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Upscale Restaurants Form Collective to Tackle Low-Key Food Scene

 The owners of Huertas spearheaded the movement to start a neighborhood restaurant collective.
The owners of Huertas spearheaded the movement to start a neighborhood restaurant collective.
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Huertas

EAST VILLAGE — A group of East Village restaurants have formed a collective to address the particular challenges they say come with operating upscale eateries in the neighborhood.

The Eastville Restaurant Collective, as first reported by Eater, currently consists of seven local restaurants catering to a higher price point than the average neighborhood spot. The area’s low-key food culture poses challenges for those trying to market a more expensive joint, said one of the founding members.

“We’re all sort of struggling with being in a neighborhood that has been known for its really awesome, ethnic, very reasonably priced food for a long time,” Nate Adler, general manager of Huertas — which will host the collective’s launch event Tuesday evening — told DNAinfo New York.

“We’re coming at it from a different perspective as entrepreneurs with backgrounds at some of the top restaurants in New York City.”

The Spanish eatery at 107 First Ave. offers multi-course family meals ranging between $45 and $65 per person alongside $15 craft cocktails. 

Other members include Virginia’s at 647 E. 11th St., which offers a $16 signature burger, and seafood spot Maiden Lane at 162 Avenue B, which serves $25 lobster rolls.

While a more upscale foodie haven like the West Village fosters operations like Huertas and its fellow collective members, East Village natives tend to gravitate towards quick, cheap eats, while outsiders rarely venture to the neighborhood for dining, said Adler.

But the collective hopes to change that — the group’s two-fold objective is to attract more business within the neighborhood while making the East Village a dining destination, said Adler.

“The overarching goal is to promote better business in the neighborhood,” he said. “We want to attract more guests and make it more fun and lively.”

All seven collective members will be offering up small bites to attendees of the launch event for $3 apiece alongside Huertas’ regular menu, while craft cocktail bar Pouring Ribbons will be supplying discounted drinks at around $8.

Both the food samples and cocktails will be Latin themed, in celebration of the neighborhood’s immigrant cultural heritage, said Adler.

The celebration will kick off at 5:30 p.m. and run until 11 p.m.

The group shared a map showcasing all current members on its Instagram profile along with an announcement of the launch event.