Chef Ignacio Mattos and Restaurateur Thomas Carter bring delightful neighborhood staples to New Yorkers and visitors alike. I ... n 2013, Thomas and Ignacio opened Estela on Houston Street in the space that once housed the Knitting Factory music venue. With a deep wine list and a bar serving cocktails late into every evening, Estela is a place that takes inspiration from the busy, dependable restaurants that Carter and Mattos love to visit around the world but that is also firmly rooted in downtown New York City. In early 2016, they opened their second restaurant on Spring Street in SoHo, the Italian restaurant Café Altro Paradiso, and in the Fall of 2016, Flora Bar in the Met Breuer Museum. Since its opening, Estela has been named one of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, in addition to a wide range of best-of local and national publications. Ignacio was named 2017 Esquire Chef of The Year, and was nominated for a James Beard Best Chef: New York award in 2017 . read more