Last month, a split between pizzaoilo Giulio Adriani and his business partners forced the shutter of Forcella along the Bowery. But Adriani quickly reopened the space as Espoleta, a Spanish restaurant and wine bar. Adriani drew Sue Torres, of the much-missed Suenos, to the kitchen to work as the consulting chef. The menu has lots tapas and pintxos like roasted butternut squash soup with apple cider and coconut milk, and clams with chorizo, and wines can be ordered by the half glass to go with them.
The quick turnaround means the space hasn't changed much but it does have new shine to it. There are still lots of seats at the bar, plus some larger tables, exposed brick everywhere, and wine bottles nestled into shelves embedded in the walls.
