Restaurant Openings Report: Week Of July 13, 2014
New York
After leaving Danny Meyer's North End Grill in April, chef Floyd Cardoz plans to head a new restaurant, White Street, in Tribeca. This is the first independent project for Cardoz, who has been with Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group for the past 16 years, as chef first at Tabla, and then North End Grill. The Times reports that the new restaurant will be "American with global touches," but a previous announcement stated that Cardoz would "focus back to his roots of cooking with Indian flavors," so those "global touches" will most likely Indian. White Street is slated to open this fall.
Vanessa Palazio and Adam Schneider, the young couple behind grilled cheese centric eatery, Little Muenster, have launched Little Nica, a Nicaraguan street food pop-up at their 145 Front Street outpost in Dumbo, Brooklyn. The pop-up will be open until the end of September, and while grilled cheeses won't be available in the location during the pop-up, the full Little Muenster menu will still be available at their Stanton Street and Hudson Eats locations throughout the summer months. Keeping with their cheesy theme, Little Nica is all about quesillo, a Nicaraguan street food traditionally sold from a roadside cart, and comprised of handmade corn tortillas, semi-soft cow's milk cheese, pickled onions, and crema rolled into a cone. The Little Nica quesillos come with options like added smashed avocado, slow roasted pork, and braised tongue. They'll also feature rice and beans and sweet plantains.
Obicà Mozzarella Bar Pizza e Cucina will open next week on Thursday, July 24, in the Flatiron district. The flagship will be the twentieth location, with others in Rome, Florence, Milan, Tokyo, London, Los Angeles, and New York. A new logo for the brand has been created, and the name has undergone a slight spelling change, both of which will be revealed with the opening of this outpost. Obicà is the only restaurant in New York that directly imports their Mozzarella di Bufala twice a week from Southern Italy, to ensure the utmost freshness and quality. The Flatiron location will offer four kinds: Bufala classica, Bufala affumicata, burrata, and burrata al tartufo, and can be enjoyed alone or paired with small plates in a tasting format. Their signature pizza, cooked in the restaurant's stone dome pizza oven, will also be on the menu, and the kitchen will be led by executive chef Enzo Neri, a native of Umbria and a veteran of Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy, London, and Dubai. Everything from the pizza and focaccia to breads and pasta will all be made in house by master pizzaiolo Daniele Uditi and chef Neri using traditional methods.
After closing in May due to a kitchen fire, A Voce Columbus re-opened for dinner and lunch service on Tuesday this week, and brunch service will begin this Sunday, July 20. Executive chef Filippo Gozzoli and his team have re-introduced their seasonal menus, including a re-opening special called Sgombro: cured mackerel with clams, mussels, black kale puree, and a tobacco leaf. For each Sgombro purchased, the restaurant will donate $1 to The Firefighters Charitable Foundation, which assists fire and disaster victims.
Miami
Bistro BE opens today in downtown Miami. The Belgian eatery featured an expansive menu of authentic delights and an extensive beer list, with upwards of 70 different selections. Executive chef Frederik Appelt will oversee the menu, which will showcase a diverse selection of traditional Belgian dishes including mussels, and frites and waffles both savory and sweet, as well as modern takes on some of the country's classics.
Featured appetizers are baked wild mushrooms with shallots, chives, and spring onions in a buttery garlic sauce served on toasted beer bread; chicken stew with button mushrooms; Duvel mousseline and veal meatballs in a velouté cream sauce, served in puff pastries; and seared scallops with chicory confit, black pudding, and a Stella mousseline. Mains include filet mignon tartar prepared with egg yolk, shallots, and capers, plated with baby gherkins, silver onions, and cooked quail egg, served with mesclun salad and frites; grilled angus filet with black peppercorn cream or béarnaise sauce; beef stew with gingerbread, endive salad, and frites, and a Flemish vegetable stew of fresh vegetables in a bouillon rich broth with parsley, chives, and spring onions. The dinner menu expands to include a variety of Belgian mussel pots all served with frites and house- made mussel sauce. Other options include grilled hanger steak with béarnaise sauce, chicory salad, and frites; rabbit stew with prunes, Gueuze beer, and carrots served with potato croquettes, and sautéed duck filet with cherry beer sauce, Brussels sprouts, and potato croquettes.
Mexican food lovers, foodies, and imbibers alike will rejoice when Cantina La Veinte opens its doors to the public on the final Monday of this month, July 28. Located in downtown Miami's Icon Brickell, the new waterfront restaurant and bar will serve an authentic Cantina dining experience in which the bar plays a pivotal role and offers a cultural expression of its location. Guests can expect an eclectic menu of traditional Mexican cuisine, as well as crafted cocktails and one of the country's largest selections of high-end tequilas and mezcals. Executive chef Santiago Gomez will offer seafood appetizers such as ceviches and aguachiles, or starters from the land. Dishes include Mexican-style clams, raw, served with Maggi-lime caviar and chopped red onion; fried rib eye chunks served with guacamole, and crunchy soft shell crab, served in flour tortillas with jalapeño sauce. Guests will also be able to make their own tacos, with options of pork shank confit, sautéed octopus, grilled bone marrow, and slow-cooked beef tongue.
Los Angeles
Burger Lounge opened their newest outpost yesterday, July 17, in Larchmont, in the former home of Hamburger Hamlet XPress. Guests of their thirteenth location will be among the first to try two new salads that will be available at all locations in the coming weeks: the organic buckwheat salad and romaine-kale Caesar join the guest favorite fresh vegetable salad, completing a trio of whole food plates with real health benefits. Also, the crispy chicken sandwich, featuring organic chicken breast, avocado vinaigrette, roasted tomato, chayote-jicama slaw, and Cotija cheese, is available for a limited time. The Larchmont Lounge also debuted a revised beverage suite, with batch craft soda, house-made lavender mint lemonade, organic brewed iced teas, and strawberry shakes accompanying the existing selection that includes bottled sodas. The addition of beer and wine is anticipated in the coming months.
Kate Kolenda is the Restaurant/City Guide Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @BeefWerky and @theconversant.