The November Hit List: Crown Shy, Four Horsemen, Attaboy, Fat Choy, and More

Combine cozy-chic al fresco digs with a stellar rotating food menu to keep things exciting, and a fantastic wine list chock-full of finds, and you get a top-tier restaurant for today’s times. The Four Horsemen is a tough table to nab, so don’t forget you can set a Notify. (Just be quick on the draw.) Pro tip: Their next-door café Day Moves is open daily for coffee and pastries in the morning, and often hosts fun pop-ups. Stay tuned here for the latest. And don’t miss their exclusive Resy at Home collab with San Francisco’s Mister Jiu’s on Nov. 15, with chefs Nick Curtola and Brandon Jew creating a special joint menu available in Brooklyn.

Dining status: Patio is open for reservations. Made-to-order food and pantry items are available for pickup.

Crown Shy, James Kent’s much-lauded FiDi spot, is now on Resy. And whether you choose to sit outside or inside, amidst the architectural Art Deco details of 70 Pine or with a front-row seat to the open kitchen, you’re in for a treat. Dont miss the buttery pull-apart bread; the grilled citrus-marinated chicken with Kent’s housemade hot sauce; and definitely not the sticky toffee pudding for two.

Dining status: Patio and dining room are open for reservations. Delivery and pickup are available, too.

Tall piles of leafy greens in a sherry vinaigrette. Twirls of eggy tonnarelli cacio e pepe. Seared, sizzling mounds of steak svizzerina. Now that we have your attention, here’s a reminder: Via Carota has grown reservations-friendly. While planning ahead is possible, walk-ins are still encouraged, and Negronis and prosciutto are forever.

Dining status: Patio is open for limited reservations. Delivery and pickup are available, too.

The way to tackle this brand-new, kind-of-Chinese, also-vegan eatery: Gather a crew of at least three, and order the whole menu. All eight dishes net out at $10 or less, and range from chewy rice rolls with charred scallion, black vinegar, and sauteed greens to crunchy-punchy fried cauliflower with creamy shallot sauce. More info here.

Dining status: Open for pickup and takeout only, with some tables outside to enjoy.

As goes the COVID story, chef Marco Moreira had to get creative. So, instead of closing a restaurant or reopening his two, he combined Toqueville and 15 East into one. From steamed foie gras custard to hand-cut soba with hay-smoked duck, bluefin tuna sashimi, and sweet shrimp sushi, you can have it all — from inside the dining room or underneath hanging pink lanterns and a covered patio.

Dining status: Patio and dining room are open for reservations

The pleasure of a perfectly made drink takes on new heights in a year like this one. So it’s a good thing Attaboy is still at it, continuing the legend of Milk & Honey (and occupying its original speakeasy-ish space on Eldridge Street), crafting cocktails tailor-made to customers’ tastes. And yes, there are now reservations: Grab one for indoor seats, or simply show up to get situated on the first-come, first-served patio.

Dining status: Indoor reservations are available, patio is walk-in only.

Speaking of speakeasies, the Japanese izakaya once hidden behind Fort Greene’s Walter’s has relocated from its lair. Now popped up at Walter’s other Williamsburg location, Karasu is serving the same great sake and share plates in a manner both less discreet and more COVID-friendly. Head to North Brooklyn for baby octopus with corn and miso butter, and tonkatsu with napa cabbage slaw, alongside yuzu gimlets and sake.

Dining status: Patio and dining room are open for reservations.

Three words: beef noodle soup. As the temps continue to drop, keep in mind that Ho Foods makes an exceptional bowl of the warming Taiwanese version of this dish, complete with your choice of thin or wide noodles and add-ons like “rich” and “XXX spicy.” Enjoy it outdoors there or via pickup and delivery, just be sure to order a Hitachino Yuzu Lager to go with. More info here.

Dining status: Patio is open for walk-ups and delivery and pickup are available, too.

A trip down Minetta Lane means luxurious PB&Js made of chicken liver mousse with pistachio butter and morello cherry marmellata; toothsome pastas like garganelli verde with Bolognese ragu and tortellini with fresh black truffle, veal piccata with sunchokes, dry-aged ribeye with Marsala jus, and more. The only tough part about dining at da Toscano is narrowing down what to order.

Dining status: Patio and dining room are open for reservations; delivery and pickup are available, too.

Maybe you didn’t make it to Munich for Oktoberfest this year. No one did; it was canceled. But really, that’s okay, because you’re better off drinking brews from Tørst’s 17 draft lines and pairing them with a cheese plate or a smoked pastrami sandwich. Not into beer? Naturalish wines and cocktails are poured here too, in addition to their tightly-curated, global beer selection.

Dining status: Patio and dining room are open for reservations and delivery and pickup are available.

Frenchette took over the Arcade Bakery space at 220 Church St. and is now baking sesame rustique loaves and pain du chocolat daily. Fanny Gerson is back in Bed-Stuy at her original Dough space, frying up vanilla glazed braids and guava-and-cheese fan fans (read: filled, oblong-shaped doughnuts). All this is to say that New York’s bakery boom is real, and providing a much-needed dose of comfort.

Dining status: Both bakeries are takeout only.