IN PLAIN BITE
NYC’s buzziest new restaurants are hiding in cafes and bars
FORGET trendy speakeasy bars. Across the city, restaurateurs are opening hidden eateries within coffee shops, bars and larger restaurants.
“You don’t need to have a storefront to grab people’s attention,” says Terence Tubridy, who opened his restaurant, Trademark Taste, in the cafe Trademark Grind in May.
Here are four hidden restaurants to seek out.
Tapas Bar in La Sirena 88 Ninth Ave.; 212-977-6096
Where: In January, the barroom near the front entrance of Mario Batali’s massive new Italian restaurant at the Maritime Hotel, La Sirena, was converted into a casual eatery with a unique menu by chef Anthony Sasso of Batali’s Union Square Spanish spot, Casa Mono.
Scene: White tablecloths, curtained windows and an older crowd in suits fill La Sirena. At Tapas Bar, younger, well-heeled folks nosh on small plates at the lengthy quartz bar before heading out for a night in the Meatpacking District.
Food: At La Sirena, Sasso offers hearty Italian fare such as brocoli rabe casarecce ($18, above). At Tapas Bar, the chef cooks up Spanish dishes, such as paella croquettes ($15) and shrimp cooked in salt ($9, top).
Trademark Taste in Trademark Grind 38 W. 36th St.; 646-858-2320
Where: Inside utilitarian Midtown coffee shop Trademark Grind is a stylish cocktail bar and restaurant called Trademark Taste that’s accessed through an archway at the back of the cafe. Both are open all day and located within Hotel Le Soleil.
Scene: During the afternoon, artists and laptoptoting techies listen to hip-hop in the coffee shop beneath neon lights. At happy hour, p.r. girls and bankers flood the bar, sipping cocktails to a classicrock soundtrack in elevated booths.
Food: Grind offers a melange of pastries and coffee from Brooklyn’s Sweetleaf Roasters. Taste serves elevated bar bites, such as smashed beets with feta yogurt and fried naan ($12) and pretzel steak tartare ($17), as well as cocktails with punny names ($14).
Dinnertable in the Garret East 206 Ave. A; Dinnertable.nyc
Where: At the back of East Village tiki bar the Garret is a romantic, intimate eatery — Dinnertable. The two are separated by an arched wooden door.
Scene: Downtown bros get wasted on punch bowls at the Garret, while smartly dressed millennials share plates under softly glowing pendant lamps at Dinnertable.
Food: The Garret only serves food for Saturday brunch, encouraging patrons to fill up on liquid refreshments such as the shareable “Tried and True Punch” ($58, above) with Ciroc vodka, passion fruit syrup and Red Bull. At Dinnertable, Ricardo Arias taps his Puerto Rican roots to create Asian dishes with a Caribbean twist, such as pork belly with clams doused in yuzu sauce ($19, left).
Karasu in Walter’s 166 Dekalb Ave., Fort Greene; 347-223-4811
Where: Karasu, a stylish new Japanese tapas bar, is accessed through a nondescript black door in the back of Walter’s, a beloved comfort-food restaurant in Brooklyn. The Karasu space was formerly a chiropractor’s office not connected to Walter’s. Scene: All-day restaurant Walter’s attracts hip Brooklyn parents who park their strollers and gather around the rustic bar for hearty snacks and classic cocktails. At night, trendy singles flock to dark, cozy Karasu, where windowless walls are covered with art deco panels, and speakers play ’30s jazz. “It makes for a really nice yin and yang with what we do in the front at Walter’s,” says co-owner Dylan Dodd. Food: The restaurants share a kitchen but serve drastically different food. Walter’s offers hearty American fare such as fried chicken ($18) and hamburgers ($15, left), while Karasu serves delicate Japanese small and large plates, such as sesame kampachi sashimi ($16) and udon soup with shrimp and mushrooms ($26, above).