The Best New Restaurants Of The Week

This week's white-hot restaurant openings

New York City

Bica: George Mendes is expanding his Portuguese culinary empire with Bica, a take-out window alongside his casual drinking and snack spot, Lupulo. The window opens bright and early at 6:30 a.m. with Coffee Labs coffee; breakfast sandwiches, like one made with homemade linguiça, eggs and piri piri on a Portuguese roll; and pastries, including traditional egg custard tarts and blueberry, rye streusel muffins.

Avant Garden: At bar and restaurant owner Ravi DeRossi's latest project, it's all about the vegetables. Chef Andrew D'Ambrosi from DeRossi's Bergen Hill is in charge of the vegan kitchen, turning out plates of potato cannelloni with pine nut ricotta and a farro risotto with butternut squash and roasted apples.

Los Angeles

Bar Mattachine: Downtown's gay scene is getting a new, swanky craft cocktail bar this weekend with Bar Mattachine. The name nods to 1950s local gay group the Mattachine Society. Expect a dance party downstairs when things get going and a more intimate space upstairs for cocktails. To drink, there are some classics, plus nine house cocktails and two frozen drinks, including the Rudy's Downfall (a tribute to the owner's boyfriend) made with pineapple juice, honey, lime and two rums.

San Francisco

La Boulangerie de San Francisco: Local mini chain La Boulange looked like it was done for good when Starbucks (which bought the company in 2012) canned the concept, but former owner Pascal Rigo is bringing back six of the locations as La Boulangerie de San Francisco.

Grand Fare Market: Local restaurant owners/husband-and-wife duo Doug Washington and Freya Prowe just debuted their café-meets-coffee shop-meets-wine, beer and oyster bar (the space has a bit of everything for everyone) in Oakland. There is also a selection of prepared foods and ice cream from Humphry Slocombe. For those who want to eat locally, the space sports a giant patio.

Chicago

Three Arts Club Cafe: Yes, yes, this spot is inside a Restoration Hardware, but that doesn't mean you should write it off. Restaurateur Brendan Sodikoff is behind the multirestaurant concept that includes a coffee shop with grab-and-go pastries, a wine bar with small plates and cheese, and a proper restaurant with what sounds like a killer grilled cheese on the menu: cheddar and truffle butter between Texas toast. Oh, and the atrium seating area is straight out of a design magazine.

Austin

Burn Pizza + Bar: Bridget Dunlap's sixth project isn't all about the pizza, but those Roman-style pies look mighty fine. There's the 96er with broccoli and sausage and a pie called Lustre's with chicory, olive, chile and mozz. For people who don't eat pizza (crazy!), there are also a few pastas and a beef cheek entrée.

Washington D.C.

Tadich Grill: More than 160 years in business, San Francisco's iconic seafood restaurant, Tadich Grill, has made its way across the country with a D.C. outpost.

Miami

El Tucán: Local restaurant gents Mathieu Massa and Michael Ridard have been on a tear lately. Just a couple of weeks after opening Marion, they're back at it with a vintage-y 1940s cabaret spot with drinks from the Bar Lab team and food from Jean Paul Lourdes, who is also overseeing Marion (yeah, it's all in the family here).