New Restaurant Openings: NYC, L.A. & More

Gabe Stulman made a name for himself in the West Village with a collection of restaurants that flirt with the line between neighborhood spots and date destinations. Now, he's stretching his empire north with three new projects in the Freehand hotel. Upstairs, there's the casual Studio, which looks to the Middle East for pastries like a simit and a honey-sesame twist, plus halva granola in the morning. Downstairs, American-focused restaurant Simon & the Whale should open soon, and The George Washington Bar is already pouring cocktails. 

Californians have been waiting their turn for a David Chang restaurant, and it has finally arrived. Here, he's serving dishes like broken soft tofu with apples and honey, a tapioca lo mein and spicy fried skate rice with shiso. Majordomo is something new, rather than a remake of one of Chang's iconic Momofuku restaurants, but one idea that has transferred out west is large-format ordering. There are three options, including a spicy bo ssam, which can be prepared for a table of friends. 

Now that Daniel Patterson has moved Alta out of its former home, Nigel Jones of Kingston 11 has moved into the space, collaborating with Patterson to set up an ambitious Caribbean menu that includes black pepper crab, oxtail stew, jerk chicken and punch bowls like the Zap Pow, made with blood orange, passion fruit, grenadine and jerk bitters.

Gather's team has opened a new place just a few steps away. Not ones to shy away from a theme, they've gone all out with birds on the walls and a sign that says The Early Bird Gets the Worm. To eat, there are options like a freekeh salad, a strip loin, Korean-style chicken wings, roast carrots with carrot hummus and a highly inviting skillet cookie.

Robert Del Grande, who won a James Beard Award for his restaurant, Cafe Annie, in 1992, has transformed part of that space into a prime rib destination. There's a Gulf shrimp cocktail to start the meal, but most of the focus is on the meat, which comes in 10- and 14-ounce sizes. Sides to go with these cuts include potatoes aligot and carrots with ginger, honey and vinegar.

The city's much-anticipated first food hall has made its debut with some of Austin's biggest culinary talent now under one roof. Emmer & Rye is trying its hand at fast food at Henbit with breakfast burritos and lattes with pecan milk, and Dai Due is manning a taqueria that serves wild boar al pastor tacos. There's bread to take home from Easy Tiger and goods from Antonelli's Cheese Shop. If you're staying, there are seats inside and outside. 

Local favorite Michael Schwartz's "love letter to Miami" has finally arrived, bringing with it Latin American flavors like empanadas stuffed with short ribs, olives and raisins; yuca cheese puffs; and a house riff on the Brazilian classic feijoada, made here with red beans, pork belly, marinated kale and grilled orange. Despite the wood-fire grill, the spot doesn't get smoky—a side of the restaurant opens onto the beach.