Weekly Chef And Menu Report: The Week Of July 1, 2013

Every week, we take a look at some new chefs and menus that have appeared across the country. Here's this week's roundup:

New York
Nitehawk Cinema: In Brooklyn, Nitehawk Cinema, the original cinema eatery, is hosting a Film Feast on July 10 with Carla Hall as the celebrity guest chef, serving a menu inspired by the new film, Momento, according to a release. Owner of Alchemy by Carla Hall, co-host of ABC's "The Chew," and competitor on Bravo's "Top Chef," Hall will be preparing a tasting menu for moviegoers to enjoy throughout the movie. Some items that will be served are squid ink linguine with vegetables and fried chicken salad with cabbage and grits.

Aamanns-Copenhagen: According to a release, Aamanns-Copenhagen in TriBeCa started serving a true, authentic Danish brunch on June 30, and it runs Sundays from 11 A.M. to 4 P.M. Menu items include exactly what you'd find in Denmark, like soft-boiled eggs with cheese, cold cuts, fresh fish, and yogurt, and beef tartare with an egg emulsion and tarragon. Stop by to see what other fresh Danish brunch items that Aamanns has to offer.

DANIEL: Ghaya Oliveira, Executive Pastry Chef of Bar Boulud and Boulud Sud, will take on the role of new executive pastry chef at DANIEL effective immediately, according to a release. The pastry program will remain the same and under the same direction, however, but Oliveira brings her traditional French pastry skills to the restaurant.

Lincoln Ristorante: According to a press release, Lincoln Ristorante will be hosting a "Super Tuscan" on July 15, a one-night, five-course dinner with wine to pair for $260 a head. A category of Italian wine called "Super Tuscans" will be in the spotlight, and some of the food you can expect to find on the menu include boar and porcini mushroom ragú' and beef rib eye cap with arugula and tomatoes.

Krescendo: Krescendo will now be hosting a daily Spirit Hour from 5:30 P.M. to 7:00 P.M., where each week a different category of spirits will be honored, according to a release. The cost is $25 per person and guests can enjoy three tasting portions of the spirit being featured, as well as their well-known Margherita pizza. For the week of July 15, the featured spirit will be rum, so come by when you're in Brooklyn this summer to learn all about it.

il Buco Alimentari & Vineria: According to a release, il Buco Alimentari & Vineria will now be offering a "Bread of the Month." Each month there will be a new loaf of bread which will be available at their market on weekends, and this weekend is a sourdough variety with espresso folded in, the a La Colombe Bread. Come to Alimentari to see what they'll do the rest of this summer.

Bagatelle: Sébastien Chamaret has been appointed as the new executive chef at Bagatelle, according to a release. He has worked at many restaurants in New York including La Goulue (which is currently closed and will soon re-open at a new location), and DANIEL, and brings many years of experience and dishes like a roasted artichoke salad and a basil, almond, pesto, and green pea puree, to the menu at Bagatelle.

Washington, D.C.
Fourth Annual Belgian Restaurant Week: According to a release, Belgian restaurants and chefs in Washington, D.C. will collaborate for the city's Fourth Annual Belgian Restaurant Week, July 15 through July 21, in honor of Belgian National Day on Sunday, July 21. Participating restaurants include Brasserie Beck, Le Pain Quotidien, and Mussel Bar & Grille. The event kicks off at the Brew at the Zoo VIP and will celebrate Belgian food and drink with events like the mussel throw down, the blindfolded beer challenge, and a raffle with a flight on Brussels Airlines as the prize. Some of the food highlights include Belgian Waffles, in both sweet and savory, on July 17, and the mussel throw down on July 20 where contestants will eat as many mussels as possible. 

Houston
Ciao Bello: According to Eater, Ciao Bello will be hosting a second dinner at Tony Vallone's Regional Italian Cuisine on August 7, starting at 7:00 P.M. The menu is five courses and four different wines will be paired with it, with a price of $95 per person. This time, the menu will be a taste of Naples, and the previous was a taste of Sicily with items like breaded baked chicken, antipasti of chickpea, prosciutto, and salami fritters, and eggplant caponata. Call the restaurant at 713-960-0333 to make a reservation.

San Antonio
The Monterey: According to a release, The Monterey and Hot Joy's head chef Quealy Watson is doing something new with wings, a recipe of twice-fried wings in crab fat caramel. It's on the menu at Hot Joy, an Asian fusion restaurant, though the ingredients are not ones that you would typically find in Asian food.

Bin 555: Jason Dady, owner of Bin 555 in San Antonio, is bringing a new type of chicken wing to his menu. The wing is done in a Thai red curry sauce, adding a new kick to the American classic. Dady said, "I've always been interested in cooking Thai food, just for myself as a hobby. It was a perfect fit and it's something that has worked out in our favor."

Feast: Chef Stefan Bowers at Feast, according to a release, introduced a new wing recipe, that isn't on the normal menu, that's grilled over charcoal and covered in anchovy vinaigrette and lilies, a vegetable of the onion family. Bowers said, "I knew I didn't want to fry the wing. I wanted to grill it and barbecue it. It just made sense, the textural contrast on top."

Arcade Midtown Kitchen: According to a release, Chef Jesse Perez at Arcade Midtown Kitchen is doing wings on his menu flash fried with a red chile jelly; it too isn't on the regular menu. Check out his interesting take on the chicken wing the next time you're in San Antonio.

Portland
Xico: According to Eater, Chef Kelly Myers of Xico in Portland will begin serving brunch on Sundays only, starting July 14. The menu will feature items like sopaipillas made with yogurt and berries, and chilaquiles, made with refried beans. The brunch will run from 10 A.M. until 2 P.M.

Las Vegas
Nobu: In the Hard Rock Hotel, Nobu will now be offering a tasting menu just for local restaurant-goers for $75, according to Eater. The menu, which will be available through August, will be a six-course menu with items like yellowtail sashimi, rock shrimp tempura, and a tuna sashimi salad. As long as you present a Nevada ID and Backstage Pass membership card, you're good to go.

National
Auntie Anne's: Auntie Anne's is adding new breakfast items to their menu, according to a release. Though they started these efforts back in 2012, now they're working on expanding the sandwich line from just egg, cheese, and meat sandwiches on pretzel bread. The menu also includes the unique breakfast sausage stix, a sausage wrapped in pretzel bread, and pretzel waffles, which comes in flavors like powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar. They hope to add items like yogurt parfaits and other quick options.

Caribou Coffee: Caribou Coffee is introducing a quiche to their menu in ham and cheddar and spinach and Swiss flavors, according to Nation's Restaurant News. The quiche is now a permanent part of the chain's menu and they have less than 350 calories in a serving, in efforts to increase the healthy food options on the menu.

We're always looking for tips about new chefs and seasonal menus, so if you think there are any that we missed, let us know!