New Restaurants
New Nightspots
| Name |
Address |
City |
Phone |
| Essex Ale House |
179 Essex St. |
Manhattan |
212-505-6027 |
| Gin Lane |
355 W. 14th St. |
Manhattan |
212-691-0555 |
| Grape and Grain |
620 E. Sixth St. |
Manhattan |
212-420-0002 |
| Honey |
243 W. 14th St. |
Manhattan |
212-620-0077 |
| Jade Bar |
2 Lexington Ave. |
Manhattan |
212-920-3300 |
| Minton's |
208 W. 118th St. |
Manhattan |
212-864-8346 |
| Rose Bar |
2 Lexington Ave. |
Manhattan |
212-920-3300 |
| Society |
535 La Guardia Pl. |
Manhattan |
212-358-7995 |
| SoHo Park |
62 Prince St. |
Manhattan |
212-219-2129 |
| Union Hall |
702 Union St. |
Brooklyn |
718-638-4400 |
Coming Soon
Café Largo
Police-officer-turned-restaurateur Marc Calcano is planning to open a restaurant-and-takeout-shop complex this fall in Harlem, with a revival of Café Largo (3387 Broadway), which closed three years ago, as its centerpiece. It will have 120 seats, a renovated rustic interior and Mediterranean cuisine. Next door at 3385 Broadway will be two take-out spots: Vinegar Hill, a bread market and gourmet shop, and Tres Pasos, serving Mexican burritos.
The E.U.
Bob Giraldi and Jason Hennings had hoped to open this East Village gastropub (235 E. Fourth St.; 212-254-2900; Mai Housewww.theeunyc.com) last spring, but faced a number of stumbling blocks obtaining a liquor license, largely due to pressure from the Village community board. Following months of petitioning and negotiating with the board, the E.U. has finally nabbed a beer and wine license and will reopen this month with a new chef.
Lonesome Dove Western Bistro
A NYC outpost of Ft. Worth's celebrated Southwestern restaurant – a showcase for chef Tim Love's cowboy fusion cooking (roasted garlic-stuffed beef tenderloin with western "plaid" hash, grilled New Zealand red deer chop, etc.) – is in the works; the Flatiron District eatery (29 W. 21st St.) should be ready to welcome curious city slickers the week of September 18th. Designed and built by Love, it will feature a semi-open kitchen, a New World–centric wine list and a downstairs wine cellar with a table that holds up to 25 for private dining.
Mai House
In October, Drew Nieporent and Bao Noodles chef-owner Michael Huynh will open this 125-seat Vietnamese restaurant at 186 Franklin St., located on the same block as Nieporent's Tribeca Grill.
Park Chinois
Alan Yau – the high-profile restaurateur behind London hot spots Hakkasan and Yauatcha – is the creative force behind this modern Chinese eatery opening later this fall in the Gramercy Park Hotel (2 Lexington Ave.; 212-920-3300). The authentic, regional cuisine will showcase the flavors of Shanghai, Szechuan and Beijing, served in a chinoiserie-style setting that will also offer dim sum, Chinese high tea and late-night cocktails.
Porter House New York
Michael Lomonaco's American grill is slated to open this month in the former V Steakhouse space in the Time Warner Center (10 Columbus Circle, 4th fl.), where it will feature a menu specializing in grilled meats and fish. Initially open for dinner only, it will eventually serve lunch, as well as late-night meals at its large bar.
Russian Tea Room
The third incarnation of this illustrious restaurant is opening in October in the original 150 W. 57th St. location. The building has remained untouched since the Warner LeRoy edition shuttered in 2002 (plans for a PGA museum having never materialized), as has its opulent gilded interior. The latest version will offer Continental dining on two floors, with two levels of banquet space above.
Good Deals and Other News
Don't have a reservation for Andrew Carmellini's popular Madison Square Park Italian? The tables in the recently opened sidewalk cafe are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
On weekdays, this Times Square New American offers a $20 three-course prix fixe lunch (noon–2:30 PM; price excludes tax and gratuity); the menu changes daily but might include dishes such as crispy grits with shrimp, corn and chanterelles in a lobster sauce or steak tartare with quail eggs and toasted brioche.
Paul Liebrandt is out as chef of this NY Palace Hotel entry and Christopher Lee (formerly of Philly's Striped Bass) is in. Currently in soft-opening mode, the restaurant will officially reopen on October 3rd with a New American menu, a "smart casual" dress code and desserts by new pastry chef Nicholas Morgenstern (ex Gramercy Tavern). A bar menu has also been added.
Tom Colicchio has ended his partnership with Danny Meyer to focus on his expanding Craft empire. Executive chef John Schaefer, Colicchio's longtime right-hand man, will continue to run the kitchen until a replacement is found. In addition, a new pastry chef, Nancy Olson (ex Dona), was recently brought in.
Chef Amanda Freitag (formerly of Sette Enoteca e Cucina) has been hired to replace Jody Williams, who has left this hip Village hang to helm Morandi, Keith McNally's forthcoming Italian bistro at 15 Charles St. In other news, Gusto owner Sasha Muniak is planning to open an as-yet-unnamed modern Italian at 74 Seventh Ave. S. in November.
Has moved to 101 Second Ave., where its decor (red-and-white gingham) and small size (24 seats) remain intact. The menu is still French-Continental seafood, now parceled into small plates by new chef Brendan McHale. As a result, prices are considerably lower: for example, the five-course tasting menu, previously $75, is now $50.
The menu is now broader, with dishes from the recently shuttered Jewel Bako Makimono merged into it.
Later this month, the owners of this Upper East Side Italian are transforming it into the more casual and affordable Tini; the menu will emphasize seafood, complemented by raw-bar offerings and an extensive cocktail list.
Lunch is now being served at this scaled-down spin-off in Midtown's Trump World Tower. In addition to the à la carte menu, there's a $20.06 bento box consisting of eight chef selections that comes with soup and salad and a complimentary dessert.
The restaurant is seeking a new executive chef following the departure of Cornelius Gallagher, who is now the top toque at Sonnier & Castle, a catering company.
On September 10th, the Waldorf-Astoria will begin serving its famously decadent Sunday brunch – which features everything from caviar and oysters to a beef Wellington carving station – in its Peacock Alley restaurant (10:30 AM–2:30 PM; $75 per person, excludes tax and gratuity; 212-872-7335).
This East Side Persian is moving down the block to 1407 Second Ave.
Has opened a new location at 106 University Pl. (212-989-8281) in Greenwich Village.
Terry Brennan's Lincoln Center standby is reopening mid-month after temporarily closing for renovations. Most notably, the front bar will be transformed into a wine and cheese room serving a variety of small plates, wines by the glass and suggested flight pairings with Max McCalman's cheese selections.
A takeout-shop spin-off of this Hell's Kitchen Italian has opened by South Street Seaport at 88 Fulton St. (212-693-2600).
Kurt Gutenbrunner has departed from this trendy Lower East Side hotel eatery, where the kitchen will continue to run under the current staff.
Tony Luke's
This cheese-steak specialist (576 Ninth Ave.; 212-967-3055) has reopened after renovating over the summer; it features new decor and a liquor license. Look for more details in the October ZagatWire.
A branch of this pizzeria is scheduled to open in December at 384 Grand St. on the Lower East Side.
Tom Colicchio's rapidly growing chain of sandwich shops has opened a new outpost at 106 Crosby St. (212-780-0577).
- Babu
- Bivio
- Chelsea Grill (8th Ave. branch only)
- Diner 24
- El Bocadito
- Jewel Bako Makimono (2nd Ave. branch only)
- Mainland
- Manhattan Grille
- Meskerem (Amsterdam Ave. branch only)
- Ora
- Partage
- Soho Cantina
- Sweet Melissa (W. Houston St. branch only)
- Sweet-n-Tart Restaurant (Mott St. branch only)
- Taku
- Tuk Tuk (Smith St. branch only)