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.
