We’ve been covering various NYC restaurants, food, drinks, bars, etc. news intel over on our daily newsletter (please sign up if you haven’t already!), but we’re also making it easier for everyone to catch up by rounding ‘em up here every week (check
out June’s).
Zoli, the new (mostly) seafood restaurant from Houseman chef Ned Baldwin, opened this spring at the Amantarts campus at 312 Maujer Street, near Waterbury Street, in East Williamsburg. Now it’s adding another draw: a rooftop terrace it’s calling Bar Zoli, with a more casual menu, opening on Friday, July 10.
The roughly 25-seat rooftop will offer a collection of mostly finger foods, Baldwin tells me, with nothing priced above $23. Look for dishes like shrimp chips with onion dip and roe ($12), stonefruit, sungold tomatoes, hazelnuts, and ricotta ($19), a deviled crab roll ($22), and a fried fish dog ($19) .
“It’s so nice up there,” Baldwin says, calling the teak-lined terrace “preposterously beautiful,” with “so much greenery.” It’ll open Friday through Sunday for its first week or two before expanding to Wednesday-through-Sunday dinner service. About half the seats will be available by reservation, with the rest reserved for walk-ins. Beginning on Thursday, July 16, the rooftop also kicks off a collaboration series with guest chefs, starting with the team from Mili on the Lower East Side.
The old Atla space will become Bar Cosme
Enrique Olvera and his Casamata hospitality group are opening Bar Cosme this fall at 372 Lafayette Street, at Great Jones Street in Noho — the same address that housed Atla, his all-day Mexican restaurant, for nearly a decade before it closed in May. Bar Cosme is a nightlife-focused destination anchored by food that complements nearby Cosme’s menu: raw and slightly cooked preparations, tortillas and salsas, and dishes cooked asador-style. Sebastián Tollius, formerly of Eleven Madison Park and Clemente Bar, set up the bar menu. And the space is being designed by Taller ADG, a Mexico City-based architecture studio.
Beefbar will get an Italian sibling
Ludico Tribeca, a new Italian restaurant from the family behind Beefbar, opens this fall at 339 Greenwich Street, at Jay Street, in theformer Sarabeth’s space. Chef Nelson Gonzalez leads the kitchen, and David Rockwell designed the 150-seat space, preserving the vaulted ceilings of the old Bazzini building and adding a wine room in the passage between the two spaces, a private dining room with a skylight, and a bar in the back room that exits on Jay Street. Owner Mahween Rahman will run the restaurant with her sons Aqib and Tareef. Art from local galleries Andrew Kreps and Nino Mier will appear throughout. Tribeca Citizen first reported the news; the opening is expected shortly after Labor Day.
Another buzzy British spot is slated to open in the fall
British chef and social media sensation Thomas Straker says his New York restaurant finally has a timeline. Fresh off a dinner that kicked off theSunset Supper Club at Surf Lodge in the Hamptons, the chef says his first U.S. restaurant is on track to open this fall. It will take over the former Lucky Strike space at 59 Grand Street in Soho, a project Straker first announced last year. The chef has kept details under wraps, but if his London restaurant is any indication, expect modern British cooking with plenty of butter.
Lambs Club is closing
The Lambs Club, the Theater District restaurant housed in the Stanford White-designed Chatwal Hotel at 132 West 44th Street, between Sixth and Seventh avenues, is closing. The restaurant announced on Instagram that the last service will be on Saturday, July 25. In the post, the owners expressed gratitude to the Broadway community “whose support and presence have been an integral part of the Lambs Club’s story.” The space will be transformed into the Wolseley Restaurant, a new place currently in development under new ownership. The Lambs Club opened in 2010 under celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian, and most recently operated under chef Jack Logue.
Massara reopens in its original home
After a year away following a fire, chef Stefano Secchi’s Campania-inspired Massara is back in its original Flatiron home. The restaurant has reopened this week at 913 Broadway after spending the past year operating as Massara on Park, a temporary residency with Kent Hospitality Group. The return also means the comeback of one of the restaurant’s signatures: its wood-fired pizzettes. To celebrate, Massara is launching a Pizza Room Takeover series that will bring acclaimed pizzaioli, including Miami’s Francesco Martucci, for limited-time collaborations throughout the summer and early fall.
There’s a new cookbook store in the East Village
Wild Sorrel Cookbooks, a new independent bookstore devoted entirely to cookbooks, opened this spring at 332 East 13th Street, between First and Second avenues, EV Grieve reported. The shop is the first solo venture from Troy Chatterton, who spent over a decade at Three Lives & Company in the West Village before striking out on his own. The inspiration traces back to Saturdays spent shopping with his grandmother, Gladys Lucille, who taught him the pleasure of neighborhood businesses and cooking together. It’s open from Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.
An owner of Peter Pan Donuts has died
Donna Siafakas, the owner of legendary Greenpoint bakery Peter Pan Donuts, died on Tuesday, June 30, at the age of 69. The doughnut shop opened in the 1950s, and Siafakas and Christos Siafakas bought it in 1993.
A couple of fundraisers
Williamsburg Venezuelan restaurant Lulla’s has been fundraising and collecting donated supplies to help support those who have been impacted by the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela in June. Also in Williamsburg, Italian spot Bar Birba is closed because of an electrical fire next door. While insurance will cover the bar’s physical damages, the team is fundraising to help support the staff during the temporary closure.
July 3
~~~Fancy lobster rolls~~~
Lobster roll pop-up Sailor & Siren is turning into a restaurant in Greenpoint at 817 Manhattan Avenue at Calyer Street, as reported by Greenpointers. Look out for lobster rolls topped with caviar and/or uni. It’s opening on Friday, July 3, with a party. — Nadia Chaudhury
Where to watch the Fourth of July fireworks
It’s the Fourth of July and America’s 250th birthday this weekend, and if you still need fireworks viewing spots around New York City.
- Hudson River views:
- The Yacht Club in Chelsea is hosting a viewing party from 6 to 11 p.m., with single tickets for $400.
- The Gansevoort Meatpacking hotel is throwing a fireworks viewing party with food, drinks, and a DJ starting at 7 p.m. General admission standing room tickets are $150.
- New York Harbor/East River views:
- Red Hook Barrel Yard’s party includes burgers, hot dogs, and seafood towers from 6 to 10 p.m. General admission tickets are $120, and VIP tickets are $300 (with a free raw bar and desserts).
- Brooklyn Mexican restaurant Alma’s fireworks rooftop shindig runs from 8 to 11 p.m. with margaritas, ceviche, and mini-sliders. Tickets are $176.28. — NC
A stellar wine bar extends with daytime coffee and pastries
Starting this Saturday, June 27, Stars opens at 10 a.m. on weekends with espresso beverages and other specialty coffee drinks. It’s a serious program, says a spokesperson: They’ll be pouring a custom bean blend and serving an egg custard tart and pastries, too. — Melissa McCart
NOLA meets Brooklyn pop-up
Amazing New Orleans wine bar Bacchanal is coming to New York for a Fourth of July holiday pop-up this week at Prospect Heights restaurant Gertie, with wine and cheese, barbecue, and live music. The $65 tickets include three drink tickets, cake, and a donation to the Independent Restaurant Coalition, with specific time-slot entries: 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, July 4, and then noon to 4 p.m. or 5 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, July 5. — NC
For the non-mega-soccer fans
For those who’d rather find a chill way to watch World Cup games. Bar Oliver in Chinatown will air games from two televisions during its all-day service from 8 a.m. to close. Then, Soho-adjacent British pub Dean’s set up television for each day’s games. — NC
What happens when New York pizza meets New Haven pizza?
Brooklyn pizzeria F&F Pizza’s guest chef series continues this summer, with a whole New Haven theme. Upcoming F&F Pizza Sessions pairs Lucali (Caroll Gardens) with Modern Apizza on Tuesday, July 7; Stretch Pizza (Williamsburg) with Sally’s Apizza on Tuesday, July 21; and international pizza makers Dan Pearson and Fernando Trocca with Zuppardi’s Apizza on Tuesday, September 1. Book tickets on Resy. (Also, if you didn’t know, F&F just expanded into Manhattan witha new food hall stand-offshoot last week.) — NC
Thai restaurant glow-up
Hell’s Kitchen Thai restaurant VIV reopened on Friday, June 19, after a five-month pause to revamp everything. Chef Verasak Sangsiri now serves Thai street food during the daytime and late-night feasts built on jasmine rice or pandan riceberry porridge with dishes like salted fish with morning glories and stir-fried Manila clams. The team from Bangkok cocktail bar Mahaniyom developed the drinks menu, with salted plum martinis and goji berry oolong Old Fashioneds. — NC
Two fast-casual expansions to know
- Indian taco spot Taco Mahal is opening its third location on the Upper East Side on Thursday, July 2, at 1109 Lexington Avenue, between East 77th and 78th streets.
- San Francisco-style Super Burrito debuted its fourth location in Murray Hill in mid-June, at 495 Third Avenue, between East 33rd and 34th streets. — NC
Mega-famous London chef previews NYC restaurant with Hamptons pop-ups
Rakish internet chef Thomas Straker— who will be opening a Manhattan restaurant any day now — kicked off a pop-up series in the Hamptons at the Surf Lodge as part of the Sunset Supper Club. Future events are scheduled on Thursdays, including: Orianne Ani Shapira (Shmoné, July 9); Dustin Everett (Fish Cheeks, July 16); Gaz Herbert (Comal, July 23), and more through September. Reservations are on Dorsia.— MM
A sprawling farm and restaurant comes to the Catskills
From the Take Rootduo in Brooklyn, Vale will be opening soon: Elise Kornack and Anna Hieronimus will debut a 30-acre farm and restaurant on the Esopus Creek in the Catskills. Kornack had been named a James Beard Rising Star more than once, and Take Root closed at its peak, having earned glowing reviews. — MM
Legendary NYC restaurant’s wine cellar being auctioned off
Barbetta, the legendary Theater District restaurant, may be closed after more than a century, but its award-winning wine collection will live on. Prize bottles from the cellar, considered among the most extensive Barolo and Barbaresco troves in America, have been scooped up by wine retailer and curator Zachys, and will be auctioned off, online only, from Tuesday, June 30 through Monday, July 13. The collection will be offered by the estate of Laura Maioglio, daughter of Barbetta’s founder, who ran the restaurant for over 60 years. — Beth Landman
