13 Best New Restaurants To Try, The Pool
The ultra-swank Pool makes its NYC debut
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New York City
The Pool
Major Food Group, aka the Torrisi team, debuted another restaurant in what was The Four Seasons space just a couple months after opening The Grill. Instead of going retro steakhouse, The Pool is contemporary and seafood focused. There's a whole fish of the day, caviar service, and "surf and turf"—or as the team envisions it, Maine scallops with rack of lamb. The room's namesake, the iconic pool from The Four Seasons is still intact, but the trees have gone. In their place: a Calder mobile.
Sen Sakana
This large restaurant in Midtown is New York's first dedicated to Nikkei cooking—the food from Japanese emigrants—which in this case means the descendants of those who moved to Peru around the turn of the 20th century. Dishes on the extended menu like causa onigiri, which are rice balls made here with potatoes instead that get wrapped in nori, combine the two cuisines.
Hudson Jane
Named for the West Village intersection where Gramercy Tavern alum Megan Johnson and Jen LaPorta started their relationship, this all-day restaurant is actually located in Fort Greene. The menu, which includes a vegan BLT made with eggplant "bacon," a patty melt, and a double down made with eggs and bacon sandwiched with Aleppo pepper aioli between two hash browns, pretty much captures all 2017's trends.
Jing Fong
One of Chinatown's best-known dim sum parlors has brought its barbecue pork buns and steam baskets to the Upper West Side. Unfortunately, there are no roving dim sum carts, but there is a Chef's Counter where diners can watch the dim sum being made.
Jing Fong's crab-spinach dumplings | Photo: Jing Fong
San Francisco
Shinmai
Ramen and izakaya fare come under one roof at this spot in Oakland, though to start things off, there are just two ramens to choose from: a tonkotsu laden with roast pork, wood ear mushrooms and a jammy egg, and a vegetable ramen with lotus root chips and cherry tomatoes. The izakaya options include corn with yuzu, dashi honey butter and bonito.
Ippudo
Beloved Japan-based ramen company Ippudo is now serving bowls of cloudy tonkotsu broth and chewy noodles in Berkeley. Those who know Ippudo will also know to brace for lines.
Los Angeles
Barbara Jean
Jason Fullilove calls what he cooks "elevated food for the soul," playing on dishes that have soul food roots with California produce worked in. Plates on a given night (the menu changes) could include hush puppies with truffled honey, Ōra King salmon with summer squash succotash and braised black-eyed peas.
Fried chicken sandwich at Barbara Jean | Photo: Brian Feinzimer & Jenni Hwang
Osen Izakaya
Matsuhisa alum Min Cho's restaurant near Silverlake Ramen hops from traditional offerings like yakitori and omakase sushi service to more modern takes on Japanese cooking like kimchi udon and scrambled eggs on a baguette with uni.
Chicago
Forastero
Tony Recillas who grew up in Mexico City is combining Mexican and Korean flavors via wing offerings like the Kung Fu, with hot habanero tempered by sweet apricot and pomegranate, and ginger Dak wings. There are also several tacos available and fries topped with kimchi, Sriracha, pork belly and cheddar.
Washington, D.C.
Hummingbird
Alexandria's new Hotel Indigo's riverside restaurant is up and running—almost at full steam. For breakfast, there's French toast and an Irish breakfast. Lunch moves into salad and sandwich territory with a soft-shell crab option, and dinner offers whole fish with a side of succotash.
Austin
Holy Roller
Callie Speer's long-awaited female-run diner is finally open, serving egg-topped fried chicken 'n' biscuit sandwiches. There's counter service starting at 8 a.m. and full service from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. There's a punk rock vibe, a cheffy meat loaf sandwich and pancakes, which diners can opt to have topped with soft-serve.
Bao'd Up
It's all about the steamed buns. There's plenty to choose from like baozi (buns filled with everything from BBQ pork to egg cream), mantou (steamed buns with red bean paste), gaubao, or Taiwanese hamburgers with crispy fish or tofu. Everything's steamed in bamboo baskets that double as decoration.
Miami
Artichoke Pizza
Following the parade of New York-based restaurants that have opened in Miami lately is Artichoke Pizza, which is now turning out pies at Ricky's South Beach. If you're new to the mini chain, try the signature slice, with mozzarella, cream sauce, spinach and, of course, artichokes.