related items
Aureole
Following much fanfare and anticipation, Charlie Palmer's esteemed flagship has chucked its longtime Upper East Side digs and hightailed it to the Bank of America tower in Bryant Park. And if the new, ultra-luxe space elicits a strange four-star déjà vu, no shock there: It's designed by the same guy behind four-starlets Daniel and Per Se. Exec chef Chris Lee (Gilt) reinterprets Aureole's signature New American flair with a range of dishes tailored to the restaurant's various nooks: at the Bar Room, more casual bites like halibut with sweet corn, potato gnocchi and pesto; at the formal Dining Room, dishes like a "scallop sandwich" with seared foie gras. Lee is also serving a "Parallel Tasting Menu" comprising three pairs of dishes that share common ingredients, plus twin desserts. It's an eight-course meal split into two! Or, as Jon and Kate Gosselin might call it, "The battleplan for our divorce settlement." (One Bryant Park, 135 W. 42nd St. between Sixth Ave. and Broadway, 212-319-1660)
Bar Luna
Turgut Balikci enjoys some Luna-cy: 20 years after opening Bella Luna on the Upper West Side, the restaurateur has now added Bar Luna to his mini dining empire (Pasha, Bella Sguardo, etc.). The Italian menu has a few Mediterranean touches and goes from shareable plates to pastas to full entrees: burrata with roasted peppers, wild mushroom fettuccini, braised rabbit with green olives. They've also got a…lobster roll. Go figure. Apparently, Balikci likes the Upper West Side so much, he even kept the staff local: Both his chef and his sommelier are Tom Valenti alums who used to work at nearby West Branch. (511 Amsterdam Ave. between 84th and 85th Sts., 212-262-1098)
Harry's Italian
Peter Poulakakos has turned the old Gold St. into this casual Southern Italian eatery named after his father (of Harry's of Hanover fame), and he's traded Gold's all-access global bites for an encyclopedic menu (seriously, it's loooooong) packed with every conceivable Italian fave—pastas, calzones, Marsalas, Milaneses. The pastas and entrees alone add up to over three-dozen dishes, which are available in single or family sizes. The restaurant also boasts a secret weapon: pizzaiolo Nick Angelis of Nick's Pizza, whom Ed Levine singled out in his book "Pizza: A Slice of Heaven." Here, he whips up classic pies like margherita, along with several old-fashioned square pies. (2 Gold St. near Maiden Lane, 212-747-0797)
Dog Ear Tavern
Will this dog finally have some bite? The doomed Soho restaurant space that once housed Dani and the short-lived Archipelago has now resurfaced as an American tavern serving upscale comfort food with a global bent. Maybe this'll finally stick! The menu certainly cuts a wide swatch, dishing out homegrown stuff like beef stew and mac-and-cheese, plus worldly bites from spinach ravioli to beer-battered fish and chips. (333 Hudson St. at Charlton St., 212-243-3345)
La Cense Beef Burger Truck
Honk if you like burgers! The latest addition to NYC's growing fleet of food trucks is this outpost of the popular Montana rancher, which uses 100 percent grass-feed beef. La Cense fan Adam Perry Lang (Daisy May's) created the recipe for the burgers, which go for $7 a pop. You'll have to do some snooping to find the truck, though: It's location—in the general vicinity of Rock Center—will change daily, and diners can find out where the truck will be parked by following it on Twitter (LCBBurgerTruck).
Also open:
Sicilian chef Philip Guardione, who trained under modern-rustica master Sergio Mei at Milan's Four Seasons, is behind Piccola Cucina, a seafood-heavy homage to his Mediterranean roots. (184 Prince St. between Sullivan and Thompson Sts.)
Time to break for Recess! This NYU-area café draws students and neighborhood pretty young things with formidable fro-yo offerings, espresso drinks and an exclusive line of sweets from French chocolatier Gustav Mabrouk. (60 University Place between 10th and 11th Sts., 212-822-0663)
Bite-size Chelsea cupcakery Billy’s Bakery has opened a Tribeca location with twice the space while keeping the original's grandma's-kitchen feel. (75 Franklin St. between Broadway and Church Sts., 212-647-9958)
After recently closing its Rock Center location, Two Boots has surfaced three avenues westward in Hell's Kitchen, with the same campy, bead-bedecked décor and familiar cheeky slices like the Cleopatra Jones (sausage, roasted peppers, onions). (725 Ninth Ave. between 45th and 46th Sts., 212-956-2668)
After a huge win at the 2008 Vendy Awards, Calexico Carne Asada has transitioned to a full-blown brick-and-mortar Brooklyn taqueria, with classic tacos, burritos and quesadillas. (122 Union St. between Hicks and Columbia Sts., 718-488-8226)
Meals, deals, specials:
Magnolia Bakery: To celebrate Fourth of July, Magnolia Bakery has added a "Blueberry Jamboree" tart to its menu, jammed with blueberries and a light whipped-cream-cheese filling. (available at all three Magnolia Bakery locations)
Bar Blanc Bistro: On Sundays beginning June 28, the West Village spot will be waiving its corkage fee. (142 W. 10th St. between Greenwich Ave. and Waverly Place, 212-255-2330)
Gusto: After a spiffy makeover, Gusto has hired Jean-George vet Ryan Lowder as its new exec chef, who bringing Mediterranean touches to the restaurant's Italian menu. (60 Greenwich Ave. at Perry St., 212-924-8000)
Photo by Sean Ellingson. For our latest on-the-field dispatches, follow us on Twitter!
