NEW PLATE SPECIAL F
Fresh noodles, pizza and classics revived — 2018 is open for business
ROM the return of old favorites to exciting culinary debuts, the new year offers a buffet of exciting new restaurant openings. Here are some of our top picks.
LA GOULUE 29 E. 61st St.; 212-988-8169. Opens Monday.
The Upper East Side’s glamorous glutton returns at a new location, eight years after the Madison Avenue edition closed for demolition. Owner Jean Denoyer, partner Craig Pogson and chefpartner Antoine Camin are bringing back the wood paneling, light fixtures and other features that have lain in storage since 2009. The classic French menu’s exactly the same, too. There is Burgundy escargot, foie gras “pot pie” and veal sweetbreads “flambés au Sauterne” with wild mushrooms.
Bucking the online tide, bookings are taken only by phone. “We’re going to continue our legacy of the personal touch,” Pogson says.
UNA PIZZA NAPOLETANA 175 Orchard St. Spring opening.
After closing his acclaimed East Village pizzeria in 2009 and decamping for San Francisco, tattooed pie-master Anthony Mangieri is returning to NYC and partnering with Wildair’s Jeremiah Stone and Fabian von Hauske Valtierra in a new
pizza joint. MOMOFUKU NOODLE BAR, Time Warner Center, third floor. Summer opening. David Chang will open a second edition of the East Village hot spot that launched his career. Executive chef Tony Kim’s menu is still being solidified, but expect dishes in the same vein as Momofuku’s downtown classics, such as ginger scallion noodles, steamed pork buns and fried chicken. THE FOUR SEASONS 280 Park Ave. Spring opening. Julian Niccolini and Alex von Bidder are reviving their fabled restaurant that occu-pied the Seagram Building for more than a half-century in a location a few blocks away. The new Four Seasons supposedly won’t resemble the original at all, but those who’ve had early glimpses of its 1950s-style furniture, terrazzo floors, warm woods and crystal-and-gold curtains say it’s “stunning.”
LEGACY RECORDS 517 W. 38th St. February opening.
This several-times delayed project by the team behind Charlie Bird and Pasquale Jones should be one of the year’s buzziest spots when it finally opens with a menu inspired by Italy’s northern coastlines. FREEHAND HOTEL 23 Lexington Ave. Late January opening. Gabe Stulman — known for West Village charmers such as Joseph Leonard and FFedora — is launching tthree spots in this new Flatiron hotel: all-day eatery Studio; a neighborhhood spot called Simon & ththe Whale; and the George WWashington Bar.
UNDERCOTE, 16 W. 22nd St. February opening.
Cote, Cote Simon Kim’s upscale Korean steakhouse, was one of 2017’s bbest new restaurants. In 2018, it’s expanding with Undercote, a stylish, 28-seat lounge beneath the restaurant serving Korean bar snacks, cocktails and an extensive variety of Champagne.