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Grand ambitions: Manhattan Inn opens in Greenpoint

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Manhattan Inn
Alrighty: It's neither in Manhattan (it's in Greenpoint), nor is it an inn (it's a barstaurant). But when you've got a huge white baby grand piano in it, who cares! "We turned our place into a piano bar basically," laughs Rolyn Hu, who also co-owns Glasslands Gallery in Williamsburg and who's hired someone to play ragtime music on the piano here. It's in keeping with Manhattan Inn's quirky vibe, which extends to the food. Bouley alum Justin Farmer is plating up grub that skips across borders: pork-belly-and-kimchi sandwich, borscht with braised brisket, beef cottage pie with garlic mashers. Most of the ingredients are locally sourced, and Farmer even gets some of his herbs from Greenpoint's Rooftop Farms. The cocktail-centric booze menu, run by a former Per Se sommelier, tips its hat to the area with Polish suds like Zywiec. (632 Manhattan Ave. between Bedford and Nassau Aves., 718-383-0885)

Purple Yam
Rising rents may have pushed acclaimed Filipino spot Cendrillon out of its Soho digs, but Soho's loss is now Ditmas Park's gain: Co-owners Romy Dorotan and Amy Besa have opened Purple Yam on Cortelyou Road, giving the nabe a rich selection of Filipino and pan-Asian bites. Several Cendrillon faves are back including chicken adobo (slow-cooked in a soy-sauce-based sauce) and kare-kare (oxtail stew in peanut sauce), and the restaurant's namesake ingredient finds its way into new dishes like Korean pork meatballs with kimchi served in a purple yam pita. If you're feeling daredevil-y, check out a dish called dinuguan: pig's-blood stew made with Berkshire pork and served with rice cake. It was a special at Cendrillon and is now a regular item on the menu here—something Dorotan thinks fits in with today's offal-friendly, nose-to-tail tastes. "People are just open to all kinds of different things now," he says. "It's not so much of an adventure." Purple Yam opens on Nov. 10. (1314 Cortelyou Road near Argyle Road, 718-940-8188)

Francois Chocolate Bar at Mauboussin
Sweet-toothed shoppers can now indulge their craving for both bonbons and baubles at Francois Payard's new chocolate shop, located on the fourth floor of luxe jeweler Mauboussin, on the Upper East Side. Payard's signature sweets will on full display, including an array of chocolate-mousse treats filled with everything from dark caramel to coffee mousse. The pastry chef will also be debuting a selection of pound cakes ($2.50), verrines ($6.50) and macarons ($2)—chump change before you drop those big bucks for the bling. (714 Madison Avenue between 63rd and 64th Sts., fourth floor, 212-759-1600)

La Petite Provence
From the husband-wife duo behind Smith Street's bistro and patisserie Provence en Boite comes a companion restaurant fit for the neighborhood's cheap-eats hounds. While the four-year-old Boite will continue to serve brunch and prix-fixe dinners, as well as gorgeous macaron, mille-feuille and croissants from their bustling counter, La Petit Provence aims for a menu of rotating small plates with an emphasis on Niçoise cuisine—typically French leaning Italian. Pissaladiere is one such dish: a thick, pizza-like dough topped with onion confit and black olives, but no cheese. Socca is a chickpea pancake, grilled on a flat top. Stuffed sandwiches, roasted chicken and salmon are also menu staples. Dishes are mostly under $10. "This is tapas a la French," says owner Leslie Bernat of her "fun and cool" restaurant in the old Patois space (which was anything but). A liquor license is still three to four months out, so until then the deal is BYOB. Breakfast is also planned and will include their now-famous pain au chocolat. (255 Smith St. between DeGraw and Douglass Sts. 718-254-0007)
 

Also open:

Whoa—garden indeed! The Garden at The Four Seasons features four towering, 20-foot acacia trees, but the real centerpiece here is its mammoth wine program, offering 200 (!) by the glass. An eclectic, bistro-inspired menu offers shareable plates both small and large. (57 E. 57th St. between Madison and Park Aves., 212-350-6658)

A Euro expat is behind Park Slope's Café DuCharme, where the menu of sandwiches, soups and salads leans—what else?—Euro, and much of the baking is done in-house. The emphasis: old-world desserts like a German cheesecake. (668 President St. between Fifth and Sixth Aves., 646-288-7644)
 

Meal, deals, specials:

Spit and Twit at City Winery: The name sounds kinda icky, but the event itself actually sounds pretty cool. On Nov. 8, guests at this fully interactive wine-tasting event can walk around City Winery, sample wines and then tweet their comments, which are broadcast on plasma screens throughout the space. $35 gets you in, and you'll need your own Twitter account. Happy tweeting! (143 Varick St. at Vandam St., 212-608-0555)

Esperanto turns 10: The East Village Brazilian spot celebrates its 10th anniversary on Nov. 10 with free bites and free caipirinhas from 8 to 10 p.m. They'll also raffling off free round-trip tix for two to Rio. (145 Avenue C at Ninth St., 212-505-6559)

Bossa Nova brunch at S.O.B.'s: More Brazil! The West Village music spot relaunches its Bossa Nova brunch with a three-course feast and open sangria bar for $30, plus live music. Available on Sundays. (204 Varick St. at Houston St. 212-243-4940‎)

Emporio Monday night beer + pizza = $22.50: Exactly that. (231 Mott St. between Prince and Spring Sts., 212-966-1234)

Travertine serves brunch: This past summer we introduced you to Travertine's pillowy fagotini with truffled ricotta. This is a dish to dream about, people! Now let us introduce you to brunch, which begins this Saturday (and Saturday only at this time). Expect seasonal flatbreads and pastas from "Top Chef" album Manuel Trevino. (19 Kenmare St. between Elizabeth St. and Bowery, 212-966-1810)
 

Additional reporting by Matt Rodbard; photo by Sean Ellingson