New & Noteworthy
Nolita, then MePa and so on and so on. I sometimes get caught flat-footed on new names for Manhattan neighborhoods. I admit not being familiar with Two Bridges, the Lower East Side/Chinatown neighborhood by the East River flanked by the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges before reading the announcements for Ernesto’s. But apparently Mission Chinese Food, Dimes, Golden Diner and Kiki’s are located there. Ernesto’s Chef Ryan Barlow who sharpened his knives at Alinea in Chicago, Frenchette in NYC, and three-star Michelin restaurant Akelarre in San Sabastian, Spain has crafted a menu that celebrates the Basque region and is informed by Paris and NYC. The head bartender comes from Frenchette and the sommelier hails from Clown Bar in Paris. This could be interesting!
New & Noteworthy (week of Jan 13)
Anton’s Opened mid-November
- Anton’s Is Nick Anderer’s Ode to Old New York
- Former Union Square Hospitality Star Chef Debuts a Throwback European Restaurant
The Banty Rooster Opened mid-December
- Southwestern Flavors Take Center Stage at Celebrated Restaurateur’s First NYC Spot
- Banty Rooster Opens In W Village With Southwestern Flavors
Café Kitsuné Opened mid-November
- Kitsuné Is Serving Up Parisian Cool at a New West Village Café
- Maison Kitsuné Brings Its Cafe To New York
- Maison Kitsuné brings Parisian luxury and Japanese minimalism to their first NYC café
- Maison Kitsuné’s Masaya Kuroki Pays Close Attention to the Menu “You’ve got to focus.”
Ernesto’s Opened early-January
- Ernesto’s Is a Modern Tribute to the Food of Spain
- A Devotee of Basque Food Brings It to Two Bridges
- Fine Dining Vet Brings Basque Cuisine to Two Bridges
Kochi Opened early-November
- Daily Dish Kochi review: Observations from My First Visit
- Former Neta Chef Opens an Elegant Korean Skewer Restaurant Tonight
- Kochi Arrives With a Focus on Korean Royal Cuisine
- High Dining Chef Opens Hell’s Kitchen Tasting Menu Spot
Le Crocodile Opened early-December
- Chez Ma Tante Chefs Open Le Crocodile at the Wythe Hotel
- Wythe Hotel’s Le Crocodile opens in Williamsburg with French fare
- What Do People Want From Hospitality and Nightlife Today? Jon Neidich hopes his new restaurant Le Crocodile, opening in Brooklyn’s Wythe hotel today, checks all the boxes.
Lekka Burger Opened mid-November
- Dirt Candy’s Trailblazing Chef Opens a Fast-Casual Veggie Burger Spot Today
- Veggie God Amanda Cohen Enters the Plant-Based Burger Wars
- Lekka Burger from Dirt Candy’s Amanda Cohen is opening in NYC
Nami Nori Opened early-October
- Masa Vets Are Opening a Playful Sushi Hand Roll Restaurant in the West Village
- The Owners of a New Sushi Spot Want to ‘Bring Back the Dynamite Roll’
- Temaki Hand Rolls With a Twist in the West Village
- Nami Nori, a West Village Restaurant by the Former Masa Chefs, Does Not Do Fusion
Verōnika Opened early-January
- Stephen Starr’s Latest Is a Grand European-Style Brasserie in a Sleek New Museum
- Restaurant Verōnika at Fotografiska Museum opens from Stephen Starr
- Roman and Williams imbues an impressionistic glow on Verōnika at Fotografiska
This weekly list is not comprehensive of every new place but a short alphabetized list of new places that I think are notable. Restaurants that have been opened for more than three months will not be included.