Headliner
Kono
Omakase, a type of Japanese meal that leaves the selection of dishes up to the chef, is most often associated with a parade of sushi bites. But it is also applied to yakitori at this restaurant from Atsushi Kono, an expert in yakitori, or “grilled bird,” usually skewered chicken. Mr. Kono was the executive chef of Yakitori Torishin in New York starting in 2006, having spent time working in Japan. Now he is opening his own place, where he will serve yakitori omakase as he presides over grills fueled with the binchotan charcoal frequently used in Japanese cooking. He takes center stage, surrounded on three sides by a dramatically lit counter that seats 14 people for set $165 dinners at 5:30, 6, 8:30 and 9 p.m. (Beverages, tax and tip are extra.) Various parts of organic chickens, including the heart, oyster, soft knee cartilage, tail and tenderloin, are grilled on bamboo skewers as the centerpiece of the meal. Chicken thigh roulade, chicken pâté and soups are also served, with a black sugar crème brûlée as the finale. Wagyu, king crab and Iberico pork are among the optional extras. The restaurant also has a table seating four to six.
46 Bowery (Canal Street), 646-524-6838, yakitorikono.com.
Opening
Laser Wolf
This new Williamsburg restaurant, run by the chef Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook, the Philadelphia restaurateurs known for their interpretations of Israeli fare, is on the heated, weatherproofed open-air roof of the Hoxton, a hotel chain founded in London. In New York, they once ran Dizengoff, in Chelsea Market, but it closed in 2018. For this, their first New York restaurant, they have teamed up with Boka, a Chicago hospitality group. Grilled meats, whole fish and vegetables are the specialties, served with side dishes and pita. The chef is Andrew Henshaw, who worked with CookNSolo, Mr. Solomonov and Mr. Cook’s company. (Opens Sunday)
The Hoxton, 97 Wythe Avenue (North 10th Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, laserwolfbrooklyn.com.
Firenze Ristorante Toscano & Bar
One of the restaurants in Eataly’s financial district location has pivoted, going from Southern Italian cuisine to Tuscan. Ribollita, pappa al pomodoro, pappardelle al cinghiale (wild boar) and a classic Tuscan porterhouse are the work of Diego Puddu, Eataly’s head of culinary for North America, and Adam Hill, the executive chef for the market’s downtown branch. Part of the wine list is devoted to Chianti Classico, and there are Florentine cocktails like the Santa Maria del Fiore made with Chianti vin santo.
Eataly Downtown, 101 Liberty Street (Church Street), Third Floor, 646-677-8580, eataly.com.
Ensenada
Food and drinks that reflect Mexican coastal cuisine and, more broadly, Latin America drive this new Williamsburg, Brooklyn, spot. Luis Herrera, formerly of Cosme, is the executive chef and has partnered with Bryce David, whose Black Flamingo bar is below the restaurant.
168 Borinquen Place (South Second Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 347-335-0838, ensenadanyc.com.
