Restaurant Openings Report: Week Of August 10, 2014
New York
Kilo Bravo will open September 4 in North Williamsburg. It marks the newest venture for veteran bar owner, Kate Buenaflor, who has partnered with financier and long-time friend, Richard DeVore, Buenaflor envisions Kilo Bravo to be an edgier compliment to her other Williamsburg staple, The Soft Spot. All beer from their 20-line draft system and extensive bottle and can selection will be domestic, and wine lovers can choose from their Red, White, Pink, or Bubbly domestic draft wine menu. Their cocktail list includes house signatures The Greenpoint and Frozen Spiked Root Beer. For the serious local drinker, Kilo Bravo will offer the Road Trip Cocktail Menu: 50 cocktails representing every state in the union. The signature food item is the Heartland Sandwich with pulled beef, pickled pepper mayo, and melted cheese on locally baked bread. And for those with adventurous palates, there will be numerous add-in options to individualize each sandwich-maker's vision.
Chef Chaz Brown, formerly of Fatty Crab uptown, is opening a chicken spot on the Lower East Side called Seoul Chicken on August 28. A wing bar where East Asia meets the American South, the menu will focus on East Asian-style, as well as traditional American fried chicken wings with multiple sauces, accompaniments, and seasonal variations. Wings will come in two versions: Korean-fried (Seoul) or Naked which are gluten-free. Wing sauce options include gochujang buffalo; palm sugar and kalamansi; sriracha and honey; habanero kimchi; fish sauce and garlic; Szechuan peppercorn and sea salt, and Seoul dry spice. Additionally, every day of the week there will be a different chicken special offered. Half and whole chicken is also available, served with your choice of sauces, as well as a selection of snacks like kimchi fries with miso aioli, and SingSing Rock Shrimp with honey, chili, and kewpie mayo. The bar at Seoul Chicken will offer ten innovative and seasonal cocktail offerings that complement the chicken offerings, and beer and wine will also be offered.
On Wednesday, August 20, Murray Hill's popular Italian restaurant, Bistango, will open its third location in the lobby of the Kimberly Hotel, a luxury boutique hotel in Midtown. Due to popular demand, the restaurant opened their second location on the Upper East Side in April. The newest location will offer popular menu items from the original eatery, as well as new additions including black rice risotto; crispy chickpea and piquillo pepper fritters, and wild Sockeye salmon.
Washington D.C.
It's official: David Chang of Momofuku will open a CityCenterDC restaurant of the same concept next year. The famous chef told Todd Kliman that the 4,500-square-foot space will differ from the Momofuku eateries, and that he's very excited to open a restaurant in his hometown.
Miami
Fontainebleau Miami Beach announces the reinvention of the hotel's original coffee and patisserie shop, Chez Bon Bon. Opened August 6 in the former Solo space, Chez Bon Bon offers live-action stations where visiting tourists and locals can watch, smell, and taste the treats, purchase gourmet savory selections, patisseries, and custom-order cakes.
Atlanta
Cooks & Soldiers will open on Atlanta's Westside this fall. Drawing inspiration from the Basque regions of Spain and France, the restaurant will offer guests a modern approach to the rustic cooking style of southwestern Europe. The menu will focus on the signature cooking methods of the Basque coast, and will feature traditional pintxos, or tapas-like snacks served on toasted bread; raciones featuring large shareable plates; asador, including a variety of wood-grilled fish, meats and vegetables, and postres, a selection of unique and modern desserts, a contrast to the rustic, savory fare.
Austin
Jacoby's Austin, the family-owned restaurant and mercantile, made its debut in the budding East Cesar Chavez neighborhood on Wednesday, August 20. Jacoby's Austin is the newest addition to the Jacoby family company, originally from Melvin, TX. The eatery serves ranch-style cuisine with a southern and rustic influence. The restaurant features a full service bar and dining room, cocktail porch and a backyard-style patio deck with sweeping views of the Colorado River. Adjacent to the restaurant is a mercantile, which features artisan jams, jellies, meats, farm eggs, fresh flowers and home goods.
Los Angeles
On August 20, MasterCard — in collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) — is hosting a pop-up dinner under the stars, catered by world-class chef Susan Feniger in the Beverly Canon Gardens. The best part is, the entire payment will be donated to Stand Up To Cancer to help further critical cancer research initiatives A $10 donation made with a MasterCard will grant access to this one-night-only MasterCard Priceless Table event where guests will enjoy a pre-fixe menu that includes roasted lamb meatballs with mint chimichurri; chicken and waffle croquettes with spicy maple sauce, and roasted cumin carrots, rainbow cauliflower, and marble potatoes. Cardholders can book seats here; reservations will be on a first come, first serve basis, and they must be 21 or older to dine.
Chefs Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu are bringing the crisp-fried Mexican rolled tacos, known as flautas, to Baldwin Hills. Not to be confused with the ubiquitous taquito, flautas are larger in size, and as is traditional in the chefs' native Jalisco, are topped with various sauces, salsas, and moles. The stall will solely serve flautas, which can be ordered with a variety of fillings and toppings including potato and homemade chorizo topped with tomato, onion, Guajillo chilli, cheese, and chile de árbol sauce; shrimp with tomato, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño, topped with roasted tomatillo sauce, and Cochinita Pibil, filled with roasted pork shoulder meat marinated with achiote bitter orange juice and spices.
St. Helena, CA
Chef Joseph Humphrey has returned to Napa Valley after opening the successful restaurant at Cavallo Point. Now Humphrey has a new gastro pub, Farmer & The Fox, opening August 18. The opening menu will include dishes such as summer squash salad with gulf shrimp and creamy dill dressing, a pork "knuckle sandwich " with caramelized onions, and Scotch eggs.
Kate Kolenda is the Restaurant/City Guide Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @BeefWerky and @theconversant.