Carousel opens mezcalería and tostada bar No.23
Called No.23, the new 23-seater bar is nicknamed ‘veintitrés’, meaning twenty three in Spanish, and now sits alongside the venue’s wine bar, guest chef kitchen and event spaces.
The space was previously used as an incubator for brands including Poon’s Wontoneria, Goila Butter Chicken, and most recently smash burger concept Chuck’s NYC.
It serves a tight menu of bar snacks and tostadas inspired by chef-patron Ollie Templeton’s adventures in Central America. Toppings will change with the seasons options on the launch menu to include tomato, avocado, guajillo aioli, and red onion; ceviche, salsa macha, and guacamole; and chicharrón with guacasalsa.
Complementing the tostadas are bar snacks including totopos with pumpkin seed mole; and fried fava beans with habanero and lime.
Bartender Matteo Vaccargiu, formerly of Equal Parts, Hide, and Pollen Street Social, and Carousel’s Joshua Bratt, have created a drinks list that combines their passion for mezcals with an emphasis on seasonal English ingredients and savoury flavours. Highlights include reimagined classics like a negroni made with The Lost Explorer mezcal, cynar, fino, Campari, and a burnt orange spray; and the Terreno, an umami-rich take on a Sazerac pairing Jerusalem artichoke-infused rye whiskey with porcini-infused maple syrup and absinthe.
