Headline
Tsismis NYC
The flavors of the Philippines are interpreted inventively in the hands of Jappy Afzelius, a Filipino executive chef who worked at high-end kitchens in France, Italy and New York. Starters, called pica pica, include pinsit fritos or pork dumplings, fried vegetable spring rolls called lumpia, and kale laing sautéed with shrimp paste and replacing taro leaves with kale. Mr. Afzelius adds Filipino ingredients to a Caesar salad; uses French-cut chicken breasts in his chicken adobo with turmeric soy sauce; includes salmon in sinigang, a typical tamarind soup; and serves traditional Filipino milkfish belly called bangus, fried with chayote and quinoa. His halo-halo dessert uses coconut sorbet in place of shaved ice. Not only does the menu expand your Filipino vocabulary, but you may also note that the name of the restaurant is a play on the Spanish word chisme, or gossip. The intimate room has a tropical feel, a copper bar and a chef’s table with eight seats facing the open kitchen. Philippe Segura, the beverage director, selected the wines and sakes. The owners, Stephen Young and Reggie Aguinaldo, have Filipino roots. (Opens Friday)
143 Orchard Street (Rivington Street), 646-329-6875, tsismisnyc.com.
Opening
The Tang
Eric Sze and Yu Li, the owners of this Chinese noodle bar with a location in the East Village, went separate ways. Mr. Li subsequently opened Tang Hotpot on the Lower East Side, and is now adding an expanded version of the Tang to the Upper West Side. The new restaurant, with Kim Hui Teo, who was at Tim Ho Wan and RedFarm, in the kitchen, still features dishes like drunk noodles with beef, and scallion oil noodles. Others include marinated short ribs with Sichuan spices, braised pork knuckle with fermented bean curd and baijiu, and Japanese-style grilled eggplant. The dining room is crimson, with bare brick and an open kitchen. (Friday)
920 Amsterdam Avenue (105th Street), 646-596-7970, thetangnyc.com.
Gemelli, the Ledge and Green Room
The restaurateur Daniel Cipriani of the Sea Wolf in Bushwick, Brooklyn, is opening three places in a newly renovated commercial building. Gemelli, on the ground floor, will be an all-day restaurant featuring fresh pasta. The Ledge, on the second floor, is a 1970s California-style bar with a year-round roof deck; the speakeasy-style Green Room is installed upstairs. (Saturday)
321 Starr Street (Cypress Avenue), Bushwick, Brooklyn, 347-295-0731.
Sushi by Bou
Another iteration of the 30-minute omakase chain opens. (Thursday)
1811A Emmons Avenue (Sheepshead Bar Road), Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, sushibybou.com.
Reopening
Settepani
This Italian restaurant, a fixture in Harlem since 2000, closed this year for renovations. It has reopened with a more informal approach, communal tables and prepared foods to take away.
196 Malcolm X Boulevard (120th Street), 917-492-4806, settepani.com.
White Horse Tavern
This famous West Village watering hole of nearly 140 years, known for its literary clientele, closed briefly last month for a change in management, a kitchen renovation and some tweaks to the décor. Eytan Sugarman, an owner of Hunt & Fish Club in Midtown Manhattan, has taken over and hired Ed Szymanski, the executive chef at Cherry Point in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, to oversee the menu. Only the bar is open, for drinks; food from a brief menu that includes a cheeseburger, a fried soft shell crab roll and roast chicken with bone marrow potatoes, will start on Thursday. The menu will expand in September. (Saturday)
567 Hudson Street (11th Street), 212-989-3956.
Chefs on the Move
Mary Attea and Melissa Weller
Ms. Attea, who was the chef de cuisine at Annisa, is now the executive chef at High Street on Hudson, the well-received Philadelphia import in the West Village. A few of her dishes, like torched mackerel, echo her food at Annisa, while other specialties, including labneh with dukkah and mint, reflect her Lebanese roots. She joins Ms. Weller, formerly the head baker at Per Se and then at Sadelle’s, who moved to High Street on Hudson as head baker and a partner six months ago.
Galen Zamarra
Mr. Zamarra, who owned the Mas restaurants and then became the executive chef at the Lambs Club, is heading west. He will be the executive chef at the Lodge at Blue Sky, a new resort in Wanship, Utah. He will be in charge of Yuta, the property’s signature restaurant, among other responsibilities.
Closing
Smith Canteen
Smith Canteen, a popular coffeehouse serving egg sandwiches and avocado toast, will close on June 30.
343 Smith Street (Carroll Street), Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, smithcanteen.com.
