101 new NYC restaurants

El Ay Si

Just added!

In case you're slow to pick up on clever phonetic names, this new bar and restaurant is located in Long Island City, and features a menu that blends a range of comfort food traditions from the area’s diverse ethnic groups. Executive chef Chris Frakes (EU, Butcher Bay) takes a wide range of comfort-food classics and updates them with a contemporary twist. An Irish-style shepherd's pie calls on wild boar to supply the protein, and the brunch menu offers a bold peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich christened the Red Eye (calling Elvis fans everywhere). The neighborhood has seen its fair share of established restaurateurs looking to take advantage of its recent upswing, and this spot is no different. Xerxes Novoa, who runs The Orchard on the Lower East Side, and manager Jonathan Duke introduce a candlelit, sleekly designed neighborhood hangout to an ever-burgeoning nightlife scene.

El Ay Si
47-38 Vernon Blvd. between 47th Road and 48th Ave.
Long Island City
718-389-8781