Spring is always a universal sign of hope. But for the New York restaurant industry, pummeled brutally by the pandemic, it’s of particular resonance this year: whereas 2020 was marked by news of closures, for the first time in 13 months there are several openings to report.
Across the city, new, buzzy eateries are popping up block by block. After years helming the Beatrice, Angie Mar is giving a new culinary concept a go in Greenwich Village, whereas in Tribeca a pedigreed group of foodies has taken over a historic townhouse. Meanwhile, the trend of delicious plant-based cuisine continues apace in the East Village.
And that’s just to name a few. Below, a few of our favorite new or upcoming openings in New York City this spring.
Angie Mar’s beloved Beatrice Inn was one of the many casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet this spring, the acclaimed chef gets a chance at another act with Les Trois Chevaux, a new French brasserie just around the corner from her original haunt. Mar says she’s excited to embark on an entirely new culinary concept: “While my stewardship has, and continues to be a great honor, carrying the weight of an iconic restaurant’s name often dictates one’s creative direction, purely by its heritage. Les Trois Chevaux will be the first restaurant in which I am starting from a truly blank canvas.” The restaurant will open its doors later in the season.
It’s not easy to take over an address steeped in history—One White Street was once home to John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s micronation, Nutopia. (We don’t have time to get into it, this is an openings guide!) But if there’s anyone for the job, it’s Austin Johnson (the former executive chef at Frenchie in Paris) as well Dustin Wilson (former wine director at Eleven Madison Park and one of the stars of Netflix’s Somm).
Spread out over four stories of a Tribeca townhouse, One White Street will serve elevated American cuisine—think roasted mussels with lemongrass, coconut, avocado and pickled carrot; tartare of beef with sourdough, cured egg yolk, salsify and sesame. Most of their ingredients will be sourced sourced from their own farm in Upstate New York called Rigor Hill. Farmer Elliot Coleman, who designed Blue Hill at Stone Barns, consulted on their rural outpost. One White Street is slated to open in the beginning of May.
“Cadence is my way of reclaiming Black culture through food and sharing the benefits of a plant-based approach, while respecting beloved traditions,” says chef Shenarri Freeman of her new vegan soul food restaurant. She reinterpreted many of her Southern family’s recipes for the inaugural menu: think grits made of chickpeas, cornbread with bee-free honey butter, and fried lasagna with pine nut ricotta. The East Village eatery is the latest project from Overthrow Hospitality, a plant-based restaurant group also known for Ladybird.
Sona, Gramercy
Priyanka Chopra-Jonas (ever heard of her?) is the creative collaborator behind Sona, a new restaurant in Gramercy that aims to be the Indochine of Indian food. Already, they’re getting buzz for their stylish interiors, done in an Indo Deco style.