OPENINGS:
A new wine bar/educational center called Corkbuzz has opened at 13 East 13th Street near Union Square. Eater NY reported that master sommelier Laura Maniec launched the space, which will feature a wine bar and a menu of tapas-style eats, including chicken liver toast, shishito peppers and prawns with kabocha squash butter. The space also offers wine classes taught by industry professionals, which run about $75 for a two-hour session.
The W Hotel in Union Square has done away with its basement night spot Underbar and completely redesigned the space to open, Lilium. Grub Street reported that the restaurant, which opened Monday, features a curving lily sculpture made with 4,000 pounds of steel. “Underbar had an incredible run, but we saw a unique opportunity to re-conceptualize a remarkable property,” said Scott Gerber, principal of Gerber Group, which owns the new venue.
The cocktail menu features drinks mixed with moonshine, maple syrup, bison grass vodka and muddled ginger. The food selection consists entirely of small plates, with selections ranging from flatbreads to mushroom tempura to an assortment of cheeses.
The new Apple Store inside Grand Central Terminal opened last week to throngs of devoted Apple-ites. The shop occupies 23,000 square feet on the station's east balcony, allowing customers to overlook the main concourse. Jacob Davis, 19, waited in front of the shop for more than 24 hours before it opened and was the first customer inside.
“It’s undeniably amazing,” Davis told DNAinfo. “It keeps all the same lines of the Grand Central station, but it has Apple flair.”
Valbella restaurant has opened at 520 Madison Ave. in Midtown. Chef Joe Giordano will serve up the chain’s signature Northern Italian cuisine, which has come to define the brand at its other outposts in the Meatpacking District and Connecticut. The new establishment will take the place of Alto Restaurant inside the 43-story office tower located between East 53rd and East 54th streets.
COMING SOON:
The owner of Taboon in Hell’s Kitchen is planning to open a quick-service Mediterranean restaurant in Union Square. Restaurateur Danny Hodak recently leased 1,000 square feet of space on East 13th Street between Fifth Avenue and University Place, allowing him to bring elements of his popular Hell’s Kitchen establishment a little further downtown, according to a press release. And if all goes well, Hodak could open more locations across New York City.
“The setting is wood and brick, giving the restaurant a very comfortable feel,” Kelly Gedinsky, an associate director at Winick Realty Group, in a statement. “People will have the option to leave but will want to stay.”
ON THE HORIZON:
A recent Wall Street Journal article revealed a few up and coming changes to the Flatiron District, most notably the potential arrival of a new location of Russ and Daughters, the century-old East Village institution known for its smoked fish, caviar and bagels. A deal has not yet been finalized, but the food purveyor has reportedly been in talks to secure a spot next door to the NoMad Hotel.
CLOSING:
Mama Mexico, a chain with locations in Midtown, the Upper West Side and New Jersey, has closed its spot on East 49th Street between Second and Third avenues, according to Eater NY. A call to the restaurant was not answered on Tuesday.
Tadka Indian, on East 53rd Street between Second and Third avenues has shut its doors, Midtown Lunch reported. The restaurant’s website has been replaced with a sign that reads simply, “Sorry we are closed.”
