Prashant Jain, the new owner of UnQuarked at 145 Central Park Square welcomes the community to experience his new establishment. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

Prashant Jain relaxes in the front patio sitting area at UnQuarked with Cortni Nucklos, Sirphey’s communications director. She oversees everything that goes out to the public, whether it be press releases, advertisements, customer inquiries, menus or other concerns. For Unquarked, she is developing new menus and managing the transition. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

Sirphey owner Prashant Jain has acquired UnQuarked – The Wine Room in Central Park Square.

He is bringing his new concept in the world of food service to the restaurant formerly owned by three winery operators. Anasazi Fields Winery, Vivac Winery and Black’s Smuggler Winery partnered in 2014 to open a shared wine bar at 145 Central Park Square. Vivac Winery eventually left the partnership and Anasazi Fields Winery owner Jim Fish recently died, leaving Black’s Smuggler Winery as the sole operator. Jain acquired the business Oct. 1 from owner Tony Black.

“We are keeping the name UnQuarked but dropping ‘The Wine Room’,” Jain told the Los Alamos Daily Post during an interview Tuesday.

Other changes underway to enhance the atmosphere in the restaurant include subdued lighting, soft background music and the addition of comfortable chairs and couches.

“We are creating a high-end lounge and gastro pub for people who seek an alternative atmosphere to those locations already available in town,” Jain Said. “Our location is designed for people who wish to enjoy unique food as well as a variety of wines and beers in a very relaxed atmosphere.”

He already has added Gruet wine and 11 new beers to his drink menu and is making the everyday food menu from Sirphey available to UnQuarked patrons along with a special in-house menu. Meals are prepared until 8 p.m. at Sirphey and delivered to the UnQuarked patron’s table at no additional charge. The in-house menu includes such dishes as Chactuerie, samosa and Pani Puri as well as mac and cheese bites with house made bratwurst, green chili and bacon. Italian Arancini bites stuffed with local goat cheese also is on the menu.

“We have actually created these unique food items for our customers,” Jain said. “We are thankful that Sirphey has enjoyed amazing community support over the last year, but some of our regulars have asked for a sit-down option. Unquarked gives us that option, allowing customers to enjoy Sirphey food in a casual, sit-down setting with a glass of local wine or beer.” 

Jain explained that he has partnered with Black Smuggler and Gruet Winery and are actively seeking to expand the wine list much further. We now carry beers from La Cumbre, Tractor Brewing, Santa Fe Brewing Company, Abbey Brewing Company, Bosque and Rio Grande Brewing.” 

Jain was born in northern India and has lived in California, Florida and Britain’s Cambridge. He arrived in Los Alamos from Boston, Mass., for a fellowship in material science at Los Alamos National Laboratory. However, he dreamed to create a restaurant offering dishes from around the world.

Sirphey is open 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Sirphey also delivers food to Los Alamos, White Rock – where it is the only food delivery option and Santa Fe. Jain has expanded Unquarked’s hours to include Monday and Saturday, and added a number of events.

For example:

• Trivia every Tuesday;
• Wineritas before Salsa every Wednesday;
• Sangria & Mulled Wine every Saturday; and
• Mimosas & Samosas Happy Hour every Friday.

Find more information about both establishments, visit Facebook @UnquarkedWine and @Sirphey.

Prashant Jain sitting on one of the new couches he has placed inside UnQuarked in Central Park Square. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com