New York City has a robust restaurant scene. You will find established restaurants that have been ingrained in the cities culture for years, as well as new upcoming locations that are looking to carve out their place in the restaurant scene. This past year we have been introduced to a number of spectacular places. I recently read this article which discusses some of the most notable restaurants to hit the city over the past year. Although some of these restaurants technically opened at the very end of 2014, they had not grown into themselves yet. They spent the past year getting better and becoming vital to the New York restaurant scene. Here are some of the best new restaurants the city has to offer:
Rebella
Rebelle is one of the most comfortable and delightful French-leaning restaurants in New York. It has the vibes of a modern Parisian bistro. The dishes go above-and-beyond simply reconfiguring French classics; they put thought and technique to work in the kitchen. While you don’t have to order all four courses, it would be a shame to skip the cheese course of raw Comté and oxidized white wine from the Jura.
Mission Chinese Food
This may be one of the most fun menus around. You will find puffy pepperoni pizzas and anchovies right out of the tin with hot sourdough flatbreads, whole ducks under clay that you can crack open with a mallet, and a list of intensely spicy, greasy, gorgeous dishes in the Mission Chinese house style. It is evident that Angela Dimayuga and Danny Bowien are enjoying what they do here.
Semilla
The warmly lit counter at Jose Ramirez-Ruiz and Pamela Yung’s restaurant is one of the past places in town to submit to a tasting menu. You will never be bored when you dine at Semilla. The team understands warmth and hospitality, but above all, deliciousness. This young restaurant has continued to grow into a brilliant and stylish place.
Gabriel Kreuther
The formal dining room offers a superior level of old-fashioned luxury that has become increasingly harder to find. The atmosphere makes it a magnet for some of New York’s wealthy, stylish uptowners. The walk-in lounge area offers a unique experience as well and is certainly worth check out. Kreuther’s modern French cooking, which is influenced by his native region of Alsace, will be familiar to those who ate at the Modern under his tenure.
Wildair
Wildair is one of the industry’s favorite restaurants this year. This little wine bar has an expansive list of natural wines from Europe, many of which you can order by the glass. Co-chefs Jeremiah Stone and Fabian von Hauske deliver fun, refined food that does not really fit into any one category; if you had to give it a label it would be best described as New American. If you find yourself at Wildair, make sure you get the beef tartare under a snow of smoked cheddar and buckwheat.
Ko
After several upgrades and a bump in front house staff, Momofuku Ko now offers some spectacular service that feels intuitive and unobtrusive. The chef, Sean Gray, has spent the past year developing Ko’s sophisticated, Japanese-influenced style which incorporates complex tasting menus that are absolutely delectable.
