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Off the Menu
Golden Diner’s owner has taken over his family’s business at Golden HOF/NY Kimchi, and more restaurant news.
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Golden HOF/NY Kimchi
The restaurateur Sam Yoo’s latest is a legacy. An owner of Golden Diner in Chinatown, Mr. Yoo has taken over his family’s duplex restaurant near Rockefeller Center, previously New York Kimchi serving Korean barbecue. The setup now has a Korean pub, called a hof, on the upper floor with drinks and anju (bar food) like fried chicken, chive pancakes, carbonara rice cakes, dumplings and a cheeseburger. The lower level is NY Kimchi, with a more elaborate steakhouse menu (steaks and fish served with banchan) as well as raw bar specialties, including oysters Rockefeller with kimchi butter, along with Korean dishes, including japchae noodles, salads and jeon pancakes.
16 West 48th Street, 212-592-0752, goldenhof.com.
Ficuzza
Francesco Realmuto wanted his new restaurant to evoke the town in western Sicily, near Palermo, of his childhood. He is guiding his executive chef, Romulo Barrientos, in preparing fritto misto, fusilli alla Trapanese with Sicilian tomato pesto, classic spaghetti con le sarde with wild fennel and raisins, and skirt steak with Sicilian tomato sauces. There are a few thin-crust pizzas, not what are usually considered Sicilian, but topped with mortadella and pistachios. The foothills of Mount Etna are the source for some wines. The airy but intimate dining room is reached beyond a bar done in green marble, the latest material of choice. (Wednesday)
121 Seventh Avenue South (West 10th Street), ficuzza.com.
Hungry Thirsty
Less than two months after Sirichai Sreparplarn closed Ugly Baby in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, his take-no-prisoners Thai spot with a notable beer list, former employees, and now the owners here — Napat Ruangphung, known as Angie, and Thanatharn Kulaptip, known as Sun — have opened their own take. Prasert Kanghae, known as Tee, who was also at Ugly Baby, is another partner and the chef. Ms. Ruangphung said that only two dishes on the menu pay homage to Ugly Baby: khoong muk kai kem with shrimp, squid and salted egg yolk, and the Panang curry with beef shank. The rest travels across Thailand with street food and home cooking in mind, including stir-fries, curries, and the house special kha moo kaki of stewed pork leg, feet and intestines. The beers are back and reservations are accepted.
407 Smith Street (Fourth Street), Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, 347-227-8004, hungrythirstynyc.com.
Shmoné Wine
Eyal Shani has tucked in his first wine bar, specializing in small producers, adjacent to his Michelin-starred Shmoné. Orianne Shapira, who also works at Shmoné, is the executive chef at the wine bar, serving hot Jerusalem bagels, chicory salad, deviled eggs, Pyrex lasagna with stracciatella and small plates.
65 West Eighth Street, 646-438-9815, shmonenyc.com/shmonewine
Prof. Chan’s
In 1973, Hunan cuisine was new and hot; Uncle Tai’s Hunan Yuan even received four stars from The New York Times. The city’s latest, is an import from Hong Kong serving the requisite stir-fried offal, twice-cooked beef and pork and hot and sour shredded potatoes all generously strewed with chiles and sweet bell peppers. The chef, Huang Wei, is from Hunan and the co-owner, Chi Zhang has had other restaurants in New York. It occupies a narrow 80-seat space hung with lanterns; the kitchen is equipped with robotic spinning woks.
4107 Crescent Street (41st Avenue), Long Island City, Queens, 212-629-0000, profchanshunan.com.
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