Manhattan Restaurants To Try in 2014
It’s always a daunting task to pinpoint our favorite restaurants at the end of each year. But 2013 brought in such an unprecedented slew of truly notable openings that we couldn’t even contain our borough-wide picks in one single list… so we didn’t. Did you not get the memo about surprise success, Piora and its Korean-Italian mashup menu (we swear it’s delicious), or Richard Kuo’s new hip Bowery spot, Pearl & Ash and its killer drinks? How about New York Sushi Ko and its blow your mind omakase? No problem. Here’s our top ten to put on your must-try list for 2014…
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New York’s Best Seasonal Prix Fixes
New York City’s Greenmarkets are awfully tempting this time of year; an impossibly colorful cornucopia of yellow squash, crisp greens, blood red tomatoes and deep purple plums. But what are you going to do with baby artichokes and dinosaur kale when you spend half your time stuck at the office? Luckily, we live in a phenomenal food city, where those same fruits and veggies serve as inspiration for seasonal (and surprisingly affordable) menus at restaurants all over the city. Here are just a few places guaranteed to please the time-strapped locavore, from Mas La Grillade and Northern Spy Food Co. in Manhattan to Applewood, Rose Water and iCi in Brooklyn.
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Fall Restaurant Preview 2013
If you thought this summer’s roster of new restaurant openings was particularly exciting (and it surprisingly was), then get ready for fall. Because autumn is the time when chefs roll out their biggest, flashiest projects, and this year is no exception. From Amanda Freitag’s return to the dining scene at the old Empire Diner space to John Fraser’s upcoming eatery at The Standard hotel, and the long-awaited debut of Brooklyn Fare Manhattan, it’s already shaping up to be one of the busiest, most exhilarating seasons yet!
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The Best New Restaurants of Summer 2013
Summer tends to be slow season for buzzy restaurant debuts, but New York sure had a bumper crop of notable openings this year. Here are a few of our favorite new additions to the dining scene, from Michael White’s Costata in SoHo to Paul Liebrandt’s The Elm in Brooklyn and even Bunker, a Vietnamese eatery from an Eleven Madison Park alum in Queens!
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New York’s Best Outdoor Dining
Spring is about three things… long days, balmy nights, and eating and drinking outdoors. Luckily, the city has tons of al fresco options, and we don’t just mean a few table and chairs spread out on the sidewalk (although that’s perfectly enjoyable too). So if you really want to make the most of the season, study up on our outdoor dining guide, featuring the bucolic garden at Pure Food and Wine in Gramercy, and the sexy rooftop at Juliette in Brooklyn!
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Restaurant Openings to Look Forward to in 2013
For food writers, each year generally ends with a flurry of restaurant “Best Of” listicles, chronicling the highs and lows of eateries both old and new. But as soon as the calendar reads January 2nd, we hit the reset button, turning our attention towards a brand new crop of impending openings. From Michael White’s eagerly anticipated double header in Manhattan (The Butterfly and Ristorante Morini), to Andy Ricker’s continued expansion of his Pok Pok empire in Brooklyn (Whiskey Soda Lounge), it’s already shaping up to be a banner year for the New York restaurant scene. And who knows? A few of them just might make our “Best Of” lists at the close of 2013.
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Talde
Did Talde really open less than a year ago? We feel like we’ve been singing the praises of Pretzel Pork and Chive Potstickers, Korean Fried Chicken, and Crispy Oyster and Bacon Pad Thai for as long as we can remember. And the dinner crowds haven’t even remotely thinned since last January, when chef/owner Dale Talde first introduced his Saigon Crepes, Whole Roasted Branzino in Banana Leaves, and Hawaiian Bread Buns. It’s a testament that—even though he was told to pack his knives and go (twice) on Bravo’s reality show, Top Chef—he’s sure to be a fixture on NYC’s dining scene for many years to...
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Empellón Cocina
After exhibiting a few growing pains at his often hit-or-miss gourmet taco shop, Empellón Taqueria, former pastry chef Alex Stupak presented a fully realized vision of high-flying Mexican food at Empellón Cocina this year. An excellent starter of Pistachio Guacamole (why has no one ever thought of this before?) comes sided with a heap of masa crisps, Fried Whitbait makes a tasty appearance in fish tacos, topped with a smear of sprightly key lime mayo, and a Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder is like an elevated mash-up of homey, regional Mexican favorites, accented with masa gnocchi, radishes, and pozole...
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North End Grill
2012 marked the welcome return of chef Floyd Cardoz, whose spice-inflected flavors have been sorely missed since Tabla shuttered two years prior. And while North End Grill‘s menu is grounded in New American, local/seasonal fare (Lancaster Veal Chop with chanterelles, Hudson Valley Foie Gras risotto omelette), you can still find a few welcome homages to his native Bombay. We love the Fricassee of Wild Mushrooms with “Upma Polenta,” and an Elysian Fields Lamb Loin served with baby carrots, turnips, and Indian apricot...
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Pok Pok Ny
Andy Ricker’s Portland, Oregon import made waves when it first landed on an unassuming block in Brooklyn’s out-of-the-way Columbia Waterfront District last summer. Locals, intrepid Manhattanites, food media and more all reported lines that stretched down the cobblestone streets, where only the most determined lasted the two hours it took to finally cram into a tiny table and feast on Ricker’s faithfully rendered regional Thai specialities. You may not have to wait (quite) as long for your Hoi Thawt (broken crepe with mussels), Laap Meuang (minced pork salad), or Kung Op Wun Sen (prawns baked in a clay pot) nowadays, but that only helps legitimize the uncontrived everyman vibe Pok Pok is going...
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