New Tartine Ventures Take Central/Eastern European Route

In the wake of news that Nick Balla will be taking over the kitchen at Bar Tartine, Signore Lucchesi passes on the latest on the restaurant's purported new direction: they're going to switch to Eastern and Central European fare and, in fact, this is also a trend. Balla is Hungarian and has lived in Budapest, so he'll have a time of it with housemade pickles, cheeses, pastas, dumplings and paprika (!) even. Concurrently, owner-bread maker Chad Robertson is going to explore the breads of the region: "from the steam-baked loaves of Vienna to the ryes of Scandinavia" in the new adjacent bakery and sandwich shop set to open this year. Menu changes will begin in March at Bar Tartine as we know it. And the big remodel -- maybe even a new name -- will come later, in June-ish.

· Eastern European food headed to more menus [Chron]
· Chris Kronner OUT at Bar Tartine; Balla IN w/Big Changes [~ ESF ~]

Balla, moving into the Bar Tartine kitchen. [Photo: photo partially from Flickr/Food GPS and ISSF]