Fatty Crab UWS
Zak Pelaccio on the Upper West Side? Fat(ty) chance! The heart-clogging, Asian-leaning chef finally unveils the highly anticipated uptown outpost of his popular Malaysian street-food mecca in the West Village, making him the latest in a growing line of A-list toques who've trekked to the nabe (see: Daniel Boulud, Danny Meyer, Danny Abrams). "I don't speak Upper Westside-ian—I've still got my Berlitz to finish," Pelaccio joked to us last fall as he prepped for the opening." We bet he's fluent now: He brings with him Fatty Crab's spice-laden signature bites, including lime-chili-and-coconut-braised short rib and chili-laced "Fatty Duck." The space is larger than the downtown one—over 70 seats—with a more industrial-chic vibe and a mural of Malaysia's skyline. So, now that the new Crab has crawled out of the sand, maybe he can finally tell us what's going on with the long-delayed Fatty 'Cue in Williamsburg… (2170 Broadway at 77th St., 212-496-2722)
Tracey Stern SALONTEA
Think of it as Marie Antoinette's tea house…if the French queen had been a disco queen: Loud orange walls, hot-pink countertops and—wait for it—a working disco ball hold court at this new Upper East Side tea salon from socialite-about-town Tracey Stern. "You're not coming in and choosing from 300 teas, which I find annoying," she says of her selection, which comes in seven blends—red, green, decaf, etc.—sourced from private estates in China and India, and is available as lattes or iced-tea infusions. Stern's also got a line of tea perfumes, tea pots and tea lip balm—as well as a sense of humor: When the weather warms up, she plans to have costumed staff stand outside in full Marie Antoinette garb with pink feather fans and white go-go boots. Blame it on the boogie, baby. (501 E. 75th St. at York Ave., no phone yet)
The Schnabel Room at Old Homestead Steakhouse
When he's not building whimsical architectural monoliths (Palazzo Chupi), reimagining hotels (Gramercy Park Hotel) and earning Oscar nominations ("The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"), apparently Julian Schnabel doesn't mind hunkering down with a nice porterhouse. The celebrated artist-visionaire is the creative force behind an elegant new private dining space at the recently renovated Old Homestead Steakhouse. The room, which was once a storage area, showcases Schnabel's quirky black-and-white photographs of the restaurant's owners, who were hoisted up by crane to hover next to the restaurant's iconic cow sculpture up front. Not a shabby spot to enjoy that signature filet mignon. (56 Ninth Ave. between 14th and 15th Sts., 212-242-9040)
Trigo Kitchen
Tribeca Mediterranean palace Trigo has opened a next-door takeout spot, giving you a chance to grab some choice grub from chef Michael Garrett's (Aquavit) menu, including the restaurant's signature hearth-baked flatbreads on the go. (Hey, sure beats a greasy, droopy pizza slice.) The takeout menu, available from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., also features breakfast sandwiches like cucumber-and-Gruyere ficelle, plus cheese and bread boards, meat and charcuterie, and house-made sweets. Now you can say your takeout lunch was prepped by a former Aquavit chef. Fancy, fancy. (268 W. Broadway at Sixth Avenue, 212-925-1600)
Also open:
No need to guess that you get at Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles, whose sizeable ceramic bowls are made-to-order and include toppings that range for the perfunctory (pork) to the, um, not-so-perfunctory (tripe). We'll stick to the pork, thank you. (1 Doyers St. between Bowery and Pell Sts., 212-791-1817)
Bensonhurst fast-food joint Istanbul hoofs it to Fort Greene with a sit-down spin-off, Deniz, with a menu that mixes the traditional with the eclectic. Which means you get your hummus and kebabs, along with…Italian-style pastas. Go figure. (662 Fulton St. at S. Elliot Place, 718-852-6503)
Macrobiotic mini-chain Souen has opened Souen Organic Ramen in the East Village, and unlike its brethren, it focuses noodles, with six varieties ranging from miso to a soy-sauce-based shoyu. Most are available as vegetarian, with the option of adding chicken toppings. (326 E. Sixth St.., between First and Second Aves., 212-388-1155)
Photo by Erin Gleeson
