Anticipation is in the air, as our City’s restaurant scene promises exciting dining debuts and grand re-openings! I hope you brought your appetite and enjoy my tour…
The Aviary NYC by Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas will open in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 80 Columbus Circle, Lincoln Square and will be a new version of the famed Chicago cocktail bar that will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus a wider array of cocktails than the original. Set to launch in September in the former Lobby Lounge spot.
Coco Pazzo will have a grand return after a 10 year hiatus at 160 Prince Street. The legendary Upper East Side Italian restaurant (open from 1990-2008 at 23 E. 74th St.) will return in old Milady’s space in Soho and will feature a full-service and a fast-casual portion called Coco Pazzo Kitchen with salads, sandwiches, and soups for lunch. The icon is set to re-launch in October.
DaDong, 1095 Sixth Avenue at 42nd Street, Bryant Park, by Chef Dong Zhenxiang coming in October will have a formal dining room, a more casual lounge, and an outdoor terrace in a multi-level space. The Beijing-based concept is hailed as one of China’s best roast duck restaurants. Fun fact, the menu will be similar to the ones in China, but they’ll be using ducks from a farm in Indiana.
Ferris at the new Made Hotel, 44 West 29th Street, Nomad, by Greg Proechel and Charles Seich will feature a New American menu vegetable-centric. The hotel opens Labor Day, but the restaurant is on track to open in the fall in October.
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, 85 10th Avenue between 15th and 16th Street, Chelsea is by one of the most famous international chefs in history and will have 35 counter seats and 20 more at tables, along with two private dining rooms. For a more casual visit, there’s Le Bar de Joël Robuchon, a 50-seat bar and lounge that will feature salads, sandwiches, and simply prepared dishes.
Legacy Records, 515 West 38th Street, Hudson Yards, by Ryan Hardy, Robert Bohr, and Grant Reynolds is named after the former tenant that had been the iconic recording studio, and will open on the ground level of Henry Hall, the new building with 224 apartments in Hudson Yards. Legacy Records will dominate the two bottom floors, connected by a dramatic staircase. You will find an 85-seat dining room; an all-day cafe on the ground level; a bar, wine lounge, and outdoor space with a 120-foot glass wall; and two private dining rooms on the second level. When Legacy Records opens this fall it will be the first and only restaurant in the Hudson Yards Special District for the foreseeable future as Related Companies moves forward with the $20 billion redevelopment project.
Life Restaurant,19 West 31st Street, Herald Square by Stephen Hanson, Michael Vignola, David Mitchell ,set to open in September is opening in the Life Hotel that was once the headquarters for Life magazine. With seasonal menu from Michael Vignola, emphasizing seafood dishes and sustainable meats, as well as pastas and pizzas, it will have a lounge, a dining room, and a bar for a total of 80 seats on the ground floor.
The Lobster Club, 99 East 52nd Street, Midtown, by Major Food Group and Tasuku Murakami will debut a sushi spot in the lower level of the former Four Seasons space, the third restaurant in the building following The Grill and The Pool. Will be a fabulous place to dine in October.
Savor these dining debuts and watch for my next edition of Faithful Food! Happy Fall and Happy Dining!
