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Amber Sutherland-Namako

Amber Sutherland-Namako

Restaurant Critic, Food & Drink Editor

Amber Sutherland-Namako is Time Out New York's restaurant critic and a former bartender at The Cornelia Street Cafe, where Lady Gaga famously probably did not work

Sutherland-Namako has been covering NYC hospitality for many years, and she was previously the editor of Thrillist New York. Her writing has also been published by New York magazine and States by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs’ Villa Albertine. Her personal affairs have appeared in Page Six and The New York Times. Sutherland-Namako is the silent captain behind the late arriving but now common practice of adding “-themed,” “-style,” or “fashioned” to the word speakeasy. (Because alcohol is legal.)

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Articles (117)

The 10 best bars open on Thanksgiving in NYC

The 10 best bars open on Thanksgiving in NYC

Thanksgiving experiences are even more vast and varied as those hotly-debated cranberry, stuffing and turkey varieties. Whether yours is reliably straight off the Hallmark Channel, or a little more realistic, having a place to break away for a drink is key. Now, on any holiday, the best bar to to so is the one that’s open and nearby. These are a few that, whether they’ve appeared on our roundup of the best in NYC, or one more locally, each offers a little something extra to be thankful for, this Thursday, November 23.  RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Thanksgiving in NYC

NYC's latest restaurant reviews

NYC's latest restaurant reviews

Dining out in New York City can be a labor of love. There are thousands of new and old restaurants to choose from, making reservations can seem like a sport or a game of chance and most of us want and need to spend our eating and drinking money wisely. That’s why Time Out New York spends days and nights haunting the city to highlight the very best in hospitality right now, and gently divert from the less-best. Peruse on through to choose your next favorite destination, and play along to see which newcomers become 2023’s top options.  RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best restaurants in NYC

The 13 best restaurants near Rockefeller Center

The 13 best restaurants near Rockefeller Center

For years, Rockefeller Center has split the difference between tourist destination and inevitable hub for area office workers. New Yorkers would either visit when family or friends were in town to see the eponymous Christmas tree, Top of the Rock or the Rockettes, or just to pick up a salad destined for desk dining.  More recently, however, its been a perennial fixture on trend forecasts. Whether or not Rockefeller Center does or does not bloom into the esteemed eating and drinking destination it’s been pitched remains to be seen. These classic and new spots are worth checking out until then.  RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best restaurants in NYC

The 50 best restaurants in NYC right now

The 50 best restaurants in NYC right now

Choosing a favorite restaurant in New York City is a joyful task with myriad possibilities depending on the occasion, mood and even the time of year. Your favorite dive, fine dining destination and 'any night' type of place might all occupy top spots on your personal best list in spite of their disparate qualities.  Our list of NYC’s 50 best restaurants is the same, spanning each of those categories and more to comprise a catalogue of all the places we wish we were at right now. They don’t have to be the newest or the most recently reviewed, just places that we want to return to again and again, and that we think that you will, too.  Note: Many of the city’s best chefs, restaurants and concepts have been welcomed into the Time Out Market. Because that is the highest honor we can award, establishments related to the market have not been ranked here, but you can see them below.  RECOMMENDED: NYC's best bars Stay in the Loop: Sign up for our free weekly newsletter to get the latest in New York City news, culture and dining. 

NYC's best fireplace bars

NYC's best fireplace bars

In a town where functioning intercoms are considered an apartment amenity, New Yorkers seek niceties like fireplaces outside of the home. And this time of year, when sweaters replace ceiling fans and we’re already eyeing our jackets, gathering around a contained flame sounds more idyllic than ever. Whether they’re in a dive, a cocktail spot or a cold weather rooftop, these are the best fireplace bars in NYC.   RECOMMENDED: Find more of the best bars in NYC

NYC’s 10 best hidden restaurants and bars

NYC’s 10 best hidden restaurants and bars

New York City’s best restaurants include places with things to see (and to Instagram!), new spots where you can be seen and semi-obscured spaces with hush-hush themes. Like speakeasy-inspired bars, that last category's destinations have the appearance of exclusivity by way of hidden doorways, fake-out facades and staircases this way and that.  Some are a little less discrete than in years past with the recent addition of outdoor dining, brisk takeout business, or simply time, but the spirit of secrecy can still be a fun departure from the norm. So break out the magnifying glass and wind your way to NYC’s best hidden restaurants. RECOMMENDED: Find more of the best restaurants in NYC

The best Halloween bars in NYC

The best Halloween bars in NYC

When you simply live for frights, every season is spooky season, but it’s amplified right around this time every year for the rest of the scaredy cats. In the weeks before Halloween, when artificial cobwebs, skeletons, luminous jack-o’-lanterns and haunted houses start popping up all over NYC, a little liquid courage can help soothe those decorative frayed nerves. So don your vampire dentures, make a topical public figure “sexy,” or simply step out into the full moon and let it do its thing at NYC’s best Halloween bars. RECOMMENDED: All coverage of Halloween in NYC

The best restaurants in Fort Greene

The best restaurants in Fort Greene

New Yorkers are in more luck than usual lately, with Brooklyn’s own Fort Greene being named one the coolest neighborhoods in the world. It’s beloved for its wonderful cultural institutions like the Brooklyn Academy of Music, its titular park and rich history, lovely, leafy Fort Greene has its fair share of fantastic restaurants, too. Here is everywhere to eat and drink in the certified cool locale.  RECOMMENDED: Fort Greene, Brooklyn: The ultimate guide to Fort Greene

The 8 best new restaurants in NYC

The 8 best new restaurants in NYC

While we remain devoted to New York City’s best restaurants, excellent new dining destinations pop up all the time to further complicate our reservation schedules and meticulously orchestrated walk-in efforts. And, although we’re always delighted to revisit those erstwhile favorites, everyone knows that sometimes only something shiny and new will do.  How new? This perpetually updated list includes the best new restaurants that have opened over the past six months or so. That means that some of the dazzlers that ultimately made it to our list of the best restaurants of 2022, like Clover Hill, Dept of Culture, Le Gratin, Le Rock and Zaab Zaab no longer appear here. This edition includes "unusual" Italian and the third iteration of a local Georgian favorite. 

NYC's 20 best rooftop bars for cooler weather

NYC's 20 best rooftop bars for cooler weather

Some might assume that sky-high imbibing is a spring and summertime affair, but it’s always rooftop season in NYC. Even during rain, wind and lower temperatures, we simply swap the sunshine and frozen drinks for fireplaces and hot cocktails while still soaking up the skyline view. So grab a sweater and set your sights on the stars at the best cooler weather rooftops in NYC this winter.   RECOMMENDED: Find more things to do on NYC rooftops

The 10 best restaurants near Bryant Park

The 10 best restaurants near Bryant Park

Bryant Park, that patch of green in the New York Public Library’s backyard, is a respite for office workers from the westernmost reaches of Times Square, clear to Grand Central Terminal and beyond. It’s one of midtown’s finest features, replete with ice skating, a holiday market and a darling carousel. It’s a nice place for tourists, sure, but, unlike some others, it's also a destination for everyday New Yorkers, and some terrific restaurants in the area live up to area expectations. These are the best places to eat and drink near Bryant Park.  RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best restaurants in NYC

NYC's 23 best restaurants for group dining

NYC's 23 best restaurants for group dining

Groups! Can’t live with ‘em, can’t try almost everything on the menu in one sitting without 'em! Ok, maybe some can, but many will, at one point, still need to find restaurants perfect for large parties celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, big promotions, belated or pre-lated holidays and general getting the band back together events.  Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island each have options for your next fête, and these are our favorites for those expanded occasions. Most allow you to book space for up to six via conventional platforms, save for noted exceptions that go up to about ten, and all have room for more when you connect via email or phone. RECOMMENDED: See all of the best restaurants in NYC

Listings and reviews (207)

Don Don

Don Don

4 out of 5 stars

With his latest restaurant, chef Sungchul Shim has established a pattern of opening a great new place every other year. First was Kochi, in 2019, followed by Mari in 2021, then Don Don this past September. In between, he’s also collected Michelin stars for the first two, and snuck in Mari Ne as a more casual iteration of its namesake. Don Don, the latest expansion in the Shim culinary universe, takes us from Korean skewers to hand rolls to barbecue.  “A restaurant is not only selling the food,” Shim tells me by phone the day of Mari’s debut. “The guests have to enjoy, they have to have a good experience. They come here not just for a meal. So I try to give them more fun.”  Mari is fun, as is Kochi, particularly for expensive tasting destinations where the evening’s spend starts at $145 per person. But Don Don’s a hoot.  It’s also already popular, and there isn’t really anywhere to stand and wait for reserved tables, and the doorway bottlenecks pretty easily, but it’s all upbeat enough to land more like a lark than a nuisance. It feels effortless, like the team and the menu and the space’s crowded grill-top tables just happen to happily coalesce even though it’s all the product of Shim’s experience and tremendous talent as a chef and restaurateur.  His foray into Korean BBQ is also considerably more affordable than its lauded predecessors. The $80 butcher’s special is reasonably suited for two, and comes with each of Don Don’s five cuts: bone-in pork loin, belly, collar, jowl

Ace's Pizza

Ace's Pizza

This is the second NYC location of Ace's Pizza, which first burst into Brooklyn by way of Detroit in 2021. Its Motor City-style pies, characterized by their pillowy rectangles and caramalized edges expanded to 30 Rock shortly after. Several varieties are available in orders from two to ten slices to slake your desitre for some of the Great Lake State's finest culinary exports. 

Farina

Farina

4 out of 5 stars

What was once beloved Pizza Moto under the thunder of the Brooklyn-Queens expressway has emerged once more as a popular Brooklyn pie destination, only a couple of months after opening.  Farina in Red Hook uses the fan-favorite previous tenant’s august oven (originally intended for bread baking) to produce irregolare pizzas the likes of which the warm, welcoming newcomer notes originated in Naples many years ago. That near-double-century brick baby is one important part of the equation used to create some of the city’s best recent entrées to the cuisine category. Also in play: Chef/partner Antonio Pisaniello’s (previously of Italy’s La Locanda Di Bu’) seven-grain dough mix, sourced from near and far, studied fermentation and temperature, abstractly structured, square shape and terrific toppings.  The house-made fior di latte is best in class, a cheese that arrives on most of Farina’s 14 pies. As excellent relatively unadorned in a Margherita pizza ($21) as it is amid hits like meatballs, sausage and broccoli rabe, the delicious dairy alone would be worth the trip to this frenetic strip of Hamilton Avenue.  It’s much more pleasant inside, with a communal table in the center of the dining room and smaller arrangements all around. A petite bar toward the back pours wine by the glass and half of full carafe, and beer is also available. Pizzas are around 11’’ each, divided into four slices a piece, so order a bunch, or tally up tasty apps like fritto mare and roasted eggplant.  Far

Untable

Untable

5 out of 5 stars

This past September, a group of friends from the Isan restaurant Somtum Der in Red Hook opened their own spot, serving what they call “unconventional Thai food” in neighboring Cobble Hill. Named Untable for chef Rachanon Kampimarn, also called Aun, the inviting locale is already attracting crowds ready to wait for outstanding plates that you might see simmering around social media.  First up in early renown: Untable’s “what the hell" fried rice. An item said to be so spicy the proprietors christened it with a curse word, the dish does pack an eye-misting heat via a multi-chili blend shipped from Thailand. Add fuel to the fire with even more finely-chopped hot ones, which join a perimeter of ingredients like sweet pork, rolled egg, onions, mango and cucumber. You’ll want to mix them all in for maximum flavor effect, but maybe reserve some of the ancillary chilis unless it’s a blaze kind of day. Now that we’ve slaked any burning curiosity, you’ll probably actually start with a drink. Untable’s novel cocktails are all best in class, including the fruity and sophisticated, tequila-based Sexy Fig, and the versatile, citrusy, vodka Ma-Krut (both ($17). Follow those with the satisfying crab croquettes ($19/3) with a zippy tom yum purée and crown of lemongrass and lime leaf. Get the tiger shrimp, too, ($19/2), for the fantastic crustaceans themselves, and the fresh herbal salad of cashews, ginger, shallots, chili and lime they’re joined by.  Now it’s around what the hell fried rice t

Neeloo

Neeloo

3 out of 5 stars

This cute and cozy—yet still stylish and roomy—new spot’s a great stop for a weeknight pick-me-up of a dinner or (for once!) an easily won Friday or Saturday evening reservation. Neeloo has space for 70 between tables and the long bar inside this brick-lined Grand Street locale, plus a patio that can accommodate a couple dozen in the back.  Stick to classic cocktails ($16+) if mixed drinks are a must (beer and wine are also available), and order the hearth-broiled Wellfleet oysters ($19/6) for bivalve believers and belitters alike. Their cloak of melty Camembert creates a real shellfish hit. The pommes dauphine appetizer ($10) is simpler but satisfying, as golden-fried potato poufs are wont to be.  Among the mains, lovely slices of American Wagyu sirloin ($39) are excellently prepared to a requested medium rare, if overly smothered in a foie gras and Sauternes jus that’s seemingly absent notes of the former ingredient.  A nice bit of halibut’s more of a sure thing: moist, fresh and swimming in a green tomato and coconut broth that gives the fish a bit of zip.  Finish with Neeloo’s baked Alaska ($12). Almost as sweet as it is bright, the dynamic dessert is set alight right at the table for a flashy end to any evening.  Neeloo is located at 284 Grand Street in Brooklyn. It is open Wednesday-Sunday from 5:30pm-close. See restaurant critic Amber Sutherland-Namako’s extended review here. 

Chama Mama

Chama Mama

3 out of 5 stars

Chama Mama is the finest new culinary addition to Brooklyn Heights’ Montague Street in its recently refreshed past. The Georgian restaurant with two other locations, one in Chelsea and one on the Upper West Side, took over the former Le Pain Quotidien space, not too far from the borough’s second Books are Magic, in July. Although the layout is largely the same as before, Chama Mama lends a light, lofty, fresh air to the address, now equally practical for solo diners, large groups, or cozy pairs. Its roomy polished bar up front merits “just drinks” visits for Georgian wine by the bottle, glass, or flight, and cocktails incorporating the clear Georgian brandy, chacha. Large and small tables are all around, stretching back toward the sparkling open kitchen, where they bake sensational bread to pair with tasty pkhali ($26 when five spreads are bundled into the “taste of Georgia”), and fill with wonderful, warmly melting cheese for khachapuri varieties. The adjaruli khachapuri’s ($18) a real stunner, topped with butter and raw egg and all swirled together at the table for a show stopping blend.  Those items alone are worth a trip to this locale, and mains like the chicken in tkemali and adjika ($30), vibrantly sauced with crisp, golden skin, are invite lingering, when available on the frequently updated menu. Chama Mama just added, for example, pumpkin to its soup ($14), and pkhali ($14 à la carte) options for the fall.  Chama Mama is located at 121 Montague Street. Reservations a

Café Chelsea

Café Chelsea

A visit to Café Chelsea in New York City is like being transported to a restaurant in that titular neighborhood in the year that is now: 2023. It would probably land the same even if you were traveling from the relatively recent past, or near future. It opened this past July, following last year’s related El Quijote revival. The Hotel Chelsea-adjacent space is as pretty as gaslight’s glow, in all its flattering, honeyed cast. Mirrors, Deco-style fixtures and potted plants adorn the pretty space, divided into bar, Petite and Grand Café sections. The former gets as crowded as can be, so try not to arrive too early for your reservation. Tables in the latter two are spaced inside-voice close, so curb any tattling.  Swap those tall tales, instead, with tipples like the Christo’s vesper ($18), made with vodka, botanical spirit Empirical Symphony, Lillet and herbes de Provence, nicely standard martinis ($22), wine and beer. The dinner menu starts with coarse duck and pork pâté ($17), shrimp cocktail ($24) served on its sides rather than curved over glass in what seems to be an encroaching trend, properly baconed frisée aux lardons ($19) and ravioles du dauphiné ($18) that will be ideal for picky kids should Café Chelsea’s hotspot environment eventually cool. Steak frites ($42), poulet rôti ($32), a grilled loup de mer ($32) and an omelet ($24) are among the mains ($24).  Cafe Chelsea is located at 218 West 23rd Street. 

The Bazaar

The Bazaar

3 out of 5 stars

If I had a buck for every time I’ve heard that “New York is back,” I’d have enough for a few bites at chef and humanitarian José Andrés’ new restaurant, The Bazaar. Literally.  A place where the plates range from $14 for eight olives to $65 for one ounce of Kobe ribeye, with $8 oysters in-between, certainly assumes that the moneyed are poised to spend again. This is not the first return to super-luxe dining since the pandemic, of course. Daniel Boulud’s Le Pavillon, which presently peaks at $205 per person for six courses at dinner, was among the earliest post-vaccine arrivals; James Kent’s Saga ($295 per person for nine-ish rounds), which came a little later, is one of the most expensive. But Spanish and Japanese-influenced The Bazaar at The Ritz-Carlton, Nomad, with its recommended four-to-six dishes a guest, and its caveat that many amount to just a few chews, assembled untethered from a guided tasting or the notion of abundance a multi-course experience can evoke, seems to have the boldest dollar signs of those après-2020 currency symbols.  Some of The Bazaar’s “little starters,” for example, are even less substantial, at twice the price, as the amuse-bouche-sized openers I knocked at one of 2022’s best newcomers, the also costly, also à la carte, Le Rock. And some of their flavors are as fleeting as the essence of a Pamplemousse LaCroix, for comical sums.  That includes the Japanese sea urchin cone. Described by The Bazaar’s patient, professional staff as one or two bite

Ariari

Ariari

4 out of 5 stars

The text messages started the day before, as they always do. I’d finally landed a reservation at Ariari, the new Korean restaurant from Hand Hospitality, the group behind top restaurants Little Mad, one of my picks for the best openings of 2021, and Atoboy, high on my list of NYC’s overall greats. Ariari debuted in the East Village at the end of last year, and it took me until this summer to land a convenient reservation, this one the infrequent fruit of a Resy notification.  This communiqué, however detailed several totally reasonable and not at all unprecedented house policies (don’t be too late, don’t double your party size, don’t cancel at the last minute unless you want to pay a comparatively reasonable $10 per person fee, don’t overstay your welcome) in addition to the more standard confirmation request. There were a few caps. Fair enough. I don’t see anything similar scrolling back through the last 24 months of reminders, but fair enough.  But then, about 45 minutes before my designated arrival, as I chatted on a rooftop farther uptown, another message, “Your table is available now if you would be interested in dining with us sooner. Please text us back to confirm!” Then, relocated to a hot subway platform but with plenty of time to spare, the standard 30-minute warning, before, “Hello, this is ARIARI Restaurant. We are holding your table up to 15 mins after your reservation time. Please text us back if you are running late!,” which I wasn’t, but now felt like I was, t

Foxface Natural

Foxface Natural

4 out of 5 stars

In the months before the pandemic, a little East Village sandwich window was getting big attention for its locally infrequent ingredients like camel and bison heart, alongside more standard fare like shrimp, lamb and roast pork. It closed three years and many fans later due to that old Manhattan classic, a lease dilemma. Foxface expanded its concept, menu, space and name not too far away this past spring with the opening of Foxface Natural on Avenue A.  Though several times its predecessor’s size, Foxface Natural’s long, narrow dining room is still petite, swiped mostly in white with a few lines of sandy wood and a bit more color from potted plants. Like before, the menu is frequently updated; quail, live scallops, goat, outsized prawn heads and other underwater noggins having graced tables throughout Foxface Natural’s two seasons in operation. It’s still, in this new iteration, spotlighting some infrequently commercially seen items, a few available on a blink-and-you’ll-miss-them basis. A shipment of percebes, for example, was recently lost at JFK, conjuring all sorts of hypotheticals about the unintended party eventually on the Portuguese goose barnacles’ receiving end. Studied sourcing and its beautiful conclusion aside, there has still been little else quite as attention-catching as that camel here at 2.0, though the kangaroo tartare ($25) comes close.  Next to nothing is unheard of in New York City, including kangaroo, which I’ve previously enjoyed in carpaccio form at s

Cecchi's

Cecchi's

4 out of 5 stars

It takes a lot of work to make things easy. A good maître d' will do it, and Michael Cecchi-Azzolina, who manned Minetta Tavern, Raoul’s and Le Coucou before publishing his tell-all, Your Table Is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maître D' in 2022, is among the industry’s best known. The famed steward opened Cecchi’s as “a modern take on the classic New York bar & grill” in the West Village this summer. And it's already righting some recent hospitality wrongs.  My top three restaurant complaints of the past two years have been that everywhere’s too bright, all the "new" cocktails are needlessly complicated and I can’t get a reservation anywhere. Hyperbole aside, they’re all vexing trends, each eschewed by cleverly coordinated Cecchi’s. Here, the lighting’s nice, the cocktails skew simpler and, although it’s obviously popular, Cecchi’s is also accessible for its intended purpose of selling food and drinks.  The appletini ($20) among the latter’s a hoot, the slight pomegranate zag in the cosmopolitan ($20) is pleasant rather than puzzling and the Manhattans and martinis ($17+) are masterclass. There have even recently been seats to sip them at the handsome bar, where an old cash register from cult favorite Café Loup, which operated in the neighborhood for 42 years, is once more in use. The adjacent Art Deco-style dining room is flush with a honeyed glow and splashed with murals depicting convivial party scenes. A warm, less decorative but somewhat more private, annex is a little

The Golden Swan

The Golden Swan

4 out of 5 stars

Approach The Golden Swan’s 11th Street address (the same one previously occupied by The Spotted Pig; a restaurant that cycled through hospitality’s highest highs and its most disturbing lows before closing in disgrace in January of 2020), and a host stands guard outside. It’s dated, alienating and impractical, creating a truly goofy pseudo exclusively reminiscent of comical red velvet ropes rather than what I imagine is a stab at the gatekeeping of proprietor Matt Abramcyk’s early-aughts Beatrice Inn. “We’re trying to create a clubhouse without being a membership club,” Abramcyk told The Wall Street Journal; a conceit that, if landed, would only evoke the worst of both worlds.  What might have seemed impressive in 2006 is a naked affectation today, but this introduction is more than just an eye-roller. What’s inside is rather nice, and the pre-entry pomp does it a disservice. The once cluttered, grandma-tavern aesthetic that enraptured fans of celebrities and burgers for sixteen years is gone; with it, the once-ubiquitous pigs. The first floor space they’ve dubbed the Wallace Room is now awash in pretty shades of gleaming emerald and chartreuse. Essentially the bar component, the food down here is a bit different than the fancier affair upstairs, and, though still expensive, a bit less-so. The second-story dining room (“Dining Room”) is vaguely mid-century pretty, done in hues of warm beige with comfortable seats fit for grown-ups.   The cocktail menu is twice as long and hal

News (264)

Pumpkin pizza is on the menu at Emmy Squared just in time for Thanksgiving

Pumpkin pizza is on the menu at Emmy Squared just in time for Thanksgiving

Pumpkin pie runs circles around other options this time of year (and none other; try eating a slice in June, it cannot be done), and one NYC pizza chain by way of Detroit is squashing narrow notions of the gourd’s appeal in a hyper-seasonal mashup across its locations.  Emmy Squared will serve its pumpkin “pie” until Sunday, November 26.  “In order to remain fun and creative, we wanted to add playful items to celebrate fall and Thanksgiving,” Emmy Squared president Pennington Pribbenow says via email. “Pumpkin is a beloved flavor during this time of year, and is something that translates well with our flavors.” Pribbenow authored the limited-run recipe, which tops the Motor City-style rectangular base with mozzarella, ricotta, spiced pumpkin, roasted pepitas and sage. He also created a fried pumpkin ravioli and a pumpkin spice espresso martini for the occasion.  “The only item that had some trial and error was the pizza,” Pribbenow says. “Pumpkin can be overly sweet if not handled properly. In order to get the combination of savory, creamy and robust flavors, we used salt, pepitas, seasoned pumpkin and ricotta to get it just right.” That pumpkin is a sugar variety, also called winter squash, smaller than your standard bodega jack-o'-lantern class and familiar from actual pumpkin pies—the non-pizza kind. Like in its sweet doppelgänger, the fruit here is amplified by cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and sugar. All Emmy pizzas are baked at 500 degrees for nine minutes, but this one’s

Brooklyn's Maison Premiere team opens a beautiful new bar in Manhattan this week

Brooklyn's Maison Premiere team opens a beautiful new bar in Manhattan this week

Williamsburg’s lovely oyster and cocktail destination Maison Premiere has been raising the bar for both since it first opened its horseshoe-shaped counter, vaguely vintage-chic dining room and semi-secret garden in 2011. Its award-winning influence has expanded internationally in the intervening years, and this week, it’ll return a little closer to home, in Manhattan.  Tigre opens at 105 Rivington Street on Wednesday, November 15.  “While previous projects have referenced narratives related to time and place—such as New Orleans drinking culture and classic cocktails at Maison Premiere, and the zeitgeist of neo-bistros and natural wine with Sauvage—Tigre transports guests to the luxe residences and lounges of the past,” a press release reads, “with a menu of sophisticated cocktails that channel a well-traveled palate and an exploration of obscure but enlightening spirits that are not commonplace in the American lexicon.”  Photograph: Courtesy of Eric Medsker Like beloved Maison Premiere, Tigre’s eight-person bar is also U-shaped. Mirrors appear here, too reflected even more heavily here across halls and ceilings. Curved banquettes are covered in velvet and leather, chandelier light hovering above.   The menu’s six drink categories include martinis by ratio. Several frozen vodka and gin varieties are listed in configurations like 4-to-1 (standard dry), 12-to-1 (quite dry) and 1-to-nothing, (über-dry, or, as I call it at home, a glass of gin). The other sections are a little o

Keep rooftop bar season hot with new cocktails at this covered Brooklyn spot

Keep rooftop bar season hot with new cocktails at this covered Brooklyn spot

To every cocktail, there is a season, and cold-weather sippers are the coziest of them all. Just in time for temperatures to drop, Time Out Market New York has added seven new tipples to its Brooklyn rooftop drink menu.  RECOMMENDED: Here’s what’s going on at Time Out Market New York this week Many of the market’s latest libations lean into the flavors of the season via combinations of bourbon and apple, coffee and chocolate and whiskey and ginger. Sip them in the market’s photo-op window frames, or out on the beautiful fifth-floor terrace in view of lovely Brooklyn Bridge Park and Jane’s Carousel below.  Cocktails run from $15-22, and a full list of the new additions is below. Apple & Eve: Bourbon, apple cider, rosemary, Angostura bitters. Brownie Points: Vodka, cold brew, chocolate liqueur.  Fred & Ginger: Rye, ginger liqueur, lemon, lime. Main Squeeze: Gin, dry vermouth, blood orange.  Monkey Dance: Vodka, Guava, St-Germain, prosecco, Cointreau, lime.  Water Street Paloma: Tequila, grapefruit liqueur, grapefruit, lime.  Queen of Hearts: Dry gin, Lillet rosé, Campari, grapefruit liqueur, rose petals.  Photograph: Eric Medsker / Time Out Market New York | the Main Squeeze cocktail

NYC's latest "Mad Men"-inspired bar and restaurant opens in midtown

NYC's latest "Mad Men"-inspired bar and restaurant opens in midtown

A couple of months ago, I was chatting with someone poised to graduate from university and into the next stage of life. We were talking, anecdotally, about restaurant design trends over the last several years. To my recollection, for example, practically everything was beige and filled with plants in the months leading up to the pandemic. Early last year, it seemed like every other opening was fashioned after a speakeasy. And Mad Men this or that took New York City by storm in the years after that prestige drama premiered in 2007.  Mad Men concluded in 2015 and to my great surprise, that was eight years ago. I asked this college-aged person if they were familiar with the show. “Kind of,” was the reply, and I gazed out the window and locked eyes with an ancient sea witch, her long and tangled tresses twirling in the salty air. But the window . . . was a mirror.  Still, approaching a decade later, that style’s still got narrow trouser legs. This year alone has brought The Boardroom, which also adds speakeasy proclivities to its Sterling Cooper aspirations, and The Press Club Grill, which aims to glamorously channel “1950s -1960s NYC through classic American dishes with a modern flair,” according to its social media. That’s a cultural touchpoint, Peggy.  The latest place to join this enduring aesthetic debuts in midtown today. Agency of Record, whose operators count Rezdôra and Patent Pending among previous successes, is set to open its doors within the neighborhood’s Renwick Ho

Restaurant Review: Farina in Red Hook (★★★★)

Restaurant Review: Farina in Red Hook (★★★★)

The incongruously inviting Hamilton Avenue space enveloped by the rumble and the rubbish around the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway has been popular for its pizza since 2015. First, as Pizza Moto, until earlier this year when the operation returned to the moveable feast from whence it began, and now as Farina, which opened in August.  New York City’s water gets a lot of credit for its internationally revered pies (similar lore’s attached to our bagels), but the best pizzerias in town, not incidentally, also happen to list storied ovens among their particulars. With a little luck and goodwill, they’re passed down with the same gravitas as rent-controlled apartments. Farina’s wood-fired variety had been in use for about 157 years even before Moto carefully restored it last decade.  Photograph: Courtesy of Angelo Caranese/Amy Caranese The dining room’s layout is borrowed, too: two tops in the window, a communal table in the center, with more seats on the periphery, all as charming as ever. The bar pours some pleasant house wines available by the glass and, delightfully, half or full carafe. Beer is also available.  Farina serves a style of pie that it notes in an Instagram post was also forged over a century ago in Naples. Chef/partner Antonio Pisaniello, whose previous credits include Italy’s La Locanda Di Bu’, goes into further detail in a Righteous Eats video about what makes these creations irregolare. That ancestral brick oven, for example, was originally intended for bread. P

Let me tell you—confusing reservation options aren't only in your head

Let me tell you—confusing reservation options aren't only in your head

"Let Me Tell You" is a series of columns from our expert editors about NYC living, including the best things to do, where to eat and drink, and what to see at the theater. They are published every week. Last month, Food & Drink Editor and Critic Amber Sutherland-Namako argued that Mallomars are NYC’s best fall flavor. Several months ago on a clammy spring night, I was running on time to a restaurant reservation, until I was running late.  Not to worry, my husband texted, he was seated at the bar. Seated, I asked back, or waiting? The former, he replied, and was that not right? It wasn’t, but I’d sort it out when I got there, my cold sweat turning hot.  Everyone at Justine’s on Hudson was very nice, and one staffer explained that even though I had not booked dinner at the bar—an increasingly common possibility at restaurants across reservation platforms—they simply did not distinguish between seating assignments here. It only took a moment to be relocated to a plush banquette, in any case, and the food and wine were wonderful.  Today, Justine’s offers “bar,” “dining” and “dining room” sections on Resy. This is a probable improvement over Resy roulette, though, petite as it is, it isn’t clear what the difference between the second two might be.  "The reservations platforms are a struggle in more ways than one on both sides of the system," a representative for Justine's on Hudson says.   "When we opened Justine's it was important to Chef Jordan that everyone received the same e

See New York’s new Michelin stars for 2023

See New York’s new Michelin stars for 2023

After months and months of incremental updates to its guides, recent Bib Gourmand additions, and, as always, plenty of divisive picks across the lot, Michelin on Tuesday evening announced its New York-area stars for 2023 at a ceremony in lower Manhattan.  Eight newly landed shiners include Bōm in Flatiron, for its “elegant service and well-executed” Korean cuisine, Essential by Christophe on the Upper West Side, where “French technique is married with Asian flavors,” Joji in Midtown East, “where tradition reigns but never feels stuffy” in the atmosphere or the omakase, Meju in Long Island City, where “traditionally Korean ingredients” emerge in “carefully calibrated dishes that appear strikingly minimalist,” Restaurant Yuu in Williamsburg, for “dishes that are classically French, but seen through the eyes of Japanese omotenashi,” Shmoné in the West Village, where, Israeli “flavors are impressively dialed-in and make for a focused meal that is surprisingly approachable and humble,” Sushi Ichimura in Tribeca, where the “edomae-style omakase has shaped this city’s sushi sensibility,” and Torrisi in Soho, for its balance of the “creative and the familiar,” in creating Italian-American plates. The freshman honorees scored one sparkler each, which, in Michelin parlance that recalls the tires the company also manufactures, means they’ve got “high quality cooking, worth a stop.”   Flatiron Japanese restaurant Odo and the Upper East Side’s Sushi Noz both doubled their commendations th

Let Me Tell You—“No photos” should be NYC’s hot new going-out trend

Let Me Tell You—“No photos” should be NYC’s hot new going-out trend

“Let Me Tell You” is a series of columns from our expert editors about NYC living, including the best things to do, where to eat and drink, and what to see at the theater. They publish each Wednesday so you’re hearing from us each week. Last month, Food & Drink Editor and Critic Amber Sutherland-Namako wrote that your favorite place is going to close, however iconic.  Picture this: You’re perusing photos or videos of a restaurant or bar on whatever platform can decode whether the tables are still fixed too close together, or if this was the place that sets its desserts ablaze—and who should appear in the frame, but you. You’re jammed into the banquette, fire in your eyes, the background of somebody’s Big Night out. Or rather, don’t picture anything, because it doesn’t have to be this way.   In 2023, everybody’s both the paparazzi and the star. It’s been like this for quite some time (half a generation, at least), but darned if life’s documentary moments don’t seem to get more pronounced with every app update, iPhone upgrade, or newly erected hashtag. Although the above scenario is not yet probable for the standard hospitality guest (employees are another story, and they should never be expected to act as extras in anybody’s birthday baby snapshots), it is increasingly possible, and that likelihood is creeping from eye-rolling afterthought to another going-out nuisance on a list already crowded with irksome reservation roadblocks, sky-high prices and long bathroom lines.   Man

Everything you need to know about Zero Bond in NYC

Everything you need to know about Zero Bond in NYC

In New York City, the zeitgeist moves at an accelerated rate. Last week, everyone was gabbing about emojis and Krispy Kreme, and this week the town can't stop chatting about the downtown club that’s recently hosted our next mayor, a local comedian and one of the world’s most successful businesswomen in quick succession. This is everything you need to know about Zero Bond.  What is Zero Bond? Zero Bond, also known as 0 Bond and ‘oh, Bond’ is a private club in New York City’s Noho neighborhood that opened in 2020. It spans 20,000 feet across two floors, with areas to work hard and play harder.  Why is Zero Bond?  Income inequality.  Who is Zero Bond for?  Individuals living with the appearance of high levels of success.  Does it have a philosophy though? What kind of private club wouldn’t? Zero Bond’s reads, in part:  Zero was the last number ever created; it filled a void that culture across the globe didn’t even realize existed. Without the concept of Zero, mathematics and science had limitations; cultures could not fully achieve what they were destined to become. Zero is not even or odd; Zero is not positive or negative. Zero is its own identity. How do I become a member of Zero Bond?  Gather your $5000 most private dollars for the initiation fee and annual membership dues if you are over 45. The cost drops to $4,000 if you are under 45 and $2,700 if you are under 28. All three age tiers must then assemble a letter of recommendation from a current member, a “clear recent hea

These are New York’s new Michelin Bib Gourmands for 2023

These are New York’s new Michelin Bib Gourmands for 2023

Just when it seemed like Michelin had served as many seconds, thirds and leftovers as it could in advance of its 2023 star ceremony, the hospitality kingmaker—that some find incongruous for also making tires, even though that’s just good business, bebe—today released its annual list of Bib Gourmand restaurants. Eleven were newly anointed in New York City.  The Bibs aim to spotlight high-quality to value venues. Rather than the expensive multi-course destinations that some still associate with the legacy ranker, outdated as those narrow assumptions may be, the BGs are reserved for spots where consumers can expect to spend about $50 on two courses and a glass of wine or dessert, pre-tax and tip, so, in NYC it’s closer to $65, all in.  This year’s Bib Gourmand honorees might sound familiar from the incremental guide additions Michelin makes throughout the year, most recently three weeks ago, preceded by updates in September, May and January. Though this isn’t always or necessarily the case, each of BGs previously appeared on one of those lists. See every Bib Gourmand recipient in NYC for 2023 and how Time Out has covered them below. Michelin’s star ceremony is scheduled for November 7th in Manhattan.  8282, Lower East Side (Recommended with three Time Out New York stars in January 2022.) Agi’s Counter, Crown Heights (Recommended with four Time Out New York stars in January 2022.) Alta Calidad, Prospect Heights  (Recommended in May, 2019.) Café Mars, Gowanus, (Recommended with fo

NYC pizza fave Emily is bringing back its breakfast burritos this weekend

NYC pizza fave Emily is bringing back its breakfast burritos this weekend

Already beloved for its wood-fired pies and the once-time sleeper-hit burger that nine years later has been on practically everybody’s plate, local pizza fave Emily is reintroducing a new menu item this weekend.  Beginning Sunday, November 5, Emily will once again serve breakfast burritos exclusively at its Brooklyn location, and only at brunch. Previous iterations were occasionally available at this address in 2021, and the return is intended to be permanent.  "We had a breakfast program during COVID times, during which we initially introduced the burritos,” general manager Meg Farrell says via email. “We have since stopped breakfast but people keep asking for them, so we are bringing them back for brunch.” An egg, and cheese variety includes tater tots and the option to make it a BEC, or add spinach ($14). And the eponymous Emmyrrito reimagines that best-of list-making burger, chopping dry-aged beef on the flattop, and layered with cheese, caramelized onions, more tater tots and Emmy sauce, all in a flour tortilla ($18).  Emily Brooklyn is located at 919 Fulton Street.

The follow-up to Brooklyn's popular Cafe Spaghetti opens nearby this week

The follow-up to Brooklyn's popular Cafe Spaghetti opens nearby this week

When Cafe Spaghetti opened in the Spring of 2022, the quaint Italian restaurant was all but impossible to get into, virtually overnight. Why, not since über-popular Pok Pok, which, at its popularity-peak, implemented walkie-talkies and velvet ropes before closing in 2016, had this part of Brooklyn, just west of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, see so many taxi (or, I guess in the more recent case, rideshare) arrivals. Only now, more than a year later, are primetime dinner reservations easier to come by, and only if you book a couple of weeks in advance.  Though walk-ins aren’t unheard of, Cafe Spaghetti’s enviable success precludes it from status as an easy, anytime, neighborhood restaurant. Its follow-up, Swoony’s, scheduled to open quite nearby on Wednesday, November 1, aims to land a little bit closer to that niche. But, spoiler alert, even a few days in advance, its own online reservations are already in the notification zone.  The American bistro occupies an address where Swoony’s chef/owner chef Sal Lamboglia worked in the early aughts; a restaurant that was then called 215 Cucina Napoletana. It housed a few other spots in the intervening years, but sat empty for the last few. Lamboglia intends to populate the place once more with folks filing in for “Sunday supper,” or weeknight burgers, per press materials. Spaghetti is unlikely to appear.  Photograph: Courtesy of Justin Belmondo Swoony’s opening menu lists starters like clams casino and crab Louie, wedge salads, tha