headliner
Bonnie’s
Chef Calvin Eng’s career began with culinary school, followed by several years of increasingly important restaurant jobs and a role as a chef at Win Son. Now, at the age of 27, he has opened Bonnie’s, his own restaurant, fulfilling the dream of many young chefs. Mr. Eng, a native of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, whose family is Cantonese, named the restaurant after his mother, who nurtured his understanding of Cantonese cuisine, which he says he initially rejected but has now embraced. At Bonnie’s, he puts an international spin on the cuisine, bathing won-tons in Parmesan broth, dressing long beans in herb butter, marries cacio e pepe with fermented bean curd, and plated glazed steamed ribs with bread-and-butter pickles. He also tinkers with some Cantonese dishes, such as velvety pepper steak served with charred onions and peppers and crispy Hong Kong noodles; and whole deboned trout, a labor-intensive affair filled with shrimp, ginger and water chestnuts. “I’m bringing my background to the fore, but with variations, and changing the old-fashioned Cantonese,” he said.
398 Manhattan Avenue (Frost Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 914-875-3709, bonniebrooklyn.com.
Opening
Cafe at the Irish Arts Centre
Just past the entrance to the new Irish Arts Centre, housed in a centuries-old former car repair shop in Hell’s Kitchen, this cafe has a bar, lounge chairs and a few high tables, all done in mossy shades of velor with dark wood accents. Some Irish materials such as recycled Waterford crystal and Connemara marble are also used. The food is provided by Ardesia, Mandy Oser’s nearby wine bar, and includes Irish cheeses and sausages, brown bread with smoked salmon, potato-leek soup with black pudding, small savory pies and colcannon puffs. “It’s Irish with a modern twist,” said Mrs Oser. Drinks highlight Ireland with draft Guinness and Irish whiskeys, as well as New York with beers from every borough. For now it is open from 90 minutes before performances and after. (Open Wednesday)
726 11th Avenue (51st Street), 212-757-3318, irishartscenter.org. (check: 646-285-7715)
Emmett’s on Grove
Emmett Burke brought the deep-dish pizzas from his native Chicago to his West Village restaurant Emmett’s in 2013. Now, he’s expanding his presence in the neighborhood with a fuller Italian-American menu of spaghetti and non-spaghetti meatballs, chicken parm, and pizza. Here, the pizza bases are cracker-thin, or tavern-style, another Chicago flavor, and served classic with tomato and cheese, or with spicy elements, or as a homemade version. There is a 20-seat bar in the front and a 55-seat dining room full of art posters. (Wednesday)
39 Grove Street (Bleecker Street), 646-370-3858, emmettsnyc.com.
TLK
Michelle Morgan was inspired by her mother, who is from Hong Kong, when she opened Tiger Lily Kitchen for delivery only during the pandemic. It specialized in gluten free food. Now it’s ready for dine in as well as delivery and takeout, and she serves mostly vegetarian dishes from the same template. Dishes include organic tofu bites, spicy grilled Japanese eggplant, celeriac steak with carrot and ginger dressing, and curried fish steamed in a banana leaf. It’s a graceful place, with shades of pink dominating the decor. (Friday)
58 Third Avenue (East 10th Street), 646-360-2030, tlk-nyc.com.