Nanas makes it return to Durham's dining scene under Matt Kelly's leadership
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The bar at the reopening fine-dining restaurant Nanas. Photo: Lissa Gotwals
Nanas, a fine-dining restaurant that was a vanguard of Durham's culinary growth, will reopen Tuesday.
Why it matters: For years, Nana's (how it was previously stylized), along with Magnolia Grill, provided Durham with the type of fine-dining experience people would plan their birthdays and anniversaries around.
- But, as generations made way for the next, Magnolia Grill closed in 2012 and Nana's ultimately never returned after closing during the pandemic in 2020.
Driving the news: Now, it is being resurrected by Matt Kelly, one of the city's most prominent chefs, who has had a hand in other restaurants like the French bistro Vin Rouge, Spanish tapas eatery Mateo and the Italian restaurant Mothers and Sons.
- Kelly bought the restaurant last year along with Nate Garyantes. They have spent the time since renovating the restaurant and creating a menu that honors its culinary history.
Details: Kelly said the menu will stick to the same principles of the previous Nanas — modern American dishes cooked under the influences of French and Italian techniques paired with locally-sourced ingredients.
- "Excellence to me is defined by not making a dish good once but by continuing" to meet high-quality standards, Kelly told Axios.
- That's why the menu will focus on classic dishes, he said, like a risotto perfected over decades, a chicken liver mousse, a tagliatelle ragu with duck, and roasted chicken and whole fish.
The big picture: Beyond the a return of a fine-dining institution, Kelly wants to build a place where residents of Rockwood and other surrounding neighborhoods can routinely gather at the bar — much like Vin Rouge is for Old West Durham.
- "Even though the dining room is always busy, if you live in the neighborhood, you're gonna go sit at the bar," Kelly said, "and feel very comfortable because you know, you can get in and out and there's going to be a seat for you."
- The bar will have rotating cocktails and wine, but three things will always be present, Kelly said: friendly bartenders, cold martinis and cold beer.
Of note: When asked why Nanas would drop the apostrophe from its name, Kelly told Axios that "Nana's was one specific Nana and we wanted to open the sphere to the connection of Nanas everywhere and how they shaped and influenced our lives."
Location: 2514 University Dr., Durham
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 5-10pm