A Dining Experience Inspired by the Floating Markets of Thailand
Headliner
Rua Thai
Kornpon Theeraumpornkul, the chef and an owner of this charming new Thai spot, comes from central Thailand where Damnoen Saduak, one of the largest of the country’s famous floating markets, is located. His new restaurant is inspired by those markets, and decorated with photos of them and food that they might deliver. (His family also worked in the market.) He has spent the past 20 years working in Thai restaurants in New York and has brought some of his colleagues from those restaurants to this venture. Dolporn Thongneam, the bartender, is one of them. Brick walls, some with gilded Thai script, crystal chandeliers, bright upholstery and pillows, and baroque Lucite chairs define the space. Mr. Theeraumpornkul’s lengthy menu features fresh summer rolls, curry dumplings, fish curry custard, shrimp doughnuts stacked on sugar cane, grilled river prawns, pineapple seafood fried rice served in a pineapple, and kai tod had yai, fried chicken with a massaman curry dip. The colorful, inventive cocktails and mocktails include ingredients like lemongrass, lychee, butterfly pea juice and milk tea.
204 Smith Street (Baltic Street), Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, 718-797-5121, ruathai.com.
Opening
Roscioli NYC
In 2021, Roscioli, the famed Roman salumeria and restaurant. was in residence in the West Village at Ariel Arce’s Niche Niche for a pop-up. Fast forward to this week and Roscioli, with Ms. Arce as a partner, now has a restaurant and salumeria in New York. The restaurant is below street level, and serves testing menus, $105, two seatings a night. The ground floor salumeria and wine bar is to open in late summer.
43 Macdougal Street (King Street), no phone rosciolinyc.com.
Café Chelsea
A French American bistro is the latest addition to the Hotel Chelsea, where El Quijote, the Spanish restaurant, has operated as a full service restaurant since 1930. The newcomer, in the former Capitol Fishing Tackle Shop, offers a dining room with a traditional zinc bar and vintage chandeliers. There will be a private dining room. Like El Quijote, it is run by Sunday Hospitality with Charles Seich. The chef is Derek Boccagno, whose menu features roast chicken, steak tartare, frisée aux lardons, boudin blanc and noir, parisian gnocchi and steak frites. (Opens Friday).
218 West 23rd Street, no phone, cafechelseanyc.com.
ETI
The Israeli chef Nir Sarig has been doing pop-up dinners and consulting while percolating a new restaurant. Now the pop-ups have become a more formal series, to be held in a wooden house in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, where the opera singer Maria Callas was said to have been a guest. The eight course menu ($180 plus wine) will skew toward the Middle East and North Africa. Reservations are available July 14 through 16, 21st through 23rd, and 28th through 30th with seatings at 6 and 8:30 p.m.
Saito
The NoLIta sibling to Sushi Nakazawa has joined the city’s growing collection of omakase restaurants. Saito now offers six courses, with choices, for $100.
72 Kenmare Street (Mulberry Street), 646-590-2969, nycsaito.com.
F.O.M.O.
The initials represent “Friends of Mel’s Oven,” a series of pizza pop-ups from high-end chefs at Mel’s in Chelsea. Daniel Boulud’s seafood pizza in a parsley seaweed crust will be on the menu through July 21; July 22 through Aug. 4 will feature Gabriel Kreuther’s olive, onion, bell pepper, anchovy and ricotta creation; Aug. 4 to 18 will be Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s turn with squash, squash blossoms, tomato, mozzarella and ricotta; and Aug. 19 through Sept. 1 the pizza from Junghyun Park will come topped with pork belly, sardines, kimchi and fresh arugula.
Mel’s, 85 Tenth Avenue (15th Street), 212-9702202, mels-nyc.com.
Branches
Tacombi
This East Village location, the latest edition of the taco chain, varies from the others in that it only offers counter service with communal high-top tables for standing. (Wednesday)
139 East 12th Street (Third Avenue), tacombi.com.
Empire Steak House
Elegant décor and prime steaks, the trademark of the brand, have been installed in the theater district. (Wednesday)
233 West 49th Street, 212-355-5542, empiresteakhousenyc.com.
Vin Sur Vingt Sag Harbor
The group of New York City French wine bars has opened one of its larger locations in the Hamptons.
29 Main Street (Bay Street), Sag Harbor, N.Y., 631-458-2316, vsvwinebars.com.
Looking Ahead
Farm to People Kitchen & Bar and Eleven Madison Home Summer Cookout
Eleven Madison Home, the delivery wing of Eleven Madison Park, and Farm to People, a New York City food delivery service that works with local farms, will collaborate on a community paella dinner in Brooklyn on Friday. Summer produce will be the highlight for salads, grilled vegetables and desserts, as well as the main course paella, all prepared by chefs from Eleven Madison Park.
Summer Cookout, Friday at 5:30 p.m., $125, 1100 Flushing Avenue (Porter Avenue), Bushwick, Brooklyn, elevenmadisonhome.com.
Cote Singapore
Simon Kim’s Korean steakhouse, run by his Gracious Hospitality Management, which already has an offshoot in Miami, will open another in Singapore in the fall. It will be located in COMO Orchard, a development on Orchard Road from the COMO Group, which is a partner in this new restaurant.
Delmonico’s
Early this year the venerable New York restaurant was embroiled in controversy by owners and would-be owners and its ultimate fate was left up in the air. Now, the restaurant has reopened for private parties and will begin serving dinner to the public September 15. It had undergone extensive renovations after it closed during the pandemic. New owners, Dennis Turcinovic and Joseph Licul, signed a 15-year lease on the building. They were sued by members of the Grgurev family who claimed to be the rightful owners of the restaurant and its name but their claim was denied by the New York State Supreme Court in May. Max Tucci will work with the restaurant and the executive chef will be Edward J. Hong, who will add contemporary fare to the menu of American classics like Delmonico steak and lobster Newberg, for which the restaurant has long been known.
56 Beaver Street (South William Street).
Closing
Huertas
Aug. 12 will be the last day for this Spanish restaurant in the East Village. Jonah Miller, the chef and the principal operating partner, said that the lease is coming up and he has been unable to come to agreeable terms with the landlord.
107 First Avenue (Seventh Street), 212-228-4490, huertasnyc.com.
Chefs on the Move
Michael Mignano
This chef has risen through the ranks at the Pierre hotel, and has now been named executive chef and culinary director.
Luke Yoon
Mr. Yoon, who has worked at Masa, Aquavit and Brushstroke, is now the executive chef at Anto, the Korean restaurant in the townhouse that was formerly Felidia on East 58th Street. It will veer somewhat away from its original steakhouse concept to feature Korean haute cuisine with barbecue dishes.
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