South Brooklyn has plenty of French restaurants but little really good French food, so Chowhounds cheered the arrival of Pompette earlier this year in Carroll Gardens. Go for bistro standards such as mussels, cassoulet, and terrines and other house-made charcuterie; drinks like the signature Pompette (sparkling wine, rose syrup, crushed peppercorn); and a table in the inviting back garden (pictured). READ MORE
At two-month-old MP Taverna, TV chef Michael Psilakis has brought an updated spin on Greek cooking to New York's Greek heartland of Astoria, Queens.
Expect homey fare like his knockout Grandma's Greek Meatballs and spicy pork sausage alongside surprises like a refreshing, fruit- and nut-studded bulgur salad (pictured) and a take on paella made with orzo and a ton of shellfish, Chowhounds report. MP Taverna, which joins sister restaurants in Westchester and Long Island, also offers a bar scene—with bar-friendly bites like gyro sliders.
Photo from Michael Psilakis / Facebook
From the classics on the menu—pâté, escargots, blanquette de veau, and the like—you might think you know what Le Philosophe is about. Think again. Matthew Aita, a former sous-chef at Jean-Georges, updates and lightens French standards like frog legs (pictured), sautéed with hen of the woods mushrooms and sunchokes and served atop a sauce of puréed watercress and garlic. "Completely not what I expected," Ziggy41 writes on Chowhound. "More like a beautiful little salad." READ MORE
Tanoshi Sushi looks like countless other uptown sushi joints, but it's generated a singular amount of buzz—most recently an ecstatic Serious Eats review that anoints it the "Holy Grail" for seekers of high-quality sushi at a moderate price. Chowhounds, though not quite so enthralled, say there's a lot to like here. READ MORE
The coffee scene on Brooklyn's Smith Street just got an overdue upgrade with the arrival of Roogla. The coffee's "freaking great," says HungryWino, a Chowhound and self-described caffeine freak who compares the three-week-old café to 'hound-endorsed java joints like Blue Bottle, Café Pedlar, and Joe Coffee. READ MORE
Montmartre launched in February, the latest hit restaurant from the high-flying Gabe Stulman (Joseph Leonard, Perla, et al.). Then, barely a month after takeoff, the Chelsea brasserie changed course. As rewritten, the menu takes a more freewheeling direction that's closer to Chef Tien Ho's sweet spot, as showcased at David Chang's Má Pêche and Momofuku Ssäm Bar. Now French bistro standards with minor modern twists have given way to bolder dishes that borrow flavors and ingredients from Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. READ MORE
New American cooking is in and Russian opulence is out at Betony in Midtown, the three-week-old reset of the grand, gaudy, and short-lived Brasserie Pushkin. The restaurant's owner brought in a chef and manager who worked at Eleven Madison Park, and they've introduced a menu of bright, nuanced, seasonal dishes. READ MORE
Falansai brings something unexpected and welcome to a barren corner of Bushwick: a refined take on Vietnamese street food from a one-time cook at San Francisco's celebrated Slanted Door.
Shrimp with crisp okra (pictured) is a standout dish, distinguished by an inviting play of textures and the delicately balanced flavors of Sichuan peppercorn, peanuts, galangal, and dried shrimp, mary shaposhnik reports on Chowhound. Vegetarian imperial rolls are also outstanding, fried to a greaseless crunch. READ MORE
The cuisine of Malaysia is dizzyingly global, and that's a challenge for Malaysian restaurateurs outside their homeland. Many respond by going big, offering "a greatest-hits mélange of Malay, Hakka, Peranakan, Singaporean, Chinese, and even Thai dishes," Polecat observes on Chowhound. "The kitchen tends to be spread very thin trying to do all these dishes well, and winds up excelling at few to none." In contrast, month-old Mamak in Flushing goes small. Its relatively brief menu emphasizes flavors contributed by generations of Tamil Muslim migrants—an Indian influence, melded with Malay elements, that's too often missing at Malaysian restaurants in New York. READ MORE
