It’s a season of contrasts. At some New York City restaurants, tables are being set — get this — with white linen, while kitchens are lighting rustic wood fires. Menus are leaning toward dry-aged fish and Italian food, both red-sauce and ancient-grain esoteric. There’s an array of Korean choices; steaks and seafood at Park Avenue prices; and plats du jour in intimate townhouses and bustling brasseries. Marquee chefs — Daniel Boulud, Michael White, Alex Stupak — keep muscling in, and there are promising newcomers.
For this busy season of restaurant openings, here are the new places where I hope to splurge or Scrooge on a fancy cocktail or a modest glass of red, on dry-aged wood-grilled swordfish or a simple scallion pancake.
A New Chapter for Kent Hospitality
Time and Tide
Before the chef James Kent died of a heart attack at age 45 in June, his restaurant group, now named Kent Hospitality, had settled on the name and concept for this new restaurant. He had also promoted Danny Garcia, 32, to be executive chef. Their vision is a seafood restaurant that takes its cue from the simplicity of a steakhouse menu.
Bistro Fare From a Lodi Alum
Zimmi’s
An intimate West Village bistro is the work of Jenni Guizio, who was the wine and beverage director for Union Square Hospitality Group. The name refers to the artist Marie Zimmermann, who had a farm in Milford, Pa., where Ms. Guizio runs special events. The chef and partner, Maxime Pradié, who was at Lodi, will be turning out regional French fare. An adjacent wine bar is in the works.
Andrew Tarlow Crosses the River
Borgo
The space that housed I Trulli, with its wood-fired oven and garden, lured Andrew Tarlow, of Marlow & Sons, Diner and She Wolf Bakery, to venture beyond his Williamsburg comfort zone to Manhattan. “Today there’s one dialogue about food and dining in New York, and it’s the same in all five boroughs,” he said. His son, Elijah, 23, will be in the kitchen with Jordan Frosolone, the executive chef.
Where Mezze Meets Vinyl
Laziza
A funky vibe and a name that means “delicious” in Arabic are on tap from the chef Jilbert El-Zmetr, who will also spin sound from his stash of vinyl. Food platters will bear mezze, with some, like eggplant, charcoal-grilled.
An All-Day Brasserie in Harlem
PB Brasserie
After moving from Senegal to Harlem at age 17, the chef and restaurateur Cisse Elhadji worked at Daniel and Vong. By 2008, he was out on his own, running Ponty Bistro and Renaissance, with French touches in both. His latest, steps from the Apollo Theater, is grander, with a stronger French accent than the others. It will be open from breakfast (croissants) through dinner (steak au poivre).
Mediterranean From Alta Calidad
Wayward Kitchen
Next door to Alta Calidad, his well-established Mexican spot for tacos and more, Akhtar Nawab will explore the Mediterranean with merguez popovers, roasted sardines and a Basque fish stew.
Alex Stupak Goes Fishing
The Otter
Swordfish au poivre is a winning idea, and I’m delighted that someone besides me will prepare it. It’s coming to Alex Stupak’s elegant new seafood restaurant, where he will also summon classics like fish and chips, lobster roll and other items from his New England childhood.
Salil Mehta Changes Course
Kancil
Salil Mehta, who has a collection of Southeast Asian and Indian restaurants, is narrowing the focus of one. Wau, on the Upper West Side, will become Kancil, with Simpson Wong collaborating as a partner. The menu is inspired by Mr. Wong’s home village in Malaysia. Expect street snacks like shrimp fritters, along with stuffed Block Island squid, clay pot chicken rice, Sarawak laksa and a whole barramundi in lotus leaves.
Wilson Tang’s Next Move
Sal Tang’s
Have dim sum, will travel. Wilson Tang, who restored Nom Wah in Chinatown years ago (and is no longer involved), is collaborating with others to open Chinese restaurants. Sal Lamboglia of Cafe Spaghetti and Swoony’s tapped Mr. Tang here for old-school Chinese American.
Anton’s Gets a Sibling
Leon’s
Italian, but not quite, is what Nick Anderer and Natalie Johnson, the owners of Anton’s in the West Village, have in store at their new all-day spot. It’s named for Ms. Johnson’s great-grandfather, who was born in Alexandria, Egypt. A few Egyptian items and some French influences will be on their menu.
Boulud With Boeuf
La Tête d’Or
Daniel Boulud’s first steakhouse, a high-end, 140-seat affair near Madison Square Park, takes the name of a park in the chef’s native Lyon, France. Steaks, including the inevitable Wagyu, get a French spin — bring on the Béarnaise. There will also be a dining counter for steak and seafood in tasting portions, not slabs.
Fujian Seafood in Prospect Heights
Nin Hao
To Prospect Heights, where Chinese restaurants are in short supply, comes the seafood-driven fare of Fujian. Evan Toretto Li has brought in the chef Kim Hui Teo, a Fujian native who worked at Red Farm. The soaring room has flowing curtains as delicate as a dish of crab glass noodles.
Michael White Redux
Santi
The chef Michael White’s GPS is set for New York. After leaving his posts here over the last few years, he headed South, to Florida and the Bahamas. Now he is moving back into the exact location of the former Alto, where he was the chef. There’s a cluster of intimate dining areas upstairs and a ground-floor bar. His food will touch on his beloved Emilia-Romagna, with nods to other parts of Italy and the French Riviera.
John McDonald Sets Sail
Seahorse
It’s hardly beachfront property, but seafood will be central to this brasserie in the Guardian Life building, a 1911 Beaux-Arts behemoth on Union Square. A cousin to John McDonald’s Lure Fishbar, the restaurant looks to France. Paul Hargrove will serve his fruits de mer in a room by the Rockwell Group with glints of mother-of-pearl, scallop tiles and seascapes on the walls.
An Atomix Chef Takes the Lead
Acru
After due diligence as a sous-chef at Atomix, the Tasmanian-born chef Daniel Garwood is going it not quite alone. He has the backing of his former employers, JP and Ellia Park, at the couple’s first non-Korean venture. The chef’s diverse approach shows in the kimchi fueling a carrot sauce over monkfish livers, and Lamingtons with fig-leaf sponge cake.
A First for Industry City
Confidant
Brendan Kelley and Daniel Grossman, chefs in their 20s, met on the job at Roberta’s. Now they’re turning a raw space into the first full-service dining room in Industry City. It’ll be a luncheonette until evening, when the dinner menu will have dressier trappings and a seasonal à la carte menu featuring dry-aged fish.
Agi’s Chef Comes to Red Hook
Pitt’s
The chef and owner Jeremy Salamon, whose tiny Crown Heights spot, Agi’s Counter, is a neighborhood fave, waxes nostalgic here (his childhood nickname was Pitts) in the former Fort Defiance space. Dishes like sweetbreads and peach Melba will be served on tablecloths, with complimentary bread service.
Melissa Rodriguez at the Grill
Crane Club
The restaurateur Jeff Katz took over the bilevel Del Posto sprawl and turned it into Al Coro. The space is now changing again; the chef Melissa Rodriguez will still be running the kitchen. She has been the constant denominator, now tending an open fire for grilled vegetables, meats and seafood to complement a wine list with more than 1,000 labels.
Sushi Noz Brothers Go French
Chez Fifi
The brothers Joshua and David Foulquier own Sushi Noz, on the Upper East Side. Now, in a nearby townhouse, they honor their French heritage with a luxe ground-floor dining room and upstairs lounge. The chef Zack Zeidman is perfecting his beurre blanc.
A Sri Lankan and South Indian Spread
Lungi
The chef and co-owner, Albin Vincent, has roots in Sri Lanka, and this place surveys that nation’s cuisine along with dishes from southern Indian states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The executive chef, Vasantha Kumar, and sous-chef, Andrew Simethy, know those regions well.
A Wine Bar on the Bowery
Elvis
This wine bar comes from Jon Neidich’s Golden Age Hospitality (Le Dive, the Nines and more) and a slew of partners. For several years starting in 2019, Gabriel Stulman did his best with in the old Great Jones Cafe space. Now it’s Elvis’s turn at the mic. Golden Age’s executive chef, Nicole Gajadhar, will offer Gallic snacks like rillettes, and wines that are mostly French and natural.
A Stake in the Theater District
Gui Steakhouse
In today’s steakhouses, Wagyu beef is as expected as popcorn at the movies. Sungchul Shim includes it alongside inventive takes on genre standards like Caesar salad, crab cakes and creamed spinach, which is braided with Korean flavors. His menu is elastic enough to include kimchi paella. The second floor of a raucous Times Square block provides a lavish oasis.
For Fans of New York Wines
Keuka Wine Bar & Kitchen
This Manhattan outpost of Keuka Kafe in Forest Hills, Queens, will feature wines from New York State (about one-third of the list), a passion of the chef Oleg Sakhno and his wife, Olga. The food nails the diversity of the city: tagine, pierogi, fish tacos, vindaloo, burrata and a Howard Beach pizza, topped with artichokes.
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