Opening
OfCorsica!
This restaurant at the far end of Pier 57, near City Winery’s outpost, avoids the guesswork. There’s cracking carta di musica flatbread, bucatini with clams and Corsican wine, saffron malloreddus with crab, langoustine and sea urchin; poussin with fregola; plus several other Italian dishes and what might be the best array of Corsican wines in the city. Michael Dorf, the owner, had visited Corsica twice and was completely taken by the island, the food and wine. “The salty sun-soaked terroir produces some of the most remarkable wines I ever tasted,” he said. Go on vacation, then open a restaurant to honor the destination — how many people can do that?
Pier 57, 25 11th Avenue (15th Street), 646-475-7752, ofcorsicanyc.com.
Miru
The Japanese restaurant that now occupies the rooftop of Pier 57 is spacious, all-weather and all-purpose. You’ll find sushi, hand rolls, salads, grilled and fried dishes, and small plates like kakuni pork belly with Asian pear. This being part of the City Winery complex, there certainly is music.
Rooftop, Pier 57, 25 11th Avenue (15th Street), 646-475-7782, mirunyc.com.
Bar Lumière
After being stalled for many months, roadside assistance finally showed up for Bar Lumière. Steven Hubbell, who had cooked at St. Anselm, the Farm on Adderly and Junoon, will stick to a seasonal shopping list and nod to France. Shrimp salad on tomato mousse with champagne gelée; grilled squid with aligot potatoes, bone marrow and pickled tongue; duck breast with onion soubise and dandelion greens; and chocolate crémeux are where he’s going. The wine list is the work of the consultant Andre Mack. The intimate dining rooms showcase local artists. (Opens Thursday)
117 Columbia Street (Kane Street), Cobble Hill, Brooklyn barlumiere.com.
San Babila
This Italian trattoria in a brick-walled setting with Murano glass chandeliers starts with pastries in the morning, then continues with a fairly typical menu that makes stops across Italy, notably the south and Milan. The chef, Francesco Lamanna, is from Calabria, so expect a dusting of chiles.
1355 Second Avenue (72nd Street), 646-448-4120, sanbabilanyc.com.
The C Café
The owners of the Consulate restaurants on the Upper West Side and in Midtown, have added this all-day cafe with crepes, sandwiches, cheeses, cured meats, salads and pastries. There’s a list of mocktails, lemonades and coffee drinks. As night falls the cafe takes on wine bar trappings with whites, reds, rosés and sparklers by the glass and the bottle.
552 Hudson Street (Perry Street), 917-262-0062, thec.nyc.
The Bar
A luxuriously appointed enclave tucked into the 35th floor of the Mandarin Oriental hotel at Columbus Circle is now this Silk Road-inspired lounge. It replaces what had been the Office, a bar hidden within the Aviary, both offshoots of Alinea in Chicago and victims of the pandemic. Now in place of drinks formulated with molecular gastronomy, with Imperial Jasmine made with tea-infused baijiu, and Siam Sunset involving coconut, pineapple rum and pineapple-pandan foam. In addition to cocktails there are Champagnes and high-end spirits.
Mandarin Oriental New York, 80 Columbus Circle (60th Street), 35th floor, 212-805-8800, mandarinoriental.com.
Eckhart Beer Co.
This Bushwick brewery, founded in 2022 and specializing in German and Czech-style lagers, has opened to the public with a taproom. The timing coincides with Oktoberfest, so through Sunday, the brewery is offering a $30 package of bratwurst on a roll with sauerkraut, and a half-liter pour in a mug to take home. The chef, Frederick Maurer, also serves charcuterie plates, cucumber salad, roast chicken and spaetzle. There’s a tavern area, an indoor biergarden and another couple of bars, all done in minimalist style.
545 Johnson Avenue (Stewart Avenue), Bushwick, Brooklyn, 718-821-1946, eckhartbeer.com.
Branches
Soothr LIC
The original East Village noodle bar has spun off this Long Island City outpost. The main dining room, inspired by the Yaowarat Chinatown in Bangkok, offers dishes like five-spice roasted duck, Dungeness crab karee (curry), crisp duck rolls, grilled oysters, spicy braised beef pad krapow, shrimp and shiitakes wrapped in rice noodles, and other assorted noodle dishes. The color scheme includes glowing vermilion. There’s also the hidden speakeasy-style Sato Room, that’s a tea bar with snacks, like dumplings, by day and homemade rice wine drinks in the evening.
25-20 43rd Avenue (Crescent Street), Long Island City, Queens, 929-554-9955, soothrlic.com.
Mexi
A Mexican addition to the assorted dining options on Stone Street in the financial district takes agave as its focus. There are six partners, some of whom own the Mexi in Williamsburg. The Manhattan restaurant, where the décor evokes traditional residences in the Yucatan, has its own food and drink menu. Drinks depend on agave spirits, and the food includes homemade tortillas for tacos and burritos, and also quesadillas, carnitas, moles and churros. The chef and a partner, Jose Luis Dominguez, is a native of Puebla and has been cooking in New York for more than 15 years.
57 Stone Street (William Street), 212-480-5941, mexi.nyc.
Nonna Dora’s
When he closed his long-running I Trulli restaurant, Nicola Marzovilla created a spot, mainly a counter, for his mother, Addolorata Marzovilla (known as Nonna Dora), to continue making her pasta dishes as she did at the restaurant. Now they have opened a second, larger location with a somewhat expanded menu including à la carte options and several $78 tasting menus. Admirable for a nearly 90-year old Nonna!
200 Church Street (Duane Street), 212-389-6022, nonnadoras.com
Closing
Morgenstern’s
Nick Morgenstern will close his ice cream parlor on Oct. 12 to concentrate on further developing the brand. He’ll still sell his products at Morgenstern’s Bananas, 2 Rivington Street (Bowery) and online.
88 Houston Street (LaGuardia Place), 212-209-7684, morgensternsnyc.com.
Shopping
Delices de Bernay
What had been a wine bar at the entrance to Délice & Sarrasin, a plant-based restaurant, has now been turned into this strictly vegan pâtisserie. Elegance rules with the antique chandeliers and gilded moldings. The owner, Christophe Caron, has enlisted Laurent Dupal, the former owner of Ceci-Cela (now closed), to create mille-feuilles, Paris-Brest, éclairs, quiches, croissants and more, all plant-based and some of the fanciest creations in the genre. A croissant filled with vegan “smoked salmon” and “caviar” made from seaweed ($20) pays homage to Petrossian, which doesn’t sell such things.
Délice & Sarrasin, 178 West Houston Street (Bedford Street), 212-243-7200, delicesarrasin.com.
Follow New York Times Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Pinterest. Get regular updates from New York Times Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice.
Florence Fabricant is a food and wine writer. She writes the weekly Front Burner and Off the Menu columns, as well as the Pairings column, which appears alongside the monthly wine reviews. She has also written 12 cookbooks.
The post OfCorsica! (Pun Intended) Is a Vacation That Became a Restaurant appeared first on New York Times.
