Back in April, we noticed that bustling Cobble Hill eatery Breuckelen (268 Clinton St.) was closed. The sign said it was “taking a breather.” Today, a mere seven months later, we walked by and saw a load of crap being brought up from its basement and piled outside its doors. When we asked the dumpee about what was going on, he told us it would be opening in the next few months under a new owner.
Grub Street is way ahead of us, however, reporting that a tapas bar called La Vara will be moving in.
Until now, it’s been easy for Alex Raij and her husband and partner Eder Montero to commute between their Spanish spots — the Chelsea tapas bar El Quinto Pino and its Basque sibling, Txikito, conveniently situated just across Ninth Avenue. That will change come early next year, when the co-chefs plan to open La Vara, their first Brooklyn venture, in the landmarked Cobble Hill space that briefly housed Breukelen. Although they weren’t actively seeking a Kings County location, Raij and Montero were charmed by the residential character of the surrounding blocks. “We wanted to go to a real neighborhood, not a commercial strip like Smith or Atlantic,” says Raij, who considers her establishments neighborhood restaurants that happen to serve Spanish food.
