Lula Mae
With liquor license in hand, the partners Roof Alexander, the chef Dan San and the brothers Daniel and David Balk are ready to go full-bore with their new Cambodian spot, focused on contemporary Khmer food. The green papaya salad bok lahong includes beef jerky. Fried bread comes with tom yum butter. Morning glory is stir-fried with salted soy beans, and fresh vegetables accompany lort cha rice noodles.
472 Myrtle Avenue (Washington Avenue), Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, 347-457-5058 lulamaenyc.com.
Fushimi Times Square
Red torii gates are the signature of the Japanese city of Fushimi, near Kyoto. A suggestion of them has been replicated at the entrance to this sprawling new restaurant, where, after 6 p.m. some nights of the week, the emphasis turns to DJs, not chefs. The space housed Hakkasan and, like the predecessor, it’s fragmented, with latticework in several dining areas. The menu is mostly Asian. There are endless sushi options, both classic and inventive, and forays elsewhere with lamb chops with black truffles and lobster bisque.
311 West 43rd Street, 212-245-8881, fushiminyc.com.
Nisi Estiatorio
Greek restaurants are having their moment in New York, and another whitewashed island-inspired spot comes as no surprise, especially in Astoria, Queens. This one offers a typical menu of items like spreads, zucchini chips, saganaki, dolmades, lamb chops, fish, moussaka and salads.
32-07 30th Avenue (Newtown Avenue), Astoria, Queens, 718-440-9295, nisiastoria.com.
Looking Ahead
Market 57
The James Beard Foundation, an anchor tenant for this 16,000-square-foot food hall soon to open on Pier 57, has announced two components in partnership with Google, and a real estate company, Jamestown. There will be a food kiosk, Good to Go by JBF, a takeout stand that will serve new works from a rotating list of established vendors, and Platform by the James Beard Foundation, which will feature dinners, panel discussions, cooking demonstrations, classes and the like from chefs, food personalities, educators and others. Platform has a state-of-the-art kitchen and a dining room that seats 52 at communal tables, with the flexibility to become a classroom, a reception area or lounge. There are also chef counters looking into the kitchen. Event tickets for April are now on sale online, from $65 to $500. A children’s class on April 15 is free. The Platform events will be the premier showcase for the foundation’s public events, though dinners and other events typically held at the Beard House in the West Village and primarily for fund-raising will continue to be held.
Pier 57, 25 11th Avenue (15th Street), platformbyjbf.org.
Aquavit
You can now reserve an elegant Easter Sunday brunch at this Scandinavian restaurant, just steps from St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Three courses, with choices like matjes herring cake and quail egg, warm potato and anchovy soup, mangalista pork collar with radicchio, Scandinavian bouillabaisse, a carrot torte and a bird’s nest dessert with goat cheese parfait, are $155 plus beverages, tax and tip. The brunch is served from noon until 3 p.m.
65 East 55th Street, 212-307-7311, aquavit.org.
