COURT SQUARE — A Long Island City restaurant is getting an evening makeover, operating as a new eatery with an entirely different, Nordic-influenced menu at dinnertime.
Mrnilsson, which officially opened Wednesday, will operate out of Sage General Store at 24-20 Jackson Ave. starting at 5:30 p.m., offering "bar snacks" and two different tasting menus, according to owner Leslie Nilsson.
"It's kind of a 'pop-in' Nordic-inspired restaurant within the Sage General Store," the restaurateur said.
Now, as the previously industrial Long Island City gives way to more and more residential development, she felt the time was right.
"I've noticed all these new people coming to the neighborhood, and changing the feeling of the neighborhood," Nilsson said. "I thought, I think that I can actually do this, I can find an audience here."
Mrnilsson's opening was first reported by the blog LIC Talk.
Sage General Store, which has been at its current location since 2008, will continue to operate as usual for breakfast and lunch, and transition into mrnilsson for dinner service.
The menu at the new eatery is "Nordic," according to Nilsson, "which means that there's a lot of fish, some pickling going on, some curing," she said.
Diners can order bar snacks or choose from two tasting menus, with a four-course option for $48 or a seven-course meal for $84.
Dishes will change daily and seasonally. Recent offerings include a crispy duck cooked with Scandinavian spices, like caraway and cumin, served with rutabaga and blackened eggplant puree, or a cured mackerel dish served with beets.
Nilsson hired two new chefs: Greg Proechel, whose resume includes Bushwick eatery Blanca, and Michael Kollarik, who has cooked at Momofuku and was a winner on the TV show "Chopped," according to their online bios.
The new sommelier, April Busch, will preside over an expanded wine list. The restaurant will also serve cocktails as well as aquavit, a drink that's served very cold, which Nilsson describes as "sort of like Schnapps."
"It's something that you would typically have to start your meal in Scandinavia," she said.
Mrnilsson will be open Tuesday through Saturday starting at 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit its website.
