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[title]Almanac At this micro-seasonal spot from Galen Zamarra (Mas Farmhouse), expect dishes like seared duck with Swiss chard and savory braised short ribs served with sautéed quark spaetzle, with wine pairings from a two-level cellar. 28 Seventh Ave South between Bedford and Leroy Sts (212-255-1795, almanacnyc.com)
Cow & Clover Morgan Schofield (Il Buco, Blue Hill) employs twin red-brick ovens to churn out New American fare like chickpea-squash stew, charred grass-fed steak and roasted apples with farro. 291 Kent Ave at South 2nd St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-782-8810, cowandclover.com)
Dessert Club by ChikaLicious The third iteration of this bakery-café is filled to the brim with desserts like chocolate lava cake à la mode with passion-fruit sauce, green-tea soft serve and banana-custard pie. 27 Bedford St at Downing St (212-691-2426, thedessertclub.com)
Eli's Table Gourmet grocer Eli Zabar spotlights earthy fare like charred ricotta gnocchi and rib-eye at his full-service restaurant, with a by-the-glass wine list featuring bottles pulled from his Zabar's storefront. 1413 Third Ave between 80th and 81st Sts (212-717-9789, elizabar.com)
El Sombrero Father-and-son team Jose Almonte and Jose Almonte Jr. revive the 40-year-old Lower East Side institution, bringing back crowd favorites like mofongo-crusted salmon with spinach, and spicy shrimp ceviche served with an ice-cold Negra Modelo brew. 108 Stanton St at Ludlow St (212-254-4188, elsombreronyc.com)
Happy Ending Michelin-starred French chef Francis Gabarrus (Saubasse's Villa Stings) serves pumpkin soup with bee pollen and quail sautéed with orange lentils and turmeric jus at his casual Gallic bistro. 302 Broome St between Eldridge and Forsyth Sts (no phone yet, happyending-nyc.com)
Mastro's Steakhouse The national chain's first East Coast location adheres to steakhouse standards, serving seared bone-in cuts, hearty sides (lobster mashed potatoes, fried onion rings) and a raw bar offering king-crab legs and jumbo-shrimp cocktail. 1285 Sixth Ave at 52nd St (212-495-1222, mastrosrestaurants.com)
Pier A Harbor House Peter Poulakakos is plenty dedicated to the Financial District—the prolific restaurateur has a whopping 10 projects below Chambers Street, including Ulysses and the Dead Rabbit. The setting for his latest, with partners Danny McDonald and Michael Jewell, is a pier that’s been closed to the public for 127 years, divided into three levels and anchored by a soaring clock tower. Decked out in nautical relics, the first floor includes a belly-up bar slinging on-tap dark-and-stormys and a raw bar shucking oysters and steaming clams. Upstairs, the dining area is split into four rooms, named for a maritime police boat, a firefighter patrol boat, the nearby Lady Liberty and W. R. Grace, the mayor who signed off on the pier. The top tier, an event space reserved for community gatherings (think poetry readings and music performances), overlooks the harbor. 22 Battery Pl at Pier A
(212-344-0500, piera.com)
Shuko Over the summer, while this Neta follow-up was still in progress, Masa vets Jimmy Lau and Nick Kim test-drove the omakase sushi concept at a Hamptons pop-up. There, they tapped local fishmongers and farmers’ markets for seafood and produce to be rolled into seaweed, pickled and grilled in the open kitchen. The spiel is the same for their full-time Union Square restaurant, but the duo also tinkers with kaiseki (multicourse Japanese dinners), serving six appetizer courses—pistachio-miso mochi, squab sukiyaki with braised squab leg—before a dozen sushi and sashimi plates highlighting triggerfish, fluke and clams. Between each singular sushi plate come bites like rice-bran–pickled turnips, winter-squash hand rolls, and spoons of baby shrimp, sea urchin and caviar. Spirits pairings for the ever-changing menu span three pages of wine, sake and shochu varietals and an understated list of two-ingredient cocktails like the French Paradox (Armagnac, citrus oil) and the Umami Martini (gin, kelp). In the walnut-walled dining room, the ash-wood sushi bar dominates, offering 20 seats at the counter and an intimate exchange between chef and diner. 47 E 12th St between Broadway and University Pl. (212-228-6088, shukonyc.com)
Stanton Street Kitchen This beer cellar–cum–wine bar from Erik Blauberg (21 Club) offers 24 rotating seasonal drafts and more than 100 bottled suds (Kolsch, Imperial), as well as plates such as spicy prawns with cracked corn on toast and port-braised oxtail with foie gras. 178 Stanton St between Attorney and Clinton Sts (no phone yet, stantonstreetkitchen.com)
Xi'an Famous Foods The eighth location of this popular Chinese chain offers wallet-friendly options like stir-fried cold-skin noodles with cucumbers and a cumin-jalapeño lamb burger stuffed between two crispy buns. 328 E 78th St between First and Second Aves (212-786-2068, xianfoods.com)