New Restaurants
New Nightspots
Coming Soon
Bouchon Bakery
On March 13th, Bouchon Bakery, Thomas Keller's long-awaited bakery and cafe, will open on the third floor of the Time-Warner Center (10 Columbus Circle). A retail counter will sell French pastries plus soups, salads and sandwiches made from premium ingredients, while cordoned off in the third-floor lobby area will be a 60-seat full-service cafe with an espresso and wine bar and views of Central Park.
Degustation
Grace and Jack Lamb are turning the tiny space adjacent to Jewel Bako into this 16-seat bar offering French and Spanish small plates that's scheduled to open in April (239 E. Fifth St.; 212-979-1045); the couple's previous attempts at remaking the room include the short-lived Grace's Kalbi Bar & Korean Cuisine and Jewel Bako Robata.
Ditch Plains
After floating Landmarc Oyster Bar and Watermarc as potential names for their forthcoming Greenwich Village oyster bar (29 Bedford St.), Marc and Pamela Murphy of TriBeCa's popular Landmarc have settled on Ditch Plains – a reference to the über-cool surfers' beach out in Montauk. Expect it to roll in early spring.
The latest chic Japanese out-of-towner to give Gotham a go (see also: Morimoto) is this Chicago hottie famed for its sexy decor and even sexier clientele. Whether or not it impresses the locals will be seen in the spring, when it opens off a stretch of Park Avenue South (111 E. 18th St.) that's already pulsing with the arrivals of Barbounia and Barça 18.
Megu Midtown
Billed as a boutique version of Megu, this spin-off of the TriBeCa Japanese powerhouse will feature a new menu (a few of the signatures will remain) and a smaller, more intimate room outfitted with rich fabrics, chandeliers and a large-scale tiger mural. There will also be outdoor seating and a dining-room cart from which guests will be able to choose their meal's ingredients; slated to open in late March on the ground floor of the Trump World Tower (845 UN Plaza).
Nomad
Tagines and other North African dishes will be on offer at this East Villager (78 Second Ave.; 212-253-5410) with an outdoor garden and a wine list that wanders from Algeria and Morocco to California and Israel; opening in early March.
Quality Meats
The Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group has hired trendy design firm AvroKO (Public, Stanton Social) to remake the Midtown space that was once the Manhattan Ocean Club (57 W. 58th St.) into an industrial yet inviting setting for contemporary twists on classic steakhouse selections (Caesar salad, steak tartare); scheduled to open in the spring.
Setacci
Spigolo's Joey D'Angelo will bring his innovative Italian cooking to Greenwich Village (420 Hudson St.; 212-675-0810) by month's end; the restaurant, done up in warm tones of chocolate and pistachio, will feature a raw bar and cocktails mixed with fresh juices.
Tokyo Pop
The owners of the Upper West Side's Café du Soleil are opening this casual Japanese eatery across the street (2728 Broadway; 212-932-1000). The affordable menu will feature sushi, as well as the kind of everyday snacks found in a Japanese pub or izikaya, all served in an airy, modern setting with cartoon-style art in the spirit of Takashi Murakami; slated to open in late March.
Good Deals and Other News
Gone But Not Forgotten
The old is constantly making way for the new in this town, and in recent months, a particularly large number of venerable dining institutions have shuttered, including Bill Hong's (1955), McHales (1953), Second Avenue Deli (1954) and Ye Waverly Inn (1920).
Tableside Service Takes Off
Once the jurisdiction of old-timers like Sardi's and 21, tableside service is now in vogue at the city's newest fine-dining destinations. The house salad on the set menu at Country is preciously prepared in view of diners; the servers at Del Posto wheel around everything from a mixed grill for six to an old-fashioned cookie cart; and at Morimoto, an army of servers offer stagy flourishes, even going so far as to mold and set fresh tofu tableside.
This popular Med newcomer has added lunch and weekend brunch service.
Cesare Casella is no longer a partner in this Flatiron Northern Italian; instead, he's focusing full-time on Maremma and revamping its menu to better reflect the Tuscan touches for which he's known.
Blue/Green
The Dumbo location of Matthew Kenney's vegetarian cafe is now offering a Friday night prix fixe raw-food dinner menu for $40.
The menu at Tom Colicchio's more casual New American eatery has been rejiggered, with prices now topping out at $20 for a main course of roasted pork with capers, golden raisins and roasted vegetables.
This Indian fusion eatery has opened a new branch on the Upper West Side (464 Amsterdam Ave., 212-362-5050).
Marco Canora's East Village Tuscan-American is offering Monday night wine dinners built around a region or grape. Upcoming editions will focus on Northern Rhône (March 13th; $150), Shiraz (March 20th; $195) and Châteauneuf-du-Pape (March 27th; $210) bottles and will pair each of four courses with one or two wines (7 PM; 646-602-1300); prices include tax and gratuity.
This SoHo New American now serves brunch seven days a week, including lobster Benedict ($15) and a bananas Foster Belgian waffle with vanilla ice cream ($10).
Chill out at this SoHo Caribbean's monthlong "Reggae Sunday Brunch" featuring $4 Red Stripes and old-school roots reggae.
Jean-Georges Vongerichten is now running Restaurant Week promotions year-round at all of his NYC restaurants, with $24.07 prix fixe lunches offered at Jean Georges, JoJo, Mercer Kitchen, Perry Street, 66, Spice Market and Vong; 66 also serves a $35 prix fixe dinner.
March
Book a private luncheon or dinner at this East Side New American through April and receive 15% off the food portion of your bill.
A new cash-only branch of this Nuevo Mexican has opened at 47 E. 12th Street (212-253-7594).
Myriad Restaurant Group
Drew Nieporent's restaurant group has opened Proof on Main in Louisville, Kentucky (702 W. Main St., 502-217-6360); the American menu will feature Tuscan influences and local, seasonal ingredients, complemented by an extensive bourbon list and served in a room filled with contemporary art.
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, this Pan-Asian Westsider has freshened up its menu and decor.
Marcus Samuelsson's New American–Japanese is serving a $35 three-course pre-theater menu throughout the month of March.
After closing for renovations, the Lafayette Street branch has reopened in more intimate (read: smaller) digs; to celebrate, it's offering a complimentary tiramisu with the purchase of lunch or dinner throughout the month of March.
This tiny East Villager has expansion plans. Come late spring, it will open the Tasting Room Restaurant in the space that was Soho Cantina (174 Elizabeth St.), where it will quadruple its seating and boast a full liquor license; the original Tasting Room Wine Bar and Cafe will switch to a simpler, less expensive menu.
Bill Telepan's seasonal New American fare is now being served at lunch and weekend brunch; new dishes include The Upper Westsider (smoked salmon, whitefish salad and gravlax with soft scrambled eggs; $21) and a hen-of-the-woods panini ($17.50).
This acclaimed French-American off Union Square has relocated down the street to tonier digs at 1 E. 15th Street; the larger, more refined appointments feature a lounge and private upstairs dining room. Owners Marco Moreira and Jo-Ann Makovitzky plan to turn the original space into a brand-new restaurant with a more affordable menu offering sushi.
- Bellini
- Bill Hong's
- Bolzano's
- Grilled Cheese NYC
- Meet
- Onju
- Penang (Spring St. branch only)
- Petrosino, Rib
- Secretes
- Soho Cantina (Elizabeth St. branch only)
- Soju
- 343