Tapas Bar by Chef Jen Jasinski Comes to Union Station

Two year old Union Station will get a second restaurant from the team behind the successful Stoic & Genuine. Early next year, chef Jennifer Jasinski and partners Beth Gruitch and Jorel Pierce, whose portfolio includes Rioja, Euclid Hall, and Bistro Vendôme, will open Ultreia inside the stunningly renovated train station. The coming attraction will focus on the shared plate pinxtos (pronounced peen chos) and tapas of Spain and Portugal.

The name of the eatery, Ultreia, has Latin roots and it loosely translates to "onward." It refers to words of encouragement shouted to pilgrims on their Camino de Santiago - a 1,000-year-old pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. To the team planning the venture, it seemed like a fitting name for a transit hub.

Set in the building's Great Hall, the 1,900 square foot space was originally the Fresh eXchange. By next year, it will be completely transformed with the help of Boss Architecture, the firm that designed Stoic & Genuine. Mezzanine seating and a full bar will be available.

Guests at Ultreia should expect a menu that might include ajo blanco, an Andalusian almond garlic soup with grapes, Cadiz-style sea bream with regional sherry, octopus carpaccio with preserved lemon, olive oil, chili, plus sardine with piquillo pepper and egg on bread (a classic tapa). There may also be hake and béchamel croquette, crispy morcilla, crispy beef tongue with mustard Espagnola, and roasted leg of lamb with preserved lemon and garlic. The beverage program will feature classic Spanish gin tonics, Spanish and Portuguese wines, and a broad selection of sherries.