The blockbuster opening of the season has to be Wakiya, the upscale Chinese restaurant from the Nobu team debuting today in Ian Schrager's Gramercy Park Hotel (2 Lexington Ave.; 212-995-1330). Delivering Chinese food the likes of which Americans have never seen, chef Yuji Wakiya of Tokyo's Wakiya Ichiemicharo will apply Japanese technique to the traditional dishes of Shanghai, Szechuan, Canton and Beijing. Whether or not it heralds the second coming of Chinese cooking in this country remains to be seen, but for now, foodies are clamoring for a taste.
The debut also marks an end to Schrager's protracted battle to get a restaurant up and running in the space. The hotelier had originally planned to open Park Chinois with London restaurateur Alan Yau (Hakkasan, Yauatcha), but that deal fell through after Yau ran into trouble procuring visas for his Chinese chefs.