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[title]RECOMMENDED: Full list of NYC restaurants opening this fall
Many moons ago, two restaurants helped pioneer New York’s fledgling farm-to-table scene in opposite corners of Gotham. In 2004, Francine Stephens and Andrew Feinberg’s pizzeria, Franny’s, jump-started Brooklyn’s seasonal-Italian craze; and a year later, Bill Telepan brought the Greenmarket gospel to the Upper West Side with his refined flagship, Telepan. Fast-forward to present day—locavore is now a bona fide dictionary entry—and the beloved havens are finally branching out.
In September, Stephens and Feinberg will go beyond pies-and-pastas rustica at Marco’s (295 Flatbush Ave between Prospect Pl and St. Marks Ave, Park Slope, Brooklyn; 718-230-0427), an upmarket trattoria taking over the pizzeria’s old space—the relocated Franny’s is now two blocks away. Chef Danny Amend, who was plucked from the original, will offer rotisserie meats, wood-grilled fish, house-made pastas and light vegetable plates. After an interior revamp, the restaurant will be decked out with a new marble bar and brass light fixtures.
While the Franny’s team has gone upscale for the Kings County crowd, Bill Telepan pivots in the opposite direction, taking a more approachable perspective with Telepan Local (329 Greenwich St between Duane and Jay Sts, no phone yet), the wallet-friendly Tribeca offshoot of his uptown restaurant. The menu for the 80-seater—set to open in November—will feature noshworthy options (foie gras doughnuts, shrimp poppers with green-chili aioli) alongside heftier fare (rabbit peperoncini, steak frites, lamb-fried rice).
Like their forebears, the new seasonal spots will likely draw crowds, but what’s another hour after years of waiting? It’s slow food, all right.