The Waldorf Astoria Reopens With Lex Yard, Yoshoku and Peacock Alley

New York Times

3 days ago

Opening
The name of the two-story flagship restaurant in the newly renovated Waldorf Astoria New York refers to the train line that runs under the hotel on its way to Grand Central Terminal. Designed by AvroKO with a subdued palette and touches of Art Deco, the restaurant has a bar on the street level for American brasserie fare like fluke tartare, a restyled Waldorf salad, lobster roll, leek ravioli, roast chicken, a burger and sliders. Upstairs, on the lobby level, where gilded accents enrich the décor, the chef and partner Michael Anthony, of Gramercy Tavern, showcases a five-course market menu with an emphasis on seasonal vegetables. Cocktails are by Jeff Bell, of PDT.
550 Lexington Avenue (50th Street), 212-872-4900, lexyardnyc.com.
A Japanese restaurant in the Waldorf is not new. But having this one inside the hotel, without a street entrance, distinguishes this luxurious dining room for à la carte maki, nigiri and sashimi; small plates like snap pea and watercress salad; and more substantial grilled madai and Wagyu striploin. Kaiseki is also an option. Ry Nitzkowski is the chef de cuisine.
301 Park Avenue (50th Street), 212-872-4920, yoshokunyc.com.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served in the grand passageway and lounge, the axis of the hotel and a famous destination for meet-and-greets at or near the iconic clock. The chef de cuisine, Andrew Whitcomb, who also has that title at Lex Yard, offers a few of the items served in that restaurant, like the Waldorf salad, beef slider, and lobster roll, but also crab cakes and pigs in blanket. Jeff Bell is creating the cocktails here, too.
301 Park Avenue (50th Street), 212-872-4910, waldorfastorianewyork.com/dining.
Opposite their Four Horsemen, Nick Curtola, Amanda McMillan and their partners have their own little ponies with this compact Italian spot. Mr. Curtola's approach, working with his chef de cuisine, Ben Zook, probes some offbeat notions like nervetti (slow-cooked nerves and tendons, popular in the north) and onion salad, mussel panzanella with pickled green tomatoes, trofie with pesto and belper knolle cheese, and grilled chicken hearts to accent the roast chicken. (Wednesday)
284 Grand Street (Roebling Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, no phone, icavallinibk.com.
Ravi DeRossi's Overthrow Hospitality has added something new to its collection of vegan places in the East Village. This one taps into the tradition of the Maghreb, North Africa, interpreted through a Spanish lens. The chef, Amira Gharib, whose heritage is Egyptian, is serving a tapas array of dishes like Spanish tortilla seasoned with harissa, Egyptian falafel, breads like the baladi with za'atar and labneh, and pan con tomate with harissa butter, with a $10 ceiling. The 40-seat dining room, decorated with tiles, Moroccan and Egyptian motifs, brass lanterns and ceramics, was designed by Nora Gharib, the chef's sister.
511 East Fifth Street (Avenue A), 833-328-4544, alandalusnyc.com.
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