Watch out, Nuela: Danny Meyer’s folks bring word that the new occupant of the former Tabla space will be Gastón Acurio, “Latin America’s premiere chef” per the Los Angeles Times and certainly the foremost practitioner of “Cocina Novoandina” (Danny Meyer will not be involved in the project). He’s been looking to bring a location of his La Mar Cebichería (which currently has outposts in South America, Mexico, and San Francisco) to New York City for some time — a 2009 Time article about the rise of Peruvian cuisine quoted the “next superchef” as saying, “If we make it in New York, we will be ready to green-light all of our brands.” The Times writes of La Mar’s “big, elegant” and “delightful” San Francisco location: “The ceviches are lovely assemblages of fish, but the sauces seem a little wan … But the mains are satisfying. Arroz norteño is smoky, with succulent calamari and sparkling salsa criolla. Cau cau — roasted scallops with a corn risotto — are succulent and sweet, set free by simple flavors and a pleasant saltiness.”
