Dining Agenda: New Restaurants And Food News July 2017

From June 28 to Sept. 10, Swedish super chef Magnus Nilsson’s restaurant, Fäviken Magasinet, will run a summer pop-up called Hoon’s Chinese. The kitchen will be helmed by sous chef (and Singapore-native) Ethel Hoon, and will turn out mapo tofu, dumplings, crispy duck, and other meticulously crafted versions of Singapore’s Chinese-influenced cuisine with local ingredient flourishes. Torggränd 2, Åre; 46-72/588-7440; svartklubbochbar.se.

James Beard award-winning chef RJ Cooper is launching a modern American brasserie in the heart of Music City. Open as of June 29, the restaurant’s menu embodies the best of inventive Southern cuisine—dry-aged rib cap with fingerling potatoes and ranch powder, North Carolina trout with oyster root and brown butter, and grits made from red and purple “Bloody Butcher” corn. The restaurant’s breezy patio encourages summer night cocktail sipping. 2023 Broadway; 615-340-6378; henleynashville.com.

Celebrated chefs Jason Vincent and Ben Lustbader (Giant) are partnering with the Ace Chicago Hotel to open a contemporary American restaurant. Starting July 1, the upscale-casual kitchen will turn out fried artichokes with veal ragu, cucumber salad with littleneck clams, and a Midwest-inspired turkey grinder with Italian seasoning. Breakfast fanatics will be able to order early morning fare—bacon and goat cheese breakfast pastries and Vietnamese egg coffee with sweetened condensed milk—seven days a week. 311 North Morgan St.; 312-764-1908; citymousechicago.com.

After a smash hit pop-up last summer, many Michelin-starred French chef Hélène Darroze is heading back to Basque Country from July 1 through Oct. 15. Set inside the grand Hotel Maria Cristina, diners can sample Darroze’s daily-changing menu of dishes like roasted carabineros shrimp with tandoor spice and carrot mousseline, and grilled steak with black truffle and bordelaise sauce.

Alex and Miles Pincus—the brothers and lifelong sailors-turned restaurateurs behind the celebrated oyster bar Grand Banks—are opening two new venues in the first week of July. Island Oyster will be a sprawling, 32,000 square-foot oyster bar and beer garden on Manhattan’s Governors Island where diners can slurp their bivalves while taking in a view of the New York Harbor. Pilot, meanwhile, will set executive chef Kerry Heffernan’s (Eleven Madison Park) menu on a 1924 wooden racing schooner that is docked in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Island Oyster: 10 South St.; 917-268-0200; islandoyster.com. Pilot: Pier 6; 917-810-8550; pilotbrooklyn.com.

Boutique hotel Kimpton Everly is set to open in Hollywood in early July. With it will come two new dining spots: Ever Bar will serve up relaxed-but-sophisticated cocktails (like vodka, strawberry shrub, and vanilla syrup) and small plates beneath the bar’s vaulted ceilings. Jane Q will offer California cuisine, like sweet potatoes with pickled Fresno chiles and avocado and Greek yogurt parfaits with focaccia, in an airy dining room outfitted with white subway tile and marble countertops. 1800 Argyle Ave.; 213-279-3532; kimptonhotels.com.

Chris Frichot grew up in the kitchen of Knockinaam Lodge, his parents’ Michelin-starred restaurant in Scotland; in early July, he will branch out on his own. Partnering with his fiancé Saba Tsegaye, the Clapham Common-based restaurant will focus on modern European fare with Indian-inspired flavors: baby octopus with curry leaf paste, roasted poussin, and caramelized watermelon with Campari sorbet. The space, meanwhile, will skew whimsical and intimate, with a hand-tiled mosaic floor, a walled garden, and stained glass touches. 21 The Pavement; 20-7/720-4105; minnowclapham.co.uk.

In early July, one of Mexico City’s most celebrated chefs, Maycoll Calderón (Huset, Hanky Panky), is opening a modern Mexican spot in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood. Inside the 100-seat restaurant, brightly furnished with palm-printed wallpaper and blue tile, the kitchen will turn out seabass crudo with citrus vinaigrette, wood-fired meats, and craft cocktails by Mexico City’s wunderkind bartender, David Mora. 2815 Sunset Blvd.; tintorera.la.

In mid-July, this 16th-century coaching inn turned luxury hotel will launch two new dining options. The Mediterranean-inspired Lygon Wine Bar will serve Italian small plates set by a cozy fire. The nearby Lygon Bar & Grill, run by chef Ales Maurer, will turn out UK-inspired fare including a rack of grilled Welsh lamb, heritage tomatoes with soft-boiled quail egg and, for pudding, blueberry crumbled with clotted cream ice cream. High St., Broadway; 44-13/8685-2255; lygonarmshotel.co.uk.

In mid-July, restaurateur Jeremy Sasson is opening an 10,000-square foot steakhouse in downtown Detroit. The menu of aged Porterhouse steaks with anchovy butter, Jidori chicken, and coal-fired oysters will be paired with innovative steakhouse sides from rainbow-hued composed salads to grilled Swiss chard gratin topped with rye crumbs. An onsite, full-service butcher counter lets diners order steaks to eat that evening, or to wrap up and take home. 1145 Griswold St.; 248-294-0700; primeandproperdetroit.com.

NYC’s high temple of pastrami is hitting the road, partnering with chefs up and down the Eastern seaboard who will create a Katz’s-inspired dish to be offered at their restaurants. From July 17–23, the series will head to Philadelphia, where Marc Vetri’s Amis Trattoria will incorporate the briny cured meat into a comforting plate of tonarelli with egg and pecorino. 412 S. 13th St.; 215-732-2647; katzsdelicatessen.com.

This summer, Charlie Palmer Steak New York is hosting a block party series on its outdoor patio, giving chefs and food personalities from around NYC a chance to directly share their passion and expertise with diners. On July 27, famed wedding cake artist Ron Ben-Israel will do a Q&A and a tasting of cakes topped with his signature buttercream. 47 W. 38th St.; 212-302-3838; charliepalmer.com.

Chef Clare Smyth received three Michelin stars during her 10-year tenure at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. Now, she’s opening her first solo restaurant, a modern fine dining spot in Notting Hill. Smyth was raised on a farm in Northern Ireland, and her evolving tasting menu will highlight the best of England’s farmers, fisherman, and artisan producers. The substantial wine list, meanwhile, will include 400 wines and champagnes from France, Italy, and California. Expect a late-July opening. 92 Kensington Park Rd.; corebyclaresmyth.com.

On July 29, the James Beard Foundation will host its annual summer soiree and tasting party at the Wölffer Estate Vineyard in the Hamptons. Chef Marcus Samuelsson is the 2017 honoree, and the menu will be curated by a who’s who from the food world, including chefs Alex Guarnaschelli, George Mendes, and Matthew Hyland, among others. 183 Sagg Rd.; 212-627-2308; jamesbeard.org.