Etno Makes Way For Royalty As King's County Tap Ascends

It's been a long wait for the owners of Etno Village Grill, who finally announced the new name for their massive expansion. Inspired by King Charles II of England, as well as the county its now inspired by (Kings County, aka Brooklyn, NY), it will henceforth be called Kings County Tap. Work continues on the site at Lincoln and Sheffield Avenues, as they've officially departed from Etno's fast-casual concept and plan to open this month.

"Our motivation was to grow and evolve," co-owner Dan Karatosic wrote in an email. "Our goal as restaurant owners is to create a one of a kind experience on all fronts: ambiance, aesthetic, food and drink."

Karatosic aims for Kings County to be a "Brooklyn-style" establishment with craft cocktails, house-made sodas and local beer. It's four times the size of its predecessor, extending into the parking lot and a former neighboring credit union and coffee shop. There's going to be an atrium-style patio that will be open year-long, as well as a cocktail program headed by Jan Henrichsen (Fat Rice, 25 Degrees, Found).

In a change, no items will carry over from Etno to the new menu, as new chef Wilson Bauer (Longman & Eagle, Elizabeth, Schwa) will now cook what management describes as modern and new American. The dishes he's working on include fried sweetbread roulade with chicken mousse, duck egg, pickled ramp, frisse, cress, hazelnut and lardons with a brown butter vinaigrette; and pork belly sliders with apricot glaze, ramp kimchee, lime mayo and cilantro.

Etno opened in 2011 and has been closed since 2013 as expansion plans snarled for a variety of reasons, including problems securing a liquor license. Needless to say, ownership has much anticipation for its imminent opening.