‘Shareable’ concept to open in Nob Hill
Gather is one of two restaurants set to debut this month
May is turning into a busy month for the Nob Hill neighborhood with two new restaurants lined up to open this month.
The first of the new slate of restaurants to open is Gather, inside the former Nob Hill Bar and Grill location at 3128 Central SE, on Tuesday. Social House 3128, a second restaurant concept though physically separated at the same address, is scheduled to open May 17.
According to owner Dustin Darnell, Gather is a “cocktail-forward, small plate and shareable items concept.”
He said the space is designed around a long community table with private booths and bar top seating.
Meanwhile, Social House 3128, which borrows its name from the restaurant’s address, will have a more entree-focused menu with “gastropub” inspired items and an extensive, but affordable wine menu.
The menu for both concepts is created by executive chef Joe Anguiano, whose culinary background dates back to his childhood growing up alongside his family’s tortilla factory in Los Angeles.
Anguiano said that his career as a chef has taken him across the country and to Europe where he worked in Michelin starred restaurants.
“So everything that we’re doing at 3128, as far as the food side goes it’s going to be kind of chef ( Anguiano’s) take on nostalgic items from his childhood,” Darnell said.
Among the menu items is the braised beef cheeks and buns, which will be served with a Yorkshire pudding sauce and crispy leeks.
Darnell said that he is wanting the two concepts to be “that catch all, approachable, everyday eatery … in Nob Hill.”
Menu items and drinks will range from $7 to $18, Darnell said.
“Food and beverage will be very affordable, more bang for your buck type of items,” he said.
Anguiano said plans for the restaurant started forming during the pandemic when he met Darnell through working for Heritage Hotels during the opening of Sawmill Market near Albuquerque’s Old Town.
By fall of last year, the two had made the decision to pursue their own culinary outlet.
The idea to open their own restaurants, Darnell said, was to create spaces that evoked that “small neighborhood feel” where everyone knows each other’s names.
“It’s gonna be really a kind of … gathering spot for everybody that you can come and enjoy great food and great libations,” he said.
Gather will be open from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The hours of operation for Social House 3128 have not yet been announced.