FORT GREENE — A beloved Fort Greene restaurant is set to reopen after a devastating kitchen fire forced it to close for several months.
Colonia Verde will celebrate a grand reopening on June 23 with a new menu that "features a selection of re-imagined Latin American dishes inspired by childhood memories," the owners said.
“Reopening Colonia Verde after the fire feels better than the first opening because we’ve missed our guests who had become our extended family,” said chef and owner Felipe Donnelly in a statement. “We can’t wait to get back into the kitchen and share the food we’ve been working on.”
The menu will consist of categories labeled “For The Table,” “From the Garden,” “From the Fire,” and “From the Land," including charred octopus with grilled pineapple, cilantro and onion escabeche, grilled Razor Clams topped with cilantro, garlic and butter sauce, and Carimañolas, which are Colombian yucca hand-pies stuffed with a creamy rajas sauce made from poblano peppers.
The cocktail menu has also been upgraded and features a new specialty called "Camp Granada," made with mezcal, hibiscus syrup, grapefruit, lime, club soda and a tajin rim.
Brunch will be served in the back patio this season with newbies like "Cochinita Chilaquiles" made with tortilla chips topped with coffee-rubbed pulled pork, tomatillo salsa, and cotija cheese. Pancakes called “El Bizcocho” with Mexican chocolate syrup will also be served.
The restaurant had a packed house on a Saturday night in February when a fire broke out in the kitchen area around 9 p.m. It is unclear what caused the fire.
Patrons were escorted from the eatery and no one was hurt, the FDNY said at the time.
