Sept. 25, 2013 By Christian Murray
Blend, the well-known Latin Fusion restaurant located on Vernon Blvd, is expected to open its Center Blvd restaurant in the middle of October.
Blend on the Water, located on the ground floor of 45-40 Center Blvd, will be three times the size of its 47-04 Vernon Blvd location. It will have 160 seats, 2 outdoor patios and a private dining room.
The big draw is that the Center Blvd. restaurant will have 10 foot windows that wrap around it, providing views of the East River and Manhattan. The restaurant will continue to provide Latin food, although the menu is currently being reviewed.
Construction of the new restaurant is essentially complete, with minor details such as lights, mirrors and benches left to put in. The kitchen was done some time ago.
Once the new operation is running, the Vernon Blvd location will be closed. The owners of Blend are planning to revamp the premises and create a whole new food establishment.
Meanwhile, Blend has recruited Kelvin Fernandez to be the chef at Blend on the Water. He started working at Blend’s Vernon Blvd location three weeks ago—as he gets ready for October’s Center Blvd. opening
Fernandez, who is of Dominican heritage, was the executive chef at the Strand Hotel in Manhattan before taking this role. Prior to his Strand job, he worked at the Water’s Edge in Long Island City under Michelin star chef George Masraff.
