Opening
YongChuan
Ningbo, a port city south of Shanghai, is known for seafood, often steamed, with a particular penchant for yellow croaker and crab. Tony Li, the chef who owns this new spot, is from that city. Ningbo dishes by the executive chef Xing Zhong Qi and his chef de cuisine, De Qin Zhang, include pork patty, steamed wild yellow croaker and Ningbo 18 Cuts, a wild imported sea crab in 18 pieces to pre-order. These are juxtaposed with hot Sichuan fare like mapo tofu, spicy soft shell crab and spicy squid tentacles.
The Otter and Sloane’s
The chef Alex Stupak is best known for Mexican restaurants like Empellón. But now he’s drawing on his New England childhood for raw bar assortments and classics, like fish and chips and a lobster roll, in this dining room in a SoHo hotel. (So expect breakfast, lunch and dinner.) But he is also serving less expected fare like scallop crudo served in the shell and divided between red and green chile sauces, a Mexican touch after all; salt-roasted prawns; and swordfish au poivre; less expected fare like parsley root agnolotti with buttered crab meat; along with a burger and a steak with crawfish béarnaise. His food also shows up at the hotel’s plush new upstairs lounge, Sloane’s.
Bridges
Occasionally some plum vinegar, duck and daikon wanders onto the menu of this intimate restaurant in the heart of Chinatown. But otherwise, the chef and partner, Sam Lawrence, a former executive chef at Estela and culinary director for the Mattos Group, looks to France, the Basque region and North America for his larder. His creative bent shows in dishes sea urchin custard with shrimp; smoked eel dumplings with Tuscan kale; Comté tart with chanterelles; grilled sweetbreads with leeks and mustard; and steamed turbot with clams and spinach. Nicolas Mouchel, the co-owner who was at NoMad, runs the show with the chef. (Opens Wednesday)
Upside Down Luncheonette
On Fridays and weekends through Nov. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Figure Eight, the Southern seafood nook from Emmeline Zhao and her partners, serves diner fare touched ever so lightly with Asian influences. A burger on a bolo bao bun, and tomato and stone fruit salad seasoned with chile oil are some examples.
Breakfast at Four Twenty Five
Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s grand new Park Avenue dining room has set its sights on the power lunch crowd. Now it’s hoping to add a power breakfast, once the exclusive province of the Loews Regency New York uptown. Though the real power breakfasters of New York (not yet a streaming series) famously only have coffee, the menu might tempt them with an avocado and yogurt dosa, a matcha muffin, almond pancakes or a full Japanese breakfast, washed down with green juice or turmeric tonic. Eggs, croissants and other standards are also served.
Branches
Pecking House
Eric Huang’s creation of his Sichuan-fueled fried chicken restaurant was a pandemic project, a pop-up that started in Queens with a secret code. He later settled in Brooklyn. A Chinatown spot, long on his wish list, is realized with this opening. Prices have been reduced somewhat (half chicken and side for $23 instead of $27 for three pieces and side) and the menu expanded to include a blackened chicken sando and coconut rice pudding at both locations. (Thursday)
Casasalvo
To his very Italian of coffee bars, a welcome addition to the Upper West Side (espresso drinks at $2.51 each), Salvo Lo Castro is adding several new locations. They have expanded menus of sandwiches, pastries and pasta dishes, plus shelves holding assorted Italian kitchen staples. (The Second Avenue location opens Sunday)
Tender Crush
First Las Vegas and now New York has crisp chicken tenders with assorted sauces and seasonings pegged to New York neighborhoods. Chile oil and a hot spice rub season the K-Town Hot, and spicy kale is pegged to Park Slope, for example. It’s from the same rather baroque playbook as the parent company, Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer, also owned by Christopher Barish and Julie Mulligan. (Thursday)
Looking Ahead
Jacques Pépin’s 90th Birthday
The chef, author and artist will celebrate his 90th birthday in December, 2025. But in the run-up, the charitable Jacques Pépin Foundation has scheduled 90 benefit dinners and events nationwide. The first dinner will be in Manhattan on Oct. 6 at Gramercy Tavern ($750). There will be others at Point Seven on Oct. 25 ($190), King on Oct. 28 ($90), and at Craft on Oct. 30 ($450). Subsequent events will be held in Boston, Minneapolis and elsewhere. For schedule and tickets.
The Festival of Lights Gala
Diwali, the five-day autumn festival of light, is a big deal in India. This year, the Pierre New York, which is run by Taj Hotels, a company based in Mumbai, is holding a celebration in the grand ballroom with food stations, dancing, music and luxury gift bags for all. It will be Oct. 18 from 7:30 p.m. to midnight, $750 per couple plus tax and gratuity.
Shopping
Lox Flight
H&H Bagels and Acme Smoked Fish have collaborated on a package through the end of October, making it something to consider for Yom Kippur “break the fast.” A special compartmentalized box holds one-ounce portions of each of four kinds of salmon: Nova smoked and pastrami-smoked, and new lemon-garlic-smoked and chile crisp-smoked. Included are a fat bagel, your choice of variety, cut in four, and a choice of cream cheese varieties and vegan cream cheese spreads. It’s probably enough for two people. The boxes are sold for local delivery and pickup at H&H Bagel stores, but can be ordered in advance, $19.72.
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