Octopus From Artisan Beach House, Photo Credit: South Moon Photography
We’re now into March, which leaves nine months to eat your way around the U.S. and the Caribbean. To help get you started, we’ve rounded up 11 new restaurants we can’t wait to try this year.
Artisan Beach House
Early January saw the opening of Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star The Ritz-Carlton, Bal Harbour, Miami’s newest restaurant, the Atlantic Ocean–facing Artisan Beach House. At the helm is chef Paula DaSilva, previously the executive chef at Eden Roc Miami Beach’s 1500 Degrees. Artisan Beach House is open all day, every day, so you can tuck into local fish ceviche at lunch or swing by at sunset and munch on crispy pork belly with rice crackers, lime aioli and housemade kimchi.
Majorelle
New York Four-Star hotel The Lowell will open Majorelle on March 7, the birthday of the restaurant’s namesake, French painter Jacques Majorelle. With celebrated chef Christian Delouvrier and restaurateur Charles Masson at the charge, Majorelle will deliver Parisian cuisine with a slight Mediterranean influence. The kitchen, which will have an oven dedicated solely to soufflés, will turn out classic French fare such as thyme-roasted chicken with potato mousseline. The restaurant’s lovely garden will be open year-round, with a fireplace come winter.
Makimono
The newest lunch (and dinner) spot in Atlanta’s Krog Street Market is sushi joint Makimono, from the team behind Craft Izakaya, which formerly occupied this same space. The fast-casual eatery serves American-style sushi rolls (the Dragon roll has shrimp tempura, crab salad, eel, avocado, cucumber, fish roe, and eel sauce) and has a full bar.
Tao LA Hopes To Hark Some Of NYCs Energy, Photo Credit: Tao Uptown
Tao and Beauty & Essex
Two of New York’s veteran dinner spots are opening next to the new Dream Hollywood hotel come March. Tao has two branches in New York and a Las Vegas outpost where it serves lauded pan-Asian fare. The downtown New York branch is best known for its towering gilded Buddha; L.A.’s Tao will get a similar design treatment.
In Manhattan, the entrance to Beauty & Essex is within a working pawnshop; whether the same will be true for the Southern California branch will be a surprise. Expect Beauty & Essex (as well as Tao) to serve the same dishes available at its other locations, as well as cook up a few L.A.-only specials.
Mykonos Blue
New York isn’t short on Greek restaurants, but Mykonos Blue in Chelsea will best many of them with its rooftop deck seating. Satisfying Greek fare, like haloumi (a delicious cheese that’s often difficult to find in New York) and fragrant grilled seafood and meats, adds to the allure. To drink, you’ll find more than 80 Greek wines and cocktails made with ouzo (an aperitif) and mastika (a liqueur). When warm-weather hits, expect the outdoor area to be slammed during brunch.
Jean-Georges
While we’re not saying this is the year L.A. tops New York in their coastal battle for upscale supremacy, we are telling you that Beverly Hills is getting a stunning new hotel (Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills) in June and, in it, an outpost of Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s eponymous eatery. This is J.G.’s first foray into California, and the Golden State’s bounty of year-round produce means the restaurant’s classic French fare will fully utilize local, seasonal ingredients.
The Ponte
Scott Conant, a James Beard Award–winning chef, opened his new restaurant in late February in SoCal’s Beverly Grove. On the menu is modern Italian cuisine and a bar that beckons Angelenos to come for aperitivo. You can’t go wrong here with pizza or pasta, but Conant ups the ante with vegetables from the wood-burning oven, among them the of-the-moment shishito peppers, which are served here with bagna cauda, bread crumbs and charred lemon.
Whiskey Dry’s The Big Ed, Photo Credit: Dan Dry Photography
Whiskey Dry
Chef Edward Lee may be a born-and-bred New Yorker, but he’s made a name for himself well below the Mason-Dixon line, with his acclaimed restaurants 610 Magnolia and MilkWood. He’ll be expanding his empire late this spring with the opening of Whiskey Dry in downtown Louisville’s Fourth Street Live complex. On the menu are burgers and more than 200 local and globe-spanning whiskeys.
Bacari GDL
With Bacaris in downtown L.A. and Playa Del Ray, brothers Robert and Danny Kronfli decided to bring their Italian-inspired restaurant and wine bar to Glendale. Bacari GDL opened in mid-February and, unlike its older siblings, has a wood-fired pizza oven. The menu isn’t too complicated — pies, pastas and small plates. Its location in The Americana at Brand shopping complex makes it a good option for families, while the full bar welcomes happy-hour enthusiasts.
Sanctuary Town
Once you’ve feasted on waterfront views from your room at Sanctuary Cap Cana, walk over to the property’s newest food destination, Sanctuary Town, for nine places to eat and drink. For a pint, stop into Beers of the World, a pub with 40 types of imported pours. If you’re craving pasta, book a table at Mamma’s Forno & Pasta, which also slings oven-fired pizzas. Reservations are a must at Caribbean Bites by Leandro Diaz, where traditional Dominican fare is served. If you’re in a hurry to get back to the white sand, swing by Taco’s Truck. Hungry for some entertainment? There’s also a space for live music and performances.
