Night Moves

Two downtown daytime joints extend their hours with delicious results. by robin raisfeld and rob patronite

- Robin Raisfeld And Rob Patronite

WHEN LLAMA INN chef Erik Ramirez opened his mostly takeout Peruvian-sandwich shop Llamita in the South Village last summer, there were a few things he forgot to take with him from the Williamsburg flagship—dinner hours and waiter service among them. But if you asked his many fans, the most obviously awol ingredient was ceviche, a dish for which Ramirez has become justly famed. That situation was recently rectified when the chef and his partner temporarily closed Llamita’s doors to make some tweaks to the décor, the menu, and the original fast-casual concept.

This was all welcome news to the Underground Gourmet, who, while appreciating the modern need for speed and efficiency and the joy that comes from gobbling things from biodegradable bowls while staring blankly at smartphones, is not one to pass up a chance to linger over a good oldfashioned sit-down supper. When the restaurant reopened in March, it was with cushion-lined banquettes along the walls, tapestry-wrapped panels below the ceiling, and two ceviches on the dinner menu.