Just as you were starting to get bored with your usual take-out, several new restaurants and cafes are opening on the Upper West Side.
Indian restaurant Awadh is set to open as soon as next week in the former home of Alouette at Broaday and 98th street. “The chef/owner is Gaurav Anand of the NY Times 2-star Moti Mahal Deluxe,” a publicist tells us. Grubstreet described some savoury dishes:
“Anand prepares some items in the slow-cooked dum pukht style of the Awadhi region, located in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Think of the handi, or traditional cooking vessel, as a South Asian Crock-Pot of sorts, tightly sealed with a lid or naan bread and encasing leg of lamb, whole fish, or biryani rice. Consulting sommelier John Slover has chosen wines to pair with such intricately seasoned fare as coconut shrimp curry.” Thanks to Lisa for the tip.
A crepe restaurant is set to open in the former home of Subway Sandwiches on the South side of 72nd street just West of Columbus Avenue. It was still under construction this week. Thanks to James for the tip.
Blossom du Jour, part of the Blossom vegan empire (the main restaurant Cafe Blossom recently closed), is set to open on Amsterdam Avenue between 81st and 82nd street at the end of the month. That’s the former home of Area Kids. “The 15-seat spot will serve vegan food and drinks to go, and will include a large vegan and gluten-free baked goods selection, Blackwell said. The lunch spot will serve vegan sandwiches, wraps, salads, shakes, pressed juices and vegetable sides in addition to its array of sweets,” DNAinfo reported.
Jin Ramen is planning to open at 462 Amsterdam Avenue (82nd) and is seeking a liquor license for the space. Thanks to Gabe for the tip. There’s another location in West Harlem, which Serious Eats calls “destination worthy.” “When it comes to the bowls of ramen, Jin’s strength lies in its incredible broths. The Shio Ramen ($10) is the lightest of the ramen offered, but the 4-hour simmered chicken-based broth is nonetheless intensely fragrant with yuzu-kosho, a Japanese pepper-citrus blend made from the rind of yuzu.” Thanks to Gabe for the tip.
Tiny Treats Cafe is set to open this month on Amsterdam between 89th and 90th street, the former home of Amadeus Pizza. It’s owned by former Georgia’s owner Georgia Stamoulis and pastry chef Aliou Hane. Georgia’s, on Broadway and 89th, closed after a fire in 2011 and is now occupied by Cibo e Vino.
Little Italy Pizza opened a couple of weeks ago in the former home of Crumbs on the corner of 92nd and Broadway. We hear they make a “good old-fashioned New York slice.” A plain slice is $2.75.
Thanks to James, Lisa, Jon and several others who sent in tips, and please keep them coming!
Whoa, make no mistake, the addition of Jin is a game changer – seriously signals that the UWS is no longer a dining desert. Also excited about Awadh (walked by, looks nice) and happy to see another chain (Subway) go kaput – hope the crepe place is good.
Re: “…seriously signals that the UWS is no longer a dining desert.”
And, hopefully, not a dessert desert either !
Crepes & Delices is the name of the crepe place
I tried Little Italy Pizza. Very good basic pizza – regular and Sicilian. Exceptional grandma pizza. Just what the neighborhood needed.
…and saves you the effort of crossing the street to buy a slice at Perfecto. LOL. Life is good.
Perfecto’s gotten a little surly over the last few years and takes the neighborhood a bit for granted these days. It’s good to have a little solid competition thrown right in their face.
I agree – I was a big Perfecto fan, but have had a few bad experiences both with delivery and in the restaurant – food is still generally very good, service not so good. Looking forward to trying the new spot.
I had lunch at Parm yesterday and the manager said the UWS location is targeted for a July opening. Seems aggressive considering that little had happened to the space until just a few days ago. In any case, it’s coming sooner than later. Also saw some activity at the new Blue Ribbon space on 72nd.
Yay for Blossom!!!! So happy!!!