New Restaurants
New Nightspots
Coming Soon
Alchemy
Park Slope's Restaurant Row will get its very own gastropub with the debut of this New American tavern housed in an old hardware store (56 Fifth Ave.; 718-636-4385), where specialty cocktails and microbrews will complement dishes like skate and chips with pickled cauliflower and smoked paprika aïoli.
Anthos
Midtown's critically acclaimed Dona shuttered prematurely last month, so it's a good thing Michael Psilakis and Donatella Arpaia already had this Modern Greek project in the works. Meaning "new beginning" or "blossoming," it will feature an haute Grecque menu similar to the one offered at Psilakis' Upper West Sider, Onera (which recently tranformed into the more countrified Kefi), now to be served in a larger, grander Midtown setting (36 W. 52nd St.) with a pink-hued cherry blossom theme. It's slated to open late this month.
Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill
Summer 2007 is the latest opening date being tossed around for this Midtown outpost of Blue Ribbon and Blue Ribbon Sushi (it will combine elements of both) housed in Jason Pomeranc's forthcoming hotel at 6 Columbus Circle, which is still undergoing renovations. Meanwhile, Blue Ribbon Downing Street Bar (34 Downing St.; 691-0404) is set to open its doors early this month.
The Inn LW12
The next "inn" spot to open Downtown (see Waverly Inn, Beatrice Inn) is this three-story Meatpacking District newcomer (7 Ninth Ave.) from nightlife vet Jeffrey Jah (Lotus) and scenester Lyman Carter that's scheduled to open in late February after being in the works for quite some time. The kitchen will get a boost from culinary consultant Daniel Boulud, who's recruited Andy Bennett, former sous-chef at Daniel, to craft a European gastropub menu featuring, as one flack described it, the kind of cuisine you'd get if a "really good English cook studied in Paris."
Joachim Splichal's LA flagship will find an East Coast home in Lincoln Center, where it will open in 2009 as part of a redevelopment plan keyed to the center's 50th anniversary. Open to the public for lunch, dinner and post-theater noshing, the New American restaurant will be one of nine new dining options in the complex, with entrances on 65th Street as well as the plaza.
Second Avenue Deli
This iconic kosher deli closed in January 2006 after it lost its lease for the East Village space it had resided in since 1954. Fans of its famous pastrami, chopped liver and matzo ball soup can now rest easy – the Lebewohls will reopen in a Midtown location (162 E. 33rd St.) this summer.
Wild Salmon
The Pacific Northwest will inspire Jeffrey Chodorow's latest, to replace English is Italian when that restaurant shutters on March 17th at 622 Third Avenue. Chef Charles Ramseyer hails from Ray's Boathouse in Seattle, and will craft a menu showcasing regional ingredients including the namesake wild salmon. Expect an April opening.
Also Coming Soon
The owners of Lotus are keeping very busy. While Jeffrey Jah readies The Inn LW12 (see above listing), partners David Rabin (also the prez of the New York Nightlife Association) and Will Regan are cooking up their own project, a Meatpacking District Mexican scheduled to open in early April in the former Meet space (71-73 Gansevoort St.). Rabin tells ZAGAT.com it will be "casual, authentic, accessible" – stay tuned for more developments.
Good Deals and Other News
A new $62 three-course prix fixe menu is available weekdays from 5:30–6:30 PM and weekends beginning at 5 PM; entrees include coconut-coated black bass, spiced venison medallions and braised short rib of beef. Guests who are in a rush are invited to come back to the restaurant after the show to enjoy dessert.
This New American restaurant at St. Bartholomew's Church will remain open while it gets a revamp under new management; its spiffier digs are to be unveiled in fall 2007.
New chef Pierre Landet's updated brasserie menu is complemented by a Monday night wine promotion featuring 50 percent off bottles from a weekly changing region.
Recently arrived pasty chef Nicole Kaplan, formerly of Eleven Madison Park, has unveiled a new dessert menu featuring the likes of panettone with candied orange, sour cherry and lemon butter, and Crostata di Nocciolo with hazelnut praline and milk chocolate crema. A new seasonal enoteca menu offers an edited selection of antipasti, pastas, entrees and desserts, as well as assorted wine and cheese pairings from Piedmont ($30) and a $41 prix fixe menu that must be ordered by the entire table.
Marc Murphy's popular TriBeCa bistro has expanded its weekend hours and brunch menu; it now offers dishes such as eggs en meurette (with bacon, mushrooms, onions and red wine) from 9 AM–4 PM.
New executive chef Christophe Bellanca hails from L'Orangerie, LA's bastion of fine French dining, which shuttered on January 1st. He has introduced an entirely new menu, though the cuisine is still modern French with international influences.
Gordon Ramsay's more informal dining alternative in the London Hotel offers daily tea service from 3–5:30 PM featuring assorted teas, sandwiches, scones and pastries for $35 a person.
Patina Restaurant Group
Through March 11th, purchase any bottle of red wine and receive 25 percent off and a "Pocket Guide to Wine" from Wine Enthusiast Magazine; the "Savor the Reds" offer is available at all Patina Restaurant Group restaurants, including Brasserie 8 1/2 and Sea Grill.
There's been no further word from the Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group on the hostile takeover bid that was recently launched by the Texas-based Landry's Restaurants Inc. (owner of the Chart House and Rainforest Cafe chains, among others). On January 12th, the NYC-based steakhouse chain, whose portfolio also includes Park Avenue Cafe and Quality Meats, received what it called an "unsolicited, highly conditional proposal from Landry's ... to acquire the company at $7.50 a share." Company spokesperson Allison Good had no comment, though S & W has issued a release stating it is evaluating the proposal via a special committee.
The cramped original space at 72 E. First Street has morphed into a casual wine bar/cafe with just five tables.
On Mondays beginning February 12th, guests are invited to bring wines from their cellar without paying a corkage fee; there is a one-bottle limit per customer and a $10 per person service charge for parties of five or more.
- Atelier
- Barca 18
- Dona
- 50 Carmine
- Ixta
- Le Sans Souci
- Marbella
- Onera
- Pop
- Setacci
- Sosa Borella (Greenwich St. branch only)