Opening
Cove
Autumn is in view, but at his new restaurant the chef Flynn McGarry scavenges what’s left of the summer harvest: corn fritters, marinated tomatoes and a vegetable mixed grill. Prefer fall? There’s crab custard and pumpkin schnitzel. They’re on the eight-course menu, his preferred format, but also served à la carte. The spare, nearly unadorned dining areas keep true to his aesthetic, with pale, bare wood suggesting Scandinavia and midcentury design. Custom ceramics are deployed throughout and available for purchase at Gem Home. The French and American wine list was assembled by his sister, Paris McGarry.
285 West Houston Street (Hudson Street), cove-nyc.com.
Shifka
With Amir Nathan and Jordan Anderson of Sami & Susu in charge, pitas are to be expected. Pita sandwiches to eat in, take out or have delivered come layered with cauliflower shawarma and red cabbage; sabich with eggplant and egg; harissa chicken with sumac onions; and lamb kebab with shifka peppers. Crispy eggplant, tempura cauliflower and lamb meatballs come on small plates. There are also dips, salads and, for dessert, soft serve. The 30-seat room is bright and colorful and Aly Bandali and Daniel Turtel are partners.
324 Bowery (Bleecker Street), shifkanyc.com.
Hwaro
Sungchul Shim has tucked this sleek circular 22-seat chef’s counter for a $295 13-course tasting menu inside Gui, his theater district steakhouse. Korean charcoal-grilling and an array of fermented foods are featured.
776 Eighth Avenue Second Floor (48th Street), 646-329-5929, hwaronyc.com.
Sushidokoro Mekumi
The first American outpost of a sushi counter in coastal Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan is bringing its signature local fish along with rare sasashigure rice from Fukushima Prefecture to its eight-seat counter. Sakes from Ishikawa and a selection of Japanese wines are poured along with other domestic and imported options. The chef, Hajime Kumabe, is in charge of the 18-course menu ($300). Seatings are at 5:30 and 8:30 daily, except Wednesdays and Sundays. The counter is made of hinoki wood.
70 Charlton Street (Varick Street), mekumi.nyc.
Jacob’s Pickles
Jacob Hadjigeorgis’s popular Upper West Side hangout has moved, bringing with it Southern comfort foods like biscuits, mac and cheese, and spinach and artichoke dip. Other inspirations include shrimp tacos, brisket and burgers, to wash down with beer and cocktails. The new location, a few blocks uptown and a bit to the east, is considerably more spacious.
680 Columbus Avenue (93rd Street), 646-566-6630, jacobspickles.com.
House of Domes
A dramatic sky-lit setting with a domed bar is serving an Italian menu with touches of Tuscany like a panzanella salad, homemade fettuccine with lamb and a tagliata steak. It’s an all-day affair starting with breakfast.
66 Charlton Street (Varick Street), 212-206-3766, houseofdomesnyc.com.
Bar Rêve
This luxurious, velvet-draped serenade to the belle epoque is opening with drinks that include the Bistrot, made with absinthe, and a food menu that leans French with quiche, frites and fromages. It’s the work of the owners Alexander Buchholz and Victor Triebel, who have devised a menu that can be purchased as a keepsake book ($30) with references to the Impressionist art of the era. (Thursday)
222 Smith Street (Butler Street), Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, 347-842-0789, barreve.com.
Sushi Aozora
What recently opened as Fifteen East has become this venue for omakase, under the direction of the sushi chef Ben Chan.
15 East 15th Street, 646-889-0018, sushi-aozora.com.
Branches
Avra Estiatorio
The fourth of the group’s spacious dining rooms in New York is opening where the Penn District meets Hudson Yards. Mediterranean food with a nod toward Greece is what the brand represents, with seafood to be selected from an estiatorio-style display and priced by the pound. Stone and marble, natural light and a generous terrace define the 20,000-square-foot space seating a whopping 400.
398 Ninth Avenue (33rd Street), 212-937-8888, theavragroup.com.
Closed
Ensenada
Nearly four years of high praise for their take on Mexican seafood were not enough to persuade Luis Herrera and Bryce David to keep the doors open at their popular spot. The straightforward conceptual freshness and preparation of their fish tacos, aguachiles and more, like a plunge in the surf on a scorcher, will linger only through Oct. 25.
168 Borinquen Place (Keap Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 347-335-0838, ensenadanyc.com.
Looking Ahead
Restaurant Shuji
Shuji Furukawa, the executive chef of Restaurant Yuu, is running a pop-up while Yuu Shimano, the restaurant’s chef and owner, is in South Korea. The eight-course seasonal menu, $250, with seatings at 6 and 8:30 p.m., will run from Oct. 21 to 27, and Oct. 30 to Nov. 1.
55 Nassau Avenue 1A (Guernsey Street), Greenpoint, Brooklyn, 347-422-0270, yuunewyork.com/restaurantyuu.
Marcel and La Mercerie Patisserie
Next spring, months after Sotheby’s opens its flagship in the Breuer building, the restaurant Marcel, named for the architect Marcel Breuer, will open on the lower level. Designed by Roman and Williams, it will be run by Sotheby’s, Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch, whose store Roman and Williams Guild has a restaurant, La Mercerie, in its downtown location. Marie-Aude Rose is its chef, as she will be here. Expect walnut-paneled walls and candlelight to contrast the Brutalist style of the building. The patisserie, with confections to stay or to go, will be tucked between the open kitchen and the bar. Art for sale will be rotated throughout.
945 Madison Avenue (75th Street), marcelnyc.com, lamerceriepatisserie.com.
Shopping
Fiasconaro
If advent calendars are already on offer, can panettoni be far behind? A newcomer to New York from Sicily, this third generation pastry shop is selling the seasonal confection in several flavors, including Sicilian pistachio and Modica chocolate. The panettoni, in various sizes, come in decorated boxes, $38 to $380. The shop also sells torroncini nougats, spreads and preserves, all made traditionally using Sicilian ingredients.
422 West Broadway (Spring Steet), fiasconaro.com/new-york-store.
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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 At Cove, Flynn McGarry Keeps the Ethos of Gem Alive appeared first on New York Times.
