New Restaurants
New Nightspots
Coming Soon
Allen & Delancey
Downtown will get another culinary star when Akhtar Nawab, formerly the executive chef of Craftbar, opens this New American restaurant in a luxury condo building on the Lower East Side (115 Allen St.) in October.
Eleven B
Vincent Sgarlato, who once owned a Frank Sinatra–themed eatery in Midtown known as the Summit, will debut this Alphabet City Italian (174 Ave. B) by Labor Day; it will house a lounge and a take-out section with a separate entrance.
The famed French chef is bringing a version of his Parisian hot spot – which marries Haute Cuisine and casual, countertop environs – to the Four Seasons Hotel (57 E. 57th St.; 212-350-6658) later this month. As in Paris, the counter will be the restaurant's focal point, with an exposed kitchen that can be viewed through a see-through glass wall. But unlike the original's intimate, clubby setting, the NYC outpost will occupy a far grander space beneath I.M. Pei's soaring ceiling.
Pera Mediterranean Brasserie
Named after a neighborhood in Istanbul, this Midtown brasserie (303 Madison Ave.), opening in late August, will specialize in charcoal-grilled meats sliced tableside.
STK
Like Strip House, this Meatpacking District newcomer (26 Little W. 12th St.; 646-624-2444) from the owners of One will put a saucy spin on the steakhouse formula, with private dining areas named after burlesque stars and a downstairs lounge with a DJ; it's scheduled to open in September.
NYC offshoot of this multisensory eatery (with branches in Amsterdam, Rome and San Francisco) will open next summer in the Meatpacking District (location TBA); guests will dine on Eclectic, three-hour-long meals while lounging on oversized beds amid DJs, video artists, aerial performers and roving massage therapists.
Also Coming Soon
Restaurateur Ed "Jean-Luc" Kleefield is transforming Jean-Luc, his shuttered Upper West Side bistro, into a Southern restaurant (507 Columbus Ave.; 212-712-1700) helmed by a finalist of the Fox TV show Hell's Kitchen.
Good Deals and Other News
The casinos at New Jersey's seaside resort are boasting more than just slot machines these days. Fine-dining establishments are flourishing, with three new celebrity chef–backed entries recently opened in The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa: Bobby Flay Steak, Michael Mina's SeaBlue and Wolfgang Puck American Grille. And there's more on the way. Next month will see newcomers from Stephen Starr and Jeffrey Chodorow with the opening of The Pier at Caesars, an upscale dining, retail and entertainment complex ( www.thepieratcaesars.com).
Summer Restaurant Week may be over but several restaurants are extending the deal, especially at lunch. Jean-Georges Vongerichten runs Restaurant Week promotions year-round at all of his NYC restaurants, with $24.07 three-course prix fixe lunches offered at Jean Georges, JoJo, Mercer Kitchen, Perry Street, Spice Market and Vong; JoJo, Mercer Kitchen, 66 and Vong also serve a $35 prix fixe dinner. Meanwhile, Nori Sugie is offering a $24.07 bento box lunch with soup and dessert Monday through Friday through September 1st at Asiate. And Telepan is serving its $24.07 fixed-price lunch, which makes ample use of the season's bounty, Wednesday through Friday through Labor Day. For a complete list of restaurants offering Restaurant Week extensions, click here.
Yet more lunch specials for you, dahling. This chic Upper Eastsider is offering a "Ladies Who Lunch" promotion featuring any two courses from a special menu of appetizers, entrees and desserts for $24 (a third course can be added for an additional $7). Main choices include a petite Cobb salad, pan-roasted Pacific king salmon and grilled hanger steak au poivre. Available Monday through Saturday from noon–2 PM.
This intimate Jazz at Lincoln Center–affiliated club in the Time Warner Center is offering a swinging happy hour (Monday–Thursday from 4–6 PM) featuring $5 wine, beer and cocktails. Hang around till the 7:30 PM set and get the $30 cover waived (based on availability).
The brewery is setting up a temporary waterfront beer garden as part of "Spiegeltent," a music and performance series running from August 3rd–October 1st at the former Fulton Fish Market in South Street Seaport. The beer garden is open to the public and will serve suds and snacks daily from noon–2 AM; for tickets and the complete "Spiegeltent" lineup, visit www.spiegelworld.com.
The Downtown branch of this Southern duo has moved to roomier digs at 156 Chambers St.
John LaFemina's sleek American Downtowner is finally getting its liquor license; the restaurant expects to serve alcohol by late this month, so call first before bringing your own.
This trendy Theater District hotel bar offers Theatre Equity members and theater patrons reduced prices on apps and cocktails every Sunday from noon–2 AM (till midnight in the mezzanine Paramount Library Bar). Membership cards or ticket stubs must be presented to cash in on the specials, which include $7 martinis and specialty cocktails.
This good-value Vietnamese has opened a third branch, this one a 200-seater in Greenwich Village (91-93 University Pl.; 212-982-3691).
In addition to hosting a daily happy hour (5:30–7:30 PM) with $1 oysters and $5 cocktails, Patricia Yeo's French-Vietnamese eatery is offering $15 entrees (e.g. a whole steamed one-and-a-quarter-pound lobster with red bliss potatoes and corn) every Sunday night.
Tasting Room Restaurant
The new, larger location of this New American gem has opened at 174 Elizabeth St. (212-358-7831), where it boasts a full liquor license. It's currently open only as a bar, though a food menu is on the way. The original East Village space (72 E. First St.) will reopen later this month as the Tasting Room Wine Bar & Cafe with a simpler, less expensive menu.
In early August, this popular Ukranian East Villager is opening a kiosk in a former newsstand just outside the F train station at East First Street and First Avenue.
Vittorio Cucina
Chef-owner Vittorio Capparelli recently passed away. His wife and family will continue to run the restaurant.
Long Island City's "beachside" bar is hosting an "All You Can Eat Chicken BBQ" from 6:30–8 PM on August 5th, 12th and 19th. The $35 dinner comes with plenty of sides (veggies, corn on the cob, coleslaw, potato salad, garden salad) plus two cups of beer and ice cream for dessert.
A branch of Tom Colicchio's rapidly growing chain of sandwich shops has opened at 555 Fifth Ave. (212-780-0577), where it operates Monday–Friday only from 8 AM–6 PM.
- Baluchi's (Columbus Ave. branch only)
- Biltmore Room
- Burger Joint (Bleecker St. branch only)
- Fontana di Trevi
- Frère Jacques
- Ian
- Jean-Luc
- Lo Scalco
- Magnifico
- Monsoon
- Ora
- Raga
- Scopa
- SQC