Schnipper's Quality Kitchen:
The guys who sold the Hale and Hearty Soups chain a few years ago got bored with their affluent lifestyle, so they've taken on a new challenge with this spacious self-service restaurant located on the ground floor of the New York Times building. Midtown Lunch was front and center on opening day, naturally, and "spotted two ladies partaking in the sloppy joe/mac and cheese combo—and despite looking like brown slop topped with yellow slop in a paper container (no bread), they both said it was really good! Also looked small for $7 but to be honest I'm not sure how much of this stuff the body could take anyway. Unfortunately by the time I got in line to order (around 1:30pm), they were sold out of Sloppy Joe!" Other menu items include fish tacos, burgers, and milkshakes. 620 Eighth Avenue (at 41st Street), (212) 921-2400.
Lusso: Formerly Le Streghe, this cozy new Soho restaurant stars chef Bruce Dillon, a former head chef at Suba. Owner Michael Carpinillo tells Grub Street that the menu isn't so much Italian as it is Italian-inspired: "The rigatoni is kind of like what Italian families would eat on Sunday, but he covers it with fonduta." Besides a wide selection of Italian wine, Lusso's bar pours lesser-known craft beers from the region, plus custom-blended coffee by D’Amicos in Brooklyn. Currently open for dinner only, lunch and brunch service are to begin in few weeks. 331 West Broadway, (212) 431-0131.
The Raines Law Room: Just what New York needs, another speakeasy-style bar with costly cocktails! But at least this one seems to earn the affectation; it's run by a former bartender at cocktail mecca Milk & Honey, and considerable thought seems to have gone into the venture. According to Thrillist, "Raines is a sultrily lit, tin-ceiling subterranean sleeve marked only by a small plaque and doorbell... Once inside, you're met with an anteroom flush with velvet armchairs, followed by a procession of gauzily curtained booths fit for booze-sucking vampires; each booth's equipped with a chain buzzer, so the waitress only pops in when you need another drink, or need to tell someone how awesome the buzzers are." The name comes from a New York State law passed in 1896 which was intended make alcohol consumption cost-prohibitive; one hopes the owners didn't take that literally when setting the prices. 48 West 17th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues; no phone.
