New Restaurants
New Nightspots
| Name |
Address |
City |
Phone |
| Centovini |
25 W. Houston St. |
Manhattan |
212-219-2113 |
| M&R Bar |
356 Bowery, downstairs |
Manhattan |
212-260-1890 |
| Ten Degrees |
121 St. Marks Pl. |
Manhattan |
212-358-8600 |
| Tonic East |
411 Third Ave. |
Manhattan |
212-683-7090 |
Coming Soon
BLT Market
Chef Laurent Tourondel will open this offshoot of his growing BLT franchise (BLT Fish
, BLT Prime
and BLT Steak
) in the Ritz-Carlton Central Park (50 Central Park S.) sometime next year; it will replace the hotel's plush New French dining room, Atelier
.
Chat Noir
This French bistro (22 E. 66th St.) will need no letter of introduction to le tout Madison Avenue – one of its owners is the former general manager of fashionable La Goulue
. A September debut is planned.
French Connection
Simon Oren, who owns Café d'Alsace, Marseille
and Nice Matin
among other French eateries, has several new projects opening soon. Next to Marseille on Ninth Avenue will be Nissa, a Mediterranan cafe serving sandwiches, pizzas and the like, opening in July. At Port Authority (8th Ave. and 41st St.), he is partnering with Steve Tenedios of the Café Metro chain on Metro Marché, a French brasserie opening in August. And in October, Oren's shuttered Brothers Bar-B-Que at 225 Varick Street in the West Village will reopen as La Moelle, a country French steakhouse. A bit of trivia: the Varick venue was once home to the high-end restaurant Rakel, the original stomping grounds of celeb chef Thomas Keller before he went west to launch French Laundry.
FR.OG
The oddly punctuated name stands for "French Origin," the common influence that will be felt in all of Didier Virot's global dishes (sautéed black sea bass with coriander and garlic, roasted chicken with toasted peanuts, etc.). The Aix
chef is setting up shop in a duplex SoHo space (71 Spring St.), located across the street from Balthazar, in the fall.
The latest imported behemoth to give Gotham a go is this Chicago hottie famed for its sexy decor. When it settles into Gramercy Park (111 E. 18th St.) later this month, expect spins on sushi and other dramatically presented Japanese fare, not to mention five dining and lounge areas.
P*ONG
Pastry chef Pichet Ong (Spice Market
) strikes out on his own with this sweet-and-savory West Village dessert bar (150 W. 10th St.) in the vein of ChikaLicious
and Room 4 Dessert
; it's scheduled to open in the fall.
Trestle on Tenth
This West Chelsea New American (242 10th Ave.), whose name nods to the nearby Highline, will feature a walled garden and hearty, Swiss-influenced cuisine by chef-owner Ralf Kuettel (ex Zoë
). Special emphasis will be placed on the wine list: Kuettel was the wine buyer of the Chelsea Wine Vault and his wife is the beverage director of Gramercy Tavern. A July 10th opening is planned.
Wicker Park
The cuisine at this Upper Eastsider (200 E. 83rd St.), scheduled to open on July 7th, will revisit Continental-American classics, while a sidewalk cafe will provide additional seating.
Good Deals and Other News
Anzu
Lannie Ahn has replaced D'or Ahn, her Korean fusion restaurant, with this new spot offering more affordably priced sushi and Japanese small plates (207 10th Ave.; 212-627-7777). Look for more information on Anzu in the August ZagatWire.
Last month, this laid-back Meatpacking District bar began serving Mediterranean cuisine. Owned by the folks from Barolo
and I Tre Merli, it is planning to emphasize its food service and could soon receive an actual name.
Waldy Malouf now serves a casual continental brunch on Sundays (10:30 AM–2:30 PM) featuring unlimited coffee, espresso drinks and pastries, plus fresh juice and housemade granola and yogurt for $14.95 per person; more substantial dishes and brunch cocktails can be added on.
This Venezuelan East Villager has opened a new branch (93 1/2 E. 7th St.; 212-228-5062) two doors down from the original. The new 34-seat venue will serve dinner and weekend lunch, while the smaller original will focus on takeout and delivery.
Recently appointed chef Patricia Williams (formerly of Morrell Wine Bar & Cafe) has cooked up a new seasonal menu at this Times Square New American; dishes include paillard of chicken with heirloom tomato salad and basil oil ($14) and asparagus black trumpet risotto ($18).
A sprawling Midtown branch is planned for the fall at the corner of 50th Street and Third Avenue.
Get ready for "Chefs From Hell Tuesdays" – a late-night party for the restaurant industry featuring an open Leblon caipirinha bar in the garden from 11 PM–1 AM.
On Monday nights through Labor Day, this upscale TriBeCa lounge serves steamed and chilled Maryland blue crabs (three "oversized" specimens for $19) paired with $5 pints of Sam Adams Summer Ale.
This West Village New American has taken another culinary turn – this time from small plates and skewers to seafood.
Josh DeChellis has departed from this Italian-accented New American. A replacement has yet to be announced.
Chef Christian Delouvrier (formerly of Alain Ducasse) is teaming up with this Madison Avenue bistro to open La Goulue Christian Delouvrier in Bal Harbour, Florida (Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave., Ste. 135; 305-865-2181), later this month.
The 132 W. Houston Street location of this bistro chainlet has reopened after several other restaurants (Le Quinze, Manon) failed to gel in its spot.
Danny Meyer has equipped the Shack with a Web cam so that patrons can check out the lines before heading to Madison Square Park. To view the cam, go to www.shakeshacknyc.com/camera.html.
Speaking of alfresco dining, this Park Slope New American is now the concessionaire for the summer entertainment series in JJ Byrne Park (Fifth Ave. and Third St. in Park Slope): bring a picnic blanket and a bottle of wine, watch free movies and concerts and order noshes such as crudité and short rib tamales. For a complete entertainment calendar, go to www.theoldstonehouse.org.
Later this month, this tiny East Villager will open a new, larger location at 174 Elizabeth Street, where it will boast a full liquor license. The original space, to close temporarily, will reopen in August with a simpler, less expensive menu.
Via Emilia
This cash-only Italian has moved to a bigger, more modern space at 47 E. 21st Street (212-505-3072). Look for more information on Via Emilia in the August ZagatWire.
- A Salt & Battery (2nd Ave. branch only)
- Cafe El Cubanito
- Chez Henry
- D'or Ahn
- Elle et Lui
- Ian
- MJ Grill
- Scopa