Fall Restaurant Preview
Friday, September 11, 2009 at 03:17PM Ah, autumn. Changing leaves, nippy air, and a slew of new restaurants competing for attention. We took Florence Fabricant’s full list from the Times (here, here), and edited out those not in Manhattan, or that don’t appear to be full-service restaurants. What follows is a brief description of each place and an early guess about whether we’re likely to visit.
ABE & ARTHUR’S Franklin Becker cooking in the former Lotus space. 409 West 14th Street. Late September. Probably not. Sounds like all the drawbacks of the Meatpacking District, with none of its virtues.
A VOCE COLUMBUS Time-Warner outpost of the restaurant founded by Andrew Carmellini, now helmed by Missy Robbins. Third Floor, Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle, (212) 823-2523. Sept. 9. Most Definitely: reservation September 26.
ARDESIA Wine bar and Italian small plates in far west Clinton. 510 West 52nd Street, (212) 247-9191. Mid-September. Probably not: It’s a crowded field, and there are many others more conveniently located.
BALABOOSTA Jewish cooking with North African and Middle Eastern accents. 214 Mulberry Street (Spring Street). December. Neutral: Doesn’t sound compelling to me, but I’ll wait for reviews.
BAR HENRY Bistro/wine bar in the west village. 90 West Houston Street (Thompson Street). Sept. 12. Neutral: Sounds like a hundred other places, but maybe this one will stand out.
B CLINTON Michael Huynh cooks a 3-course prix fixe for $29—at least, when he’s there: 6 Clinton Street (Houston Street). November. Probably not: I am so over Michael Huynh.
BILL’S BAR & BURGER American pub food, operated by Stephen Hanson. 22 Ninth Avenue (13th Street). Late October. Probably: The Full Hanson is always worth a look.
BISTRO VENDÔME Parisian bistro in the old March space. 405 East 58th Street. Late October. Definitely: We have a weakness for these French places.
THE BRESLIN BAR AND DINING ROOM Ken Friedman and April Bloomfield hope to do better with meat than the John Dory did with fish. Ace Hotel, 20 West 29th Street, (212) 679-2222. Mid-October. Definitely: We’re happy to dine anywhere April is cooking. Assuming we can get in.
CANASTELS Recreation of a 1980s “hot spot”. 41 East 58th Street. April. Probably not: Sounds very skippable.
CASA LEVER Lever House is reincarnated as an Italian seafood joint. 390 Park Avenue (53rd Street), (212) 888-2700. Late September. Probably: We’re curious, but worried this genre is getting hackneyed.
EAST SIDE SOCIAL CLUB Italian Family-style from the owners of Employees Only and Macao Trading Company. 230 East 51st Street, (212) 355-9442. Late October. Neutral: We’re fans of these guys, but is this their best idea?
ED’S CHOWDER HOUSE Ed Brown’s seafood shack replaces the shuttered Center Cut at Lincoln Center. 44 West 63rd Street, (212) 956-1288. Sept. 17. Definitely: ’Cuz we’re at Lincoln Center a lot, and we have to eat somewhere.
THE EMPIRE ROOM Cocktail bar in a former Art Deco bank branch in the Empire State Building. 350 Fifth Avenue (33rd Street). November. Neutral: We’ll wait to see what the cocktail specialists say.
GANSEVOORT 69 A new diner and comfort-food spot in the old Florent space. 69 Gansevoort Street (Greenwich Street), (212) 691-0069. Sept. 14. Probably not: We don’t buy into the Florent nostalgia.
GINA LA FORNARINA An Upper West Side trattoria. 279 Amsterdam Avenue (73rd Street). November. Probably not: It would have to be awfully good to lure us here.
HAPPY FACE Japanese noodle joint from the AvroKO people. 1695 Broadway (53rd Street). October. Probably: If it’s AvroKO, it’ll at least be pretty to look at.
HIGHLANDS Scottish food and single malt scotch in the old P*ONG space. 150-152 West 10th Street, (212) 229-2670. Mid-October. Neutral: We’re fond of Scotland, but this could be a tough sell in Manhattan.
LE CAPRICE NEW YORK Pricey French comfort food in the Pierre Hotel. 795 Fifth Avenue (61st Street). Early October. Definitely: Because Mr. Cutlets told us not to.
LOS FELIZ Tacqueria in the old Suba space. 109 Ludlow Street (Rivington Street), (212) 228-8383. Sept. 8. Neutral: We’ll wait for the reviews.
MAIALINO Danny Meyer does Italian in the failed Wakiya space. 2 Lexington Avenue (21st Street). November. Definitely: Because it’s a Danny Meyer place.
MARK RESTAURANT BY JEAN-GEORGES AND MARK BAR BY JEAN-GEORGES Jean-Georges Vongerichten will be doing something—he’s just not sure what. The Mark, 25 East 77th Street. Late November. Definitely: Any JGV restaurant is at least worth a taste.
MERMAID OYSTER BAR Danny Abrams cloning the Mermaid Inn, in the space that was Smith’s. 79 Macdougal Street (Bleecker Street), (212) 260-0100. Late September. Neutral: We’ll wait for the reviews of this, yet another seafood place.
MOMOFUKU ??? RESTAURANT David Chang and Tien Ho, in an as-yet unnamed restaurant in the former Town space. Chambers Hotel, 15 West 56th Street, (212) 974-5656. Late fall. Definitely: Do I need to explain it?
OBAO NOODLES & GRILL Yet another Michael Huynh restaurant. 222 East 53rd Street. October. Probably not: Wake me up when it’s over.
NUELA Latino restaurant in the former Sapa space; was to have been helmed by Douglas Rodriguez, but now will be cheffed by a disciple of his. 43 West 24th Street. October. Probably: What can I say? We’re intrigued.
PULINO’S BAR AND PIZZERIA Nate Appleman’s cooking; Keith McNally holds the rolodex. 282 Bowery (Houston Street). Mid-December. Probably: It will likely be good, but can we get in?
QUATTRO GASTRONOMIA ITALIANA A Miami transplant in the Trump SoHo. 246 Spring Street (Varick Street), (212) 299-1062. Late December. Probably not: Sounds like a generic trattoria for models with breast implants.
RABBIT IN THE MOON Gastropub that chose the second-best name, because “Spotted Pig” was already taken. 47 West Eighth Street (Fifth Avenue). November. Neutral: Could be fun, could be derivative.
ROBATAYA NY Robata from the Sakagura and Soba-ya people. 231 East Ninth Street (Second Avenue), (212) 979-9674. November. Probably: Sounds like a fun place to take my 14-year-old.
SD26 Tony and Marisa May re-booting their San Domenico concept downtown. 19 East 26th Street, (212) 265-5959. Sept. 15. Definitely: We hope Chef Odette Fada’s sojourn in Italy has rejuvenated her cooking.
TIPSY PARSON Comfort food from the Little Giant people. 156 Ninth Avenue (20th Street), (212) 620-4545. Late September. Probably: We liked Little Giant and are happy to give these folks our business.
TRAVERTINE Elegant Mediterranean cooking from a Babbo vet. 19 Kenmare Street (Bowery), (212) 966-1810. Late September. Neutral: We’re not familiar with this one, so we’ll wait and see.
BOBBY WERHANE/JOSHUA MORGAN RESTAURANT As-yet unnamed seafood shack in the former Bar Q space. 308-310 Bleecker Street (Grove Street). November. Neutral: There are an awful lot of seafood shacks coming this year.
Reader Comments (2)
This is the worst site I have been visiting lately,
who is the bitter, unsatisfied, board person behind that?
over a dozen upcoming restaurant and none of them is Good or exiting?
go write about politic please!!!!
Hey Emily, can’t you count? There are quite a few entries labeled “definitely” or “probably.” So where on earth did you get “none of them is Good or exciting”?