New on Resy: Kissaki, Avra Madison, Jack & Charlie’s 118, And More

Manhattan – Downtown

For innovative and inventive sushi omakase, look no further. Helmed by chef Mark Garcia, formerly of Astoria’s Gaijin, Kissaki dazzles with its quirky and oh-so-satisfying sushi omakase, with fish flown in directly from Japan as well as sourced locally: think bluefin tuna with caviar, yuzu zest, and plum sauce, or how about broiled kinmedai served with a honey-infused radish crisp?

Though we’re sad to see Rahi go, we couldn’t be more excited for Semma, from the same team behind Adda and Dhamaka. Here, chef Vijay Kumar, formerly of Michelin-starred Rasa in Burlingame, Calif. showcases a menu entirely devoted to the regions of Southern India — a rarity among Indian restaurants in America — and it shows. Pro tip: Pre-order the Kanyakumari Nandu Masala, a unique feast of Dungeness crab, parotta flatbread, and coconut rice for two.

Find out everything you need to know before you go, here.

It’s an exclusive dining experience like no other: Owned by the premium meat purveyor Tomoe Food Services — and adjacent to Tomoe’s sushi and Japanese steak restaurant, J-Spec — Esora serves just seven diners a night at a single seating. The omakase menu is heavy on wagyu beef and seafood straight from Japan, and you won’t want to miss the tempura course. Chef Koichi Endo is a tempura master.

Find out everything you need to know before you go, here.

The revelry rages on ‘til 4 a.m. most nights at Le Bain, located on the top floor of The Standard Hotel, overlooking the High Line and the Meatpacking District. Drinks, casual food (oysters, crêpes), world-class DJs, and a crowd that dances to its own beat — this is a party you won’t want to miss.

Chef Kurt Gutenbrunner originally opened this little jewel of a place, next door (obviously) to his Michelin-starred, elegantly Austrian Wallsé, as an all-day Viennese-style café. Now he’s reimagined it as an evening-only cocktail bar, serving light Austrian fare — and yes, to answer the inevitable question, Wallsé’s famous apple strudel is still on the menu.

Devotees who used to crowd into chef Hong Thaimee’s East Village gem Ngam and its successor, Thaimee Table (closed since 2019), have found a new home at her Thaimee Love. The specialty here is “baan baan” home cooking, served family-style, with plenty of soup and rice and spice.

There’s irony built into the name of this sleek, chic Greenwich Village wine bar and restaurant. “Temperance” means abstinence from drink, but abstaining is the last thing you’ll want to do here when you get a look at the array of more than a hundred wines by the glass — including plenty of rarities — curated by sommelier A. J. Ojeda-Pons (The Lambs Club, Mercado Little Spain).

This charming West Village place, just a few blocks north of its sister restaurant, Malatesta, embodies that ideal neighborhood restaurant every New Yorker wishes for: a place that’s friendly and will keep you full with its housemade, just-like-Italy pasta.

An ode to the city’s iconic supper clubs of yore, Jack & Charlie’s 118 dazzles with its focus on New American classics, from handmade pasta and wood-fired dry-aged steaks to fresh seafood and a wine bar — all dreamt up by chef and owner Ed Cotton.

Manhattan – Midtown

This major player goes for elegance with its glowing, greenery-filled two-level dining room, its opulent table settings, and its fishmonger’s dream selection of impeccably fresh seafood from both Mediterranean and American waters.

You’ll feel like you’re on the shores of the Aegean when you settle into your seat in this handsome wood-beamed dining room or, weather permitting, the brick-lined garden with its terra-cotta planters and ornate umbrellas. Avra’s menu offers a wide range of Greek specialties, with the focus definitely on seafood — including impeccable whole fish direct from Grecian waters.

The Lower East Side may have Pig & Khao, Leah Cohen’s rollicking ode to Southeast Asia, but Midtown has Piggyback, where she riffs on foundational Southeast Asian dishes and recipes in new ways. Take, for example, the wonton mee, a noodle dish with juicy pork and shrimp wontons and char siu pork belly. Or Malaysian curry puffs and Vietnamese cha ca la vong.

This is kaiseki from a true master of the craft. For seven years, chef Isao Yamada served New Yorkers one of America’s most refined kaiseki menus at David Bouley’s Brushstroke in Tribeca (closed in 2018). Now, he has a new home in Midtown, a jewel of a place with only 20 seats — 12 of those at the counter — where he creates exquisitely crafted small plates based on seasonal ingredients with luxurious accents.

Plush leather booths, the glow of warm lighting, a lively bar, a knockout wine list, extravagant pastries, and a menu of exactly the kind of Italian food you want to eat: this all-day Tuscan-accented oasis in Midtown’s Chambers Hotel has it all.

Why settle for one cuisine when you can choose from three? Come to this Parisian-style brasserie across the street from Central Park — a longtime neighborhood favorite — for its traditional French and American fare, and much more. Case in point: there are three burger styles and two variations on steak frites to choose from. Feel free to indulge, too, in its extra added attraction: a first-rate sushi bar.

Lovers of chèvre, brébis, and brie, you’re in luck. This warm and welcoming little cheese-focused restaurant is as charming as ever, with good wines by the glass, a short but savory menu, and, of course, an encyclopedic array of cheese, cheese, and more cheese.

The over-the-top shakes might steal the spotlight here from time to time, but what you really want to order when you come to Black Tap is a burger, like their provolone and hot cherry-pepper-topped Mulberry Street, or the Wagyu Steakhouse with pepper jack, bacon, crispy onions, and roasted garlic mayo. Whichever one you order, you can’t go wrong.

“Cozy” and “comforting” best describe the scene and the cooking here, from chef Bryce Shuman (Betony, Eleven Madison Park). You’ll definitely want to linger in the front lounge, where the in-house band plays during weekend brunches. Further inside, you’ll relish sipping on French 75s at the bar, and feasting on sticky, sweet, and smoky black pepper maple duroc ribs paired with buttery, fluffy cornbread.

Manhattan – Uptown

The original Harry’s New York Bar has been a Paris institution since 1911, hosting famous barflies with names like Hemingway, Bogart, Chanel, and Gershwin along the way. This elegant Manhattan version, in the Park Lane Hotel, will doubtless draw illustrious personalities, too, with its clubby atmosphere, impeccable cocktails, and caviar-to-burgers menu.

Attention to detail is a hallmark of the sushi omakase here, and you can taste it with every bite. Kissaki flies in most of their fish directly from Japan, and under chef Mark Garcia, that fish is transformed into innovative and delicious nigiri, like shima aji with fermented black garlic, or ishidai with tofu skin, yuzu miso, and a smoked bamboo salt.

Veteran sushi chef Don Pham (O Ya, Morimoto, Kitaro, Geisha) now has a space to call his own — two in fact — to showcase his innovative takes on sushi omakase and much more. The Upper West Side location is intimate — there are only 12 seats — and you won’t want to miss some of Pham’s signature courses, like his milk bread toast, topped with uni, ikura, caviar, and white truffle.

Brooklyn – Greenpoint

A spot you’ll definitely want to add to your undoubtedly already-crowded list of Brooklyn essentials — a warm, bright, casual place in Greenpoint’s historic Pencil Factory building, with an imaginative, vegetable-focused American menu by chef Dennis Hong, a veteran of Le Bernardin and Lincoln Ristorante.

This counterpoint to Bushwick’s Otis is yet another reason why you should dine in Greenpoint. Chef Jackie Carnesi, late of the legendary Roberta’s, draws from a variety of influences — there’s even a tandoori oven in the kitchen — for Nura’s eclectic and electric menu.

We can’t think of a more perfect union: Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Co.’s lobster roll, washed down with a Threes Brewing Vliet. Is there anything better? The seafood restaurant is taking up a wintertime residency at Threes Brewing in Greenpoint.

Brooklyn – Williamsburg

Ramen might get all the attention most days, but it’s well worth a visit to Williamsburg to try Hanon’s uniquely delicious udon noodles, freshly handmade each day. Whether they’re slicked with fish roe, simply dipped into a dashi-based sauce, or swimming in a rich soup broth, they’re utterly delicious.

This Brooklyn outpost of the West Village’s Nami Nori, with its signature temaki — open hand rolls, including vegan options as well as traditional seafood versions — means one less trip across the river for some lucky Brooklynites. Don’t forget to order the many kitchen snacks, cocktails, beer, wine, and, of course, sake, too.

Not to be confused the long-closed West Village tasting-menu restaurant of the same name, this Williamsburg newcomer from chef Alan Vargas (The Consulate, Masa) has found a recipe for success with its engaging French-leaning menu (think escargots, steamed mussels, and steak frites).

Brooklyn – Bushwick

After years spent designing menus and logos for restaurants, illustrator Cerise (French for “cherry”) Zelenetz has finally opened a place of her own. Cherry on Top is a neat little natural wine bar with rooftop seating, all located in a onetime ice cream factory in Bushwick. There’s a short, seasonally changing menu of small plates to match the vintages poured by the glass.