15 New Restaurants To Try This Week
From NYC to L.A., you're covered
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New York
Otway
Samantha Safer and Claire Welle, two-thirds of industry favorite Tilda All Day's founding team, are back in the saddle with Otway. Though the space still looks like Tilda, the restaurant's focus has shifted from all day to dinner, featuring a menu of larger plates like squab with mincemeat and perch in beurre blanc. The team hasn't entirely forsaken snacks, of course—there's crispy fried tripe and thick, house-made crackers to munch on.
Frankies
Brooklyn's beloved casual Italian spot's newest location is now up and running in an unlikely place, a sprawling Whole Foods across from Bryant Park. While there are about a dozen seats at the bar, those eating in the market's general seating area can also order from Frankies. It's not quite the same as sitting in the backyard in Carroll Gardens, sure, but it's a welcome addition to Midtown's dining scene.
Pig Bleecker
For his latest dining creation, Del Posto alum Matt Abdoo has transported his summery Gowanus barbecue project, Pig Beach, across the river to Bleecker Street. The food menu is a bit more grown-up, but rest assured there's still plenty of smoky 'cue elements to be found. Highlights include smoked brisket-stuffed ravioli with truffle butter, cod cheeks, nduja cavatelli and a tomahawk steak that's massive enough to feed a crowd.
Madame Vo
Following both Ha Noi House's debut, as well as the unveiling of Bunker's new location, Madame Vo is the third Vietnamese restaurant to open in NYC this year. Diners will definitely find pho on the menu, but it also features harder-to-find dishes, at least in NYC, like bún bò Huế, a soup from central Vietnam, and bánh xèo, or savory, crispy crepes made with shrimp and pork belly.
Los Angeles
Farida
Hollywood diners are already well acquainted with the prolific George Abou-Daoud. And now, the popular neighborhood restaurateur is at it again with a colorful new outpost housed in what was Magnolia. Farida, which draws on the chef's Middle Eastern roots, offers heirloom tomato and za'atar crostini, spicy lamb riblets with pomegranate and lamb-topped eggplant with labneh, as well as an herby chermoula and preserved lemon.
San Francisco
Alba Ray's
The team behind Popson's is clearly channeling New Orleans with their latest Cajun-inspired venture. Gumbo, charbroiled gulf oysters and dirty rice top the menu, complemented by a beverage program centered around classic Sazeracs and good old-fashioned sweet tea. Look out for floating plans hanging from the ceiling and crawling out of the walls.
Uma Casa
Sunny, bright and covered in blue and white tiles, Telmo Faria's Uma Casa is bringing a taste of Portugal to San Francisco. Small plates like cornmeal-crusted fried smelt and house-made cheese with a pepper paste start you off, while larger dishes include a steak with potatoes, topped with a fried egg, and classic bacalhau, or salted cod, served with caramelized onions, potatoes and an olive aioli.
Chicago
Kitsune
After a few delays, Elizabeth's Iliana Regan has opened her hotly anticipated new restaurant named after a mythical Japanese fox. You likely won't see him darting around this casual new spot, but look out for a couple types of ramen, a kaiseki brunch menu and small plates, like a wild rice and koji porridge bread served with cultured butter.
Washington, D.C.
Honeysuckle
Hamilton Johnson, previously the chef de cuisine at Vidalia, recently took over his former employer's space and transformed it into Honeysuckle, which fuses Southern flavors with a Nordic sensibility. Think: Champagne-poached oysters served with chicken cracklins and veal sweetbreads with béarnaise custard and sweet onions. In terms of decor, look out for the trippy murals blanketing the red room's ceiling.
Austin
Pizzeria Sorellina
Apis's little sister, a wood-fire pizza restaurant called Pizzeria Sorellina, has finally arrived. The team is changing it up by first milling their own rye and red wheat, then combining the grains with a 10-year-old sourdough starter. Once the dough is formed, it's stretched; topped with unique ingredients like maitake mushrooms, Robiola cheese, shiitake cream, wild boar speck and fried rosemary; then fired to perfection.
Photo: Stephen Callender
Houston
Kiran's
Chef Kiran Verma, who closed the original Kiran's to concentrate on this new location, is back in the kitchen cooking a cuisine she describes as "Delhi by way of Houston." For her, that means chili tikka made with either chicken, paneer or cod, sweet peppers and onions; seafood curry prepared with a daily fish; and lobster tail with palak paneer ravioli.
One Fifth
Diners, take note. Those eager to try Underbelly chef Chris Shepherd's new restaurant will have just eight months to do so. At its core, One Fifth is a shapeshifter, with a plan to change its theme and menu each year, and this premiere iteration is fairly brief. First up is One Fifth Steak, which serves several cuts, of course, alongside sweet potato and cheddar gratin; cheeky-named Lamburger Helper; and a host of fresh seafood from the raw bar.
Miami
Zak the Baker
This small bakery and café is bringing a local and sustainable approach to kosher Jewish deli fare. For example, locally caught blue runner takes the place of traditional whitefish, but that doesn't mean old standbys have been completely tossed aside. There's also corned beef, brined for seven days and hand-sliced to order. And as the team settles in, expect more options to join the menu.
Artisan Beach House
Miamians will be happy to learn that chef Paula DaSilva has brought along some of her 1500 Degrees team to her latest venture at the Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour. The diverse new menu hops around from cassoulet to salt fish croquettes, pasta carbonara and paella with duck confit.
Detroit
Common Pub
What was once Lefty's Lounge is now a revamped gastropub in the middle of Wayne State University's campus. While the menu doesn't shy away from the standard burger fare, there are more intriguing options like duck fried chicken and a lamb and egg burrito made with lamb chorizo and roasted poblano relish stuffed into a naan wrap. And, of course, there's lots of beer to wash it all down.