Off the Menu
Oh! Calcutta opens in Long Island City; Grand Brasserie fills Vanderbilt Hall with Parisian flair and more restaurant news.
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Opening
Oh! Calcutta
The louche collection of sketches by the critic Kenneth Tynan that opened Off Broadway in 1969 has inspired the name of this new restaurant in Queens. Ruhel Amin, who has Indian restaurants in Harlem and Williamsburg, presents dishes from Kolkata, including a Lake Market fish fry, vegetable cutlet, chapli kebab with minced lamb, and kosha mangsho, a goat curry here. Workhorses like butter chicken, rogan josh and saag paneer are also on the menu. The chefs are Sharmeen Rahman and Lisha Khondoka; both women have worked in Mr. Amin’s other restaurants.
10-57 Jackson Avenue (50th Avenue), Long Island City, Queens, 718-532-0017, ohcalcuttanyc.com.
Grand Brasserie
Rick Blatstein, having sold OTG, his airport restaurant company with hundreds of outlets, continues to think big. His new company, Vizz Group, has taken over the landmark Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal, previously run by City Winery, and the adjacent dining room, formerly Cornelius. Grand Brasserie is an airy 400-seat restaurant and bar, open during the terminal’s hours. The Rockwell Group’s design with Art Deco and Beaux Arts accents and splashes of scarlet on tabletops and seats reflect the style of many Parisian brasseries and railway terminals. (Opens Sunday)
89 East 42nd Street.
Tziki
Souvlaki and gyro are the featured players in this Greek spot with counter service from the restaurateur Harry Nicolaou and the chef Alexandros Gkoutsi. Pork, beef, chicken and mushroom are the options sliced from pirouetting spits or strung on skewers. Homemade sourdough pita are underpinnings or wraps. The space has been decorated with the work of the artist Alexandra Manousakis, a native of Crete, including handmade ceramics. (Thursday, Sept. 5)
209 Seventh Avenue (22nd Street), tzikisouvlaki.com.
Mr. Bao
An uncommon specialty has come to the heart of Midtown: abalone. Empress International, a South African food company with a location in Old Tappan, N.J., imports the shellfish from South Africa. It has opened a duplex restaurant, where the entire menu is devoted to abalone, often in Asian preparations. The mollusks are farm-raised in an area just south of Cape Town. Abalone spring rolls, dumplings, skewers, stir-fried with Wagyu, fried rice, in tom yum soup and cucumber salad ($9.95 to $39.99, with a 25 percent opening discount until the end of this month) are some of the options. The company also plans restaurants in Chinatown and Long Island City, Queens. It’s not connected to the Mr. Bao chain of fast casual spots.
110 West 40th Street, 929-302-3551, mrbaous.com.
Joo OK
A freight elevator whisks guests to the 16th floor of the building where the setting replicates a traditional Korean home or hanok. Original industrial elements share the space with Korean art. The chef, Chang ho Shim, is opening his New York restaurant for the prolific Hand Hospitality restaurant group. He seeks local ingredients for an upscale menu in the works, which could include items like shrimp and vegetables with pine nut sauce, mollusks and pickled quail egg with homemade perilla oil, and seafood with smoked soy sauce. (Tuesday, Sept. 3)
22 West 32nd Street No. 16, 646-410-0332, joo-ok.com.
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