{"id":1470,"date":"2021-09-30T13:53:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-30T13:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/CAIiEGRsvtdXtv5j7kkQNyQ1WWkqGQgEKhAIACoHCAow_KOCCzDskv8CMKex8wU"},"modified":"2021-09-30T13:53:00","modified_gmt":"2021-09-30T13:53:00","slug":"nanyo-dominguez-opens-latin-american-restaurant-besame-in-downtown-nola-eater-new-orleans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=1470","title":{"rendered":"Nanyo Dominguez Opens Latin American Restaurant B\u00e9same in Downtown NOLA – Eater New Orleans"},"content":{"rendered":"

After 20 years executing someone else\u2019s vision in restaurant kitchens, chef Nanyo Dominguez is striking out on his own \u2014 and the aim is to create a joyful dining hub that brings together his Mexican roots with the Latin American influences that have shaped his restaurant career. <\/p>\n

Dominguez will soon open B\u00e9same<\/a>, a Latin American tapas bar and restaurant, in downtown New Orleans at 110 S. Rampart St. That location \u2014 the intersection of Rampart and Canal Streets, close to the Orpheum<\/a> and Saenger<\/a> theaters and two-year-old restaurant Palm&Pine<\/a> \u2014 may sound familiar: It\u2019s next to the site of the Hard Rock Hotel construction collapse<\/a> that happened nearly two years ago in October 2019, killing three workers and shutting down surrounding streets for 18 months and counting. (Canal Street reopened in April with N. Rampart Street set to follow a month later, but it remains closed in part<\/a>.) <\/p>\n

Still, Dominguez feels good about trying to be part of the corner\u2019s revival with the location, which he signed a lease for in July, and about his concept. \u201cI think a lot of locals crave this kind of variation of flavors, having an option for something bright and light,\u201d as a break from traditional New Orleans cuisine, Dominguez tells Eater. B\u00e9same will focus on seafood \u2014 though Dominguez says some products still aren\u2019t available due to Hurricane Ida<\/a> \u2014 with five or six different types of ceviche in the styles of Mexico City, Oaxaca, Peru, and the Dominican Republic. There will be Argentinian and Mexican-style empanadas; Colombian and Venezuelan-style arepas; and bigger plates like seafood paella; pan-seared fish with coconut milk and guajillo; and churrasco with chimichurri. The bar will feature South American wines and Latin American spirits, including \u201clots of\u201d mezcal, raicilla, rums from the Caribbean, and piscos and brandies from South America. <\/p>\n

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\"The <\/span> <\/span>
The bar at B\u00e9same<\/figcaption>Nanyo Dominguez\/B\u00e9same<\/cite> <\/span> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Dominguez has been cooking in New Orleans since 2015, when he helped open Johnny Sanchez<\/a> in the CBD alongside now-celebrity chef Aaron Sanchez, after being sous chef at Sanchez\u2019s restaurant in Connecticut. He moved to Uptown\u2019s Tito\u2019s Ceviche and Pisco<\/a> two years later in 2017 to work as chef de cuisine, where he began receiving recognition<\/a> for his work with Peruvian flavors under the tutelage of owner Juan Lock. Then, Dominguez helped open Espiritu Mezcaleria<\/a>, New Orleans\u2019s first mezcal bar, at the end of 2018<\/a>, as executive chef and partner. <\/p>\n

A year and some change later COVID-19 hit; closing Espiritu for a long stint eventually followed. \u201cThe pandemic was kind of eye-opening,\u201d Dominguez says. \u201cI was feeling so worried, my income was on hold, and I just felt like I needed to be working on something to feel more productive. I always knew I\u2019d eventually want to be on my own \u2014 I\u2019ve been doing this for 20 years now \u2014 so I realized it might be the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dominguez started researching Small Business Administration programs and microloans \u2014 \u201cI got really into it,\u201d he says \u2014 and was eventually matched with an SBA mentor in New Orleans who helped him put together a business plan. When Espiritu reopened, he returned to work, but soon let his partners know he was going to pursue those plans. <\/p>\n

Dominguez has been working on decor, menu, staffing, and permits since July, he says; B\u00e9same was supposed to have its fire marshal inspection the weekend Hurricane Ida hit \u2014 so it delayed. And while he says he feels grateful the restaurant didn\u2019t experience damage or flooding due to Ida, he did lose a few staff after the storm to other jobs, something other New Orleans restaurants have said they experienced<\/a>. His goal now is to get the restaurant open and start building from there \u2014 B\u00e9same seats 60 people indoors, and he plans to eventually add 16 seats to a sidewalk patio, working with the Downtown Development District to do so. He knows he\u2019s up against a challenging time \u201cfor every industry,\u201d but says with B\u00e9same, success is important not just for him, but for \u201ca corner of the city that\u2019s been in tragedy, disrepair, and abandoned by our city officials over the last two years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to highlight Latin American food, music, spirits \u2014 the whole culture \u2014 represented by the many wonderful people from Latin countries that live in this city,\u201d Dominguez says. \u201cI think it\u2019s the perfect place.\u201d<\/p>\n

B\u00e9same, at 110 S. Rampart St., is projected to open by mid-October. Stay tuned for an inside look at the restaurant before it debuts. <\/em><\/p>\n

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\"B\u00e9same\u2019s <\/span> <\/span>
A mural in B\u00e9same\u2019s dining room depicts the 1960 arrest of Oretha Castle Haley at a nearby Canal Street lunch counter.<\/figcaption>Nanyo Dominguez\/B\u00e9same<\/cite> <\/span> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n