News

Mischa, From Alex Stupak of Empellón, Opens in Midtown East

Headliner

Mischa

Location shaped Alex Stupak’s latest restaurant. With his flagship Empellón just two blocks away, Mr. Stupak, a former pastry chef, said he was “forced to make it not Mexican,” the cuisine for which he has become known. Drawing on his heritage (Ukrainian, Italian), a love for New York and the diverse American food scene, he has created a wide-ranging menu of interpretations on dishes like tater tots (long, crisp tubes), Caesar salad (rooted in Chinese broccoli) and a vegetarian burger (a mushroom patty melt). The pastas, kasha varnishkas, varenyky dumplings and brown butter spaetzle, are Eastern European. “Italy does not own pasta,” he said. Tuna poke, steaks, fried chicken and a housemade hot dog served with a raft of condiments are also on the day-into-evening menu. On a level overlooking the Hugh food hall, in the Citigroup Center, there’s a stretch of honey-toned bar surrounded by tables at banquettes. Hang a right, and you’re in a somewhat more formal dining room done in steely blue tones. An airy private room that doubles for à la carte, and the kitchen sit beyond. As for the name, it’s personal. Mr. Stupak said it’s what he was almost named.

157 East 53rd Street, 212-466-6381, mischa-nyc.com.

Opening

Heritage Grand Bakery Restaurant & Pizza Bar

The Venetian plaster, stone décor and exposed beams in this space suggest the Greek Islands, not pizza. But right up front, in the dining room, are a pair of domed pizza ovens facing a dining counter. The spacious room is adjacent to the Heritage Grand Bakery, with breads, pastries and sandwiches, that opened in late December. Both are joined in the rear by an open mixing room, where heirloom grains are milled for the baked goods, pastas and pizzas. The menu roams the Mediterranean, featuring deviled eggs, salads, charred cauliflower, roasted lamb chops and heirloom grain pastas. Running the show are Lou Ramirez from Maison Kayser and Le Pain Quotidien, the French baker Luc Boulet and the financier Alex Garese. (Opens Wednesday)

8 West 40th Street, 212-419-9163, heritagegrandbakery.com.

Carlotto

Somewhat hidden behind the sprawling seafood restaurant Oceans is a barrel-vaulted, brick-walled space that now houses this Italian restaurant. The executive chef, Andy Kitko, also runs the kitchen at Oceans. The Italian menu lists many dishes with names you know, including burrata, carpaccio, polpette, bucatini, branzino and parm. (Wednesday)

100 East 19th Street, 212-209-1054, carlottonewyork.com.

Wonder

This food hall slipped quietly into its Upper West Side location a couple of months ago. It offers foods by chefs like Bobby Flay, Marc Murphy and Michael Symon, as well as Di Fara Pizza and Tejas Barbecue from Texas. The owner, Marc Lore, an entrepreneur who plans more of these in coming months, bought the rights to use the names and recipes of companies like Bobby Flay Steak and Di Fara Pizza. He has also worked with the chefs to perfect recipes for food that is all prepared in a single kitchen. Unlike the average ghost kitchen, which is limited to delivery and pickup, there is seating.

2030 Broadway (70th Street), 855-818-5755, wonder.com.

Filthy Flats

Randy Narod and Joseph Anzalone, who own the Long Island Bagel Café chain, have reinvented the bagel sandwich. At this spot, flattened bagels replace the regular ones, for open-faced sandwiches.

32 Court Street (Remsen Street), Brooklyn Heights, 718-885-4583, filthyflats.com.

Alba Accanto

Adjacent to Cucina Alba, Adam Leonti’s Italian restaurant in Chelsea, there is now this colorful bar. Small plates feature crudi of seafood, carpaccio and white asparagus, along with baked pasta, a focaccia di Recco with assorted toppings, and stuffed zucchini flowers.

141 10th Avenue (19th Street), cucinaalba.com.

Neat Burger NoLita

Another vegan burger restaurant, this time with backing from celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Lewis Hamilton, has opened its first stand-alone American location, a brightly lit and decorated spot. With a string of outlets in Britain and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, it has been running a pop-up at Urbanspace Vanderbilt since last year, which will close at the end of this month. Several styles of vegan burger, as well as a hot dog, bowls, sides and shakes, are on offer.

25 Cleveland Place (Spring Street), neat-burger.com.

Ursula

The menu at this newly relocated restaurant, with food inspired by New Mexico, now goes beyond breakfast burritos and sandwiches to include lunch, brunch and, soon, dinner. Alcohol is also new to the lineup.

387A Nostrand Avenue (Madison Street), Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, 347-365-4905, ursulabk.com.

Looking Ahead

De Gustibus Presents: The Tin Building by Jean-Georges Culinary Series

The marriage between the De Gustibus Cooking School, specializing in classes with chefs, and Macy’s, its longstanding headquarters, hasn’t dissolved. But De Gustibus does have a new venue for some of its courses: Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Tin Building in the seaport district. A series at this location begins May 8 at 6 p.m. with Jesse Jacques, the chef de cuisine at Seeds & Weeds, a vegan and vegetarian restaurant in the building. There will be a demonstration of many dishes, followed by a three-course dinner with wine, $225.

96 South Street (Fulton Street), 212-239-1652, degustibusnyc.com.

Sushi Delic

Sebastian Masuda, a celebrity artist from Tokyo with many projects under his belt in Japan, New York and elsewhere, will be taking on sushi. His new place, to open this summer, will have a conveyor belt with a 20-seat counter. A window on the premises will offer sushi to go.

177 Lafayette Street (Broome Street).

Coronation Breakfast

Observe the coronation of King Charles III in real time on May 6 from 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. Jones Wood Foundry, an Upper East Side English pub, will serve a full English breakfast,kedgeree, strawberry-ginger trifle and more.

401 East 76th Street (First Avenue), 212-249-2700, joneswoodfoundry.com.

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