the buzz

“The Strong Buzz 2012 Fall Restaurant Preview”

School is back in full swing, each day feels a little more like fall and the calm before the holidays is still in the air. But if you love eating in restaurants (and we assume you do if you’re reading this), it is the most exciting time of the year. You could dine out multiple times each week and still make a small dent on your restaurants-to-try list. After all, we have about everything, from ramen to risotto, in New York. It’s a lot to keep up with, but we’ve put together a list of fall openings by neighborhood to make it easier for you. Some have opened and others are slated to within the coming weeks. Check out The Strong Buzz for the latest updates. Until then, dine out and enjoy!
 
— Bao Ong
 
DOWNTOWN (FiDi, Union Square, West Village, Meatpacking District, Lower East Side)
Felice Ristorante & Wine Bar
Where: 15 Gold Street, 212-785-5950, www.felicenyc.com
On the menu: When I first stepped into Felice, which has two locations on the Upper East Side, it didn’t feel like I was sitting with the ladies-who-lunch crowd. The lighting was dim, the room was lively with chatter from a young-ish professional crowd and there was a downtown vibe. Now Felice is opening in Gild Hall, a Thompson Hotel, in the Financial District. You’ll still find the Italian classics — Broccoletti pasta, arancini with veal ragu and a spicy seafood tomato stew are just some choices from executive chef Simone Parisotto — on the menu at the 50-seat restaurant, which also includes an upstairs wine lounge called La Soffitta. Whether you decide to sit at the brass bar for a more casual experience or the more intimate seating in the dining room, you’ll be able to order one of the wines from Jacopo Giustiniani’s family vineyard. They’ll be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
 
GLAZE
Where: 139 Fourth Avenue, 212-420-9400, www.glazeteriyaki.com
On the menu: In the food fight for restaurant supremacy between New York and the West Coast, the talk is usually about San Francisco and Los Angeles. Now Seattle gets a stake with the second opening of GLAZE Teriyaki Grill in Union Square (the first Big Apple location opened in fall 2010 in Midtown). This growing chain of restaurants is introducing a distinctive style of Seattle’s take on teriyaki with Japanese and Korean twists. Owner and Seattle native Paul Krug teamed up with chef Dennis Lake for this fast-casual concept. You’ll find teriyaki dishes ($6.75 to $9.50) that combine smoky, caramel flavors combined with the sweetness of apples and pineapples plus hints of garlic and ginger.
 
El Toro Blanco
Where: 10 Downing Street, 212-646-0193
On the menu: New York’s reputation for offering poor Mexican food is slowly changing. Expected to open this month, El Toro Blanco is John McDonald’s latest restaurant foray (he’s the owner of Lure Fishbar and B&B Winepub). He’s once again tapped chef Josh Capon to lead things, but Capon will be collaborating with Scott Linquist of Mucho Ultima in Los Angeles — where they definitely have high standards for their Mexican fare. It’ll be a pan-Mexican menu here with a guacamole bar and emphasis on grilled items.
 
Union Market
Where: 240 East Houston (Second Avenue), www.unionmarket.com
On the menu: Usually it’s the other way around as popular Manhattan restaurants branch out to Brooklyn. In the case of Union Market, a Brooklyn-based supermarket, the Lower East Side is its first location in the city. The 5,000-square-feet space specializes in organic, local and all-natural foods. If you’re looking to pick up food instead of making it yourself, the market has tapped chef Katy Sparks to develop the healthy prepared foods using products from the store. You’ll find dishes like red and white quinoa with crushed chickpeas, grilled scallions and carrots with a lemon-parsley dressing and a single origin chocolate torte made only with Mast Brothers chocolate. It all sounds very Brooklyn.
 
Willow Rd.
Where: 85 10th Avenue (between 15th and 16th Streets)
On the menu: The Highline is a great public space for people watching and a little escape from New York sidewalks. But it’s also attracted a bunch of restaurants surrounding it (after all, you’ll likely be hungry and thirsty after all that walking). Come November, Willow Rd. is expected to open its doors. The team of Doug Jacob (an advertising exec who had invested in Tenjune) and Will Malnati (a former GM of EMM Group, which includes hip restaurants like Abe & Arthur’s) have brought in chef Colby Wood, former sous chef at Le Bernardin, to create this American bistro. It’ll be open for lunch, dinner and late night eats with American classics and seasonal dishes.
 
UPTOWN (Upper East and West Sides)
FP Patisserie
Where: 1295 Third Avenue (between 74th and 75th Streets), www.payard.com
On the menu: One bite into a croissant, and I was sold. Wherever Francois Payard is baking his pastries, I’ll be there. His latest venture has him returning to the Upper East Side with the opening of FP Patisserie. There will be his famous cakes, desserts and chocolates on full display. But a 40-seat Salon will also be open and serving a prefix lunch and brunch menu with his signature dishes.
 
Arlington Club
Where: 1032 Lexington Avenue (between 73rd and 74th Streets)
On the menu: Celebrated chef Laurent Tourondel had been quiet on the New York dining scene for the past few years, but he’s definitely making a statement this fall. LT Burger near Bryant Park is already open, and he’ll show more of his culinary talents at the Arlington Club, which has partnered with the TAO Group to open in October. It’s a two-floor space with a modern flair designed by ICRAVE (the team behind the popular club Lavo). The focus here will be a prime steakhouse with a full sushi menu.
 
Corvo Bianco
Where: 446 Columbus Avenue (between 81st and 82nd Streets), 212-595-2624, www.corvobianco.com
On the menu: We’re looking forward to the opening of Corvo Bianco. How could we not be? Just the description of “coastal northern Italian restaurant” has us conjuring images of perfect olives, cured meats, heady cheese and all those other comforting Italian favorites. But the focus here will be on seafood and local ingredients for executive chef Andrea Cobbe, who is making his U.S. debut here with owners Pablo Granja and Luis F. Gonzalez Rul. The food is expected to be sophisticated yet approachable. As for the interior, we hear it’s modern yet cozy with touches like graphite floors, reclaimed wood and a large skylight.
 
Numero 28 Cucina
Where: 660 Amsterdam Avenue (between 92nd and 93rd Streets), 212-706-7282
On the menu: If you’re familiar with the Biamonte family and their Numero 28 pizzerias, you’ll be anticipating their latest opening slated for the Upper West Side. While we love their unpretentious Naples-inspired pizzas, we’re also looking forward to Numero 28 Cucina, which includes a Sicilian menu to accompany the pies. Chef Philip Guardione of Piccola Cucina in SoHo will add staples like fish carpaccio and crudo, arancini, grilled octopus, seafood pastas, grilled fish and meat and more. There’s also a gluten-free menu.
 
BROOKLYN
983
Where: 983 Flushing Avenue (at Central Avenue), Bushwick, Brooklyn
On the menu:  Even the I-only-dine-in-Manhattan types can’t deny that Brooklyn is on the forefront of New York’s culinary scene. Talented chefs are cooking up food that’s being noticed from high-end establishments (think Brooklyn Fare in downtown) to casual neighborhood joints (even small places like Mile End have infiltrated the city). Before Brooklyn was all the rage, though, Life Café 983 was already a pioneer in Bushwick, a still up and coming neighborhood. But now some new owners have taken over and opened up the restaurant as simply 983. Darin Rubell (co-owner of GalleryBar and Ella in downtown Manhattan) has partnered with chef David Rotter (of Norwood) and Mark Trzupek (a former manager of Life Café 983). They’ve given the interior of “Bushwick’s living room” a few changes and refreshed the food and bar menus. You’ll find everything from crispy panko-breaded chicken tenders and cheese quesadillas to burgers and huevos rancheros. It’s yet another reason to dine in Brooklyn.
 
Terroir Park Slope (already open!)
Where: 284 Fifth Avenue (First Street), Park Slope Brooklyn
On the menu: Brooklyn may have a reputation for attracting more of a beer crowd, but with the opening of Terroir Park Slope, perhaps that may start changing. After all, Paul Grieco and Marco Canora’s other branches of Terroir in Manhattan take out the intimidation factor of drinking wine. In fact, they make it fun. This bar will have 74 seats, similar menu items (mortadella hot dogs, pretzels and popcorn) and of course, lots of wine.
 
QUEENS
MP Taverna
Where: 31-29 Ditmars Boulevard (at 33rd Street), Astoria, Queens
On the menu: When a mention of Astoria pops up, it’s inevitable that you’ll hear someone say “there’s really good Greek food there.” When Michael Psilakis opens MP Taverna this fall, it’ll definitely be a boast to the neighborhood’s already cemented reputation for serving everything from moussaka to baklava. Psilakis’s menu will be a more modern interpretation of a traditional Greek tavern with dishes like octopus with a Mediterranean chickpea salad and grilled branzino with fingerling potatoes, cherry tomatoes and olives.
 
 

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