Friday, June 5, 2009

BiNA Osteria: New

Six months after its opening, Co-Proprietors Azita Bina-Seibel and Babak Bina are fine-tuning their innovative culinary approach at BiNA osteria. Executive Chef Brian Konefal has left the restaurant and Azita will head up the kitchen. This is certainly a familiar place for her considering her 15 year stints at Bina Hospitality Group’s other celebrated restaurants: Lala Rokh and Bin 26 Enoteca.

Azita has developed new lunch, dinner, bar and patio menus combining the best of new and old-world Italian cooking – modern dishes rooted in classic methods. The new menus are designed to fulfill a range of dining experience. From quick bites at the bar to multi-course meals in the formal dining room, to post-work cocktails on the recently opened patio and coffee and pastry at the adjacent BiNA alimentari, BiNA now truly offers something for everyone at any point during the day.

A new menu highlight is “design your own antipasti,” featuring items such as salmon marinated with lemon and rosemary, polpetta filled with parsley, garlic bread crumbs, walnuts and black olives, and cherry tomatoes with vanilla, crab and lime zest, leek rolled with walnuts and mascarpone, rabbit pate with white truffle cream and millefoglie, zucchini, mint and ceviche of branzino. Other menu items include:

Lunch:
Smoked eggplant, pecorino, zucchini and balsamic vinegar bruschetta
Sicilian fennel and carrot salad with lemon juice
Clams and mussels on creamed cannellini

Dinner:
Venetian salted cod, marjoram, rosemary and extra virgin olive oil
Ragout of prawns, cherry tomatoes, basil and tuna bottarga
“Livornese” fish and shellfish stew
Rack of lamb filled with colonnata lard, vegetable caponata, grilled polenta and seasonal fresh herbs.

Bar/Patio:
Pizza margherita
Beef tartar with red radicchio and celery pesto
Baby squid filled with shrimp and served with roasted eggplant, tomato confit, zucchini and balsamic vinegar

We’ve been thrilled with the reception BiNA has received since its opening last November,” said Babak Bina, co-owner. “Our guests have embraced our sophisticatedly-casual ambiance, refined cocktail offerings, extensive wine program and modern Italian cuisine. We’ve listened to our guests’ and have refined our concept in order to make BiNA an even better dining and nightlife experience.

Also this summer, BiNA alimentari, the adjacent European-style gourmet shop, is offering a new picnic program. Choose from BiNA alimentari’s picnic menu, starting at $35, or create your own with a la carte items such as artisanal salumi and cheeses, seasonal produce, freshly baked bread and house-made Italian pastries. Just blocks away from the city’s prime picnicking locales Boston Common and the waterfront, BiNA is a convenient stop for picnic goers.

It will be interesting to see how this new menu develops. Much of the raves for BiNA came from some of their specific dishes, such as their gnocchi and other pastas. It tended to be a bit pricey, and maybe they are trying to lower their prices to deal with the current economy. But, I have hopeful expectations that Azita and Babak will continue to run an excellent restaurant. I'll report back once I check out their new menu.

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