The restaurant issue
Restaurants of the Summer (& spring), new guard lunches, Eulalie, Four Twenty Five, Bar Vinazo, Gjelina, Massara, Penny, Sawa, Eel Bar, Le Veau d’Or, MORE
ABOUT FOUND • Restaurants
Where should you eat right now
At FOUND, we capture the restaurant scene via three primary lenses — short narrative pieces relaying our experiences dining in the field (First Person), distilled lists of recommendations (The Nines), and interviews with the city’s movers, shakers, and industry insiders of taste (Routines).
FOUND is fascinated with what’s new, reporting regularly on just-opened spots before the rush. Just as interesting to us: those places that haven’t received their just acclaim, and old favorites that reward return visits. And while we will spend $500 per person for an extraordinary experience, we are equally at home at an exemplary neighborhood bistro.
Across the breadth of our coverage, we’re as focused on the room and the vibe — the way the restaurant makes you feel — as we are the food. We’re also obsessed with the movements and trends shaping the dining scene, from the evolving reservations game (and challenges of getting a table) to the shifting parameters of what constitutes a power lunch. And finally, our coverage reaches beyond the city, into the suburbs and weekend getaway markets (i.e., “surrounds”).
Here now, a sampler of FOUND pieces from the year in restaurants for your late-August enjoyment.
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Restaurant of the summer
Notable openings from the summer of ’24
Eel Bar (Lower East Side), Latest from Cervo’s and Hart’s team, sleek, Basque-inflected good time (intel here)
Massara (Flatiron, above), Southern Italian from Rezdôra’s Stefano Stecchi
Nomad Tea Parlor (Nomad), two-story dim sum temple from Nom Wah’s Wilson Tang
Le Veau d’Or (Midtown East), Frenchette and Le Rock team revive classic stamp-sized bistro to spectacular effect (intel here)
Lola’s (Nomad), chef Suzanne Cups melds south with far east, (intel here)
Il Totano (West Village), Top Chef Harold Dieterle returns with Coastal Italian (intel here)
Kisa (Lower East Side), C is for Charlie team does roadside Korean, walk-ins only
Strange Delight (Fort Greene), New Orleans-inspired seafood and fun (intel here)
Veselka (Williamsburg), sizable new outpost of venerable East Village Ukrainian diner, walk-ins only
Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@foundny.com.
RESTAURANTS • First Person
Tilting toward the sun
With the season officially arriving on Thursday afternoon at 4:51p, it’s a good moment to reflect again on one of FOUND’s perennial concerns, the Restaurant of the Summer.
Last June, also just before the solstice, we explained the concept:
The restaurant of the summer is a freshly opened place that captures the spirit of that particular season — not unlike a song of the summer. Ten years ago, in 2013, that restaurant was Charlie Bird. In the northwest corner of Soho, it brought a true lightness, helped largely by its west-facing windows and the low-slung buildings across Sixth Avenue which allow that golden hour sun to pour in. It’s not a restaurant you only want to visit in summer, but it’s the season when it shines most.
We wrote on the topic of ROTS several times last summer, bouncing between candidates including Libertine, Bar Vinazo, and Roscioli. And this year, we’ve already shortlisted Fort Greene’s new New Orleans-inflected Strange Delight and Top Chef alum Harold Dieterle’s new West Village Italian seaford spot Il Totano as early contenders.
While the debate is fun (and itself, really, the whole point of the exercise), I feel confident declaring today — yes, two days before the season’s start — that New York City’s restaurant of the summer for 2024 is…
Massara.
Stepping into the brand new Flatiron restaurant last Thursday night, my first impression was one of cool, signaled by the stonework underfoot at the check-in area and extending inside to a six-seat bar and, beyond, the downstairs dining room. Back behind that, a pizza oven delivered from Naples and an open fire for grilling (what’s certain to be a knockout dry-aged branzino) helped anchor the Southern Italian vibe. Which, it turns out, is exactly what chef Stefano Stecchi intends. Massara is Stecchi’s first follow-up to his smash hit pasta sanctum, Rezdôra, and the entire undertaking is about as serious as any new restaurant can get (while still feeling rustic).
For those who suffered years without breaching the nearly impassable door at Rezdôra, glad tidings: Massara, spanning two floors, is much bigger. Beyond the added seats, there’s another bar area on the second floor.
But last week, the restaurant was just getting up to speed, having served 100 covers the previous night (and the night before that, a mere 20). Sitting at the downstairs bar, we enjoyed the smallest, most perfect Margherita pizza I’ve ever had, served atop a wooden pedestal. Watching these tiny pies, which the restaurant calls pizzettes, emerging on large paddles from the pizza oven is one of the room’s many pleasures. While there are no larger sizes, there will be a two-hour, $90 pizza tasting, debuting soon.
Another standout: the caprese, tomatoes fresh from the Union Square Greenmarket (yes, hothouse, but local), eclipsing the buffalo mozzarella. (The secret, per Stecchi: adding tomato water to the vinaigrette to draw out even more tomato taste. Brilliant.) Our first perfect tomato salad of the season — welcome, summer.
But Stecchi is, at his core, a pasta master. We tried three of the six on the menu, all fabulous: candele with ragu Genovese (a classic Sunday sauce prep), “cheesemakers” raviolini, and long spaghettoni wrapped high with tomato sauce, uni, and prawns, a dish that comes with an incredible plot twist that I won’t reveal here. How could I? Massara is nothing if not this season’s definitive blockbuster — and like any great blockbuster, you won’t want its best moments spoiled. Better see it soon, before everyone else starts talking about it, too. –Lockhart Steele, 06/18/24
→ Massara (Flatiron) • 912 Broadway • Mon-Sat 530-10p.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine
Springtime at Gjelina
SHELLEY ARMISTEAD • CEO • Gjelina Group
Neighborhood you work in: East Village, NYC & Venice Beach, LA
It’s Friday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
It’s a mix of everything: 1. Construction is full steam ahead at Gjelina NY. 2. Gjelina LA, GTA, and Gjusta are in full spring-break mode, which is super fun because we get to meet people from all over the world. 3. We’re hanging artwork at Vittorja. 4. Buckets of tulips are coming into the flower shop. 5. Bread class with chef Nicky, and tasting strawberries with Bethany.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I’m writing two cookbooks simultaneously, which is a little silly, but I can't seem to slow down. Also, in no particular order: Signing off on a new custom paint color that I created, begging chef Juan and chef Nicky to come up with a thinner burrito, praying that the design of a new lampshade I’ve been dreaming about works out, a parent-teacher conference, and an interview with a publication about the future of hospitality.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
In LA, it's a funny one — and no one talks about it because supposedly it isn't considered “new” or “cool” — but the food at Cecconi's West Hollywood is just so consistently good, it's a comfort to eat there. I’ll stop in for agnolotti and half glass of white at some point during the week. The staff are phenomenal and I never run into anyone. In NY, Rosella always.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Both the NY Philharmonic and the LA Phil are always my go-to. I like to go by myself, and particularly at 11 a.m. on a Friday if there is a piece I love being performed. Also: 92nd St Y for conversation in NY, ICA in LA, Salon 94 in NY. And I’ll break up my work day with 45 minutes of art somewhere.
Any weekend getaways?
I love going Upstate. Favorite places: Talbot & Arding in Hudson, Montage Antiques in Millerton, Stissing House in Pine Plains, and Wassaic Project in Wassaic.
What was your last great vacation?
Hydra every year with my best friend Maia for swimming, reading, eating, and hiking. Last year I explored Paris with my boys (who are both very romantic humans). I’ve been many times, but to see it through their eyes was extra special. Avoid the lines at the Eiffel Tower and do a double ride in the Ferris wheel at Place de la Concorde — it’s more personal space, and the views are phenomenal. I love Les Enfants du Marche for dinner and Folderol for ice cream after. 04/19/24
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Lunch, the new guard
Café Boulud (Upper East Side), classic comeback recently debuted lunch, M-F 12-2p
Four Twenty Five (Midtown), Benno and JGV go big, M-F, 1145a-230p
Greywind (Hudson Yards), chef Dan Kluger brings the flavors, M-F 1130a-230p
Roscioli (Soho),lunch Tues-Sun, bookings at 1230p & 1p ($55 per)
Sartiano’s (Soho), Scott Sartiano’s subterranean Soho spot, M-F, 12p-230p
Raf’s (Noho), current default option, Tues-Thurs 11a-2p, Fri 11a-3p
Superiority Burger (East Village), vegan sensation does lunch, M-F 12-3:30p
Sailor (Fort Greene), chef April Bloomfield’s lunch on offer, Wed-Fri, 12-2p
Misipasta (Williamsburg), chef Missy Robbins’ casual, newish spot, daily from 11a
RESTAURANTS • First Person
Curtain up
When we were seated at Four Twenty Five, just after 5p last Tuesday, the restaurant was full only of anticipation, and we had a direct line of sight to chef Jonathan Benno surveying the dining room before service. (Was he staring us down? Maybe!) A few minutes later, Jean-Georges Vongerichten appeared on Benno’s left flank, the two main characters of this sparkling new production stage-lit in the glassed-in kitchen like the dramatic opening of a Broadway show.
It was clear we were in for a very serious evening.
As we admired the scene and our place in it, several staff members came by in succession to get us settled. Not a full course in, and our first server introduced us to another server, who would be taking over. Fine dining, it’s a contact sport.
By 7p, the dining room — the grandest to open in Midtown since the Four Seasons became The Grill — was at capacity, the crowd heavy on the Upper East Side, with a dash of downtown finance, and a healthy pinch of New York eccentric. At the table to our left, two women discussed their recent travels: “I was just in Belize. With my cat.” To the right, another woman asked for Jean-Georges before she had sat down: “Please have him come over.”
The food is beautiful and refined, from the amuse of a polenta cake with black truffle shavings to the dessert of caramel custard with banana, brown butter, and creme fraiche ice cream. The crudo and appetizers were especially elegant: scallop tartare with shiso leaves for wrapping, foie gras terrine with blood orange confit and spiced madeleines (the best dessert appetizer you’ve ever had), and sliced kampachi with a kick of aji amarillo. Immaculate, all.
After dinner, on our way back down the (long!) staircase from the second-floor dining room, we passed JGV, re-ascending. Perhaps he was on his way to make the rounds, to ask about traveling tabbies, to sign some menus, which already had his name in many places. He’d earned it. Oui, chef.
The first-floor lounge, empty on arrival, now bustled with 20-somethings making a serious dent in the venue’s average age while drinking JG Manhattans and nibbling bar snacks in polished sneakers.
We left them to it and walked back onto Park Ave., past the gleaming lobby of the restaurant’s namesake, a new Norman Foster-designed office building, where a party of four seventy-somethings had just circled through the revolving door and into the tower in search of the restaurant. For them, the show had just begun. –Josh Albertson, 02/06/24
→ Four Twenty Five (Midtown East) • 425 Park Ave.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine
Nectar of the gods
JOE CAMPANALE & ILYSSA SATTER, co-founders, Bar Vinazo, LaLou & Fausto
Neighborhood you live in: Prospect Heights
It’s Friday afternoon, how are you rolling into the weekend?
Joe: I love getting a run in at Prospect Park before swinging by the restaurants that we own and operate in the neighborhood (Fausto, LaLou, and Bar Vinazo). It's so beautiful this time of year, and sometimes I literally run into friends, regulars, and other restaurant operators who will join me for a mile or two.
Ilyssa: On Fridays our fridge is nearly empty, since we cook all week and then do a big greenmarket shop at Grand Army Plaza first thing Saturday morning. In search of lunch, I like to work out of Bar Vinazo where I can perch at one of our high tops and get through my inbox with a sandwich and salad from chef Silvia Garcia-Nevado’s new lunch menu. The tortilla bocadillo is perfect, since I too-often-than-not skip breakfast, and constantly crave any variation on an egg sandwich. This one’s special, with an end-of-season pan con tomaté spread and garlic aioli on a Winner Hero.
Any restaurant plans?
Ilyssa: Breakfast at Little Egg is a non-negotiable for our family every weekend. Joe and I are the parents of a three-year-old, so our mornings start early. Thankfully, the team at Little Egg is up and running by 7:30 a.m. Friday to Sunday. We love that the grown-ups can eat healthy (expertly made omelets, stewed tomatoes, and kale), the coffee is very good (and strong) and our son can indulge in Tanya Bush’s crullers and scones.
Joe: Friday night outdoors at No. 7 for Vanderbilt Open Streets is always a great time, especially after a busy week. Ilyssa, Cole, and I get three cheeseburgers and fries with beers and negronis for the adults. (PSA: We’ve learned that chef Tyler’s broccoli tacos are a great way to trick a toddler into eating vegetables.) Cole loves music and there’s usually a performance or two to drop into and dance off our burgers.
Any weekend getaways?
Ilyssa: We’re heading to Fishkill Farms, a couple of hours north of the city, for pick-your-own berries, peaches, and plums in the summer and apples, pears, and pumpkins in the fall. There’s also a great farm store and a serious smokehouse where the staff crank out excellent jerk chicken that you can eat at shaded picnic tables underneath old oak trees.
Joe: As a Queens kid, I love taking Cole to the Queens Zoo. We always make sure to stop at The Lemon Ice King of Corona — the place for Italian ices for the past 60 years. I always get the peanut butter and Cole gets the vanilla chip, and then eats half of mine.
What was your last great vacation?
Ilyssa: Opening a new business doesn’t lend you too many opportunities for vacation. But in August, we had the chance to stay out east in Springs, where we grilled and swam everyday, collected shells, and tried our best to unplug. A Doubles breakfast roti and smoothie on a rocky bay beach will forever be the best way to start the day.
Joe: Visiting Sicily on a research trip for my book Vino was a definite highlight. Both Ilyssa and I had been before as college students, but this trip was really special for us to do together. We spent time with a handful of incredible wine producers (Arianna Occhipinti, Nino Barraco, Marco de Bartoli, and Frank Cornelissen to name a few) and ate some absolutely amazing food (arancini the size of a fist, incredibly fresh seafood, and the best granita of our lives at Caffe Sicilia). 10/13/23
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Spring Restaurant Rush
Notable openings from the spring of ’24
Beefbar (Tribeca), steak import in original Nobu & Next Door space
Esse Taco (Williamsburg), Enrique Olvera’s hyped SRO taco stand, walk-ins only (intel here)
Penny (East Village), sequel to Claud, shining delight of a raw bar (intel here)
Cha Cha Tang (Greenwich Village), Hong Kong-style cafe pop-up from Nom Wah founder Wilson Tang now permanent
Beut (Nomad), 8-course Korean royal court cuisine tasting menu, $125 per
Sempre Oggi (Upper West Side), modern Italian in former ‘Cesca space
Mariscos El Submarino (Greenpoint), same great food w/out Jackson Heights commute, walk-ins only (intel here)
Theodora (Fort Greene), Miss Ada’s team brings wood-fire seafood, and bit of party too (intel here)
Sawa (Park Slope), Lebanese in a relaxed space
RESTAURANTS • First Person
Eulalie upturns her violet eye on Tribeca
“You’re due at X in 30 minutes.” For most restaurants these days, an automated text from a reservation app is the first point of communication with your hosts. It doesn’t have to be this way.
Last month, I stumbled upon the charming (daresay, retro) restaurant blog from the proprietors of Tribeca’s forthcoming Eulalie. I searched the website for a reservations link. Nothing. Just a phone number, at the bottom of the page. I called it, and voicemail picked up: “You’ve found us,” it began. I left a message.
A couple of hours later, my phone rang. “Apologies for the noise in the background,” I said, “that’s my two-year-old daughter in the tub.” “Apologies for the noise in my background,” the woman on the other end of the line replied without missing a beat. “That’s my husband in the kitchen!” After a little more back-and-forth, our table at Eulalie was booked for the following week. I had just been charmed, for the first time, by Tina Vaughn.
Vaughn, with husband Chip Smith, ran Upper East Side restaurant The Simone for nearly a decade, until they lost the lease last year. Now, they’re opening in the old Bâtard space on West Broadway next door to Frenchette, continuing the style of extremely personal service that won them ardent fans uptown. She’s the front of the house, he’s the back, filtering French cooking through his own lens. The entire experience is something deeply personal, down to the handwritten menus and repeated visits by Tina to our properly white-tablecloth-clad table to check on our progress throughout the four-course dinner.
Across the dining room, we spotted old friends who live on the Upper East Side, and followed Tina and Chip south to their new home, as many regulars from The Simone surely will. (On this night, we were, as Tina told us upon arrival, “our new people.”) The meal stretched three hours; we savored all of it, especially a “middle treat” of fish quenelle with caviar, materializing between appetizers and mains.
On our way out the door just before 10p, a hello from Chip, out from the kitchen, and a warm farewell from Tina, with our thanks for a very generous evening. If all of this sounds like something you might like to experience, Eulalie’s phone number can be found below. And should you go, as a final treat, they won’t follow up with an email survey about your experience — as it once was, and maybe should always be. –Lockhart Steele, 10/17/23
→ Eulalie (Tribeca), 239 West Broadway • Dinner prix fixe $115, wine pairings $85 • Call to reserve: 646-476-2380.