Executive Chef Ian Alvarez of Bara had no intention of opening his own East Village Japanese-French restaurant. With an affinity for French cuisine, Ian was perfectly satisfied working as Chef de Cuisine at French Louie in Brooklyn, but when his business partner, restaurateur Dimitri Vlahakis, offered him a location in his favorite Manhattan neighborhood, he could not say no.
While chatting at the bar with Ian, he told me that he was born and raised within the five boroughs. When he was fifteen years old, his mother, Rose, got him his first job as a bus boy at a seafood eatery in the Bronx. Later, while he was serving as a waiter at a country club, the chief cook at the “Halfway House” – the snack shack on the club’s golf course – walked out without any explanation, so Ian stepped up to take his place. From that point on, he knew the kitchen was where he wanted to be. After culinary school in Los Angeles, he returned home to New York in 2008 and "got serious" about breaking into the industry.
Ian explained that his mother passed away six months before Bara’s opening. He decided to christen the restaurant with her name, but there was already an establishment with “Rose” in its title nearby. With the planned menu being a play on both Japanese izakaya and French wine bars, Ian eventually chose the name “Bara,” the direct Japanese translation of “rose.” Ironically, in Japanese “bara” is also used as a casual term for “second stomach,” something that diners may develop while feasting on the wonderful spread at Bara.
I watched from the sleek modern counter as Ian prepared a crisp, roasted black bass with salted cucumber and garlic ginger tare, the menu item of which he is most proud. For Ian, the whole fish bathed in its delicate sauce exemplifies the blending of French and Japanese cultures with simple yet elegant flavors and presentation. This is one of the most important aspects of Bara - Ian does not want the food to read as “fusion,” but rather as a genuine culinary cultural exchange. With approval and appreciation from both Japanese and French guests, Bara seems to be on the right track.
The unique menu has attracted a lot of positive press, but Ian ensures that the restaurant is not exclusive. In fact, he desires to be a neighborhood staple and not a “destination.” He encourages visitors to feel comfortable both entering solo for a quick bite similar to a traditional izakaya and for hours-long family style meals: the menu was designed to facilitate both. After chatting with the General Manager Kyle Storm behind the bar and watching Ian plate an artful meal in the kitchen window, it was quite evident that all patrons and palates are welcomed.