New Restaurant And Bar Openings: Smashburger, Imperial Woodpecker, Morgane, Duo, Dos Toros
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<em>Melissa Hom</em><br/><br/><strong>Smashburger:</strong> Just when we thought the city couldn't get any more saturated with artisanal burger places, Denver-based blog phenom Smashburger opens its first New York location in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Priding itself on the "better burger," Smashburger smashes (duh) its made-to-order "100% fresh, not frozen" beef on a flat grill so that it sits in its own juices before it is seasoned and served in a "fast-casual" environment. There are also plenty of Smashchicken dishes and Smashsalads to go around. <br/><br/>Each Smashburger location features at least one menu option to cater to local culture (we're not really sure how this worked at the Montclair, N.J. location). Franchisee Jim Denburg dreamed up Brooklyn-specific burgers including the Brooklyn Burger served on a pretzel bun with grilled pastrami, Swiss cheese, pickles, onion, yellow mustard, the Spicy Baja Burger, and even a "made-from-scratch" Black Bean Burger (here's looking at vegetarian Brooklynites!). Plus, nothing says blending in with the locals quite like offering Brooklyn Brewery beer, wine, Haagen-Dazs milkshake, and Stewart's root beer float options. <br/><br/>Borrowing its "insiders-only secret menu for those-who-know" business model from In-N-Out and challenging its main competitor Shake Shack for the best "fast casual better burger," Smashburger births its New York empire in the "ever-growing food culture" of Brooklyn before plans to colonize the other four boroughs and Long Island. (<em>Elyssa Goldberg</em>)<br/><br/> <em>80 DeKalb Avenue, Brooklyn; (718) 222-1101</em>
<em><a href="http://eatdavelove.blogspot.com/2011/06/imperial-woodpecker-sno-balls.html">Courtesy Eat Dave Love</a></em><br/><br/><strong>Imperial Woodpecker Sno-Balls:</strong> You've had plenty of synthetic shaved ice concoctions in your life (Sno-Cones and the like), but are you ready for one that will take you traveling? Sno-Cone, meet Sno-Ball, your New Orleans cousin. The Sno-Ball's ice is of a much finer consistencyâmore deserving of that charmingly misspelled "Sno" label âand it's served, in heaping quantities, in a Chinese takeout container. There are 33 flavors, two sizes ($4 for big and $8 for bigger-er) and you get to sip the stuff through a straw.<br/><br/>Bringing this idea to its humble abode in the West Village is Nawlins native and former fashion-industry intern Neesa Peterson, who has also populated the store with other New Orleans treats, such as Zapp's potato chips, Community Coffeeâs New Orleans blend, and Nectar cream soda, for which the city's K&B pharmacy is famous. <em>(Rachel Pincus)</em><br/><br/><em>145 Seventh Avenue, West Village; (251) 366-7777</em>
<strong>Morgane</strong>: Borrowing a page from the Keith McNally school of design, this <a href="http://www.morganerestaurant.com/">handsome new spot</a> on Williamsburg's main drag has subway tiles on the wall, soft yellow lights, and a handsome waitstaff with maddeningly implacable accents. Also: an ample backyard.<br/><br/>Oh, and there's food, too: of the Francophile variety, with classics like garlicky escargot à la Bourguignonne (we tried these at last night's "friends and family" preview and they were outstanding), hunky slabs of steak au poivre and pâté de campagne, plus Balthazar pastries in the morning. In the back you'll find a lovely, oversized garden (or "jardin," as they call it over there) in the back that's just about perfect for sipping the Kronenbourgs on tap. The owners run Chloe 81 on the Lower East Side, so they presumably know a thing or two about keeping the pretty young things happy. (<em>Jamie Feldmar</em>) <br/><br/><em>340 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, (347) 599-0699</em>
<strong>Duo:</strong> The name of this pretty Madison Avenue restaurant finds its origins in the owners: the pair of sisters Lorraine and Sabina Belkin. For their debut restaurant, the sisters have enlisted chef Hok Chin, who most recently hails from Long Island's restaurant Sugar. Chin's "Contemporary American" menu, the physical version of which we're told is somehow "illuminated," includes such options as a Grilled Shrimp Watermelon Salad, made with feta, heirloom tomatoes, fresh mint, blood orange vinaigrette ($16); the Lobster âDUOâ consisting of Champagne poached Maine lobster, cauliflower gratin, lobster and potato spring roll, and green apple curry ($34); and a Prime Hanger Steak Au Poivre served with Vidalia onion rings, roasted fingerling potatoes, wild forest mushrooms, green peppercorn sauce ($31). Damn, we're hungry.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.duonewyork.com/">Duo</a> also features a âselect your ownâ Carpaccio section, where you can choose between Filet Mignon, Tuna, or Salmon, with a variety of assorted toppings. Of course there are "signature cocktails" clocking in at $15; you might order one at Duo's round bar, where you can feast your eyes on two eight-Âfoot paintings by artist Lauri Blank depicting "a pair of stunning women adorned with flowers." The main dining room seats 85, and is decked out with velvet walls, seven-foot crystal chandeliers, sparking "metallic crocodile" columns, lush banquettes, a fireplace, and your choice of obsequious manservants who, for no extra fee, will kneel on all fours to serve as human footstools through the course of your luxuriant dinner. One of those is a joke... but judging by the swank looks of this place, just barely.<br/><br/><em>72 Madison Avenue, (212) 686-7272 </em>
<em>Noah Fecks<br/><br/></em><strong>Dos Toros:</strong> Not very often do we associate former bassists for Third Eye Blind with "self-proclaimed burrito experts." But at Dos Toros, founder-creator-chef-brother-burrito expert-former bass player Leo Kremer and his business savvy brother Oliver bring it all together. They brought us the Union Square taqueria Dos Toros not a year ago and are now taking their Bay Area-inspired Mexican fare to the West Village. They serve up San Francisco-style hand held quesadillas (that have been <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/06/dining/reviews/06unde.html">called the best in New York</a>), "overstuffed" tacos on Corona, Queens' Tortilleria Nixtamal's corn tortillas, and fat burritos with several homemade salsa options.<br/><br/>A far cry from the upscale Mexican fare at many restaurants such as La Esquina and Rosa Mexicana, Dos Toros relies on the simplicity of its fresh ingredients and street cart-like decor. Still, the West Village location may prove a little glitzier than its Union Square cousin, since they're enlisting the building designers for Beauty and Essex and Stanton Social to design the new space. However, the food will still be served without pretense, simplicity, and "fresh ingredients served in a simple and approachable way" East Bay style. No guarantees about the upcoming Upper East Side location, though. (<em>Elyssa Goldberg</em>)<br/><br/><em>11 Carmine Street, (212) 627-2051</em>