Unique Dining Experience ReikiNa Comes to CITYCENTRE

April 19, 2021

New CITYCENTRE restaurant ReikiNa is cooking up a unique dining experience for the Memorial District. ReikiNa offers a tasting menu with a European take on Asian cuisine. Business owners Andrew Herron and Thomas Stacy hope guests visit not only for a delicious meal but also for a new and exciting experience.

"I like to call it experiential fine dining because it is more than just dinner," Stacy said. He described ReikiNa as communal and explained that this aspect of the restaurant was something he enjoyed during dinner parties he has served in the past. "Many groups I served included folks who did not know each other. These seemed to be the most interesting and stimulating dinners, as these people had to find common ground and get out of their comfort zone."

For now, ReikiNa does not have a signature dish. Instead, the team plans to make new dishes every six to eight weeks. Dishes will offer cohesive coursing. Recent dishes have included Brussels sprouts, burrata, and kimchi; octopus, pink peppercorn, yuzu, and arbequina; uni, egg pasta, guanciale, trout roe, and bottarga; and more. A recent menu had a dish with honey nut squash, sake braised peppers, coconut yuzu pudding, and fried sage and shallots. Likewise, Stacy described a dish called Lights in the Mountain from a recent menu.

"It gave the experience of camping on the Continental Divide Trail," he said. "Eel consommé poured tableside represented a mountain lake. Khombu and melted leeks represented the marsh grass. Crispy grilled trout represented the mountainside, and blacklight reactive vitamin B50 was flicked on the rim of the bowls and revealed when the lights were turned off and the black light came on. I told guests that the stars were coming out on the mountain lake."

ReikiNa is full of personal touches. For example, guests choose vinyl records to play a soundtrack for their dining experience, or they can enjoy the sounds of the piano when Stacy plays at the end of the night. Similarly, guests can expect a community feeling when everyone dines around an 11-foot table and bar top that Stacy made from reclaimed barn wood. Furthermore, there will be a 106-foot art gallery wall showcasing local artists' work.

The name is a blend of two Japanese words that together refer to snacks paired with divine energy. This is what the ReikiNa team wants to give Houston in addition to presenting something entirely new to the area. They knew the Memorial District would be the perfect place for their restaurant because it is home to potential clientele with adventurous tastes. For now, ReikiNa offers 20 seats at a time. The space is large and open, so guests can feel comfortable and safe. According to Stacy, the reduced number of seats gives the restaurant a chance to offer extra details when crafting the menu and service.

"I hope I can bring a joyful artistic experience to the area," Stacy said, discussing the rapidly growing popularity of meals as an experience. He explained that ReikiNa wants guests to ask questions and learn something new every time they visit. "Many people are growing more interested in learning about food. People are longing to have an extraordinary experience after being isolated and living so cautiously for the past year. We plan to give them this experience. With ReikiNa I hope to bring a focus to how blessed we are to be alive and to help others find peace."

ReikiNa
https://www.reikina.xyz

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