Move over tinned fish: For the next month, St. Petersburg’s Barbouni will transform into a Basque-inspired pintxo bar.
Barra-Barra, which opened Thursday night, is the latest from chef Andrew Duncan and his partner Danielle McCoy. Together the pair are taking over the space inside Barbouni, the tinned fish and raw bar concept next to Baba, in St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District.
The couple are a pair of local industry veterans: They most recently worked at Tampa restaurant Ash, where Duncan was the executive chef and McCoy was general manager, and Duncan previously led the kitchen at Baba and Barbouni. They have been mulling a Basque-inspired concept for several years, following a 2019 trip to Bilbao and San Sebastian, Spain. The trip sparked a long love affair with the region and cuisine. Both cities have a robust dining scene and are beloved for their restaurants and bustling bars serving pintxos — small bites and snacks, often displayed in glass cases along the bar.
“The food was great, but what really stuck with us was the warmth and hospitality,” Duncan said. “It just really blew us away that complete strangers made us feel so at home.”
The couple, who are close with Baba and Barbouni owners Debbie and George Sayegh, said the idea for the residency was hatched over a friendly glass of wine. And it is temporary: After roughly a month, maybe a little longer, the restaurant will resume operations as Barbouni.
Get ready to dine shoulder-to-shoulder here: In typical Basque fashion, the team removed the chairs from Barbouni’s nine-seat bar. Just as you would see in, say, San Sebastian or Bilbao, it’s envisioned as a space where guests can crowd the bar while drinking, eating and bumping elbows with fellow diners.
“We want it to be fun, lively and exciting,” McCoy said.
For patrons who wish to sit, there is some seating on an outdoor patio.
But the emphasis is on the bar and on getting folks to gather around food, libations and company. It might be crowded and it might get loud, the couple said. But that’s all part of the allure.
“We want people to experience it the way we experienced it,” Duncan said.
The menu, which might fluctuate depending on diner response, will offer roughly nine items. Everything will either fit on a small plate or be something that’s handheld or on a skewer. There will be an emphasis on product quality, rather than flashy technique, Duncan said.
“We both have a background in fine dining, but this is not meant to be a flex in any way,” he said.
On Thursday evening, people lined up at the bar inside the restaurant. They tipped back glasses of vermouth, popped olives and anchovies in their mouth and chatted with their neighbors — some of them friends, some of them strangers. Plates of Spanish tortilla slid across the counter, alongside yellow and green shots of Izarra, a Basque herbal liqueur.
The opening night menu featured first-of-the-season white asparagus with a sauce maltaise, blood orange segments and bright orange trout roe; a delicate prawn crudo with red pepper ponzu, fried garlic and a creamy roasted prawn aioli; and Spanish tortilla (like a potato omelette) topped with crispy, caramelized onions. The largest, most shareable dish on on the menu is the conserva platter, which includes serrano ham, Etxegarai cheese, pickles and a diner’s choice of tinned fish selected from the region.
The spot’s creative cocktail program and short wine list also pays tribute to Spain and Basque country with an emphasis on vermouth and ciders. The signature cocktail is inspired by the classic Basque quaff kalimotxo, a popular drink that fuses red wine with cola. At Barra-Barra, the team reimagined the drink as a riff on a Mind Eraser, with a syrup made from Mexican Coke, red wine, brandy and soda water. There’s also the Guindilla Martini, made with pickle brine and garnished with a guindilla pepper, a classic Basque pepper; and a drink inspired by Picon punch, a drink invented by Basque immigrants to Nevada, which is made here with Picon amaro, grenadine and sparkling wine.
Duncan and McCoy said there is a chance they might extend the residency for a week or two after February wraps, but not much longer. (Barbouni fans needn’t fret too much; the restaurant will return.) Ideally, the next month will act as a testing ground of sorts, they said. If it’s successful, the couple may try to find a permanent home for Barra-Barra, but will likely continue to run the concept as a pop-up in the meantime.
Barra-Barra is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 5-10 p.m. On Sundays, to accommodate their friends in the local hospitality scene, the spot will stay open until 1 a.m. and include discounts on food for those working in the industry.