Metromix New York Restaurants

Fish Market
With the demise of the old Fulton Fish Market, the smell of nostalgia seems to have replaced the aroma of fish guts. Enter: Fish Market (the restaurant), a Mediterranean-tinged Seaport spot that tips its hat to the area’s storied past. Bonus points for cred: It’s located in an old seafood storage facility. “When we came in here, you could actually smell the residue of the fish,” chortles co-owner Jeanette Josue. “We just had this inspiration to reflect on what is now [a ghostly space] across the street from us.” A copper-tin ceiling and 1930s photos of the old market set the stage for chef Eddie Montalvo’s clean and mostly small-plates menu, with bites like black cod Nicoise with cannellini beans, olives and capers, and not-so-small items like whole roasted branzino with crushed red peppers and clams. But the big “Waaaaaa?” prize goes to his almond soup with roasted lobster and candied tangerine peels: “I listened to Radiohead back to back to back for four days, and that is what came out,” laughs Montalvo. “Thom Yorke is a genius, and if I could be as fortunate to channel that genius into the menu, then lucky me. He’s gonna have a table waiting for him, with his name.” (111 South St. between Beekman and Peck Slip, 212-233-3301)

Song 7.2
The official name is Song 7.2, but it might as well be called Swan Song—a jab to all the doomed restaurants that have occupied the cursed space (R.I.P.: Kiev, American Grill, Go! Go! Curry). Let’s hope this one sticks: The newest incarnation, which popped up faster than you can say “Deathwatch!,” churns out Korean-Chinese fare—bibimbap, stir-fry, noodles (this is the East Village, ya know)—in addition to Asian beers and a Korean vodka-ish concoction called soju. Raise a toast, guys, and hope this Song is still playing when you’re done downing that drink. (117 Second Ave. at Seventh St., 212-777-1286)

Abigail Café & Wine Bar
For 10 years running, Abigail Hitchcock has been the brains behind Village bistro mainstay Camaje. Now, she’s putting herself front and center with this eponymous restaurant in Prospect Heights serving seasonal American fare that closely hews to her personal tastes. “What I like about the restaurant is that it allows me to do what I feel like,” Hitchcock tells us. “I’m not locked in.” What she feels like, based on a sweep of the menu, is an expansive and accessible selection of comfort food-ish fare with an artisanal flair: from entrees (smoked mac-and-cheese) to small plates (garlic shrimp) to sandwiches (blue-cheese-leek-and-pear panini). The bi-level space reflects the menu’s flexible, eat-as-you-please ethos, with a dining area, couches and a communal table downstairs. Hitchcock, a longtime Manhattanite, is also now a recent Brooklyn transplant, along with hubby (and Abigail Café co-owner) Jason Noble. “You can feel that it’s more peaceful here,” she says. “We were ready to expand, and all these things came together at the same time.” Abigail’s opens on Friday, May 9. (807 Classon Ave. at St. John’s Place, 718-399-3200)

Le Petit Belge
The first time the Belgians landed in New York years ago, it was politely and quietly with cozy little beer fries–in–paper–cones depots. This time, the invasion is a little louder and may be part of a movement—a secret coup to oust bagels and pizza and replace them with European waffles as the cool snack of choice for downtowners and nearby NYU students. The specialty at this small shop is Liege waffles (not to be confused with the Brussels or the Denny's), which are generally smaller, more potent vis-à-vis their sugar caramelization, and can be topped with fruit or chocolate. There's also frozen yogurt and Tavalon teas (a holdover from the space's former tenant). (22 E. 14th St. between Fifth Ave. and University Place, 212-807-7027)


Also open:

Josh DeChellis’ uber-hyped but short-lived BarFry will now become the less-hyped but hopefully more enduring Mexican spot Cabrito. (50 Carmine St. at Bedford St., 212-929-5050)

Pub-cum-sports-bar-cum-garden spot Plan B lands in Prospect Heights with bites (buffalo wings) and booze (ten beers on tap). (626 Vanderbilt Ave. between Park and Prospect Places, 347-240-2171)

The endless fro-yo onslaught gets another twist—self-serve!—from this California chain Yogurtland’s first Gotham outpost, in the West Village. (267 Bleecker St. at Morton St., 212-206-1824)


Recently closed:

Chicory Brooklyn (Cobble Hill)
Yummy Shawarmi (Village)
Mei Lai Wah (Chinatown)
American Grill/Go!Go!Curry (East Village)
Jour et Nuit (Midtown West)


Photo: Jori Klein