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[title]The following venues are expected to open by November 27th. Always call ahead, as openings can be delayed.
Bea Monkey Bar alum Jason Walsh is behind the stick at this small-plates-and-cocktails den in midtown, equipped with a square wood bar, black-leather banquettes and a projector for screening black-and-white movies. Find updated quaffs like a Thyme and Tonic (thyme-infused Oxley and London Dry tonic) or a Smoked Sidecar (Lapsang souchong–infused cognac, Cointreau, lemon juice), as well as classics like a mai thai, chilled with ice from a vintage, hand-cranked grinder. Balance the booze with Asian bar bites from chef Anunya “Kwan” Clarke (Añejo Tequileria), including pork dumplings and Thai chicken wings. 403 W 43rd St between Ninth and Tenth Aves (212-602-1910)
Bottomzup Bar and Grill NYC Watch the game while slurping down bivalves at this 100-seat sports bar. In addition to 45 flatscreen televisions, the Murray Hill hangout boasts an oyster and sushi bar where you can order rolls like the California and the Black Dragon (chopped shrimp and crab, avocado, eel). The rest of the menu highlights game-day favorites from around the country, including Angus chili (Texas), soft pretzels (Pennsylvania) and Juicy Lucy sliders (Minnesota). To drink: 29 beers and fruity cocktails with a twist (cocojito, pomegranate martini). 344 Third Ave between 25th and 26th Sts (646-918-7220)
Butter Midtown Food Network celebutoque Alex Guarnaschelli heads to midtown. Housed inside the Cassa Hotel, this 175-seat spin-off features New American offerings reminiscent of her downtown restaurant: dry-aged rib-eye steak with delicata squash salsa verde; roasted chicken with lemon-thyme butter; and Welsh rarebit with melted Wisconsin cheddar. Mahogany banquettes and leather ropes decorate the subterranean den. 70 W 45th St between Fifth and Sixth Aves (212-253-2828)
Fung Tu Wilson Tang has a knack for breathing life into Chinatown—he’s been the reviving force behind Nom Wah Tea Parlor, the exemplar of downtown dim sum, since he took over for his uncle Wally Tang in 2010. For this Lower East Side spot, the steamed-bun scion bands together with Per Se vet Jonathan Wu to give Chinese-American fare a 21st-century overhaul. At the 50-seat restaurant—furnished with Chinese-lattice light fixtures, a lilac-marble bar and walnut banquettes—Wu puts a contemporary spin on the kind of dishes his Cantonese grandmother used to cook for him in Yonkers. In his highbrow take on herb-laced eggs, he uses garlicky toon leaf—a motif that also pops up in the oxblood-hued wallpaper—to freshen a star-anise-infused poached meringue. Other upmarket riffs include stir-fried celtuce (Chinese lettuce) with popcorn puree and soy-marinated egg, and soybean-curd dumplings with toasted-barley-infused celery-and-shiitake broth. Renowned Chicago sommelier Jason Wagner (L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon) goes beyond Tsingtao for the bar program: Along with 80 all-natural wines, sake and sherry, there are Asian-inspired cocktails like the the Sherry Xiao Xing (Cocchi Americano, Salers, sherry, saline solution, orange bitters) and an Oolong Spritz (ginseng-and-oolong-infused aperol, prosecco and seltzer). 22 Orchard St between Canal and Hester Sts (212-219-8785)
Gorilla Coffee Perk up with a cup at this 22-seat café, the Park Slope java outfit’s second location. At a plaid-tiled counter—equipped with a Modbar brewing system and La Marzocco Strada machine—you can pick up drip coffees, espressos and cold brews made with house roasts. To eat, there are Blue Sky Bakery muffins and Balthazar pastries. 472 Bergen St between Flatbush and Fifth Aves, Park Slope, Brooklyn (347-987-3766)
M. Wells Steakhouse Known for serving hearty helpings of quirk in the unlikeliest of venues—Quebecois plogue (buckwheat pancakes) at a Queens diner, foie gras bread pudding in a museum cafeteria—M. Wells power couple Hugue Dufour and Sarah Obraitis put an irreverent spin on the New York chophouse. A former auto-body garage, the 3,000-square-foot space is divided into a catamaran-building factory and a carnecentric eatery equipped with a wood-fired grill. Meaty, French-tinged offerings include veal-chop marsala and steak topped with sashimi-thin slips of kobe beef. Dufour’s puckish, nouveau answers to steakhouse sides include foie gras–stuffed gnocchi, and charred iceberg with blue cheese and ketchup chips. In another bout of whimsy, the 74-seat restaurant features a ten-foot-long concrete trough full of live Long Island trout, employed in dishes like truite au bleu (poached in a court bouillon). 43-15 Crescent St between 43rd Ave and 44th Dr, Long Island City, Queens (718-786-9060)
NYY Steak Cheer on the Bronx Bombers at this Yankees-themed chophouse. Like the original Grand Concourse location, the midtown branch dishes out meat and seafood specialties, like a char-grilled rib eye, Berkshire double pork chop and sesame-crusted ahi tuna. Baseballcentric quaffs include the Yankeetini (vodka, blue curaçao, white cranberry juice) and the Grand Slam (cognac, agave, chocolate bitters). Decor also pays tribute to the team—along with black-and-white photos of former players, there’s an autograph wall. 7 W 51st St between Fifth and Sixth Aves (646-977-8325)
Robicelli’s Having shuttered their first brick-and-mortar spot in 2009, powerhouse baking couple Allison and Matt Robicelli set up shop at this 12-seat bakery in Bay Ridge. Along with their signature cupcakes—in rotating flavors like cinnamon bun and chicken-and-waffles—enjoy expanded pastry offerings (whoopie pies, doughnuts, Danishes) and Stumptown coffee. Repping their South Brooklyn roots, the duo will showcase artwork by local artists. 9009 Fifth Ave at 90th St, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn (917-509-6048)
Snack EOS Find updated Hellenic specialties at this Hell’s Kitchen spin-off of Greek café Snack Taverna. The 40-seat spot—outfitted with a white marble bar and butcher-block tables—offers dishes such as a tomato htipiti (a feta cheese spread) with smoked mackerel and pickled vegetables; grilled oysters with a dill gremolata; and lamb loin with crispy sweetbreads, artichoke and black truffle. In addition to Mediterranean wines, there are bottles from New York State producers. 522 Ninth Ave at 39th St (646-964-4964)