Headliner
Marezzata
Italian food prepared with a Japanese pantry — or vice versa — is not new. Kimika in NoLIta opened last summer and fit the mold. Now, there’s a restaurant in Midtown Manhattan, from the group that includes Tomoe Food Services, a meat distributor specializing in Wagyu, where the emphasis is on Italian fare with Wagyu beef as an essential component in a few dishes. The same owners have the more Wagyu-centric restaurant J-Spec in the East Village. Wagyu, both imported and domestic, is having its moment of late, showing up more than ever on New York menus. But at this new place, there are choices like eggplant dengaku fritters, spaghetti giapponese with soy-butter sauce, and fried calamari with shiso chimichurri sauce, that fuse Japanese and Italian without the Wagyu. For now, the restaurant is only for takeout and delivery. A 25 percent discount is in effect through the end of the month for a one-pound top sirloin American Wagyu steak, and penne cacciatore with three cuts of beef, peppers, potatoes, zucchini, butter and tomato sauce. Eventually there will be outdoor seating; indoors at 25 percent capacity will allow for 36 diners.
231 East 50th Street, 212-546-9300, marezzata.com.
Opening
Fandi Mata
An industrial atmosphere softened by Iberian tile work sums up the décor of this two-story Mediterranean restaurant at the edge of McCarren Park. It was designed by Matthew Maddy, who also did Colonia Verde and Celestine in Brooklyn. For now, Fandi Mata offers takeout, delivery and a heated patio for al fresco dining. The executive chef, Javier Vázquez Mariño, a native of Spain who worked in Barcelona for several years, was most recently at the Aviary at the Mandarin Oriental New York as a sous chef. His menu travels throughout the Mediterranean with spreads like tzatziki and muhammara, plates of croquetas and grilled octopus, and Italian-style panini. There are pizzas and flatbreads from Federico Crocciani, the pizzaiolo at the wood-fired oven. A few more substantial items include a lamb burger and pappardelle with oxtail ragout.
74 Bayard Street (Lorimer Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 718-388-8877, fandimata.com.
Noodle Edition
Noodles are the specialty, of course, at this casual spot, and options include scallion and shrimp, dan dan, beef offal and sizzling sesame. A couple of soups and snacks, like marinated cucumbers and pot stickers, round out the menu.
18 West 45th Street, 845-495-3559, noodleeditionnyc.com.
Blank Street Coffee
After running a battery-powered coffee cart and serving drinks at the Wythe Avenue Diner, this company has opened its first brick-and-mortar location nearby. It gets its coffees from Parlor Coffee Roasters and its food from suppliers like Pain d’Avignon.
186 Bedford Avenue (North Seventh Street), blankstreet.com.
