Headliner
Nami Nori
Two years ago, the chefs Taka Sakaeda and Jihan Lee, with their partner, the operations director Lisa Limb, established a branch of this restaurant in the West Village, an elegantly spare, pale space specializing in temaki, the open hand rolls. It now has a sibling in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The airy new restaurant, which offers sheltered outdoor seating adjacent to McCarren Park, takes its cue from the original, with similar décor and two temaki counters for the two chefs. But there are some notable differences and new specialties for this location: Spice-fueled cauliflower temaki, and one called Phancy Philly, combining cream cheese, smoked salmon, caviar and chives (lacking only a pinch of everything spice), are a couple of them. Sashimi with topneck clams and cilantro gremolata, crisp rice chips for dipping into a salmon mixture, and nori chips for attacking a mushroom dip also join the lineup of items like calamari with yuzu soy, Asari clam soup with miso and butter, and spicy crab temaki. Some of the beers and sakes come from Brooklyn producers. (Opens Thursday)
236 North 12th Street (Driggs Avenue), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, naminori.nyc.
Opening
Atlantic Grill
The Lincoln Center area is buzzing again. As the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet and other arts institutions awaken from Covid hibernation, there are more restaurants in business. Monte Carlo Hospitality Group, new owners for this seafood restaurant, have revised its configuration. They’ve reduced its size; it no longer runs through the block and can be entered only from West 65th Street. The dining room has been redecorated in vibrant tones of red, blue and green, with drapery and chandeliers. The chef and partner, Antonio Salvatore, features a catch of the day, a particular fish that can be ordered in raw preparations like crudo or sashimi, and cooked various ways.
50 West 65th Street, 212-362-7800, atlanticgrill.com.
Anassa Taverna
With the original in Astoria, Queens, and an outpost on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, this Greek establishment has now added a third location, in the space that housed Danny Meyer’s North End Grill in Battery Park City. Here, the owners, Nick Tsoulos and Nick Pashalis, have added Peter Poulakakos and his business partner, Paul Lamas, both of whom already have extensive restaurant holdings in the downtown area. Both the new partners are of Greek heritage, and this is their first Greek restaurant. The extensive menu compiles Greek dining’s greatest hits, with fish by the pound, some raw bar specialties, a tower of crackling eggplant and zucchini chips, shrimp saganaki, typical spreads, fish in parchment and lamb chops. Natural wood finishes, hanging plants and photos of female Greek celebrities (including Jackie Onassis) define the interior; there’s outdoor seating for 80.
104 North End Avenue (Murray Street), 646-968-1025, anassataverna.com.
LMNO
The restaurateur and impresario Serge Becker (of La Esquina and Miss Lily’s, among others) said he and the Philadelphia-based restaurateur Stephen Starr had been talking about a joint venture for some time. It’s finally happening, after more than a year’s delay, in Philadelphia under the Starr Restaurant umbrella. They’ve come up with a multifaceted establishment combining restaurant, bar, bookstore, art gallery and a music room that’s a nod to Mr. Starr’s early career as a concert promoter. They want it to be a showcase for artists. The name, Mr. Becker said, “means nothing” but added that it’s a section of the alphabet easily stumbled over and that Mr. Starr had often considered it for a restaurant. Baja California is the inspiration for the chef Francisco Ramirez’s food, some of which is sizzled on a live-fire grill. Tacos and several large-format dishes like a whole fish and lamb shanks are menu highlights. There are multiple dining sections, including an outdoor area wreathed in greenery. (Wednesday)
1739-1749 North Front Street, Philadelphia, 215-770-7001, lmnophilly.com.
