Natsumi Tapas

in the past year, a new wave of culture-crossing cooking has launched restaurants both successful (Korean-Italian at Nishi) and less so (Chinese-Spanish at Tasca Chino). This 90-seat Italy-meets-Japan outfit from prolific restaurateur Barbara Matsumura (Joe’s Shanghai, Haru) hopes to be in the former category. Expanding on a concept first introduced at the Theater District’s Natsumi, Matsumura enlists Italian-born chef Andrea Tiberi (Via del Mare) and sushi chef Hiroyuki Nagao (Nobu) to collaborate on dishes such as spicy sunomono with shrimp and surf clams in sake-konbu vinaigrette; a seared salmon toro don with caviar and avocado; and shiitake penne in a truffle cream sauce. Drinks rep both cuisines, like the Rising Sun-gria (sparkling Lambrusco, blackberry brandy) and the Whiskey Hunny (Japanese whiskey, yuzu honey), but decor skews more toward the Japanese side, with washi-papered walls and a bar fitted with a traditional Kumiko panel.