headliner
Kono
Omakase, a type of Japanese meal that leaves the choice of dishes to the chef, is usually associated with a parade of sushi appetizers. But it’s also applied to yakitori at this restaurant by Atsushi Kono, an expert in yakitori, or “grilled bird,” usually chicken on a skewer. mr. Kono was the executive chief of Yakitori Torishin in New York from 2006, after working in Japan for some time. Now he opens his own place where he will serve yakitori omakase while presiding over grills fueled with the binchotan charcoal commonly used in Japanese cuisine. It takes center stage, surrounded on three sides by a dramatically lit counter that seats 14 for set dinners of $165 at 5:30pm, 6pm, 8:30pm, and 9pm (drinks, tax, and tip are extra. Different cuts of organic chicken, including the heart, oyster, soft knee cartilage, tail and tenderloin, are grilled on bamboo skewers as the centerpiece of the meal. Chicken thigh rolls, chicken pate and soups are also served, topped off with a black sugar crème brûlée. Wagyu, king crab and Iberico pork are among the optional extras. The restaurant also has a table for four to six people.
46 Bowery (Canal Street), 646-524-6838, yakitorikono.com.
Opening
laser wolf
Run by Chef Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook, the Philadelphia restaurateurs known for their interpretations of Israeli cuisine, this new Williamsburg restaurant is located on the heated, weatherproof, open-air roof of the Hoxton, a hotel chain founded in London. . In New York they once ran Dizengoff, in Chelsea Market, but that closed in 2018. For this, their first restaurant in New York, they teamed up with Boka, a catering group from Chicago. Grilled meat, whole fish and vegetables are the specialties, served with side dishes and pita bread. The chef is Andrew Henshaw, who has worked with CookNSolo, Mr. Solomonov and Mr. Cook’s company. (Open Sunday)
The Hoxton, 97 Wythe Avenue (North 10th Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, laserwolfbrooklyn.com.
Firenze Ristorante Toscano & Bar
One of the restaurants in Eataly’s financial district has changed from Southern Italian cuisine to Tuscan cuisine. Ribollita, pappa al pomodoro, pappardelle al cinghiale (wild boar) and a classic Tuscan porterhouse are the work of Diego Puddu, Eataly’s head of culinary for North America, and Adam Hill, the head chef of the center of the market. Part of the wine list is devoted to Chianti Classico, and there are Florentine cocktails such as the Santa Maria del Fiore made with Chianti vin santo.
Eataly Downtown, 101 Liberty Street (Church Street), Third Floor, 646-677-8580, eataly.com.
Ensenada
Food and drink that reflects Mexican coastal cuisine and, more broadly, Latin America, is the driving force behind this new spot in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Luis Herrera, formerly of Cosme, is the head chef and works alongside Bryce David, whose Black Flamingo bar is located below the restaurant.
168 Borinquen Place (South Second Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 347-335-0838, ensenadanyc.com.
