Headliner
Ana Bar & Eatery
A crowd-pleasing self-service buffet of hot and cold dishes, with an emphasis on vegetable preparations to eat in or take away, is the centerpiece for this casual new dining area on the second level of the Hudson Yards Shops building. Replacing the Citarella market, it sells mostly prepared foods and is the work of Anna Castellani, who created the Foragers markets, DeKalb Market Hall and the Hugh food hall. The buffet selections, like charred brussels sprouts, roasted sweet potatoes, fennel with Parmesan, kale salad, saffron rice, poached salmon, citrus shrimp and chicken thighs with olives, are sold by the pound, $16.99, which they say factors in the weight of the container. Customers weigh and buy their choices at a wall of scales with digital registers. On weekends from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., brunch items like smoked salmon and egg dishes are also available by the pound, $24.99. At the entrance to the big, open space is a coffee bar that also sells juices and pastries, starting at 8 a.m. For made-to-order options, there is a taco stand and a pizzeria for squares of assorted pies, as well as a free-standing bar that serves small plates and pizzas. Coming soon is a Bronx Brewery beer hall, with brewing on-site. On the floor below is the Ana Wine & Spirits shop.
20 Hudson Yards (10th Avenue and 31st Street), Level 2, anafoodandwine.com.
Opening
Mermaid Mexicana
This new Mexican spot from Danny Abrams and Cindy Smith, the owners of the Mermaid Inn restaurants, is a departure. Not only does it feature a different cuisine, the menu is also less seafood-focused. The chef, Victor Marin, is a native of Cuautla, just south of Mexico City, and who, Ms. Smith said, had been interested in showcasing the food he knows from childhood. The restaurant occupies the former location of Mermaid Oyster Bar, which moved to a larger space nearby last fall and where Mr. Marin was the chef. In a space with a bar up front and a wall of cactus plants, he offers a fairly classic menu of Mexican-style shrimp cocktail; cheese flautas; tuna tostada; tortilla soup; fluke aguachile; and street-style tacos with birria, pork al pastor, Baja-style fish and zucchini. Large plates feature skirt steak, roast chicken and whole roasted Idaho trout, among others.
79 Macdougal Street (West Houston Street), 212-400-8800, themermaidnyc.com.
Oiji Mi
Korean home cooking is a specialty of the chef, Brian Kim, who came to the United States to attend the Culinary Institute of America and opened Oiji in the East Village with another chef. His latest venture, Oiji Mi, with Maximillian Soh, the operating director and a managing partner, is in a subdued, elegant setting by AvroKo. Its dark wood accents, velvet, leather and marble tables are said to reflect the private clubs that dotted the Flatiron district a century or so ago. Mr. Kim’s food represents an inventive Korean-based fusion, featuring dishes on a five-course, prix-fixe menu ($125) like foie gras with bokbunja (black raspberry) gastrique and brioche; a bo ssam for two with pork belly, oysters, and mustard mignonette; and cashew kong-guksu (nut milk broth) with capellini, prawns and optional caviar.
17 West 19th Street, 212-256-1259, oijimi.com.
Shmone
The Israeli chef and restaurateur Eyal Shani has a global empire of about 40 restaurants, including Miznon, HaSalon and Naked Tomato in New York. Now, he is opening this intimate showcase (pronounced shmo-NEH, Hebrew for eight) for his particular style of Levantine cooking, emphasizing seasonal ingredients. The former Neta space, with a central open kitchen, will seat 50 and produce freshly made breads like bourkas and focaccias, vegetable dishes like grilled white asparagus, and seafood and meat, including sardines over charcoal, and lamb kebabs. The menu will change daily. French wines dominate the list, though there are some bottles from the Middle East. (Opens Thursday)
61 West Eighth Street, 646-438-9815, shmonenyc.com.
Olde City Cheesesteaks & Brew
Evan Stein, the cheese steak entrepreneur who co-owned several Shorty’s outlets in Manhattan, is on the same track with a group of partners and a new name, Olde City, reflecting a Philadelphia neighborhood. The first has opened with a menu that includes vegetarian cheesesteaks (oxymoron), hoagies, bar snacks like Buffalo cauliflower bites and onion rings, and salads. Locations in Hell’s Kitchen and Chelsea are coming.
66 Madison Avenue (27th Street), 929-281-3222, loveoldecity.com.
Le Dive
The latest from the restaurateur Jon Neidich and his Golden Age Hospitality is this Lower East Side cafe and bar emphasizing natural wines. Done in the style of a casual Parisian bar-tabac, it serves aperitifs, digestifs, wines and cocktails, with small plates by the chef Nicole Gajadhar. Vintage touches, including finds from the Marché aux Puces, define the décor.
37 Canal Street (Ludlow Street), ledivenyc.com.
Café Spaghetti
Sal Lamboglia, who has cooked alongside Andrew Carmellini at Locanda Verde, the Dutch, Bar Primi and Lafayette, has established his own neighborhood spot. It opens in the morning with espresso, pastries and sandwiches, which carry through lunch. The dinner menu includes family recipes, like Nonna’s genovese ragù with fusilli grosso, and popular Italian fare like meatballs, fried artichokes, Caesar salad, spaghetti with clams, eggplant parm and chicken Milanese. It’s an intimate room with a large bar and has outdoor seating on the sidewalk and in a garden.
126 Union Street (Columbia Street), Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, .
OStudio at Night and OCafe
OStudio opened in 2019 with facilities for local artisans and craftspeople and plans for a cafe and wine bar, but the pandemic derailed the food and drink project until now. Fernando Aciar, who started OStudio and owns OCafe in the West Village, has opened a South American-influenced daytime cafe in the space. By night, there’s a wine bar serving drinks and small plates, as well as more substantial fare from chefs in residence on a monthly basis, starting this month with Giuseppe Lacorazza, who runs Fugaz in Mexico City. The other chefs taking over the kitchen from June to September are Woldy Reyes; Jay Wolman; Jesse Merchant Zuñiga and Javier Zuñiga; Tony Ortiz; and Pricilla Aguilar.
366 Stockton Street (Lewis Avenue), Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, 347-240-2730, ostudiony.com.
Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace
What was the Flatbush Caton Market has been renamed and will open with much fanfare on Friday. It will have a new food hall housing vendors like Picky Eaters, serving Trinidadian food, and a commercial test kitchen for entrepreneurs. (Friday)
2123 Caton Avenue (Flatbush Avenue), Flatbush, Brooklyn, 929-210-3584, flatbushcentral.com.
Looking Ahead
City Winery
The bar, restaurant, winery and entertainment complex, with many locations in New York City and elsewhere, will open another in Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal. It has taken over the west side of the grand space that was until recently home to the Scandinavian-themed Great Northern Food Hall. City Winery’s plans include City Jams, a casual spot for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a grab-and-go component. A full-service restaurant is also planned for the space that housed Agern: Called Cornelius, it is named for Cornelius Vanderbilt, the railroad and shipping tycoon who built Grand Central Depot, which became Grand Central Terminal in 1913. Oysters Vanderbilt, a spin on oysters Rockefeller, is one dish planned for the restaurant.
Vanderbilt Hall, Grand Central Terminal.
Smyth Tavern
The new owners of the Smyth hotel in TriBeCa have brought in John McDonald for this restaurant, which replaces Andrew Carmellini’s Little Park. Mr. McDonald plans a seasonal grill menu for the new restaurant to open this summer.
85 West Broadway (Chambers Street).
314 West 11th Street
This West Village building housed the Spotted Pig, the influential gastropub owned by Ken Friedman, April Bloomfield and a number of marquee investors, which closed in light of sexual harassment allegations against Mr. Friedman. Two floors are now in the hands of Angie Mar, the chef and restaurateur who owned the Beatrice Inn and is now the owner of Les Trois Chevaux, in partnership with Matt Abramcyk, a downtown restaurateur. They and other investors have not revealed their plans for the new restaurant. Mr. Abramcyk, who co-owns Smith & Mills and Yves in TriBeCa, said he looks forward to working with Ms. Mar on this project.
Gjelina
First announced in 2016, the East Coast branch of this popular Los Angeles restaurant is finally gearing up to open in NoHo as planned. September is the target, and they’re looking for a chef.
45 Bond Street (Bowery).
Léon 1909
Valerie Mnuchin and her father, Robert Mnuchin, are opening a restaurant with a wood-burning hearth on Shelter Island, N.Y., in July. It’s named for Ms. Mnuchin’s paternal grandfather, who spent time on the island.
29 West Neck Road (New York Avenue), Shelter Island.
Michelin
Washington, D.C.
The Michelin Guide to Washington, D.C., and the surrounding area has been published, with the Inn at Little Washington still the only highest-rated, three-star establishment. There are four new one-star restaurants: Albi, Imperfecto: The Chef’s Table, Oyster Oyster and Reverie.
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