eater is reporting that Porchetta has closed. I'm kinda bummed I never got a chance to try it. Wonder what'll open up in its place...

[bhill]

According to cutlets it's reopenning this weekend as a Latin American steak joint helmed by the notorious Alex Garcia of Food Network fame... I, for one, am excited just buy the juxtoposition of the words STEAK and SMITH ST.

[bklynite]

I passed it this morning and there were menus in the window. Looks like an Argentinian place. Steaks, blood sausages, embanadas, etc.

[lambretta76]

Yup - giant sign that says "CARNICERIA" has been hung, and the menu is indeed Argentine. It's worth noting that it's on the same block as Sur, also an Argentine place. (Though I haven't actually seen anyone eating there in years - it used to be fantastic when it was across the street, but over a year or two it went drastically downhill - they eventually moved into a bar across the street.)

[oolah]

Yes! Sur was sooo good when they first opened up. The place that still exists with the same name might as well be a whole different restaurant. Looking forward to a new Argentine steakhouse.

[mandmbklyn]

I was so sad that banania closed, I never even tried porchetta. That black & white zebralike interior gave me a headache too....glad to see them painting over it as I walked by the other day!

[The Engineer]

I read somwhere that the chef was accused of stealing, and fired. I hope it really does reopen after the "kitchen renovations," as it was on my to-try list for a while now.

[bhill]

Well I'm sure the menu's going to be completely overhauled with Neroni's departure, so I don't know how much of a destination it's going to be any more.

[prunefeet]

Nah, it's not that simple. He and the owner had had differences for some time and he had already given notice...the iffy part is that he signed his own paycheck before he left. It was money he was entitled to and he was accustomed to signing checks for deliveries and such, but he should have known he was asking for trouble. This is the version I have read about, and it seems more likely.

[robotcoupe]

Don't worry, you weren't missing much. I found it to be very mediocre, overpriced, and too precious. I was always baffled by it's popularity.

[CobblerNYC]

Agreed. My entire party was puzzled why I had dragged them there. I didn't ever do it again.

[crash8]

According to the sign in the window, they're closed until May 11 for kitchen renovations. I guess that's one way of putting it.

[bklyngrl]

Bring back Banania. It was decent.