Headliner
Hyun
On the edge of Koreatown, the entrepreneur Jae Kim is responding to his nostalgia for Korean food as he knew it in South Korea, with this elegant restaurant emphasizing barbecue. It’s small (seating only 40), sleek and minimalist, in neutral tones and black, with electric-grill tables for searing Wagyu on cast iron. To direct the restaurant and oversee the kitchen and its beverage lineup, Mr. Kim has enlisted Euikyu Bang, a native of Seoul who has worked in New York for the past eight years, notably at the barbecue restaurant New Wonjo. The many cuts of Wagyu on offer are sold by the ounce. There are starters like homemade soft tofu, chawanmushi and raw Wagyu with Asian pear; other dishes include pickled herbs, rice in a pot with sea urchin, and bibimbap. The luxury goes beyond the ingredients, with hand-forged brass tableware and traditional lacquer.
10 East 33rd Street, 917-261-6217, hyun-nyc.com.
Opening
Felice 56
Felice, a group of Tuscan-style restaurants and wine bars across the city, is taking over a multistory space in the Chambers Hotel, in Midtown. On the street level, there will be a coffee bar and a wine bar serving small bites. The main dining room will be downstairs. The space most recently housed David Chang’s Má Pêche. (Opens Wednesday)
15 West 56th Street, 646-437-7272, felicenyc.com.
Otaku Katsu
Everyday Japanese fare — rice balls (onigiri), katsu (short for tonkatsu) fried cutlets, and sandwiches on white bread in bento boxes — is the stock-in-trade at this casual new spot on the Lower East Side.
137 Rivington Street (Norfolk Street), 917-388-3924, otakukatsu.com.
Rhodora Wine Bar
Henry Rich (the restaurateur behind Rucola, June wine bar and the catering company Purslane) is opening what he’s calling a sustainable place, with the goal of producing zero waste. Natural wines and food packaged in biodegradable and recyclable materials are part of the plan. Cheeses, charcuterie and tinned seafood will be served to accompany the wines. (Friday)
197 Adelphi Street (Willoughby Avenue), Fort Greene, Brooklyn, 718-233-9134, rhodorabk.com.
Looking Ahead
Roberta’s
The high-profile pizzeria that put Bushwick, Brooklyn, on the dining map will open a Manhattan branch next year with a natural wine bar. The company already has kiosks in Urbanspace markets and a branch in Los Angeles. It is also building a new restaurant, in the Domino Sugar Factory development in Williamsburg, to open this fall.
15 Avenue A (First Street).
Butterfield Market
This Upper East Side food shop has taken over the former Dean & DeLuca store nearby. It will open another market there, larger than the original, in the spring.
1150 Madison Avenue (85th Street).
Le Fooding
This 20-year-old French restaurant-rating organization started as an anti-Michelin disrupter. Michelin now owns part of the group, which has started a new award system in partnership with Mastercard. Called Priceless Cities Best New Bistro, it will focus on what it calls bistros (though many on the list are more upscale, and some are not so new) in London, Mexico City, Paris and New York, and allow diners to participate in the voting. Three anonymous experts in each city are choosing the restaurants. In New York, they chose Adda, Cherry Point, Coast and Valley, Crown Shy, Di An Di, Gertie, Haenyeo, Kopitiam, LaLou, Maison Yaki, Misi, Mo’s Original, Oxomoco, Red Hook Tavern, Saint Julivert Fisherie, Sofreh, the Standard Grill and Wayan, before narrowing the list to three — Adda, Crown Shy and Saint Julivert Fisherie. The public can vote on the final three from Sept. 25 to Oct. 25 at bestnewbistro.com. Diners’ votes will account for 25 percent of each restaurant’s rating, and winners for all the cities will be announced on Nov. 25.
