Brasabana, a new restaurant focusing on dishes from Cuba and the Caribbean, is scheduled to open in December on Lane Allen Road in the former location of Friends and Company.
“Brasa” translates to hot coals or embers, in reference to a type of Cuban and Caribbean slow cooking method, with “bana” being a play on Habana, the Latin spelling of the Cuban capital, Havana.
The new restaurant is a project of Azur Restaurant and Patio co-owners, and will be a sister location to the Beaumont restaurant.
Azur chef and co-owner Miguel Rivas, originally from the Dominican Republic, will serve as the head chef of Brasabana. “I look forward to bringing to Lexington the tastes and flavors of my native Caribbean region, and in particular classic Cuban dishes,” he said in a release.
Azur Executive Chef Jeremy Ashby said Brasabana will be a great opportunity to use locally sourced items with food from that region. “This fulfills my dream of fusing together the complex and layered Cuban and Caribbean influences with the offerings of the Southern agricultural movement,” Ashby said.
The space was gutted and is currently being fitted with a new design and color scheme.