Behind The Swinging Doors: Inside The Kitchen At Huertas

Owner and executive chef Jonah Miller opened Huertas in earlier in 2014, bringing northern Spain-style food to Manhattan's East Village. In the front of the restaurant, they served a rotating sample of passed pinxtos, or finger foods, in addition to a menu of raciones, Spanish for portions. In the back, there is a fixed menu with the option for drink pairings. The dinner is four courses, with the menu written by the kitchen that day.

Behind the Swinging Doors: Inside the Kitchen at Huertas (Slideshow)

We stopped by the kitchen at Huertas on a Thursday at 6 p.m. Service was slow as the first dinner reservation was just getting seated. Cooks prepared some pinxtos to pass around the bar area. The sound of The Cranberries' "Dreams" plays in the bar area, and throughout the open kitchen. Chef Miller is prepping some gooseneck barnacles while his kitchen staff gets prepped for the night behind him. 

"I thought you were outta here by now?" one server asks another as they go through a shift change. The bar area starts to fill up and the kitchen and the wait staff work together to get the pinxtos out to the hungry guests. Trays of anchovies and English pea crostinis start to hit the floor. It's early in the night so the action is minimal.

Ticket

A ticket with a few items a bar order waiting to be filled.

Prep

Executive chef Jonah Miller and his line cooks get ready for the night of service. The first reservation just sat down, so this is the calm before the storm.

Click here for more scenes from the kitchen of Huertas.

Jane Bruce is the Photo Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @janeebruce.