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    Pietro’s, a Homey New York Steak House, Offers a Medium-Rare Goodbye

    Waiters in blue jackets wended through a crowded dining room balancing trays of martinis. A woman ran her fingers along a wall covered with markings of the heights of children. Longtime regulars handed servers farewell tips through firm handshakes.It was the last night for Pietro’s, an old guard Italian steakhouse, at its decades-long address in Midtown Manhattan. Among the devout who had come to pay their respects on Thursday was the fashion designer Michael Kors, who sat at a corner table with his husband, Lance Le Pere.“There is no Carbone without Pietro’s,” Mr. Kors said as he waited for a house specialty, Shells a la Nat, a pasta in bone-marrow sauce.“The Michael Kors offices are in Midtown, so that’s why I come here,” he continued, “and I’ve always liked that you can still feel some of the ‘Mad Men’ era here. Pietro’s is the last of the Mohicans.”Michael Kors and his husband, Lance Le Pere, at Pietro’s on Thursday night.Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet for The New York TimesAlan Appel, a tax law professor at New York Law School, ordered a veal parmigiana for his goodbye meal. “I’m 73 now, and when I heard Pietro’s was closing, I told myself, ‘I’ve lived too long already,’” he said. “I feel like I’m at a funeral right now.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Gramercy Tavern Chef in Charge of Food at the Reopened Waldorf Astoria

    When the hotel reopens later this year, Michael Anthony will serve as culinary consultant and create an as-yet-unnamed American brasserie.When the Waldorf Astoria hotel, which has anchored Park Avenue in Midtown since 1931, reopens later this year, Michael Anthony will be the new culinary consultant in charge. Mr. Anthony, 56, has been at Gramercy Tavern since 2006, and will remain as executive chef and partner there.“I will not reduce my commitment to Gramercy,” he said. “Everyone supported me in this project”With his second toque at the Waldorf, his main responsibility will be to create an as-yet-unnamed American brasserie in the two-story space that was Oscar’s Brasserie. That new restaurant, also to open later this year, will have an entrance on Lexington Avenue and 50th Street as well as access from the hotel lobby. Its focus will be seasonal contemporary American fare that also reflects Mr. Anthony’s time working in France. The space is being designed by AvroKO Design, with a spacious bar on the ground floor and a white tablecloth dining room upstairs, reached by a grand staircase.The Waldorf Astoria, named for two hotels on Fifth Avenue that were demolished in 1929 to make way for the Empire State Building, has been closed for renovations since 2017. It is now owned by Daija Insurance Group, based in Beijing, and is managed by Hilton Worldwide. Its Art Deco exterior and some of the interior public spaces are designated as landmarks. The Peacock Alley restaurant in the hotel lobby will become a high-end cocktail lounge; the Bull and Bear Steakhouse will not return, and the space will not be used as a restaurant. Mr. Anthony said that he had no information about the famous Starlight Roof, and that his responsibilities at the hotel did not include room service or banqueting.Working with the hotel will occupy much of his time until the new restaurant opens and for at least three months after. At Gramercy Tavern, Mr. Anthony said, he will rely on Aretah Ettarh, the chef de cuisine, who has been at the restaurant for seven years. “At the Waldorf I plan to build on my roots and what I’ve established at Gramercy to create something distinctive,” Mr. Anthony said. More

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    Tadhana Showcases Filipino Cuisine With a 16-Course Tasting Menu

    Inday serves fast-casual Indian American fare, Summer at the Rink Rock Center provides al fresco dining and more restaurant news.OpeningTadhanaWith no shortage of ambition, Frances Tariga, 42, who came to New York from the Philippines in 2011 as the chef for a diplomat, is opening her first restaurant. Dinner, a 16-course tasting divided in seven categories, is $185. Intended to showcase her native cuisine, it progresses from a special mountain bread to vegetable preparations, including a spring roll, then several ceviches, street food items like okra tempura and, with a touch of gastronomic luxury, a traditional duck egg custard topped with caviar. There is soup followed by salo-salo, an array of grilled and steamed items, then dessert. With the chef Mark Nobello at her side in the kitchen and a staff that’s entirely Filipino, she’s running a tight, 24-seat ship in a mere 700 square feet. (Friday)151 Allen Street (Stanton Street), 617-858-0420, tadhananyc.com. IndayThe largest and now flagship for this chain of quick-serve Indian American spots, where customers layer their ingredient choices in bowls, has opened. Curries, vegetable sides, chutneys and other sauces and toppings like pickled chiles and onions are some of the choices. It also has a chai bar and serves cocktails, beer and wine.1 Rockefeller Plaza (entrance on West 48th Street), indayallday.com. Summer at the Rink Rock CenterDining al fresco in the central rink area of Rockefeller Center involves extensions of two established Rink Level restaurants, Naro and Jupiter. Naro has a new casual menu that includes Korean fried chicken and pork chop sandwiches, an omelet with kimchi fried rice and a strawberry creamsicle. In addition it its regular menu, Jupiter is serving lobster with zucchini fries and a 30-layer chocolate cake.Naro, 212-202-0206, naronyc.com, Jupiter, 212-207-0060, jupiterrestaurant.nyc. Rink Level, 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Due MadriJocelyn Guest and Erika Nakamura, who run this stand on the James Beard Foundation’s Market 57 at Pier 57, have opened a new outpost in the plaza of the Park Tower Group’s building near a sculpture garden by Christie’s. The kiosk serves assorted Italian sandwiches layered with meats and vegetables, and also a salad and meatballs.535 Madison Avenue (54th Street), duemadri.co. Nan Xiang ExpressThe fifth location and the first in Manhattan for this growing chain of spots for Xiao Long Bao has opened just off Restaurant Row. A kiosk takes your order. The Upper West Side, Philadelphia and Lawrenceville, N.J., are coming; other locations can be found in Brooklyn, Queens and Boston.654 Ninth Avenue (46th Street), nanxiangexpress.com. Pizza Fun HousePizzas here come topped with “disco meatballs” and “Boogie Boogie pepperoni,” pulling from the childhood memories of “Happy Days” by Fabio Granato, a co-owner of Serafina Hospitality. Several Parms, lasagna, salads and pastas are also on the menu in the bright space.402 Avenue of the Americas (West Eighth Street), pizzafunhousenyc.com. We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    A Lakeside Restaurant Reopens in Paris’s Bois de Boulogne

    Plus: a Pennsylvania wellness retreat, whimsical wallpaper and more recommendations from T Magazine.Covet ThisA New Wallpaper Collection Inspired by Field FrolickingLeft: Block Shop sells its textiles as well as a selection of books, dishes and jewelry at its shop in Atwater Village, Los Angeles. Right: Block Shop’s Peony wallpaper in Onyx.From left: Laure Joliet for Block Shop; Ye Rin Mok for Block ShopHopie Stockman Hill and Grier Stockman grew up in an old farmhouse in a sylvan pocket of New Jersey. They played in wheat fields, craggy apple orchards and dense forests; built birdhouses and painted murals. The sisters’ childhood, spent merging art with nature, inspired their latest wallpaper collection from Block Shop, their textile, art and design studio, which combines a breezy California aesthetic with Indian printing and weaving techniques. The seven new patterns, which are printed on paper, fiber and grass cloth, include a peony motif that’s a homage to the blooms their mother grew, while also referencing the Austrian Wiener Werkstätte designer Dagobert Peche. “We envisioned an Anne Bancroft-esque grande dame with a sky-high collection of art books, listening to ‘Madama Butterfly’ while harvesting her beets,” says Stockman Hill, the CEO and creative director of the studio. “These are the wallpapers you find in her home.” The Block Shop store, which opened in Los Angeles’s Atwater Village neighborhood this past December, further extends the sisters’ canvas with a harmonious blend of color and texture. A bronze snail door handle greets you on the way in, while the shelves are brimming with Apuglian splatterware dishes, rare books on décor and semi-fine jewelry, as well as the brand’s signature textiles. From $75 per yard, blockshoptextiles.com.Stay HereA Guesthouse in Rome From the Founders of Chez DedeLeft: one of the two bedrooms at Superattico Monserrato, a new short-term rental apartment in Rome owned by the founders of the shop Chez Dede. Right: the living room of the apartment, where a Venini chandelier hangs over a ’60s table from Belgium and Cesca chairs from the ’70s.Daria ReinaThe Rome boutique Chez Dede, founded in 2011 by the design duo Daria Reina and Andrea Ferolla, is filled with antiques and artworks, as well as silk-screened tote bags and limited-edition collaborations: wicker lamps created with Atelier Vime and enameled brass jewelry inspired by playing cards with the Italian jewelry designer Allegra Riva. When the penthouse apartment in the same building as the store came up for rent in 2019, the couple and their team decided to create a suite that would further bring visitors into their world. After they got city permits in early 2023, it took them about a year to renovate the two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment, now named Superattico Monserrato. They put in sliding doors, updated the kitchen with steel counters and glossy black walls and added dozens of theatrical Chez Dede touches: 17th-century carved wooden columns, a wall-size 18th-century tapestry, drawings by the 93-year-old Rome-based artist Isabella Ducrot and bed linens from their own collection. Early this year, Reina and Ferolla began renting the flat to a select few. “It’s really about sharing our lifestyle and our taste,” Reina says — and about imparting their tips for Rome: The Chez Dede team has a space at the front of the apartment, so at any point guests can stick their heads in and ask for favorite vintage shops and cafes. Superattico Monserrato also hosts occasional events: Up next is a trunk show with the designer Sara Beltran of jewelry brand Dezso, on May 9. Email superattico@chezdede.com to book; about $1,900 a night, minimum three nights.Eat HereA Parisian Restaurant With a Tasting Menu Served in the Vegetable GardenChalet des Îles, a longstanding building on an island in Paris’s Bois de Boulogne park, has been renovated and reopened as a new restaurant and bar.© Julien de GasquetFor the past 167 years, Parisians have escaped urban life by taking a short boat ride to Chalet des Îles, a wooden structure on a small island in Bois de Boulogne park. In 1857, Empress Eugénie de Montijo transported a cabin from Switzerland to Paris and set it on the tree-filled island in Lac Inférieur as a draw for city dwellers who needed a dose of nature. Destroyed by fire in 1920, the structure was rebuilt with less-charming concrete. Now, the famous chalet and its restaurant have been completely redesigned by the French architect Nicolas Laisné and will reopen this month. The use of hand-carved, honey-colored timber scales in the cladding on the main facade recalls the original Swiss building. The main dining room and its covered balcony open onto lakeside views, while the bar extends onto a ground-level terrace. A custom white-and-green carpet in the main restaurant reflects the colors of the lake outside, and raw-edge wooden tables nod to the forest. Visitors have the option of dining privately in the chalet’s vegetable garden: The reservation-only experience, titled Les Tables du Potager, features a five-course, plant-focused tasting menu by chef Pierre Chomet. Meals in the dining room feature dishes like asparagus with mimosa eggs and Iberian ham, and shrimp tartare in a pad Thai broth, inspired by Chomet’s six years cooking in Bangkok. The restaurant also plans to serve a brunch buffet on Sundays. Chalet des Îles opens April 24, chalet-des-iles.com.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Kisa Brings South Korean Roadside Fare to the Lower East Side

    Rosemary’s offers pizza and a family-style meal in Midtown, the owners of Oxalis open Laurel Bakery in the Columbia Street waterfront district, Brooklyn, and more restaurant news.OpeningKisaIn South Korea, roadside diners that cater to taxi drivers are called kisa sikdang, or “driver’s restaurants,” and serve baekban (homestyle) fare like bibimbap, spicy pork or local, fresh seafood with rice and banchan. Kisa serves most of these as well as bulgogi and spicy squid. The owners, David JoonWoo Yun, Steve JaeWoo Choi and Yong Min Kim, all South Korean natives, are behind C as in Charlie in the NoHo. (Taxi drivers prefer rice dishes to soups, they say, because bathroom breaks are rare.) The room’s vintage touches include Korean calendars, wall-mounted fans and a machine that dispenses free coffee. (Opens Saturday)205 Allen Street (East Houston Street), 656-866-8622, kisaus.com. Rosemary’sHail a tractor to head for the third of Carlos Suarez’s farmhouse-style Italian restaurants, named for his mother and incongruously installed among glass and steel towers. The airy dining room opens to sidewalk seating, and a small retail area and a private dining room are tucked in the back. La Sagra, a new family-style spread of assorted antipasti followed by pasta and dessert, is $39 per person with $1 going to God’s Love We Deliver. Pizzas, including one with spring peas and artichokes, are also new. Much of the produce comes from McEnroe Organic Farm in the Hudson Valley which is co-owned by the Durst Organization, the owner of the building.825 Third Avenue (50th Street), 212-870-6137, rosemarysnyc.com. Bar Primi Penn DistrictThe Madison Square Garden and Manhattan West area, steps from the Moynihan Train Hall, was once a restaurant desert. It is now bustling with dining options, including this uptown edition of the Italian Bowery restaurant from NoHo Hospitality, the chef Andrew Carmellini’s team. It’s in a former warehouse with a thickly planted patio.349 West 33rd Street, 212-233-6100, barprimi.com. Chica & the DonThis luxurious Flatiron district venue, which feels like a supper club, offers a richly interpreted menu of Latin American food and drinks, featuring dishes like short rib and maduro quesadilla, and fried red snapper in a coconut-tomato sauce. Tropical fruits flavor the drinks. Music and dancing are on the agenda. (Friday)24 East 21st Street, 646-649-4805, chicadon.com. Panko PizzaMany pizzaiolos strew a handful of semolina on the pan for a crisp crust that doesn’t stick. At his new pizzeria, Fran Garcia, best known as the owner of Artichoke Basille’s with many locations, coats his crusts with olive oil and dips them in panko for the same effect.1104 NJ-35 (New Monmouth Road), Middletown Township, N.J., 848-225-3080, pankopizzeria.com. On the MenuJapanese WinesLeo Lê has expanded the Momoya wine list to include bottles from Japan.Mark HigashinoWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    McDonald’s to Buy Back 225 Franchised Outlets in Israel After Boycotts

    McDonalds has said that it will buy back all of its 225 franchised restaurants in Israel, weeks after the company warned that boycotts and protests over the Israel-Hamas war had hurt its business in the Middle East.The deal, announced on Thursday, would bring all of the stores under the direct management of McDonald’s Corporation. The company did not disclose terms of the deal but said that the chain’s 5,000 workers in Israel would keep their jobs.The move highlighted the deepening political polarization that multinational corporations face during the war, including claims and counterclaims by activists and companies about what both sides say are disinformation campaigns.McDonald’s operations in the region slumped when the franchises in Israel, run by Alonyal Limited, began donating thousands of meals to Israeli soldiers after the deadly Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7.The donations, described at the time by Alonyal as a show of solidarity to support the military and hospital workers, set off boycotts in neighboring countries, and prompted McDonald’s franchises in Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to issue statements distancing themselves from the Israeli franchise.In Kuwait and Qatar, McDonald’s franchise owners also pledged hundreds of thousands of dollars for relief efforts in Gaza. A hashtag, #BoycottMcDonalds, rallied consumers in the Middle East and other majority-Muslim countries to stay away from the fast-food giant’s chains, accusing it of “supporting genocide” in Gaza.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Lola’s Offers a Southern Spin on Filipino Cooking

    Alaluna offers dry-aged fish with an Italian approach, Bon Bon serves up Swedish hot dogs and more restaurant news.OpeningLola’sThe chef Suzanne Cupps is honoring her lola (grandmother in Filipino) Annunciasion Rocamora Paraiso with this new restaurant that pays tribute to her courage during World War II. The menu reflects Ms. Cupp’s experiences growing up in Aiken, S.C., and working in New York with the chefs Anita Lo and Michael Anthony. Expect seasonal dishes like Southern stuffed clams, fried tilefish lettuce wraps with kohlrabi slaw, country rib skewers, and stir-fried egg noodles with early spring greens and silk chile crisp. The beverage director, Adrienne Vanni, has sought value on the wine list, with many options under $100 and several nonalcoholic choices. There is a bar up front and tables at green banquettes that follow back to the emerald tile open kitchen with a terrazzo counter where the chef will be at work. (Opens Thursday)2 West 28th Street, 646-941-4787, lolasnyc.com. AlalunaThe downtown group of Italian shopping and eating areas called Travelers Poets and Friends is now complete with the addition of this intimate spot for seafood by the executive chef and partner Riccardo Orfino. The emphasis is on dry-aged fish. Exposing fish to air, a Japanese technique that’s gaining ground, reduces moisture to the benefit of fat and succulence. Mr. Orfino takes it to Italy with a cured fish plate, aged bonito tartare and smoked yellowtail agnolotti. The restaurant is next to the all-day bistro in the space.467 Avenue of the Americas (11th Street), 212-420-0057, travelerspoetsandfriends.com. Mala Hot PotThis is not the first Chinese restaurant named málà, meaning numbing and spicy, as known best in Sichuan food. The partner Kevin Chen, formerly of Tang Hotpot, and the chef Yi Bin Yang, from Sichuan, offer a raft of ingredients including prime and Wagyu beef, assorted vegetables and innards like tripe, duck blood and pork artery to simmer in broth. The setting is industrial.35 West 36th Street, 646-582-4049, malahotpotnyc.com. The MouthBrooklyn Art Haus in Williamsburg now has its own restaurant next door. The kitchen is run by the chefs Naama Tamir and her brother, Assaf Tamir, who own Lighthouse Restaurant nearby. The menu, which emphasizes sustainability, is mainly Middle Eastern and will expand to cover more of the Mediterranean. (Saturday)20 Marcy Avenue (Metropolitan Avenue), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 929-397-0000, themouthbk.com. Dinner at Shlomo’sThis supper club, tucked inside Comodo restaurant and named for the “Law Office of Shlomo and Shlomo” found on a door in the restaurant’s cellar, will offer chef’s dinners, $150. From Thursday through Saturday the chef will be Elly Fraser, who had a restaurant, Elly’s, in Mexico City and is now cooking in New York. From April 18 to 20, the chef will be Carolina Santos-Neves of Comodo. (Thursday)Freehand New York, 23 Lexington Avenue (23rd Street), 212-475-1924, dinner@shlomos.net. Universal TacoFranklin Becker has changed the name and concept of what was Oliva Tapas in the food hall on Columbia University’s uptown campus. It now takes a global approach to tacos with fillings like Jamaican braised oxtail and lamb gyro along with traditional choices like al pastor. (April 9)3229 Broadway (130th Street), manhattanvillemarket.com/universaltaco. We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More