13 Best New Restaurants
It's time to start making dinner plans
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New York:
Chef's Club Counter
The first fast-casual offshoot of hit dining spot Chefs Club, this outpost offers items from famous chefs in NYC and beyond, like L.A.'s Eggslut sandwiches from Alvin Cailan. Expect the menu to rotate in the coming months.
Atla
Cosme's Enrique Olvera is finally offering New Yorkers a more affordable option as well as breakfast at his new Downtown restaurant. Look out for arctic char tostadas, a coconut yogurt with blueberries and white ayocote hummus.
Norman
During the day, this restaurant from Noma cofounder Claus Meyer and Aska's Fredrik Berselius serves as a Nordic-leaning canteen and bakery for those working at design incubator A/D/O and visitors who are welcome in the space. In the evenings, dinner, which will launch later this month, will be a bit more formal but less pricey than a meal at Aska or Agern.
Little Tong Noodle Shop
Simone Tong, who worked at the late, great wd~50, now has her own restaurant. Here, she specializes in mixian, a round rice noodle from the Yunnan province in China. The noodles come dressed in sauces or served in soups. Try the spicy "little pot," stacked with pork, pickled mustard stems and pea shoots.
Suzuki
Yuta Suzuki, the son of Sushi Zen's Toshio Suzuki, is at the helm of this subterranean restaurant. Guests will find several options in this maze of a space including a high-end sushi bar run by Toshio, a dining room for kaiseki service and a modernist bar called Three Pillars. The stunning floral arrangements throughout keep diners from missing an outside view.
Los Angeles:
Felix
Pasta fiends awaiting Evan Funke's return to the kitchen are being rewarded with bowls of strascinati with chickpeas, kale, wild fennel and bread crumbs at his new stunner on Abbot Kinney Boulevard. Oh, and those looking for the pasta of the moment will, of course, find a bowl of cacio e pepe.
Verlaine
Diego Hernandez, whose Corazon de Tierra holds the 39th slot on Latin America's World's 50 Best Restaurants list, has set up in West Hollywood. In the airy, semi-outdoor space, the chef is serving rock cod ceviche tostadas, grilled oysters and suckling pig with sweet potato and smoked squash.
San Francisco:
Ottimo
Michael Chiarello quietly opened his Yountville market and Italian restaurant after a yearlong delay. There's pizza, several different mozzarella options (smoked, made in-house and sourced from other great producers) and panini like the Sloppy "Joe-seppe" with Calabrian sausage, goat cheese, salsa rosa and porchetta.
Chicago:
The Lunatic, The Lover & The Poet
While the main focus is on the wine list at this three-story space, dinner shouldn't be skipped (you'll need to fortify yourself after all). Assuming you're not on a first date, try the fried smelts, with Meyer lemon and house-made pickles. For a more date-friendly option, go with confit chicken legs with wheat berries and sunchoke chips.
Washington, D.C.:
Stable
Transport yourself to the Swiss Alps at this newcomer, which allows guests (if reserved in advance) to get a taste of melted raclette. Swiss chef David Fritsche is also serving ramp spaetzle, a few house-baked breads and French toast with rhubarb for weekend brunch.
Taqueria del Barrio
Anna Bran Leis of popular food truck DC Empanadas finally has her own brick-and-mortar location, where she's making tortillas by hand and stuffing them with lengua, hongos, nopales and carne asada. There are also tamales and queso fundido. Start off the evening with the signature house margarita, which is made with mescal, caramelized pineapple and habanero-turmeric syrup.
Le DeSales
Raphael Francois, who earned Michelin stars cooking in London and later at Le Cirque in New York, is now in the kitchen at the redesigned Panache space. Expect plays on French fare like foie gras with mango and lobster with fries and Comté.
Houston
Yauatcha
London's Michelin-starred dim sum destination has landed in Houston. And the team here takes tea seriously, with 20+ varieties meant to be paired with dishes like chicken and abalone shumai, crispy prawn dumplings with plum sauce and stir-fry black pepper rib eye.