We finally have some updates about the Liholiho Yacht Club team's plans for the old Farina space on 18th Street, which is planning for a September opening.
Back in March we learned that partners Ravi Kapur, Jeff Hanak, and chef David Golovin were taking the space and planning something Eastern European. But apart from that, there was nothing else they could share.
Now, as Eater reports, the place has a name, which will be Dear Inga, after Golovin's grandmother. The menu will be inspired by Golovin's Eastern European heritage, with an emphasis on fermented foods, live-fire cooking, and smoked fish and meats. Golovin has in fact been traveling in recent months to the country of Georgia, along with Kapur and Hanak, doing culinary research for the restaurant.
The backstory and emphasis on family heritage has a parallel with Liholiho, which Kapur opened in 2015 as an ode to his Hawaiian and Indian heritage, and the beach parties his uncles would throw when he was growing up.
Golovin has cooked all over town, including at Nopa, La Folie, and Spruce, but this will be his highest profile gig to date. Hanak was a partner and general manager at Nopa before joining up with Kapur and Nopa's Allyson Jossel to open Liholiho — after a couple of years in which Kapur had been operating it as a pop-up. They've since expanded only with Louie's Gen Gen Room, the downstairs cocktail lounge at Liholiho.
According to Eater, we can expect Dear Inga to reopen the rooftop patio space that Farina had let languish, and there will be sidewalk seating as well. Also: brunch. (But not right away.)
Stay tuned for better details as we get closer to the opening.
Previously: Liholiho Yacht Club Team To Open Mission Restaurant In Former Farina Space