Bar of the week: ñ

ñ, that fancy pants, tilde-topped member of the Spanish alphabet and SoHo tapas hotspot, is giving DUMBOers a reason to get excited. Its new Brooklyn edition is down under, not just the Manhattan bridge, but also the DUMBO Rice outpost, keeping it all in the David Selig family. A vibrant red stairwell adds some drama to the descent, and opens into a space that manages to be both intimate and spacious. Every seat is its own cozy nook, from the hideaway banquettes to the enveloping barrel chairs, and an inky ceiling with scattered pinpricks of light might be the city's best starry night outside of the MoMA. When all the other lemmings go for sangria ($6; $24 pitcher), mix it up with a Colonial cocktail ($10). The gin-based concoction of grapefruit, lime, and honey tastes especially sweet when it's half price at happy hour (M-F, 5-7pm). Pair your drink with some tapas like the pulpos de norte (octopus two ways: paprika and chocolate, $7.50) or the piquillos rellenos de bacalao (peppers stuffed with cod, $8), and you'll be exclaiming "en-yay!" all night.

ñ
81 Washington Street
DUMBO, Brooklyn