New York City : Notable Openings

Bar Henry Breakdown

BuzzEditor — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:35:00 GMT

Bar Henry

Photo: Evan W. Miller

From the moment the doors opened last week at Bar Henry, the restaurant’s antique mahogany bar was packed with patrons. The third venture from Winston and Carole Bergman Kulok – who own Café Henri in the West Village and Long Island City – it gets its name from their pet Maltese.

The Food: Limited bistro fare, presented in a small and basic but well-prepared menu.

The Design: Old New York. Think vintage brass chandeliers and polished wood floors, plus a copper ceiling and bar top that give a warm glow to rooms. The entrance has striking black-and-white Italian marble floors, while the back room is bordered by brick walls, with red velvet ballroom chairs bought at the Plaza Hotel auction.

Sample Dishes: Mushroom barley soup ($8); short-rib corn taco ($14); blini and American caviar ($15); roasted organic chicken with herb jus ($25); LaFrieda dry-aged strip steak ($38).

Sample Dessert: Tarte tatin with crème fraîche ($9); chocolate mousse ($9).

Sample Drinks: Tom Morgan (Beefeater gin, tonic and lemon juice), Captain Berelsky (Gosling’s rum, amaretto, lemon and lime), Tiger Tail (bourbon, Benedictine, ginger ale and lemon juice). Grape aficionado John Slover (of Grand Cru Consulting) has put together a large wine list, with plenty of half-bottle options.

The Crowd: Village locals mixed with young professionals in their 30s, and wine-industry types.

The Tunes: Jazz standards and old R&B.

The Deets: 90 West Houston St.; 646-448-4559

–Beth Landman

Charting Boulud's Bar Pleiades

BuzzEditor — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:27:00 GMT

The room’s as lacquered as the crowd at Bar Pleiades, a new black-and-white boîte in the Upper East Side’s Surrey Hotel, where the glam mood matches the art-deco-meets-Coco-Chanel decor; courtesy of Daniel Boulud (proprietor of Café Boulud next door), it’s named after a star cluster in the constellation of Taurus, an oblique reference to the astronomical prices.

20 E. 76th St.; 212-772-2600

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Maialino Makes the Scene

BuzzEditor — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:17:00 GMT

Maialino

Photo: Evan W Miller

Maialino

Photo: Evan W Miller

To the revamped Gramercy Park Hotel space that was Wakiya comes Maialino, an Italiano from restaurateur Danny Meyer, which takes its visual and culinary cues from the classic trattorias of Rome and, à la Gramercy Tavern, is divided into a casual (and cheaper) front bar section and a checked tablecloth–equipped rear dining room; connecting the two areas are counters showcasing its housemade bread and salumi, the latter of which stars on the moderately expensive menu that also features pastas, traditional entrees like the eponymous roast pig and an impressive formaggio selection.

2 Lexington Ave.; 212-777-2410

Maialino

Photo: Evan W Miller

Gettin' Tipsy With the Parson

BuzzEditor — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:50:00 GMT

Tipsy Parson

Photo: © jennifer calais smith

The Little Giant team comes to Chelsea via Tipsy Parson, an open-all-day newcomer that knows its way around a deep fryer, offering a Southern-accented American comfort-food menu (it’s named after a booze-soaked sponge cake popular in the South); trompe l’oeil wallpaper and vintage knickknacks supply the decor, but whether you’re seated in the front bar area or rear dining room, brace yourself for loud, lively carryings-on.

156 Ninth Ave.; 212-620-4545

Tipsy Parson

Photo: © jennifer calais smith

The Breslin Has Landed

BuzzEditor — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:50:00 GMT

Chelsea’s hip Ace Hotel is home to The Breslin, the much-anticipated new arrival from Ken Friedman and April Bloomfield (the Spotted Pig) plying a meat centric British menu; the funky-but-chic setting has rustic leanings – unfinished plank floors, a peeling ceiling – jazzed up with ceramic taxidermy, an open kitchen and an upstairs mezzanine with VIP room written all over it; currently soft-opened for breakfast and lunch (dinner service is still in the works), it eschews reservations in favor of a first-come, first-served approach.

16 W. 29th St.; 212-679-1939

Martignetti Brothers Back With Brinkley's

BuzzEditor — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:10:00 GMT

The brothers behind Little Italy’s erstwhile Bar Martignetti have recast the space as Brinkley's, an attractive take on a neighborhood watering hole, where flattering lighting and a proven location should draw a similar preppy population as its predecessor; there are NY beers on tap and gently priced, locally sourced gastropub bites to go with – from hot dogs and seasonal pickles to monkfish fritters with mushy peas – but it’s really more about the scene here.

406 Broome St.; 212-680-5600

Eat Like a Vanderbilt

BuzzEditor — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:18:00 GMT

The Vanderbilt

Photo: Daniel Krieger

The Vanderbilt

Photo: Daniel Krieger

On a corner of Prospect Heights’ busy Vanderbilt Avenue, the casual yet sophisticated New American The Vanderbilt from Saul Bolton (Saul) and Ben Daitz (Num Pang Sandwich Shop) exudes a warm neighborhood vibe with its exposed brick, reclaimed barn-wood accents and rich wood tabletops; the menu, designed by Bolton, features a varied mix of affordable small plates, including lots of housemade sausages and charcuterie, plus a succinct list of vinos and classic cocktails.

570 Vanderbilt Ave.; 718-623-0570

The Vanderbilt

Photo: Daniel Krieger

Want to Be a Carnie?

BuzzEditor — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:50:00 GMT

Carnival

Photo: Evan W. Miller

Carnival

Photo: Evan W. Miller

Coney Island collides with Union Square at the new playland atop Bowlmor, Carnival, that includes a sprawling arcade complete with a boardwalk-style midway featuring games of chance (e.g. fish pong, ring toss, a dunk tank) and roaming circus performers (clowns, stilt-walkers, etc.); by day, it’s a lock for small-fry birthday parties, but after dark, it entices grown-ups with pool tables, a dance floor and alcoholic snow cones.

110 University Pl.; 212-255-8188

Carnival

Photo: Evan W. Miller

Set a Course for Corsino

BuzzEditor — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:53:00 GMT

Corsino

Photo: Evan W. Miller

Restaurateur Jason Denton (’ino, ’inoteca) brings his golden touch to Corsino, a new West Village venue that was most recently Frederick’s Downtown (and before that, Bivio); like its siblings, the menu focuses on modestly priced Italian small plates and wines – with an emphasis on crostini – served in a warm, welcoming setting fitted out with slate countertops and lots of dark wood.

637 Hudson St.; 212-242-3093

Burgers on the Bill

BuzzEditor — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:51:00 GMT

Bill's Burger

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Bill's Burger

Photo: Evan W. Miller

The ever-burgeoning Meatpacking District enters the burger fray at Bill's Bar & Burger, a new patty palace from Steve Hanson offering a half-dozen iterations made from a custom blend of Pat LaFrieda beef and chased with a well-curated selection of microbrews and ‘specialty shakes’; set in the former Hog Pit pen, the joint embraces its roadhouse roots via the ample use of neon, pressed tin and exposed brick.

22 Ninth Ave.; 212-414-3003

Bill's Burger

Photo: Evan W. Miller

Pull the Lever

BuzzEditor — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:56:00 GMT

Casa Lever

Photo: Whitney Cox

Park Avenue movers and shakers are the target audience of pricey new power canteen Casa Lever, an arrival from the Sant Ambroeus folks that’s once again poised to go head-to-head with its nearby archrival, the Four Seasons; look for a seafood-heavy Milanese menu served in a room that’s retained the yachtlike bones of its predecessor (Lever House), and added an art-gallery spin with a collection of Andy Warhol celeb portraits.

390 Park Ave.; 212-888-2700

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The Crosby Show

BuzzEditor — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:17:00 GMT

An import from Britain’s Firmdale group, SoHo’s boutique Crosby Street Hotel is the site of new bar/restaurant Crosby Bar, a high-ceilinged, forest-green affair most notable for its idiosyncratic collection of modern art; the fashionably low-key mood is only jolted by the jaw-dropping cocktail prices.

246 Lafayette St.; 212-226-6400

A Look Inside The Breslin Lobby Bar

BuzzEditor — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:49:00 GMT

Breslin Lobby Bar

Photo: Evan W. Miller

Breslin Lobby Bar

Photo: Evan W. Miller

Located in the lobby of the hipster-friendly Ace Hotel on a funky North Chelsea block, Breslin Lobby Bar boasts a coffered-ceilinged, faux college-study-hall setting festooned with everything from a tattered American flag to a graffiti-tagged staircase (the loos are wallpapered with player-piano rolls); offbeat bar snacks – think fried pork rinds, caramel popcorn – and smart cocktails via Spotted Pig vets complete the too-cool-for-school picture.

20 W. 29th St.; 212-679-2222

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Hello Tanuki

BuzzEditor — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:20:00 GMT

Replacing Ono in the Gansevoort Hotel is Tanuki Tavern, a new Meatpacking District duplex via Jeffrey Chodorow offering Japanese gastropub grub (plus sushi) in a mod, hot-pink space that looks like Barbie’s Dream House as envisioned by Hello Kitty; while the setting is somewhat smaller than its predecessor, so is the pricing, though those small plates can add up fast.

18 Ninth Ave.; 212-660-6766; reserve online

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The A's Have It

BuzzEditor — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:15:00 GMT

Abe & Arthur's

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Sceney dining returns to the hot-all-over-again Meatpacking District via newcomer Abe & Arthur's, which replaces Lotus, the club that jump-started the area back in 2000; chef Franklin Becker’s surf ’n’ turf menu is priced for the new economy (the drinks less so), the duplex setting combines leather, wood and aged mirrors in a casually swank way and the energetic vibe is a riff on the nearby STK; P.S. an exclusive downstairs lounge, SL, keeps the party going into the wee hours.

409 W. 14th St.; 646-289-3930

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