The first time someone told me about "New York's Hottest New Restaurant" I thought they were saying Elephant funny, but then half a second later decided that no, that couldn't be it, they must have said Ele-funk because New York is weird and that's exactly something that someone would name a restaurant.
A few days later when another person brought it up I was certain it was indeed Elephant just said in that fake pretentious Connecticut accent that no one from Connecticut actually has - you know, like how Martha Stewart talks because she's from New Jersey.
A few days and a few mentions more and it started to click that this place had a totally different spelling situation going on.
Elephunt?
Elafent?
El-uh-fant?
An eight minute extensive Google search trying out every possible spelling scenario I could imagine tied to the terms 'NYC Restaurant' and 'East Village New' to track this mirage down and finally, I figured it out.
Ella Funt.
Could I have just asked anyone along the way how the hell this restaurant name was spelled? No. That would have been far too easy and not at all fun.
But I digress.
On East 4th between Bowery and Second sits "New York's Hottest New Restaurant." We can actually say this for sure, capital letters and everything, because it is below 14th Street, has a name that inspires many a question, and made its grand debut with an opening night party filled with a number of models, a handful of artists / musicians, at least one Bronfman, and, for good measure, Maxwell Osborne.
Add that all up, and in Eric Adams's town you're legally allowed to hang a sign that says New York's Hottest Restaurant in the window.
In its first week, the clubby Neo-Bistro has solidified its sceney status with a bevy of social snaps. A mural by artist Marcus Jahmal, a gold tiled bathroom with a matching toilet, and an egg yolk raviolo dish begging to be burst open on video have all gotten the people going.
While word's still out on what people think of the food, they're certainly eating up the reservations.
Fingers crossed your go-to cool friend who somehow always knows someone who knows someone can swing a table!
[Photos via @ellafunt.nyc, @catiecurry, @mxceats, @nyc.or.nowhere]
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