SUMMER-END SEAFOOD
For a quick summer’s end retreat, feast on fresh fish. Here are some suggestions:
—Nicole Tringali
A Salt and Battery
112 Greenwich Ave., 212-691-2713
British diner-style eating that won a face-off with Bobby Flay on a recent “Throwdown” episode, the restaurant serves up a variety of fish and chips battered and deep-fried. Try the cod, haddock or sole and stay for a quickie dessert of deep-fried Mars bar.
asaltandbattery.com
Aquagrill
210 Spring St., 212-274-0505
Bask in the fun while enjoying the cocktail lounge or bar before dining on the terrace. Splurge for the imperial Iranian osetra caviar starter, priced at $155 an ounce, but save for the bouillabaisse special, which includes poached cod, mussels, clams, shrimp, scallops and lobster complimented by a garlic tomato broth, $26.50.
aquagrill.com
City Crab & Seafood Company
235 Park Ave. South, 877-849-8152
A New York-style crab shack, two floors in the Gramercy Park area boast 100 varieties of worldly crabs, shrimp, clams and oysters, including a fresh sushi bar filled with old favorites. Try the seafood pan roast fettuccini with shrimp, mussels, clams and calamari in a light cream/tomato sauce, $23.
citycrabnyc.com
Grand Central Oyster Bar
Grand Central Station, 212-490-6650
Brush arms with celebrities and commuters alike in this century-old food and drink haven, with local beers like Long Island’s own Bluepoint Toasted Lager and imports such as Germany’s St. Pauli Girl; both great to wash down the Cajun fried louisiana catfish filet over fried green tomatoes or one of the 30 oyster varieties served and priced per piece.
oysterbarny.com
Mary’s Fish Camp
64 Charles St., 646-486-2185
It may feel like a southern small-town fishery with the laid-back feel and the lack of décor, but in between Washington Square Park and the Hudson River is a diverse array of homemade treats. Try the grilled gulf shrimp tacos, $15, for lunch, or the lobster rolls, market priced, for dinner.
marysfishcamp.com
OPENINGS, CLOSINGS AND RUMBLINGS
In a city that is legendary for both pulling hard punches and pulling strangers together, the neighborhood dining scenery is always changing. Whether a restaurant is on the way in, on the way out or dodging the abyss in between, there is no better place to eat than New York! – N.T.
Beat it! A Tender Wave Goodbye
Night Café, 938 Amsterdam Ave.
In September, former “Jeopardy” champion Brian Flanagan will be closing the one-room billiards bar that is known for its nightly trivia contests, where the winner boasts a vino prize.
Panino Giusto, 551 Hudson St.
The Italian sandwich haven was forced to close its doors on Aug. 27 because it lost its lease, as rent hikes are sending the independent businessman to the grave.
Sit and Stay, we have arrived!
Picnick, Battery Park
Pioneer pastry chef Will Goldfarb, former co-owner of the recently closed Room4Dessert, will be opening a kiosk that will serve everyday eats like sandwiches, salads, drinks and desserts, such as pana cotta on a paper plate; it opens Labor Day weekend.
BLT Market, 1430 Sixth Ave.
Chef Laurent Tourandel has opened his sixth BLT eatery; the newest has a casual yet crisp décor combined with casual seasonal dishes, despite its location in the chic Ritz-Carlton.
Barfly, 50 Carmine St.
A fried frenzy of veggies, meats and seafood and Oregon’s Pale Ale Beer — which is brewed in honor of the tempura bar — is enhanced with specialty sauces.
COMING OR GOING?
Paris Commune, 99 Bank St.,
212-929-0509
Keep your eyes open for Paris Commune, which bloggers have dubbed on its way out. “Popularity does not always justify price increases and ambitious expansions,” bloggers from eater.com wrote about the change in atmosphere.
Tailor, 525 Broome St.
Pastry chef Sam Mason has been tweaking his highly-anticipated dessert restaurant and lounge that has no projected opening date, but it’s due to launch any day.
Chef Paul Liebrandt, formerly of Gilt, has been rumored to be opening a signature restaurant sometime this fall, food insider Bret Thorn reported.
RAPPER TO OPEN HARLEM EATERIES
Beatboxing champ Doug E. Fresh is using his muscle to open two new restaurants in Harlem. Doug E.’s Chicken & Waffles is to be located at 2224 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd., while The Hot Pot, a Caribbean restaurant, is under construction. With the gentrification monster looming over Harlem, a new renaissance is at hand. Developers are gobbling up huge chunks cheaply and opening eateries. Opening a restaurant that feeds the community – not the Upper East Side night-trippers – will help stem the tide against the potential push-out of vendors and residents by property that otherwise may soon become unaffordable. Though there is no solid date for either opening, bloggers have suggested Doug E.’s Chicken and Waffles will open in mid-September. – N.T.
