Brasserie 44 gets the Royalton treatment
After a housekeeping touch-up, the newly renovated Royalton hotel finally removes its “Do not disturb” sign to unveil a striking new pad—dark wood, leather walls, bronze fireplace—with an equally striking restaurant from restaurateur John McDonald and chef Scott Ekstrom. “We wanted to tap into the core DNA of an American brasserie,” says McDonald, “but to allow Scott to interpret that.” Ekstrom (Daniel, Oceana) delivers a seasonal American menu teeming with updated classics like braised lamb shank, pan-roasted veal chop and white bean stew with foie gras and duck confit. “They’re not meant to be fussy dishes,” McDonald adds. “[Scott] is taking the recipes that he really believes strikes a chord with a brasserie background and elevates them.” It’s an unexpected project for McDonald, who didn’t plan on opening another restaurant so soon (he’s also behind Lever House, Chinatown Brasserie and Lure Fishbar), but who couldn’t pass up a shot at working on the uber-stylish Royalton. The restaurant is flanked by canopies of dramatic woven rope, which arch over cream leather banquettes and provide a radiant contrast to the hotel’s moody lobby. “It’s an incredible asset to that neighborhood and the crowd that it brings,” McDonald says of the Royalton. “It’s the perfect storm.” 44 W. 44th St. between Fifth and Sixth Aves., 212-869-4400
Nizza
Five years ago, chef Andy D’Amico and partner Simon Oren, who went on to open Nice Matin on the Upper West Side in 2002, were traveling around Nice when they hatched up the idea of serving socca, a Nicoise chickpea-and-olive-oil flat cake that has its roots in northern Italy. The dish needed a special oven, which the duo didn’t have at Nice Matin. “I said, ‘One day, maybe we would expand on that,’” he recalls. Hello, Nizza. The Hell’s Kitchen spot is named after what the Italians call Nice and focuses on cuisine from the French and Italian Rivieras—socca and all (here, it’s seasoned with sage, onion and Pecorino). “Chefs always want to build the place they’d like to go to at the end of the shift, and it fell into the natural flow [for Nizza] to go there,” says D’Amico, who started writing the menu over a year ago. (Other highlights include fried ravioli with crescenza cheese, and stuffed veal rolls with arugula and meat sauce.) D’Amico also oversees Marseille next door, but unlike that pre-theater standby, Nizza—with its sleek, retro-Italian space, circa 1960—is gunning for a more casual, neighborhood-y feel, with later hours, an extensive wine list and a no-reservation policy. 630 Ninth Ave. between 44th and 45th Sts., 212-956-1800
BUN
You gotta give it to Michael Bao Huynh, who wins this year’s Multitasking Chef Award: In between overseeing his collaboration with Drew Nieporent, Tribeca’s Mai House, as well as two other restaurants in California, he’s found the time to open this Vietnamese noodles-and-tapas parlor in Soho. How he ended up with ex–Duran Duran member Warren Cuccurullo as a business partner at BUN (it’s pronounced “boon”) is a bit of a puzzler, but you can bet the the food here won’t be: Huynh and his wife, Thao Nguyen, were the creative duo behind the well-received Bao Noodles and Bao 111 (they’re no longer affiliated with both), and they’ll be whipping up curious-sounding bites like foie gras with “nem” of duck, a variation on traditional Vietnamese meatball street food. BUN opens on Monday. 143 Grand St. at Lafayette St., 212-431-7999
Serafina at the Time Hotel
When all else fails, give ‘em pizza: That seems to be the battlecry these days at the Time Hotel, whose restless restaurant space has recently been home to blink-and-you’ll-miss-it scattershots Oceo and 7Square. Perhaps this local Italian chain will finally do the trick with its reliable selection of thin-crust pizzas and Fellini-esque vibe. (The formula seems to work at the Time Hotel's sister spot, the Dream Hotel, which also has its own flashy Serafina.) The location at the Time Hotel, however, one-ups its siblings with exclusive dishes like fig-and-prosciutto pizza and spaghetti al limone (lemon, light cream and Parmesan cheese), as well as specialty cocktails like The Shanghai Angel—a mix of champagne, vodka and strawberry puree. Serafina opens on Nov. 1. 224 W. 49th St. between Broadway and Eighth Ave., 212-757-9719
