The Estela Duo's Long-Awaited Flora Bar Is Now Open Inside The Met Breuer

Ignacio Mattos and Thomas Carter, the chef and restaurateur behind the award-winning Estela and its comely spinoff Cafe Altro Paradiso, opened the doors on Flora Bar and Flora Coffee today. The latest project for the hit-making duo sits on the lower level of The Met Breuer, the Metropolitan Museum's new contemporary art space that opened earlier this year.

Each of the restaurants in the group has a different focus. Where Altro highlights modern Italian cooking and Estela has Mediterranean influences, the theme at Flora is seafood. Dishes on the menu include tuna tartare with toasted flax seeds, oysters with Sichuan mignonette, and raw scallop with plum and nori. Meanwhile, at Flora Coffee, museum-goers are able to stop in for salads and sandwiches as well as pastries from chef Natasha Pickowicz. Carter and Mattos are also joined by an all-star team including executive chef Jake Nemmers, wine director Matthew Kudry, and Andrew Lawson & Hannah Norwick, who are overseeing the floor.

Flora Bar is now open Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. until 11:00 p.m., and from 5:30 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The adjacent Flora Coffee is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Stay tuned for photos of the space and more info this week. And if you happen to stop by, be sure to let us know what you think.