The December Hit List: Sunken Harbor Club, La Bonne Soupe, 8282, and More 

Cantonese culinary traditions are the foundation of so much of what we know and love about Chinese American food, and at Bonnie’s, chef-owner Calvin Eng is pushing them forward — and paying tribute to his mom, Bonnie, in the process. The former Win Son chef de cuisine garnishes his steamed egg custard with Sungold tomatoes in the summer and clams and black bean sauce in the winter. His Hong Kong-style macaroni soup, a staple of cha chaan teng, or Hong Kong-style cafes, subs crispy mortadella for cubed luncheon meat and a Parmesan-boosted broth for the usual chicken stock. The most showstopping dish on the menu, however, might be Eng’s whole deboned rainbow trout that’s been refashioned into savory fish-cake slices — something he used to make with his mom. And after a lengthy delay (thanks, National Grid), the wait for Bonnie’s to open is finally over.

Note: Reservations are now available for dining beginning on Dec. 10. Find out more about Bonnie’s menu, dish by dish, here. 

After going up the tall wooden staircase, make a right and you’ll find yourself inside the newest addition to Gage & Tollner. What got its start as a cocktail pop-up at co-owner St. John Frizell’s Fort Defiance in Red Hook back in 2013 is now a brick-and-mortar in one of the borough’s most historic spaces. Visiting this tropical bar modeled after the hull of a ship makes you feel like you’ve embarked on an expedition in search of long-lost treasure and, in this case, that treasure involves cocktails. A lot of them. The menu arranges them from lightest (“the shallows”) to the strongest (“into the abyss”); there’s also some non-alcoholic options, too (“dry land”). There are classics, like the mai tai, as well as new twists, like the Bridge of Sighs (a cross between a Jungle Bird and a Black Magic) or the Singapore Burrapeg (a Champagne cocktail influenced by the Singapore Sling). And new inventions, like the Sultan’s Good Counsel, a savory vodka-sherry-based drink with sumac and zaatar. Pro tip: If you’re hungry, don’t sleep on the beef pho from Gage & Tollner chef Sohui Kim.

Walk-ins only. (But reservations are accepted at Gage & Tollner for a pre- or post-drink meal.) 

When you want classic French bistro fare, minus the airfare, La Bonne Soupe fits the bill. An enduring classic that’s been around for nearly 50 years, it recently acquired a new owner, Gehad Hadidi, taking over from Yves Picot, whose father, Jean-Paul Picot, opened La Bonne Soupe in 1973, and a new chef — Nicolas Frezel. It’s also one of the coziest spots in the city, and with food and wine that’s so satisfyingly comforting, too. La Bonne Soupe does all the hits so incredibly well — it’s hard to find better versions of French onion soup, Burgundy-style snails, or boeuf Borguignon than theirs. Pair them with some glasses of natural wine or a Winter Negroni, and you’ve got all the makings of an ideal meal for these chilly winter nights.

The proprietors of the now-closed Pado in the East Village have come back with a new restaurant devoted to modern Korean cuisine that’s not afraid to experiment. This time, they find themselves on the Lower East Side (in the former Meatball Shop space), and they’re putting out dishes like a jeon (pancake) made with shrimp and fried parsley, an angel hair pasta slicked with Korean perilla oil, and seared scallops over a bed of barley accented with black bean sauce and truffle paste.

Speaking of comebacks, it only took four years, but Comodo, the beloved Greenwich Village restaurant from husband-and-wife team Felipe Donnelly and Tamy Rofe (Colonia Verde), which closed in 2017, has been resurrected in the former Simon & The Whale space at Flatiron’s Freehand Hotel. The flavors you loved from before are still there, drawing from Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Brazil. Think pao de queijo sliders, wild mushroom al ajillo tacos, and a chocolate tamal with smoked guajillo ice cream. Another bonus? They’re now open for breakfast and lunch, too.

This new West Village addition from chef Ed Cotton is a faithful tribute to New York City supper clubs of yore where the dining room is always abuzz, the glow in the dining room is just dim enough, and the food and drinks are pitch-perfect. The menu sticks to many of the New American classics we’ve grown to love, like a poke-inflected “chopped tuna” and a delicate wild mushroom agnolotti with brown butter and sage, but also adds in a few new twists, like the “bone-in” duck meatloaf with whipped potatoes and a sweet fig jus, or an everything spice potato knish (caviar optional). If you love martinis, you’ll also appreciate the selection of variations, too.

Named for chef-owner Jeremy Salamon’s Hungarian paternal grandmother, Agi’s Counter is a daytime café where you can find Eastern European dishes and pastries that have otherwise been hard to come by here in New York. Don’t sleep on either of the breakfast sandwich options: the meaty leberkäse, made with a pork pâté and a fried egg; or the pogacsa, served on a housemade biscuit with a fried egg, dill, and Alpine cheddar. And save some room for some of executive pastry chef Renee Hudson’s sweets, like the buttery, flaky Ferdinand bun or the black cardamom-kissed pineapple upside-down cake. On Fridays, they’ve got Sacher tortes, and on Sundays, fank, Hungarian doughnuts with jam and sweet butter. Be sure to grab a sunny seat at the terrazzo counter with a view of the kitchen.

Walk-ins only. 

Is there anything more satisfying than a good breakfast burrito and a strong cup of coffee? We think not, and luckily for us, there’s now yet another spot in the city in addition to Ursula where you can find Santa Fe-style breakfast burritos laced with Hatch green chiles. Santa Fe serves those up along with New Mexico Piñon Coffee, a tasty smashburger-style cheeseburger, and a green chile stew, perfect for these colder days.
 
Walk-ins only. 

Saishin by Kissaki combines two things New Yorkers adore: rooftops and sushi omakase, and it delivers on both fronts. The views from the top of the Gansevoort are impressive and, better yet, the sushi from chef Frankie Dong is really exceptional: always inventive and interesting, in keeping with the rest of the Kissaki restaurant family. The omakase here is also relatively reasonable: 12 courses for $115 or 15 courses for $150.

On those nights when you want nothing more than to sit with a Negroni in one hand, and a fork in the other, ready to take on a bowl of pasta, Ci Siamo definitely fits the bill. The newest restaurant from Danny Meyer and former Vic’s chef Hillary Sterling, it’s all about Italian fare executed with the utmost care: think Marcella Hazan-inspired tomato and buffalo butter tagliatelle, and wood-fired pork Milanese with bagna cauda aioli. Better yet? Veteran pastry chef Claudia Fleming oversees the dessert menu.

Find out everything you need to know before you go to Ci Siamo here.

For the past 12 years, The Standard Grill has been a staple of the Meatpacking District and over those years, it’s been home for a number of different chefs, from Dan Silverman to Rocco DiSpirito. Now, it’s executive chef Jean-Paul Lourdes and chef de cuisine Frances Tariga’s turn in the kitchen at this modern brasserie, where they’ve stuck to some classics but also updated them with new techniques and ingredients. Nowadays, the meats are grilled over a Japanese binchotan charcoal grill (as well as a really delicious side of carrots served with labne), and the half rotisserie chicken comes glazed with a sour guajillo honey. And for the entire month of December, there’s always something happening over at The Standard Grill, including movie nights featuring classics like Rent, Elf, Home Alone, It’s a Wonderful Life, and so much more.