Lincoln

If you've been following along via an epic New York Times rollout, you know highly respected Thomas Keller protégé Jonathan Benno is opening an elegant Italian eatery at Lincoln Center. A fitting solo debut for a talented chef, who's shepherded some of the city's most vaunted meals as the former chef de cuisine at Per Se. At Lincoln, the offerings highlight the chef's admiration for luxury ingredients and multi-regional Italian cooking. (Luxury indeed: The project reportedly cost $20 million). The contemporary menu will be market-driven and change daily—early dishes reveal a strong seafood bent, with pastas like cavatelli with razor clams and peppers, and bucatini with Dungeness crab and sea urchin. A piccolo piatti menu spotlights quick bites perfect for pre-theater dining, and includes an eggplant Parmigiana that already has insiders raving. There are 115 seats in the dining room, while the wine list will reach 400 bottles. Safe to say that, with restos like Bar Boulud and Atlantic Grill also nearby, pre-show dining near Lincoln Center just got juiced up, big time.

See more: Lincoln Square restaurants, Upper West Side restaurants, American contemporary restaurants