Savarona
If the word “Ottoman” only conjures Crate & Barrel-ized furniture visions for you these days, chuck the catalogs and hightail it to this East Side Turkish spot, which gets the fine-dining treatment by melding both Middle Eastern and French touches. “Most of the Turkish restaurants in New York offer similar food and represent southeast Turkey, where kebab originates,” says co-owner Temel Artukmac. “We try to emphasize the western part, but in a much more modern way.” Yep, kebabs are here, but they share menu space with haute fare like grilled lamb and veal with roasted chestnuts and cracked-wheat pilaf—with a healthy sprinkling of distinctly French ingredients (duck) and technique (soufflé away!). The restaurant’s ornate interior sports elegant lace-like panels based on an ancient Ottoman carpet design, but you’ll wanna enjoy that meze platter on the expansive outdoor patio. (420 E. 59th St. at First Ave., 212-371-6300)

Elizabeth
With room names like “The Salon,” “Card Room” and “Garden,” you probably think you’re stepping into a stately English manor—or at least a delirious version spewed out by Nolita with leather banquettes, luxe cocktails and small plates, all jiggered up into a darkly cool restaurant-lounge. “We looked back to the gentleman’s club from London to capture the essence of that," says co-owner Jeff Mancini, "and then added a touch of punk rock." (Check out the macabre skull lamps designed by Mancini himself, which give Indiana Jones’ crystal skulls a run for it.) Two former Country chefs collaborated on a small-plates menu plastered with globe-trotting noshes like lamb with hummus, watermelon salad with feta, and fish-and-chips. If the weather’s nice, order up the Midnight Tea (Earl Grey–infused Plymouth Gin with agave, lemon and egg white) and make a beeline for the Garden out back: The stone fountain and retractable roof should keep the gawk factor high in between swigs. (265 Elizabeth St. between Houston and Prince Sts., 212-334-2426)

Bourbon Street Bar & Grill
The location might scream “restaurant row!” but everything else at this cavernous paean to booze and po’boys on West 46th Street screams “N’awlins!” Chef (and NoLA transplant) Tommy Hines serves his French Quarter straight up: shrimp Creole, chicken-and-andouille etouffee, and—natch—po’boys galore (catfish, oyster, roast beef). Chomp them down on the second floor, which provides the best views of the dramatic, high-ceiling’d spot, from the dewdrop-like chandeliers to the monolith wood mantel looming over the bar. We’re just waiting for those beads and we’ll start flashing. (346 W. 46th St. between Eighth and Ninth Aves., 212-245-2030)

Olive Vine Cafe
Park Slope’s much-loved Mediterranean and pizza shop Olive Vine Café has opened a second location in Carroll Gardens, further establishing the nabe’s Park Slope–lite reputation. “We like trendy hoods and this is one of the trendiest in Brooklyn,” says the branch’s owner, Johan Daoud. The Court Street storefront will offer the same lamb sandwiches and olive-oil-dusted pies as the original, but expands with a variety of kebabs and chicken ouzi—a savory blend of rice, raisins, almonds, carrots, peas and chicken, stuffed into a gigantic philo dough and “cooked to perfection,” as the menu boasts. But the million-dinar question: Will the café, which boasts 18 backyard tables and a wallet-friendly BYOB policy (Scotto’s liquors is next door), give Smith Street Med favorite Zaytoons a run for its money? “Business is business,” chuckles Daoud with maybe a hint of confidence. (316 Court St. between Sackett and Degraw Sts., 718-797-1110)


Also open:

Waffles and other Belgian treats disembark at Le Petit Belge in the East Village. (22 E. 14th St. between Fifth Ave. and University Place, 212-807-7027)

The owner of the old Cyclo circles back to the East Village with Vietnamese spot Tet. (83 Avenue A between Fifth and Sixth Sts., 212-253-0800)

Cafe Society fills Steak Frites’ old Union Square space with Continental and Asian selections like sushi, ceviche, pork chops and more. (9 E. 16th St. at Fifth Ave., 212-675-4700)


Recently closed:

Kirara (West Village)
Mei Lai Wah (Chinatown)
Schnack (Red Hook)
Food Bar (Chelsea)
Sugo e Basilico (Midtown)


Additional reporting by Matt Rodbard. Photo by Mea Tefka.