The Vasper
It’s not on Madison Avenue, but this 120-seat restaurant and bar in the Park Avenue Mondrian evokes the 1960s “Mad Men” era with classic cocktails, chips and onion dip and lobster Thermidor for two. (Wednesday)
444 Park Avenue South (30th Street), 646-948-2464, thevasper.com.
KJun
Pun intended, this mash-up of Korean and Cajun, formerly a series of pop-ups, now has a home in Murray Hill. Jae Jung, a native of Seoul, is the chef and owner. She worked at Dooky Chase in New Orleans and at Le Bernardin in New York, and now has this small counter-service spot for specialties like kimchi jambalaya, okra kimchi and shrimp and grits.
154 East 39th Street, 347-675-8026, kjun-nyc.square.site.
MayRee
This 30-seat spot features food from Southern Thailand, including deep-fried whole fish with fresh herb salad, with cocktails often based on Thai spirits like Mekhong Rum and Phraya Gold Rum. Orawan Sawangphol, the chef and an owner, is from Phang Nga, near Phuket.
58 East First Street (First Avenue), 929-989-6213, mayreenyc.com.
Hekate Café & Elixir Lounge
No alcoholic beverages are served here. Instead, this bar’s drinks use herbal mixtures and alcohol-free spirit products from companies like Lyre’s and Clean Co. Zero A.B.V. beers are also on offer.
167 Avenue B (11th Street), 646-590-3404, hekatenyc.com.
Closing
The Mermaid Inn
The Amsterdam Avenue branch of this restaurant group will close Oct. 16. The building was sold, and its new owners anticipated some construction (and the subsequent scaffolding). So the Mermaid owners Cindy Smith and Danny Abrams decided to terminate their lease. They are hoping to reopen on the Upper West Side next year.
570 Amsterdam Avenue (88th Street), 212-799-7400, themermaidnyc.com.
Looking Ahead
200 Park Avenue
Just as it is revamping the dining offerings in Rockefeller Center, Tishman Speyer has also turned its attention to 200 Park Avenue, originally the Pan Am Building, and now MetLife, owned by Irvine Company. From its inception, the building was known for a collection of unique restaurants like Tropica and Trattoria and later, Naples 45. Now to come are branches of Capital Grille and Black Seed Bagels. And planned for next year, to replace La Fonda del Sol, is a fine-dining seafood restaurant to be run by Franklin Becker, Stephen Loffredo and Tora Matsuoka with a sushi bar, a raw bar, seating indoors and out and a lobby area with food to take away.
Chefs on the Move
Anita Lo
This chef, whose restaurant Annisa is no longer in business, will prepare a sake-pairing dinner on Oct. 12 from 5 p.m., at the Musket Room in NoLIta. She will work with Mary Attea, the restaurant’s chef and Ms. Lo’s life partner, on the multicourse meal, which will include foie gras soup dumplings, $250 plus tax and tip.
The Musket Room, 265 Elizabeth Street (East Houston Street), 212-219-0764, musketroom.com.
