Restaurant Openings Report: Week Of August 24, 2014
New York
From September 2 through 8, Refinery Hotel's rotating pop-up gallery space, Hatbox, will feature a US Open pop-up bar sponsored by Grey Goose. The space will air the matches on several televisions while serving several Grey Goose classic cocktails beginning at 5 p.m. each day. The pop-up will also include table tennis so you can practice your serve while watching all the action.
This fall, Uma Temakeria, the nation's first fast-casual style eatery featuring fresh, customer designed temaki, cone-shaped "hand roll" sushi, will open in Chelsea near the corner of 14th Street and Seventh Avenue. Founded by CEO Cynthia Kueppers and executive chef Chris Jaeckle, the flagship "fast-fine" shop will feature temaki comprised of fresh fish or tofu and vegetables wrapped in a layer of seasoned rice and nori, complemented by a signature sauce. The menu offers a selection of five "Chef's Temaki" designed by Jaeckle, as well as a rotating seasonal temaki option. In addition, the eatery encourages diners to create custom temaki using their choice of rice, protein, vegetable, and signature sauce. Individual temaki are priced between $5.50 and $6.50, and for $14 diners can purchase a "Temaki Set" consisting of two temaki and a side dish. The restaurant will also serve a selection of beverages, including sake, wine, and beer.
Next year, Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich will assume control of the food and beverage program at Sean MacPherson's Maritime Hotel. This in turn signals the closing of La Bottega, though a closing date has not yet been announced. Batali and Joe Bastianich have plans to replace the restaurant, the lobby bar, and the hotel's cabanas with a new eatery with an Italian focus. Besides Eataly, this will be the pair's first major restaurant project in the Big Apple since the 2006 opening of Del Posto.
Jersey City, N.J.
This Labor Day Weekend, steak enthusiasts are in for a treat at Zeppelin Hall's pop-up Steak Haus. Executive chef Franco Robazetti and guest chefs Michael Espinal (Zylo Steak Steakhouse, W Hotel) and Rick Valdette (Sugar Freak) will participate in a butchering challenge while sharing with guests the best way to prepare a steak, steakhouse-style. For $21 on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, chef Robazetti will offer five types of one-pound cuts such as rib eye, NY strip, and skirt steak, to braised pork ribs, and pork chops. All five juicy dishes come with a choice of sauces, including Gorgonzola, Haus steak sauce, béarnaise, and Argentinean chimichurri with a choice of sides like jumbo asparagus, wild mushrooms, white truffle mac and cheese, and scalloped potatoes.
Chicago
RPM Steak, a new concept from Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises' restaurateurs R.J., Jerrod and Molly Melman, celebrity couple Giuliana and Bill Rancic, and acclaimed chef and partner Doug Psaltis, has opened in the River North neighborhood. The sister restaurant to RPM Italian, which opened in February 2012, RPM Steak marks the second collaboration between the partners. The menu, created by Psaltis, features more than a dozen different cuts of steak all sourced from handpicked purveyors from around the world. The wine menu features a global selection of 350 wines, all hand-chosen by wine director Richard Hanauer, who previously created wine lists for two-Michelin-Star restaurant, L2O.
Las Vegas
After years in the making, SLS Las Vegas, the lifestyle-driven resort by global hospitality leader sbe, has opened as the first major casino resort debuting in Las Vegas in several years. A $415 million renovation of the legendary Sahara Hotel, the SLS Las Vegas is sbe's largest hotel to date. The resort offers a diverse range of cuisine including José Andrés' Bazaar Meat, a carnivorous reinvention of his famed restaurant The Bazaar. A mix of new and re-imagined concepts include the Mediterranean escape Cleo; Katsuya by Starck; 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria; breakfast hotspot, The Griddle Cafe; and Umami Burger Beer Garden & Sports Book. The property also introduces all-new concepts like Ku Noodle, a casual Asian eatery also by Andrés, The SLS Buffet, and The Perq.
San Francisco
Executive chef Anthony Lemortellec of SoHo's Boqueria has added a bi-coastal partnership to his résumé with the recent opening of San Francisco tapas restaurant Beso Bistronomia. Chef Lemortellec and his longtime friend and colleague, chef Nicolas Ronan of Bisou Group, collaborated to develop Beso's menu, which is a traditional Catalan-style hot and cold tapas selection accompanied by a wide variety of Spanish and Californian wines and a cut-to-order charcuterie station.
Kate Kolenda is the Restaurant/City Guide Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @BeefWerky and @theconversant.