headliner
L’Abeille
From its inception, TriBeCa’s transformation from warehouse district to restaurant hub has featured lavish, high-end dining options. Think Chanterelle, Montrachet, Bouley, Mr. chow and Danube. This has not changed: more recent additions include One White Street, Atera, Jungsik and now this restaurant, located in a former coffee and tea warehouse. The chef and a partner, Mitsunobu Nagae, serve French cuisine with Japanese influences in an informal setting, without tablecloths, and luxuriously furnished with plush snow-pea velvet. Mr. Nagae, 34, who is from Osaka, worked in Paris at Le Doyen before moving to the Joël Robuchon empire, which included L’Atelier in New York, and later Shun. When he ran into loose ends as the pandemic closed restaurants, Rahul Saito, a wealthy local resident with a taste for fine dining, enlisted him in this new venture. They define it with the French term ‘bistronomie’ which means a bistro for elegant dining. As for the restaurant’s name, it’s a sly reference to the Mitsu, meaning honey, in the chef’s name. (“Abeille” means “bee” in French.) On Mr. Nagae stand pigeon glazed with miso and grilled over binchotan charcoal, lobster marinated with vanilla vinaigrette and a dessert of strawberries with lychee, rose and shiso. There is a six-course tasting menu, $180, in addition to a la carte. French bottles and especially champagnes dominate the wine list, which is compiled by John Mckenna, the drinks director.
412 Greenwich Street (Laight Street), 212-542-3898, labeleille.nyc.
Opening
Momoya Soho
A third location with a more upscale approach to this Japanese restaurant, which combines classic sushi and chawanmushi with items like a tuna tortilla, has opened. It is spread over two floors, but a sushi omakase ($150) is only served at the sushi bar on the ground floor, which seats 12. (Open Wednesday)
47 Prince Street (Mulberry Street), 323-828-0096, momoyanyc.com.
Keys & Heels
In Massimo Lusardi’s Tune Hospitality, this lounge, disguised as a locksmith and shoe repair shop, has added to the block where it also has Uva and Uva Next Door. The new place, decorated with velvet accents, serves drinks and small plates.
1488 Second Avenue (78th Street), 917-557-0217, keysandheelsnyc.com.
maneros
The movie “Saturday Night Fever” inspired this joint with red sauce, an outgrowth of Manero’s Pizza. You may know what to order without even looking at the menu, except there is no chicken parm. (Wednesday)
113 Mulberry Street (Canal Street), 212-345-6789, maneros.pizza.
