The menu is mostly Greek but with an overlay of Japanese influences, from the raw bar selection to the cocktails, plus dashes of a high-dollar steakhouse. The décor is somewhere between taverna and neon-trimmed night club, complete with DJ station.

And somehow this restaurant managed to open in downtown New Orleans with nary a peep before its soft opening trial runs this week.

This is Kira , which opens to the public Thursday.

The new restaurant took over and completely reimagined the space that was previously Mister Oso , a taco restaurant that found acclaim in Denver but had a short run in New Orleans, closing early this year. The space was once Barcadia, the not-too-grown-up arcade/burger concept.

It strains imagination to picture those old incarnations in the lush space created

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