A former Dovetail chef is looking to open a new restaurant at 951 Amsterdam Avenue.
By Kelly Martin
Chefs and restaurateurs with strong pedigrees are planning new spots in the neighborhood, and they offered some early details at a recent meeting. Six bars and restaurants won recommended approval last week from a Community Board 7 committee for liquor licenses. They will still need to gain final approval from the State Liquor Authority.
The owners of Cibo E Vino and Marlow Bistro are planning another new restaurant. Elena Kistovski said they’ll be launching the new yet-to-be-named restaurant at 1012 Amsterdam Avenue (109th-110th). She said she intends to have a similar aesthetic — classic and upscale — and aims to draw similar clientele as Cibo E Vino and Marlow Bistro. The menu is still in the works.
Nick Pfannerstill, a former chef at high-end restaurant Dovetail on 77th Street, is opening an unnamed new restaurant at 951 Amsterdam Avenue (West 107th Street). The restaurant, registered under the company name Nobody Told Me, seemed to create the most buzz among community board members. Pfannerstill used the term “fast cuisine”, and said he will focus on sustainable ingredients and an all-electric kitchen. It won approval for the license and he plans on opening in late July.
RuaDEE, a Thai restaurant that is brand-new to the area but whose owners have two other popular restaurants on the East Side, will open at 307 Amsterdam Avenue, former home of Lily 74. It will seat around 60 people, and will open from 12-10:30 pm daily. It is expected to open in about two months.
Akimoto Sushi Inc. was given the go-ahead for its license to open a sushi restaurant at 146 West 72nd Street, directly next to their already up-and-running Mexican restaurant, Burrito Mariachi. It will have 19 tables and be open from 11:00am-11:00pm Sunday through Thursday, and 11:00am-12:00 midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
Another new restaurant called Owl Café will open at 215 West 75th Street. It plans on serving “small plates” and won’t be doing deliveries. It will be open from noon-1 Sunday through Wednesday, and noon-2 Thursdays Fridays and Saturdays.
Lions Head Tavern, an existing bar at 995 Amsterdam Avenue, also passed easily.
Vino Levantino renewed their sidewalk café permit for another four years with no objections. They will continue to serve six outside tables on West 94th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.
The owners of Ashoka, T+C Izakaya, and Viand Café were denied their requests of liquor and sidewalk cafes because they were not present at the meeting.
Owl Café is the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard of, that restaurant will not happen, guaranteed !
How can you possibly discern anything weird by the description provided? Do you think that they are open for only 1 hour a day? I certainly hope you aren’t that thick.
“It will be open from noon-1 Sunday through Wednesday, and noon-2 Thursdays Fridays and Saturdays.” – do you mean AM or PM? If the latter, I do not understand opening hours of just 1 or two hours.
Thrilled to read that the old Blockheads space is finally getting a new tenant, and additionally happy the old laundromat space south of 110th looks to be getting taken over by Marlow Bistro next door (though I do miss that laundromat…sigh). Marlow is really great, a happy addition to the neighborhood, along with Tartina across 110th. Amsterdam between 108-110th is getting pretty hot!
Speaking of this stretch of food on Amsterdam 110th area .. I wish Hungarian Pastry Shop was better . Such a lovely place but the pastries are horrible and the coffee not so great either . I’d love to make an offer and revitalize the menu
Owls are nocturnal birds. I believe the Owl-named restaurant is open late – for Night Owls! The restaurant name is a pun. Also, because the word cafe has an accent on the e, it is probably a place where French speakers are welcome. The Lions Head Tavern is most likely an establishment for big game hunters such as Don Trump Jr. I will not be going there. Until reading this article, I had not heard of Nobody Told Me.