Brothers Ryan and Thad Gillies, co-owners with sommelier Kevin Hobart of the downtown destination restaurant Logan, are branching into “fast casual” dining. Mana will serve up build-your-own bowls inspired by Chinese street food.
They’re aiming for a summer opening in Mark Hodesh’s Union Hall, just down the hill on Liberty from Downtown Home & Garden. There’s already a commercial kitchen there–it was shared by Mark’s Carts before Hodesh ended the venture last fall. The front of the building, currently offices, will become Mana’s dining room.
Hodesh tells us he’s excited to condense his tenants down: “with the carts I had a lot of bosses–each cart was a boss–but now I just have one.” He plans to use the vacated courtyard as extra space for Downtown Home & Garden’s outdoor products: “plants, outdoor furniture, pottery …” (Though Hodesh is no longer the owner of DH&G itself, he remains involved as its landlord).
Ryan Gillies says the brothers want to offer “high-quality, handcrafted food at an everyday price point”–he estimates a typical check will be $15. Customers can choose a base of noodles, rice, or quinoa, followed by a protein (Gillies mentions lemongrass-braised beef, chicken saute, char siu pork, and tofu patties), then vegetables and toppings. They’ll also be making roujiamo, a traditional type of pocketed bun sandwich filled with minced meat, green onions, and cilantro.
“Mana” means a supernatural life force or energy in Polynesian, but it took a roundabout way to the local restaurant scene. “It’s often used as your ‘power’ as a video-game character,” Gillies explains–and his brother “is a heavy video gamer.”
Hodesh tells us he is particularly attached to the building’s New Orleans- xADinspired sunny yellow paint job, and it might seem like a natural for the brothers–Logan’s facade is the color of egg yolks. But Gillies says he has no interest in keeping it. “I think one yellow restaurant is enough for a restaurateur. I don’t wanna be known as the ‘yellow restaurant guy.'”