Otoko, Au Fudge And More Hot Restaurant Openings

New York City
Belle Shoals: The team from cocktail destination Seamstress have hopped the East River and are now pouring Southern-inspired drinks like the Cotton Gin (gin, Salers, ouzo, kaffir lime) in Williamsburg. There's a giant jukebox, po'boys and biscuits, too. Find Belle Shoals here, or in our DINE app.

Antico Noè: Florence's 71-year-old panini shop, Antico Noè, now has a New York location with a simple menu of antipasti, salads and panini like the stuffed chicken with mushrooms, mozz and rosé sauce. Find Antico Noè here, or in our DINE app.

Grünauer Bistro: Jam's is no longer the only 1980s revival project in town. Peter Grünauer, who owned Vienna 79 and the Fledermaus cafés, is back in town with a new Austrian restaurant. The menu brings classics into the present with dishes like arugula spätzle with salsify, baby carrots and Brussels sprouts, and Wagyu goulash. Find Grünauer Bistro here, or in our DINE app.

San Carlo Osteria Piemonte: Six friends missed Turin so much that they opened a restaurant dedicated to the Piedmont region of Italy. The long menu offers fritto misto alla Piemontese (sausages, sweetbread, chicken breast, lamb chop, frog legs, vegetables, semolina, amaretto) and polenta with baby octopus. Find San Carlo Osteria Piemonte here, or in our DINE app.

Los Angeles
Sushi One: This low-key sushi spot just opened, but it's getting good buzz already. The fish is sustainably sourced and varies day by day, but there's always tempura and an omakase option that starts at just $30. To top it off, it's BYOB. Find Sushi One here, or in our DINE app.

Wolf: Top Chef and José Andrés alum Marcel Vigneron now has his own kitchen. His goal is to use every part of the ingredient (think head-to-tail philosophy spilling over into vegetables). There are burnt carrots with coconut, passion fruit, macadamia, lime, sorrel and mint; hamachi crudo with kumquat, Vietnamese herbs and puffed rice; and Thai shrimp dumplings with pork belly, avocado, mango and lemongrass. Oh, and apparently, foam is back. Find Wolf here, or in our DINE app.

Avec Nous: The new restaurant in L'Ermitage Beverly Hills has a swank retro feel but no white tablecloths. To eat, there's a house burger with grilled eggplant, arugula and a basil aioli. A large-format section of the menu hawks a cauliflower-for-two made with vadouvan curry, Marcona almonds, golden raisins and parsley. Just don't forget your AmEx black card; it clocks in at $58. Find Avec Nous here, or in our DINE app.

Au Fudge: Perhaps it was all of those years on 7th Heaven that inspired Jessica Biel to open the kid-friendly Au Fudge. There's ample room to play and staff dubbed au pairs to watch over the little ones. There's also a seasonal menu with dishes like a vegan Caesar, a burger and a fudge flight for dessert. Find Au Fudge here, or in our DINE app.

Chicago
Little Sheep: With a handful of locations already on the coasts and in Texas, this is the first branch of the Mongolian hot pot chain to hit the Midwest. Gather all your friends for a communal (and customizable) bowl of the traditional aromatic dish but save room for delightfully squishy red bean-filled yam mochi. Find Little Sheep here, or in our DINE app.

Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya: Yes, there are already plenty of ramen options near Wicker Park, but this latest Northwest import is more than worth the visit. The soups are traditional but offer 15 toppings to make each your own, and the izakaya dishes are the exact right size to share with a group. Find Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya here, or in our DINE app.

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San Francisco
The Company: The MINA Test Kitchen is shifting gears from red sauce to red curry, bringing a menu that advertises itself as "traditional Indian meets San Francisco." This means Sonoma lamb formed into yogurt-simmered Kashmiri kofta, a curated wine list spotted with regional bottles and choosing between local craft Berkeley-made beer or a Kingfisher. Find The Company here, or in our DINE app.

The Myriad: This new Chelsea Market-inspired food hall is giving small businesses a communal place to shine. It's located in the Castro neighborhood and so far has The CRO Cafe, The Raw Juice Co. and a branch of Jones on its roster, with more vendors soon to open. Find The Myriad here, or in our DINE app.

Austin
Ophelia: Bridget Dunlop's joined forces with Cajun food truck Baton Creole for a brick-and-mortar restaurant that pays homage to singers like Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin and Etta James in its art. The menu's Texas meets Louisiana. Think chicken-fried frog's legs, gumbo, crawfish and beer-battered crudités. Find Ophelia here, or in our DINE app.

Otoko: You'll have to head up a set of unmarked stairs to find Otoko, Paul Qui's return to sushi and Austin's biggest opening of the year. The 12-seat restaurant is strictly omakase and tailored to each diner. Qui and Yoshi Okai will ask guests about their preferences and then create a personalized meal. Qui plans to keep things traditional to start, but he seems open to changing that as things settle in. If you're looking to go, you'll have to wait a bit. All of the seats are sold out through April. Find Otoko here, or in our DINE app.

Miami
Zest: Florida chef Cindy Hutson has been serving reliably excellent (and award-winning) cuisine at Ortanique on the Mile for 17 years. Now she's bringing casual food that's a bit . . . well, zestier. The "cuisine of the sun" is more than your standard "fusion" joint: It's globally inspired dishes like mango and burrata salad and conch scampi. Find Zest here, or in our DINE app.

The Sarsaparilla Club: Janine Booth and Jeff McInnis have headed south for the winter (or spring, rather) to open their new South Beach restaurant. The Root & Bone chefs of Top Chef fame will serve green curry fried chicken and pork belly-bacon steamed beans, global takes on the comfort food for which they're known and loved. Find The Sarsaparilla Club here, or in our DINE app.

Plant Food + Wine: While New York can now get a taste of Matthew Kenney's vegan pizza, Miami dwellers are now being treated to contemporary upscale plant-based cuisine. With a bit of creative thinking, even vegans can enjoy cacio e pepe, artisanal "cheese" and a banana split. Find Plant Food + Wine here, or in our DINE app.

Houston
Little Liberty: The name is cute, but the colorful scheme and comforting gulf cuisine at this Liberty Kitchen offshoot is even cuter. It's open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so you can get a bowl of homemade Greek yogurt no matter what time of day it is. Find Little Liberty here, or in our DINE app.

Detroit
Savannahblue: Downtown Detroit is getting a bit of Down South with this industrial-styled soul food restaurant. You'll find sweet tea, fried seafood and braised oxtail with risotto—but, of course, it's none other than Wisconsin cheddar in that risotto. Find Savannahblue here, or in our DINE app.