Greenwich Grill, the quietly elegant restaurant (with Sushi Azabu underneath) in north Tribeca is opening a new restaurant, TribeCafe, next month in what was very recently Tokyo Bar on Church. The targeted opening date is January 27. Here’s the release:

Restaurant Concept
With significant renovations to both the building and the menu, TriBeCafe is stepping in to replace the now-defunct Tokyo Bar on 277 Church St. While the atmosphere is casual enough to grab a quick drink and a small bite to eat at the bar counter before returning home from work, the eclectic “Tokyo-Tapas” food and drink menu is extensive enough to propel TriBeCafe into a position as the newest TriBeCa hotspot—well suited for a full night with friends or a date. Expect to spend long nights sipping on Japan-inspired cocktails and sampling a wide variety of different Tokyo night-scene dishes. TriBeCafe is a welcome addition to the city for any New Yorker who has spent a night in Tokyo, and it is a worthy new restaurant-bar for just about everyone else (who presumably have still yet to find out why Tokyo is considered the rising “Cuisine Capital” of the world).

Cuisine: Tokyo Tapas
TriBeCafe features an assorted menu of savory, Japanese night-scene tapas, including everything from the deep-fried to Japan-specific pastas. The executive chef, Ryutaro Asami, pulls from over 13 years of culinary experience in Japan and utilizes a wide assortment of Japanese flavors, ingredients, and cooking techniques to extract the full umami* naturally found in the food.

*Umami, commonly defined as “savoriness” and known in many culinary circles as the “5th flavor,” has been proposed as one of the basic tastes sensed by the tongue. Umami is a loanword from Japanese, first receiving international recognition in 1985.

Décor
TriBeCafe‘s interior design was created by the Tokyo-based “The Whole Design Inc.” Its expansive bar begins at the door’s entrance and extends two-thirds down the length of the restaurant. The restaurant has a clean interior that maintains a mildly rustic feel by leaving the building’s original brick wall exposed, though this is all contrasted with modern elements like a hand- worked metal bar top and dark brown plush leather benches and chairs, all complimented with soft lighting.

Location
Located in upper TriBeCa on 277 Church St. (cross st: White St.), half-way between Matsugen and Macao Trading Co., across the street from the Tribeca Grand Hotel.

Additional Information
The restaurant is the latest from the Japanese hospitality company Plan Do See, Inc., which owns the popular Greenwich Grill and the Michelin Star rated Sushi Azabu, both located in TriBeCa. Plan Do See, Inc. also owns and operates 5 restaurants and 2 hotels in Japan, with a 3rd hotel opening in Kobe during the first quarter of next year.