The Lucky Bee Promises Both Flash and Substance in LES

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Photo via The Lucky Bee’s Facebook page

Although they have no set opening date (Facebook messages promise “about two weeks”), The Lucky Bee on Broome street is already generating  exciting press for their Thai street-food/Asian-fusion concept. Conceived by Rupert Noffs and chef Matty Bennett (formerly of the Fat Radish), the Lucky Bee looks to be a brightly colored, design-heavy confection of a restaurant; the interior, menu and website are all splashed with neon pink, and in some cases they literally flash. But Noffs and Bennett have a more serious mission beyond the aesthetic, with a mission to provide original Thai-influenced cuisine not available anywhere else in Manhattan, and a major locavore bent.

And while the term “locavore” (or “farm-to-table”) might seem like more of an empty prerequisite than a real statement these days, The Lucky Bee is at least serious about respecting their namesake. The cocktail list features drinks made with local honey, and a dollar from each drink sold goes to the New York Beekeeper’s Association. They even hope to keep their own hive on the roof soon. With the troubling free fall of honey bee populations in the past few years, the pollinators could certainly use some PR men with as much design sense and culinary chops as Noffs and Bennett. Hopefully their momentum continues well past opening.

To read more, click here.

UPDATE: The Lucky Bee is now open! They began serving dinner January 21st.

Andrew Carmellini Comes to Brooklyn

Andrew Carmellini’s NoHo Hospitality Group, which brought Manhattan border-hopping concepts ranging from the French bistro (Lafayette) to the Italian cafe (Bar Primi) to the American oyster-house (The Dutch), not to mention a few hotel restaurants (Locanda Verde and Little Park), will finally come to Brooklyn this summer. The NoHo group, which includes Carmellini and partners Luke Ostrom and Josh Pickard,  will be taking over food and beverage operations at The William Vale hotel: a 21 story building with 183 rooms, a ballroom, indoor-outdoor bar, and an elevated 15,000 square ft. public green space. They will be responsible for the hotel’s dedicated restaurants, as well as the bar, room service, and any events catering. Fortunately their CVs are up to the task and they have the enthusiasm to match. In a statement to BKMagazine, they said “We love Williamsburg and know this property will be an anchor for the neighborhood. The timing is just right.”

To read more, click here.

 

Bottle & Bine Opens in Midtown

Atlantic Halibut 2-1.jpgThe much-anticipated New American restaurant Bottle & Bine opened last week on second avenue, and so far the reviews have been positive – lauding the female trio responsible for their original menu and strong craft beer and wine lists.

That trio includes chef Angie Berry, formerly of Asiate at The Mandarin Oriental, sommelier Gina Goyette (The Mark Restaurant by Jean Georges) and beer director Carolyn Pincus (Stag’s Head). Berry’s menu ranges from traditional French to southern, with dishes like Game Bird Terrine with foie gras and quince and Wagyu steak with sunchoke, coffee and mushrooms. Goyette’s wine list emphasizes local wine producers over traditional European selections, and there is a rotating selection of craft beers on 16 taps selected by Pincus. As indicated by the restaurant’s name (bine refers to a creeping plant like hops), both Goyette and Pincus get equal billing next to Berry’s dishes, and both bars in the multi-level space are sure to get plenty of use.

To read more, click here.

El Atoradero Opens in Brooklyn

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In 2014, Underground Gourmet ranked chef Lina Chavez’s El Atoradora taqueria their best “Cheap Eats” Mexican restaurant, and locals have been flocking to the Bronx spot for years for the delicious carnitas, fresh salsa and daily specials, all served next to favorite bodega offerings. Brooklynites now have their own version to look forward to, with a lot more elbow room and a full bar to boot. El Atoradora Brooklyn is now open at 708 Washington Avenue.

The restaurant is currently in soft-open mode, so only wine and beer will be available for now and the menu is still limited. But guests can look forward to Chavez’s albondigas enchipotladas (meatballs in chipotle sauce), Pueblan-style chalupas, and an assortment of tacos and quesadillas on handmade tortillas. If the open kitchen doesn’t get your mouth watering, you’ll also be able to wash all that down with a range of Mexican spirits, from the expected tequilas and mezcals to the less familiar but equally delicious racilla. And expect a mean margarita as well, if pictures and reputation are anything to go by.

To read more, click here..

 

Maman Opens New Location in Tribeca

 

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On Monday, the French cafe Maman opened the doors to its newest branch on 211 West Broadway in TriBeCa. The new location is broken up into two rooms with a much larger total square footage than the SoHo original. The front room is lined with comfortable couches and ample room for enjoying  lunch or pastries, and the back room opens up into a full-service restaurant seating 40. Dinner service starts this week with specialties like scallop carpaccio, braised beef cheeks, and red tuna ceviche.

Maman in SoHo was opened last year by chef Armand Arnal, baker Elisa Marshall, and restaurateur Benjamin Sormonte. Since then it’s become a popular destination for both eating and Instagramming. The new space will likely become popular as well, particularly with parents and families. Marshall told the NYTimes that Maman TriBeCa would be “very kid-friendly,” and even has a stroller valet.

To read more, click here.

Photo via Eater.com

Met Museum Adds Estela to its New Outpost

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new modern outpost, Met Breuer, will be opening in March of 2016 at Madison and 75th, and it’s sure to be a popular destination for art lovers all over the city. Food lovers may now have a reason to head there as well, as the Met recently announced that the outpost will include a second branch of Estela, the oft-packed bar/restaurant on East Houston run by chef Ignacio Mattos and restaurateur Thomas Carter.

Thomas P. Campbell, the director and chief executive of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, cited the restaurant’s “downtown energy,” and it’s ability to meet the needs of both formal and informal diners. Carter said that the Met’s leaders wanted something “convivial and rustic and fun.”

The new restaurant will likely not be open till Summer of 2016, and the menu is still up in the air. One thing to expect is an impressive wine list: Carter has said that the selection at the new uptown branch will “dwarf” the Houston street location, with 500 bottles to the original Estela’s 200. It never hurts to have a good glass to go with your contemporary art.

To read more, click here.

 

The Chocolate-Bone Broth No One Saw Coming

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Photo via Grubstreet.com

Trends have a way of folding in on themselves – stretching their own limits and testing their customers taste buds in the process. Bone broth, the trendy hot health drink which took off last winter with Marco Canoro’s Brodo is the latest example. This year, Canoro is teaming up with Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream on Rivington (which also opened last year) to open a pop-up window shop with some unexpected new mashups.

In addition to the full Brodo broth menu, the shop will offer the “What Came First” (organic egg yolk, freshly grated nutmeg, organic chicken broth), a savory take on eggnog, and the “St. Nick” (bitter chocolate, beef broth, coconut milk). Canoro calls the savory-broth-cocoa “fucking outrageous,” which is a bargain at $7.75 for ten ounces. TBD on whether New Yorkers will take to this combo the way they did to the original broths, but who knows what’s possible in this post-chocolate-and-bacon-trend world. At least customers can still tout the health benefits of the broth, with the added kick of dark chocolate.

To read more, click here.

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Photo via Grubstreet.com

Apres-Ski Themed Bar on Eataly’s Roof

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Photo via eataly.com

Eataly, the Italian food mecca on 5th avenue, has opened the pop-up Baita bar on their roof with an “Italian Alps” theme. According to their website, they’ve “replaced the stone walls and nearby hills of grazing sheep with a retractable glass roof and views of the neighboring Flatiron building, but the food and drink will make you think you’re in the Italian Alps, right in the middle of Manhattan.”

Holiday shoppers, tourists and Eataly regulars can all enjoy tasty seasonal fare, like polenta and homemade sausage, while sipping on the sort of drinks you might crave after a long day on the slopes. Eataly’s brewery Birreria is running the pop-up, and pints of their cask ales will be available alongside a full wine list and house cocktails. Featured among those are mulled wine and Bombardino – a cream based Italian cocktail reminiscent of eggnog – but if the ski lodge aesthetic isn’t enough to make you forget the unseasonable warm weather we’ve been having, there are plenty of original cold cocktails as well. Other classic Italian goodies like fresh pasta and charcuterie from the market below will also be available.

If you visit and fall in love with the festive atmosphere, Eataly is also renting out Baita for parties of up to 175. But get there soon – the pop-up will only be around through March of 2016.

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A New Fast Casual from the Eleven Madison Park Team

Daniel Humm and Will Guidara, the current co-owners of Eleven Madison Park, recently announced plans for a new fast casual concept to open next year on West 28th. Made Nice will be a counter-service spot featuring veggie- and grain-heavy meals with seasonal ingredients for the health conscious crowd. They hope to join the current wave of healthier quick service restaurants with a greener tinge popping up all over the city, and provide flavor-forward meals meals running between $10 and $15.

Early hints from the team indicate that the new restaurant will still be strongly design-focused. They are working with the architecture and design firm Stonehill & Taylor on the interior and artist Jono Pandolfi on stoneware, both of whom worked with the team previously on NoMad.

The EMP team also has other plans in the works, including a new NoMad in Los Angeles due in fall of 2017, and a mysterious fine-dining project on Park avenue described as a “Four Seasons on steroids for the 21st Century.”

To read more, click here.

Blu on Park Opens in New York City

blu-on-park09.w600.h400Blu on Park is New York’s newest luxury steakhouse. It is located on Park, 116 East 60th St. Blu on Park is uptown, housed on the first three floors of a renovated 1920s residential brownstone. The restaurant seats 132, and NH Designs has included opulent details like gold-tinted exposed brick, abstract landscape paintings, and antique mirrors. The first floor is devoted to the bar and the lounge. The mezzanine and third floors are large-scale dining rooms.

Blu on Park’s Chef Russell Rosenberg created a more traditional steakhouse menu. They offer seven different types of steaks ranging from $42 to $120. There are lobster and shrimp cocktails, jumbo crab cake, sautéed black sea bass, and sour-cream cheesecake for dessert. The more affordable bar menu includes truffled arancini, caviar with roasted marble potatoes and creme fraiche, and veal meatballs.

To read more, click here.