NYC’s Best New Restaurants: December 2015
We’ll have the oysters and lobster and steak, thank you
A restaurant can’t just be good to survive in New York. It has to be gooooood.
This month, new hot spots all over the city are taking our old favorites to the next level. You’ve never had lobster, pizza, oysters and steak like this before. We promise.
Ready to drool? Here are December’s best new restaurants.
JUE LAN CLUB
Former NYC nightclub Limelight (you know, the one in the church) has been transformed into a 275-seat, multi-level Chinese eatery. Start with the black-bean shoots and caviar, then try the salt-and-pepper lobster for two.
47 W. 20th St. (at Sixth Ave.); 646-524-7409 or juelanclub.com
KINGSLEY
Blue Hill alum Roxanne Spruance’s newest offering specializes in seasonal, local French-American cuisine. Feast on the charred octopus with blood orange, cocoa nibs, cilantro and salsify in the cozy East Village space.
190 Ave. B (at 12th St.); 212-674-4500 or kingsleynyc.com
MAMAN TRIBECA
Think of this as a supersized version of the original Maman in Soho. Instead of simply a bakery, it’s a full French restaurant featuring dishes like scallop carpaccio with Mandarin oranges and stuffed calamari with raisins.
211 W. Broadway (at Franklin St.); 212-226-0700 or mamannyc.com
BLU ON PARK
NYC has a million steakhouses, but when you’re lounging in an opulent brownstone, noshing on a dry-aged tomahawk steak glazed with Maker’s Mark, it’s a totally new experience.
116 E. 60th St. (at Park Ave.); 212-256-1929 or bluonpark.com
LLAMA INN
This Peruvian-American mash-up has something for everyone. Want to go adventurous with traditional beef heart and char siu pork belly (above)? Would you rather play it safe with quinoa salad? Either way, you're covered.
50 Withers St. (at Union St.), Brooklyn; 718-387-3434 or llamainnyc.com
SERVICE STATION
We thought gas station pizza was more of a regret than a meal, but pizza master Giulio Adriani is serving up seriously amazing personal pies, lasagna and fried calamari at this ExxonMobil station turned restaurant.
500 E. 62nd St. (at York Ave.); 212-751-7860 or servicestationnyc.com
EDWIN & NEAL’S FISH BAR
The folks behind Upstate, the postage-stamp-sized restaurant that transports you to a summer evening on the beach, are at it again with a quaint new seafood joint. Get the oysters.
345 Sixth St. (at First Ave.); 212-477-0617 or edwinandneals.com
LE GARAGE
What do you get when an interior designer daughter and her chef mother buy an old garage in Bushwick? They transform it into the hottest French restaurant in town, hidden behind an unassuming exterior covered in graffiti.
159 B. Central Ave. (at Suydam St.), Brooklyn; 347-925-1700 or legaragebrooklyn.com