The July 2022 Hit List: Oiji Mi, Gouie, Al Coro, and More

New York is utterly spoiled when it comes to excellent contemporary Korean fine dining, and Oiji Mi is yet another shining example. Here, chef Brian Kim fuses Korean cooking traditions and flavors with French techniques in unexpected ways — surprising and delighting diners just like he did at Oiji in the East Village. Oiji Mi serves a $125 per person five-course prix fixe, and you don’t want to sleep on the bo ssam for two, which features Ibérico pork belly and oysters with a spicy mustard mignonette.

Wherever you fall on the spectrum of attitudes toward fine dining in our fair city, know that Al Coro chef-owner Melissa Rodriguez (Mel’s) wants to make you rethink whatever you thought you knew about it, in one of the summer’s biggest openings. The vibes inside the space that once housed Del Posto are swank — but not stiff — and most of all, Rodriguez wants to make fine dining well, fun, with a menu of Italian-influenced dishes like culurgiones with razor clams and an exquisite lacquered baguette.

There is no dearth of sushi omakase spots in New York and while many command prices that stretch into the hundreds, Gouie is one of those rarities that definitively does not. A meal at this Essex Market Line sushi counter starts at $30 (seven nigiri and one maki roll) and goes up to $80 (nine nigiri, ikura, and a maki roll). Chef Yusuke Fukuzaki, a veteran of Tokyo’s Ishikawa, oversees the menu, which also includes a signature prosciutto nigiri (yes, prosciutto) and weekly chef specials that change frequently. The sake selection here is extensive, too.

Bay Ridge’s beloved Palestinian restaurant Ayat now has a new, expansive location in Sunset Park where you can feast on specialties like juicy kebabs and rich mansaf, or lamb stew with fermented yogurt, as well as bamia, a beef stew made with tomatoes and okra. Even better? This newest location of Ayat has a rooftop and plenty of sidewalk seating, as well as hookah outdoors.

Somtum Der was hailed as one of the city’s best Thai restaurants when it first arrived in New York (it was even awarded a Michelin star in 2016) and years later, it still is. This Isan specialist, an import from Bangkok, goes heavy on the chile and herbs, and is known for its signature papaya salad (somtum), but don’t miss out on ordering the deep-fried chicken thighs (sa poak kai tod der) or grilled coconut milk-marinated pork skewers (moo ping kati sod).

St. John Martinis and Irish coffees are once again flowing at this beloved Red Hook bar and restaurant, which last year relocated not far from its original location. Owner St. John Frizell, who’s also behind Gage & Tollner and the tropical-themed bar above G&T (Sunken Harbor Club), brought in chef Allie Gassaway (Mission Chinese) to run the kitchen. The menu is a collection of pub hits, like an Oklahoma-style Wellness Burger that’s heavy on caramelized onions; deviled eggs; and chicken liver mousse with grilled sourdough and mustard.

When Gaia Bagnasacco closed her eponymous Lower East Side restaurant in 2020 it was a devastating pandemic blow for many New Yorkers. But now, she’s back and we couldn’t be happier. Now in the East Village, Bagnasacco is back to serving up some of the city’s best homestyle Italian cooking, including her signature meat lasagna.

Walk-ins only.

Flynn McGarry made headlines when he opened his seasonal tasting menu restaurant, Gem, on New York’s Lower East Side, and now he’s delving into wine with Gem Wine. The staff here won’t steer you wrong in making a selection from the many bottles that line the wall; the communal wooden tables and mismatched dishes add to the charm and overall sense of joie de vivre; and the tiny kitchen puts out some truly impressive small plates like a fried soft-shell crab with arugula sauce and purslane. Pro tip: Do not pass up ordering the bread and butter from La Cabra and, if they have it, the creamy Aarewasser cheese with preserves. Bonus: They’re open on Mondays, too.

Walk-ins only.

The name might be nondescript but the food at Corner Bar is not, at least not in the hands of chef Ignacio Mattos (Estela, Lodi, Altro Paradiso). At this all-day hotel restaurant, located inside the new Nine Orchard, Mattos focuses on bistro food, like roasted chicken with morels, boudin blanc, and a sublime spaghetti with tomato sauce. The food is exactly what you’d expect from a chef of Mattos’ caliber but Corner Bar is also, somehow, even more understated and stripped down than his other restaurants, like Estela.

In the Financial District, acclaimed chef John Fraser is also putting his own modern spin on the classics at this French brasserie located inside the Wall Street Hotel. Think asparagus or blue crab wrapped in rice paper rolls, paper-thin sliced duck breast with a fish sauce caramel, and sweet rice with mushrooms steamed in a banana leaf, a play on homard à l’Américaine.

Chef Eunji Lee, who made a name for herself as the executive pastry chef of Jungsik, now has a bakery all her own, and it’s a beautiful bi-level showcase for her exquisite desserts, which fuse Korean and French influences with a New York mentality. Don’t miss out on trying Lee’s take on classics like the kouign-amann and shortbread cookies, and her signature Lysée that combines caramel with Korean brown rice cake, cream, pecans, and mousse, as well as a whimsical layered corn cake that resembles an ear of corn — an ode, no doubt, to the signature baby banana dessert she popularized at Jungsik.

Walk-ins only.