Editor’s note: In this column, Weekender writer Gabrielle Lang offers some of her own observations and opinions on one of Lackawanna County’s newest fine dining establishments. This isn’t a review, however — we invite readers to check out the restaurant for themselves!
SCRANTON — After sitting vacant for years, a fabulous new restaurant, bar and venue quietly opened its doors at 519 Linden St., Scranton.
Us locals know this location has history and was a long-time staple in NEPA culture. Tink’s, Levels, The Hardware Bar, The Boom Boom Beach Club, but finally a new concept has completely re-imagined this iconic Scranton address. It’s a new era.
I, too, was among those waiting to see what happens next at this enormous building and, upon entry, my expectations were met.
“It’s just such an iconic building with such a past and a history for downtown Scranton, especially Linden Street,” said Sheila Bonanno, Operations Director at Basalyga Hospitality. “It’s nostalgic for the people of Scranton. It’s really cool for them to see the transformation and what we’re doing here with it.”
Basalyga Hospitality just unveiled a new fine dining experience for Scranton called A’tera 519. This is a total metamorphosis, and it makes my heart happy to see 519 Linden finally turn into a beautiful butterfly.
This expansive restaurant exhibits a New York City vibe with a sprawling central bar, year-round glass wrapped “al fresco” dining, and mezzanine-level dining overlooking the modern, bright, black and white establishment.
“We just wanted to make it where people felt, ‘Wow, this is my new place that I want to come all the time’,” said Bonanno.
Everywhere you look is a feast for the eyes that, thank goodness, leaves no trace of the previous businesses — apart from the integral mezzanine now a restored focal point. The state-of-the-art kitchen serves fresh classic continental cuisine with excellent, well-prepared service to top it all off.
Grand opening still to come
Sheila Bonanno said A’tera 519 plans to do a true Grand Opening in the new year with a ribbon-cutting, lights, camera and action! But right now, they’re still getting situated at the new spot as word begins to spread.
A’tera 519 is currently in their “quiet opening” phase as they complete all the finishing touches and make sure their staff is fully prepared. The new restaurant has not yet had an official soft opening either, but they are taking reservations as they settle into the new establishment and are now open for nightly dinner starting at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Bonanno said they’ve been doing mock services and dress rehearsals for the past few weeks with their staff to test their legs!
“That’s important when you’re wanting to present a white-cloth environment. You want to make sure every piece is done right,” said Bonanno. “We wanted to make sure that we were as ready as we possibly can be on the service side of things.”
A lot of thought was put into every piece of the puzzle. Basalyga Hospitality basically took everything down to bare bones and started over. While utilizing the distinct multi-level aspect of the property in their renovation, they’ve created whole new classy ambiance inside and out. The entire establishment is so stylish, with its captivating centerpiece chandelier and a focus on black and white minimalism in the decor with gold accents. Basalyga Hospitalit’s ideas for this location evolved as it went.
“Originally it was supposed to be a steakhouse vibe, people in and out, a little bit more casual. And then, the owner just really wanted to do something different,” explained Bonanno. “When I came to work for (John Basalyga) last year, I said, ‘I would really love to make approachable fine dining,’ meaning affordable fine dining.”
A’tera 519 is the perfect place to go out, dress up, and feel special for the night. Proper business casual attire is required. There are no TVs, so it’s not a place to go to watch the game, it’s a place dedicated to letting people gather and converse.
“We don’t want it to feel like people are coming in and they have to be so fancy, but we want people to know that you can be fancy when you come. You can dress up because it feels like there’s nowhere to get dressed anymore,” said Bonanno.
Sergei’s coming soon to lower level
A’tera 519 aims to offer guests a full night out on the town, because the restaurant is actually only one half of the downtown destination. Sergei’s is an underground high-end live music hall and bar soon to open in the bottom floor.
This building offers many great personal touches, big and small, that make it all the more meaningful. Sergei’s is named for Basalyga’s father, whose first name was Sergei. He was a concert accordionist and a well-renowned musician in the area that many people may also know and remember. Sergei’s is an ode to him and it’s his signature that’s used on their sign for the upcoming venue.
Basalyga Hospitality projects to open the club at the end of January with a very cool, very plush, upper-class vibe to match perfectly with the restaurant and bar upstairs. They want to create an atompshere for usic that sets itself apart from other area venues, that already have their own entertainment clientele.
“We want to do something that’s unique to us,” said Shelia Bonanno.
She hopes for customers to be able to enjoy dinner then head downstairs, listen to the music and create great memories at this expansive renovated establishment.
Not to mention, the vibes emanate through every floor of this building. The second and third floors house apartments, and everything aesthetically matches together throughout. Tenants can feel like they’re in the big city while still enjoying that small-town charm when they come downstairs to entertain guests at this brag-worthy venue. There’s simply so much happening at this address.
What’s on the menu?
Shelia Bonanno, who has a background in fine dining, is aware of the fear that you may leave fancy restaurants feeling hungry, so you don’t have to worry about that at A’tera 519! They pride themselves on filling portions, great service and a full experience from the moment you walk in.
“Refining fine dining is kind of my slogan,” said Bonanno. “Come in and have white tablecloth service without the price tag.”
A’tera 519 boasts classic continental cuisine, which is a traditional culinary style that utilizes techniques and ingredients derived from Western and Central European countries. Their menu focuses on many French and Italian-inspired dishes with their own fresh flair such as the Crispy Local Confit Duck Breast and Leg and Grilled Apple Brined Duroc Pork Chop.
There are eight pastas on the menu, four of which are made in-house. Bonanno explained that they’d make them all in-house but that some dishes actually require a dry pasta. Interesting! They certainly know their stuff here at A’tera 519 and they’ve thought of everything.
All dishes are prepared as fresh as can be. They also have their own pastry chef, with all desserts and breads made in-house as well, making selections such as their Bread Trio extra special.
The menu is mouth-watering and the whole place is stunning, but they also aim to keep the prices reasonable so that more guests can come back more often to spend their nights their way at 519 Linden. The full menu is also available at the bar so everyone can really chose their own adventure.
“We wanted to make it so that the price tags didn’t hurt, and people could come more than on special occasions. They could come here more than once a week if they wanted to!” said Bonanno.
A’tera 519 is proving that you don’t need to take a trip to New York City to enjoy a classy night out over a high-end meal. Finally, a chance to strut in that outfit that’s just way too fancy for the corner dive.I’m excited about the new restaurant and venue, but I’m also excited for Downtown Scranton that A’tera 519 is making its debut.
We elevate each other.
“The more people that come downtown, the more each of our businesses are going to flourish because they’re being seen,” said Bonanno.
The post A’tera 519 quietly opens at iconic Scranton address appeared first on Times Leader.