Restaurant Openings Report: Week Of September 14, 2014
Melbourne
Earlier this year it was announced that Heston Blumenthal's three-Michelin-starred restaurant, The Fat Duck, would temporarily relocate to Crown Resort in Melbourne, Australia for six months in 2015, beginning February 3. The multi-course tasting menu and every team member will move half a world away and call Australia home for six months. Diners will be able to make reservations from October 8 to 26 for this unprecedented culinary opportunity.
Hong Kong
The iconic French steakhouse Relais de l'Entrecôte is set to launch its first Asian restaurant in Hong Kong. Scheduled to open its doors in late September in the bustling Queen's Road East in Wan Chai, this "no-menu" and "no-reservation" restaurant looks forward to introducing its famous ritual to the people of Hong Kong.
Tokyo
Dominique Ansel has announced plans to open a bakery in Tokyo. Slated to open by summer 2015, Ansel made the announcement via Instagram on Wednesday. The shop will be located inside the shopping complex Omotesando Hills in central Tokyo. In the post, Ansel said, "There will be something created just for Tokyo, and I will personally see every aspect of development."
Boston
This past Monday, Somerville institution Rosebud Diner reopened as Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar after it closed last summer. The new menu highlights chef and partner John Delpha's pit-firing skills with dishes like brisket and ribs.
BONAPITA, a new Mediterranean-inspired fast casual lunch spot, has opened in the heart of Boston's Downtown Crossing. The restaurant is located in what used to be a church, and the original entryway, ceiling, and light fixtures are all still in use. As for the food, no dairy is ever used, and none of the dishes are fried. Menu items include chicken a la plancha, homemade all-beef meatballs, and black bean and beet patties.
New York
Executive chef and partner Floyd Cardoz's new modern American restaurant, White Street, is now open. Located in a nineteenth-century building that was once an armory, guests enter through a cocktail lounge into an adjoining dining room lined with Venetian mirrors. A few of the dishes on the menu include Fluke crudo with micro shiso, wasabi, and tamari ($14), and the braised beef short ribs with anson mills grits, horseradish, and shoestring potatoes ($32).
By popular demand, Louro's ramen pop-up restaurant will return on Monday September 22. Chef David Santos has created an all-new menu featuring hand noodle mazemen with kimchi, miso, and crispy pork belly; lobster chawanmushi with shiso and pickled Hawaiian ginger; and Duck, Duck, Goose ramen with duck confit, roasted duck breast, and goose broth. The full six-course menu is $55, and like all Nossa Mesa events, the pop-up is BYO wine and beer. Seatings will be at 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 p.m., and are limited to up to 20 guests per seating.
Los Angeles
On Saturday, September 27, chef Bernhard Mairinger will be doing a pop-up at Si Laa Thai from 5 to 11 p.m. The menu will feature traditional Austrian dishes and reservations are strongly encouraged. Some of the dishes offered will be cured ocean trout with baby heirloom beets and horseradish crème fraîche, beef short rib Gulasch with Spätzle, and a dessert of Kaierschmarrn with roasted plum compote.
Seattle
Autumn Martin, owner and chocolatier of Ballard's Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery, has announced plans to open a second location in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. Martin is shooting for an opening in the first quarter of 2015. The 2,200 square-feet of space will have more seating and an expanded retail area than the original location, plus a larger variety of milkshakes and cocktails. Hot Cakes will be making their very own ice cream in the new kitchen, both hard-pack and soft-serve.
Kate Kolenda is the Restaurant/City Guide Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @BeefWerky and @theconversant.