New on Resy: Augustine, Le Bernardin, Aldo Sohm Wine Bar, Atla

At Air’s Champagne Parlor, sommelier Ariel Arce aims to make French sparkling wine (and the lavish fare it’s typically paired with) a little more accessible. Affordable bottles of bubbly and caviar service grace the menu, along with a picture-perfect cheese cart, and other wine-friendly snacks. Add to that a charming, Art Deco-inspired space and it’s almost too good to be true.

Named after the genius longtime sommelier of Le Bernardin, this wine bar is a notable counterpart to the revered fine dining restaurant. The stunning, yet relaxed space includes high top tables and comfortable couch seating. Guests can enjoy lunch specials with pairings, rotating tasting flights, and the famous daily 9pm pour — when a special large-format bottle selected by Aldo Sohm himself, flows. The fabulously affordable food menu, crafted by chef Eric Ripert and his culinary team includes charcuterie, cheese, share plates and more.

An all-day restaurant from the notable Mexican chef and restaurateur Enrique Olvera and his partner, Daniela Soto-Innes, ATLA is the place to be any time of day. You can order flax seed chilaquiles or split pea tlacoyo off the breakfast menu until 4pm and arctic char tostadas and fish milanese off the lunch and dinner menu from 8:30am onwards. The all-day game isn’t one that many restaurants play, but in the airy and playful space that is ATLA, it makes perfect sense. Natural light pours in through giant windows, and there’s a pleasant, relaxed vibe, whether you’re enjoying a mezcal or a café con leche with coconut milk.

Augustine is the latest and greatest from a certain downtown restaurateur who needs no introduction. In typical Keith McNally fashion, it’s a seductive bistro designed with Paris in mind —although at this point, the style is distinctly New York as well. Vintage mirrors and flowery tiles adorn the walls, dark leather banquettes and white tablecloths fill the room, and, in Pete Wells’s words, “impossibly warm” lighting sets the space aglow. Wells insists: “It’s a space that makes you feel, as Holly Golightly put it, as if ‘nothing very bad could happen to you there.’” The food is classic French, so expect lots of meat — from rotissterie to grillades — and a different specialty served each day of the week. If that doesn’t give you reason enough to come back often, note that Augustine is located in The Beekman Hotel and serves breakfast, brunch, lunch, late lunch, and dinner

With only 8 seats, Bar Uchu operates as an exclusive den for whiskey and Japanese-food devotees. The kaiseki style tasting menu, which incorporates the freshest seasonal ingredients (including produce from the restaurant’s rooftop garden), is driven by Samuel Clonts, formerly of the Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare. Bar manager Frank Cisneros, who spent a year honing his craft at the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, hits a high note with an impressive selection of rare whiskeys and artisanal cocktails.

The foremost destination for seafood-centric cuisine, Le Bernardin is a restaurant worthy of the most special occasions. Chef Eric Ripert’s flawless flagship restaurant has three stars from Michelin and four from The New York Times. The service is exquisite, as is the wine list, crafted by expert sommelier Aldo Sohm. And the food? French technique is executed to perfection (hint: sauce), flavors from all over the world are sprinkled across the menu, and the desserts are intricate and delicious. This jewel is the kind of place where you choose to not hold back, and never once regret it.

Named after a century-old tree located in nearby Prospect Park, Camperdown Elm is the debut restaurant of Chef Brad Willits (formerly of Agern and Atera). His menu of refined New American fare is ever-evolving and both locally and seasonally-focused. Dishes like grilled cucumber, ikura, and smoked buttermilk; octopus and mocilla with tomatillo and smoked potato; and beef with brassica and Camperdown steak sauce are complemented by an eclectic wine and beer list. And in typical Park Slope fashion, the casual space is warm and welcoming.

And so the story goes: Chumley’s was resurrected– not as the hideaway dive bar it once was, but as a meat-centric, swanky restaurant with Alessandro Borgognone and chef Victoria Blamey running ship. Located behind an unmarked door in the West Village, it still feels like a secret worth stumbling on, except now the treasure is the gastronomical fare. The “impressively satisfying” burger — a favorite of New York Magazine critic Adam Platt — comes with two patties, melting bone barrow, and crispy shallots; the bar offers a series of scotch and soda variations; and framed vintage photos of old, famous regulars line the walls.

Maybe you’ve been to Emily and Matt Hyland’s original location in Clinton Hill, where excellent Neapolitan pies are served alongside well-known, dry-aged burgers. Or maybe you’ve enjoyed the duo’s second, Detroit-style pizza spot in Williamsburg, Emmy Squared. Now, the husband-and-wife pair have ventured into Manhattan to inhabit the former Blue Ribbon Bakery space, and they’re serving a menu of typical Hyland-style eats, including round pies, grandma pies, a “lammy burger,” and a pressed duck sandwich.

Tucked into an unassuming corner of Red Hook’s Van Brunt street, Fort Defiance exudes the vibe of the neighborhood in which it lies. A local’s paradise, it’s cozy and quirky, with friendly service. A lot of attention is paid to the beverage program, from brunch drinks to after-dinner cocktails. The Southern-influenced food offerings range from brunch to dinner and feature satisfying fare, like Creole red beans on toast and chicken liver paté with bacon-onion jam. Best of all, specials are taken seriously here: burgers on Mondays, dollar oysters on Wednesdays until 11pm, and “a weekly celebration of all things tiki”– otherwise known as The Sunken Harbor Club – on Thursdays.

While not quite a full restaurant, Grand Army is far more than a nice place to drink; and what it does, it does well. The oyster selection is always top-notch, as are the snacks and small plates, like deviled eggs, charred octopus, charcuterie, and seared scallops. The bar program, which is run by the seasoned former Prime Meats bar director Damon Boelte, includes a bevy of craft cocktails.

This chic Upper East Side bistro from Chef Xavier Monge, a Minetta Tavern alum, draws a local crowd. The environment is welcoming, and the contemporary French fare is creative, yet comforting. Try the specialty of the house– a whole Normandy duck flambé for two, served with Asian spices, summer greens, and poached pear.

Vietnamese-born chef and owner Don Pham has been working in premier New York City sushi restaurants for over 17 years. At his solo debut, Sushi Ishikawa, on the Upper East Side, Pham offers innovative omakase in a modern and inviting space. Each guest is treated to a personalized sushi experience — customized by Pham himself. Sit back and enjoy the show.

Praised by The New York Times (3 stars) and the Michelin Guide (1 star), Yakitori Torishin is a stellar Japanese restaurant focused on high-quality yakitori meals. The Select Counter offers a skewer-based omakase meal (influenced by the styles of kaiseki, kappou, and robatayaki) plus appetizers comprised of seasonal ingredients (including the finest seafood carefully selected from the Tsukiji market in Tokyo). Best of all, the chefs serve each course right off the Kishu Binchotan grill behind the counter.