Hot Plates

La Carbonara

La Carbonara
Another month, another new Italian spot from prolific restaurateur Enrico Malta and his New York Restaurant Group (17 and counting, including Puttanesca and Bocca di Bacco). The newest bambino: La Carbonara, a recession-friendly Chelsea joint where nothing tops $15 and the expansive menu is filled with staples like pork scaloppine saltimbocca and, of course, the spot's namesake dish. Malta has tasked former Nero toque Giuliano Matarese with serving straight-up Italian comfort food, which Malta says is a tricky thing these days: "I said, 'Are you gonna be able to make a chicken parmesan, because most chefs will tell you go to fuck yourself.' [Laughs] He said, 'No problem, 'coz I'll make the best one.'" It's in sync with Malta's push to keep things simple at La Carbonara. "I want no foam, I want no stacking, I don’t want no French-influenced fusion, none of that bullshit. I think we've gotten away from traditional Italian." La Carbonara opens on Monday. (202 W. 14th St. at Seventh Ave., 212-255-2060)

Scuderia
In Italian, "scuderia" is slang for "team." In the case of this casual Village trattoria, it might as well translate into "family:" It's an offshoot of nearby Italian mainstay Da Silvano and is helmed by Silvano Marchetto himself, whose partners also include—among others—his daughter and his wife, who created Scuderia's quirky, graffiti-style visuals. But don't think of it as Da Silvano 2.0. "We wanted to differentiate ourselves as much as possible," says daughter Leyla, referring to Scuderia's more limited menu of "casual Italian comfort food": an easy-to-mix-match-and-share selection of antipasti (fried rice balls with beef ragu), pasta (squid-ink taglioni with seafood) and mains (grilled rabbit). Also thrown in: quirky, homey grub like a peanut butter–and–fig jam tramezzini that Layla insisted be served on Wonder Bread. "I'm obsessed with peanut butter and jelly! It's crazy how hard it was to find Wonder Bread through food vendors—nobody carries it. But it balances [the place] nicely—high and low." (10 Downing St., entrance on Sixth Ave.; 212-206-9111)

Minetta Tavern
You probably haven't heard much about this one. Teeny buzz, really. From a budding restaurateur named Keith…something. McNally, we think? Very under the radar. Something about a storied restaurant that dates back to the 1920s that was on the brink of shuttering before McNally swooped in. Kept the look and feel, including the murals and grandiose columns. Added a French menu filled with signature hearty McNally-isms: oxtail and foie gras terrine, crispy pig's feet, Pat LaFrieda burgers. Nope, doesn't ring a bell? Nothing? Nada? (113 Macdougal St. at Minetta Lane 212-475-3850)

Lily O'Brien's
Apparently, St. Patty's–inspired boozy blackouts (green-outs?) aren't the only exports from Ireland this week: Luxe chocolatier Lily O'Brien's is expanding from its Emerald Isle perch with a flagship café/retail store—its first the U.S.—located next to Bryant Park. The choco varieties, which range from tiramisu to sticky toffee to hazelnut crisp, are made from 100 percent Belgian chocolate, which is shipped in liquid form to Ireland "to ensure the integrity and consistency," says store manager Marisa Davis. The New York café will also be serving hot chocolate, which is made with melted chocolate pellets—no powdered stuff here— available in either milk or organic dark chocolate, and topped with goodies like candied walnuts and chocolate curls. "It's definitely on the sundae side of toppings," laughs Davis. Hand us a spoon, please. (36 W. 40th St. between Fifth and Sixth Aves., 212-575-0631)

Also open:

Theater District Belgian beer boite BXL Café hops on the cross-town bus with BXL East, a second outpost serving signature brews and mussels. (210 E. 51st St. between Second and Third Aves., 212-888-7782)

The folks behind Slope gastropub Sheep Station jump on the ramen train with ZuZu Ramen, serving typical faves like tonkotsu ramen, along with signature broths like a green curry miso version. (173 Fourth Ave. at Degraw St., 718-398-9898)

More noodles! More Ramen Setagaya! The third branch of the Village mini-monopoly opens near NYU. (92 University Place, between 11th and 12th Sts.)

Pho or banh mi? That is the question at new LES Vietnamese joint An Choi. (85 Orchard St., between Broome and Grand Sts.)

Harlem's Lenox Wines has opened Italian spot Trattoria Amici, serving up traditional Italian-American fare like baked ziti, veal marsala and 10 varieties of pizza. (381 Lenox Ave. at 129th St., 212-828-8040)

Harlem ups it red-sauce quotient further with Il Caffe Latte, located just 10 blocks from Trattoria Amici and serving panini and pastas, plus burgers and other American standbys. (189 Lenox Ave. between 119th and 120th Sts., 212-222-2241)

Now you've got some fuel for hauling all that Ikea furniture: thin-crust pizzas baked in coal ovens at Red Hook pizzeria Anselmo's. (354 Van Brunt St. at Sullivan St., 718-775-5386)

Queens Middle Eastern standby Afghan Kebab House spawns a new location, in Astoria. (25-89 Steinway St. near 25th Ave., 718-777-7758)

Photo by Sam Horine