Some of this week's openings, via NYMetro:
Alaine Ducasse's Mix (68 West 58th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Ave): "Alain Ducasse, take two—this time, with two prix fixe menus that borrow freely from the American-comfort-food canon, and décor that combines French tradition with ultra-modern attitude. The celebrity chef isn’t gunning for four stars, just a loyal following happy to bask in his exalted aura." See also DailyCandy, Digital City.
Red Cafe (78 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn): Chef Mark Shenk "new itty-bitty bistro in Park Slope. . . .The menu, like the crimson-walled restaurant, is petite but intriguing, with appetizers like risotto cakes with chicken-liver sauce and pancetta, and an open-faced sandwich of beets, goat cheese, walnuts, and chard."
Suzie Wong’s Late Night Cafe at Lotus (409 West 14th Street, near 9th Ave): "an homage to the 1960 William Holden movie about an artist and his Hong Kong–prostitute muse. From midnight to 3 a.m., the back room is staffed by cheongsam-clad look-alikes toting exotic cocktails and miniature takeout containers of satays, baby back ribs, Vietnamese spring rolls, and shu mai, alluringly priced from $5 to $9." Tyson Ophaso is the new chef (previously at the now closed Nong). Perhaps I'm being a grouch, but I hate this idea.
Kasadela (647 East 11th Street, near Ave B): ". . . a cozy, brick-walled East Village sake house, where [Yujen] Pan serves a concise, affordable assortment of rice wines and $10-and-under traditional Japanese snacks. . . "
Lighthouse Tavern (243 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn): "Rounding out the predictable lineup of burgers, nachos, and wings is an assortment of Costa Rican bocas, snacks like chicharrones, tortas, and enyucados (stuffed yucca balls). Factor in fifteen beers on tap, a kitchen that serves past midnight, and owners who consider the place an extension of their own home—black leather sofa and all."
