Even though the pandemic has caused a shortage of staff, New York restaurants still have a full fall menu. This is the time of year when restaurants open again. During the pandemic, some of the city’s most popular destinations were able to add new places to eat because they weren’t as busy. Others had to close because they couldn’t come to an agreement on a lease, but many of them quickly found new locations close enough to keep their loyal customers. Well-known places are reopening in new places or adding satellite locations nearby, and some well-known chefs are starting over and expanding their menus. Newcomers who break new ground are the most appealing: There are already enough lists of tuna tartare, Caesar salad, fried calamari, branzino on the grill, and fillet of beef.
Chefs Make Moves
ESSENTIAL BY CHRISTOPHE Christophe Bellanca, who used to work at L’Atelier de Jol Robuchon, wants his Upper West Side restaurant to serve more simple French dishes like braised black sea bass with razor clams and curry emulsion. November, 103 West 77th Street.
HAV & MAR Marcus Samuelsson hasn’t opened anything new in New York in about seven years. This time, seafood will be the focus at Hav & Mar, a 125-seat restaurant in Chelsea. He is making dishes like berbere-cured salmon in corn broth with the chef Rose Nol, who worked at Maialino Mare in Washington, D.C. Together, they are combining modern Black food with flavours from Scandinavia and Ethiopia. Early October, 245 11th Avenue (26th Street).
The Hotel Barrie’s New York This TriBeCa location of the famous Champs-Élysées brasserie will serve a modern French menu designed by the star chef, Pierre Gagnaire, that includes escargots, sole meunière, cheeseburgers, fish and chips, and their signature mille-feuille dessert. 456 Greenwich Street (Desbrosses Street), late September.
JOJI Imagining Daniel Boulud running a Japanese restaurant is like having Nobu toss salade Lyonnaise. But Mr. Boulud will run the new Joji with chef George Ruan, who used to work at Masa. Joji is a small sushi bar a few floors below Le Pavillon and next to Grand Central Terminal. One Vanderbilt Avenue (42nd Street), Sept. 14.
KOLOMAN The chef Markus Glocker and his partners will open a new restaurant in the Ace Hotel in NoMad to replace the Breslin. The new restaurant will be named for Koloman Moser, who started the Wiener Werkstatte and whose style will be reflected in the design of the restaurant. Even though there are hints of his native Austria in the food, it is mostly French. For example, he makes an updated salmon en crôute. Sept. 15: Ace Hotel, 16 West 29th Street.
KRU Chef Ohm Suansilphong of the well-known but less fancy Fish Cheeks and his wife, pastry chef Kiki Supap, will make royal Thai food in a Williamsburg, Brooklyn, space where the ingredients are displayed all over the dining room. The couple is improving old recipes like creamy lobster with turmeric, which is served family-style. 12 September, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 190 North 14th Street (Wythe Avenue).
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MISCHA Alex Stupak is taking a break from his hugely successful Mexican restaurant to open a new place in Midtown that will serve his version of new American food, including a hot dog. Late October, Citigroup Center, 157 East 53rd Street.
PECKING HOUSE Eric Huang made Pecking House so that people could order takeout from his family’s now-closed Peking House restaurant in Queens. He’s bringing his spicy fried chicken to Brooklyn, and you don’t need a secret password to get it. He’s also bringing a “sloppy po” ma po tofu sandwich and a crispy chicken sandwich where you can add foie gras if you want to. There’ll be 45 places to sit. Early September, 244 Flatbush Avenue (St. Marks Avenue), Park Slope, Brooklyn.
TATIANA Kwame Onwuachi, a New York transplant, will run a sizable restaurant in Lincoln Center’s newly renovated David Geffen Hall under the name he gave his older sister. It will feature a street entrance and open soon after the New York Philharmonic’s return. The menu features dishes like bodega-style chopped cheese buns and braised oxtails, as well as Afro-Caribbean and iconic New York City fare. Time: October; Location: Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall.
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