[Photo: Jason Little]
The long wait is finally over. Balena officially opens it doors tonight to the public (although it had a soft opening last night and early reports are quite positive; we hear you shouldn't miss chef Chris Pandel's lasagna pie and tagliolini nero and pastry chef Amanda Rockman's affogato for dessert). Last week, Eater got to walk the space, but wasn't allowed to take pictures. Today is a different story.
You can now see all of the details: the brown leather saddle-stitched bar with the industrial chains holding up heavy timber shelving, the skylights, the bird's nest lights, the open kitchen, the upstairs dining room with tiled service bar, the neon framani fresco behind the bar, the large custom clock and more. What you won't see yet is the lower-level private dining cellar, simply because it's not quite ready for prime time.
But Balena is ready for you and is now live on OpenTable, so go make a reservation (there are tables available tonight, btdubs). So have at it.
· Mark Your Calendars: Balena is Finally Opening March 13 [~EChi~]
