Hundred Acres
You know you’re screwed when people only wanna go to your place for bridal showers. So Vicki Freeman and Marc Meyer fled the altar: The duo behind Cookshop and Five Points have transformed their pretty but pigeonholed Soho French eatery Provence into this austere American bistro with a seasonal focus. “We just weren’t having fun,” Freeman says of Provence, which was seen as “this very special-occasion place—we got three calls a day for bridal and baby showers!” Hundred Acres’ pared-down approach reflects the couple’s new head space: a chill, affordable place with no entrée over $22, no wine over $50, and half the tables kept open for walk-ins. ("I never make reservations," she says of her family’s busy schedule, "and I just don't wanna spend $250 to eat.") Meyer has tapped Cookshop chef Joel Hough to collaborate on a menu that changes daily, with items like corned-beef tongue and wild-dandelion salad showcasing the best of the day’s bounty. Gone, too, is the French fussiness: Spartan touches like white tiles mingle with urban-rustic elements (communal tables, small potted plants) for the coolest-looking "farmhouse" this side of, well, Soho. (38 MacDougal St. at King St., 212-475-7500)

South Brooklyn Pizza
South Brooklyn residents know them some thin crust pizza: Between brick-oven badasses Lucali and Savoia, as well as the hood’s original thin-crust parlor, Sam’s Restaurant, Carroll Gardens has found everybody from Alan Richman to Jay-Z making the trip in search of the perfectly charred crust bubble. So in naming yourself after this legacy, there are undoubtedly some expectations for South Brooklyn Pizza, located adjacent to neighborhood tap P.J. Hanley’s. The shop is the brainchild of real-estate developer Jim McGowan, who imported a 19-century oven from Naples and currently serves a modest selection of pies. Well, at press time, one pie is available, topped with a blend of Italian cheese and fresh basil ($12). (451 Court St. at Fourth Place, 718-852-6018)

Lookout Hill Smokehouse
Locals are known for smoking a lot of things, but ribs ain't one of 'em. That changed with the opening of this gourmet barbecue joint, a familiar sight in recent years in Manhattan but not on the north end of this Brooklyn borough. Hickory and rubbed spices waft out from the smokers onto the sidewalk patio, where diners enjoy Joe Breaton's Southern-flavored, by-the-pound menu of staples like pulled pork and brisket. The trip through Tennessee and St. Louis takes a detour with offbeat barbecue offerings like kielbasa and Cornish hen, but don't sweat, because there's plenty of bourbon to guide you back on track. (230 Fifth Ave. at President St., 718-399-2161)

Aperitivo
More Slope news: To offset its lack of liquor license when it first opened, this Fifth Avenue Italian cafe (run by the owner of Sotto Voce) not only promoted BYOB but also offered a complimentary glass of wine—and the crowds came. Once the bar opens (with its namesake pre-dinner cocktails), people will probably stay for the appetizing food (non-regional Italian small plates, salads, pastas) and the modern-rustic atmosphere, an attractive entree of high ceilings, exposed brick, street views and dark wood reminiscent of a more casual Borough Food and Drink. (279 Fifth Ave. at First St., 718-369-1123)


Also open:

Yet another Frankie’s has opened in the East Village, and—drumroll, please—it’s not Italian! (It’s Indian.) (176 Second Ave. between 11th and 12th Sts., 212-253-7300)

Brooklyn Heights spot Lantern Thai makes the leap across the river to Gramercy. (311 Second Ave. at 18th St., 212-777-2770)

Speakeasy-ish Annabelle’s, in Red Hook, is currently serving up a limited bar menu of po’boys, burgers and crab cakes, with full dinner service to come. (44 Beard St. at Dwight St., 718-643-1500)

Go, go green! Midtown gets healthy with Crisp, an all-vegetarian sandwich-and-hummus shop. (684 Third Ave. between 43rd and 44th Sts., 212-661-0000)


Recently closed:

The Baggot Inn (Greenwich Village)
Les Deux Gamins (West Village)
Vinas (Williamsburg)
Air Pizza (Williamsburg)


Additional reporting by Matt Rodbard and Yon Motskin; photo by Sam Horine