Pastis Brings Steak Frites Back to Less Gritty Meatpacking District

(Bloomberg) -- The restaurants (and food halls) we’re looking at this week, plus places and events making news.

Time Out Market New York (Dumbo; opened May 31)

Food halls in NYC have become almost as ubiquitous as nail salons. The newest is Time Out Market New York, directly off Brooklyn Bridge Park and set inside Empire Stores.

The bilevel hall will have 21 food and drink vendors, from familiar brands like Pat La Frieda Meat Purveyors to original concepts such as Breads Bagelry. Of course there’s a steakhouse—Center Cut, an offshoot of Reserve Cut on Wall Street—as well as three bars with drinks from places like Ghost Donkey and Angel Share. On the upstairs level is the money view of the Manhattan skyline from the deck, a stage for Time Out magazine-approved DJs, and even more restaurants, including an outpost of the crowded Israeli spot Nur.

The 21,000-square-foot space has 600 seats and cost “north of $10 million,” according to Didier Souillat, chief executive officer of Time Out Market. He says he picked the Water Street location because of the “strong DNA” in the majestic red-brick warehouse space, as well as the views.

New York is the third outpost of the Time Out Markets. In 2014 the magazine made the brand experiential when it opened Time Out Market Lisbon. In 2018 the Portuguese market welcomed 3.9 million visitors. A Chicago branch will open in the third quarter, followed by one in Montreal toward the end of the year.

Unlike almost every other food hall, Time Out is using branded plates and cutlery rather than disposable tableware. Souillat believes real plates and forks make food better; the New York market has 60 people on staff to distribute and clean them. Below are a few other highlights at the new food hall.

● Clinton St. Baking Co. The second location of the perennially packed Lower East Side brunch place from chef Neil Kleinberg and DeDe Lahman. The menu includes Clinton Street’s best-sellers, as well as originals like latke eggs Benedict made with salmon smoked in house, and blueberry cheesecake. “It’s a riff on our blueberry pancakes, which is our top seller,” Kleinberg says, “and something for people to eat if they get tired of breakfast all day.”

● Breads Bagelry. The cult chocolate babka will be on offer at the bakery’s outpost. Alongside that will be a counter specializing in bagels, namely gigantic, oval-shaped Jerusalem bagels with fillings such as smoked tout with horseradish mayo. There’s also the Jewish Elvis, embellished with bananas, tahini, and dates.

● Felice Pasta Bar. Behind the counter, pasta is made throughout the day for staples including spaghetti al pomodoro and maccheroni cacio e pepe, as well as a couple of soups.

Details
Hours: Daily, from 8 a.m.
Location: 55 Water St., Brooklyn, at the Empire Stores

Pastis (Meatpacking District; opening early June)

● The long-awaited return of the Meatpacking cafe from restaurateurs Stephen Starr and Keith McNally is opening imminently, a block away from its original location.

● The new space will be familiar to regulars and Sex and the City fans: It features multiple elements of the flagship, including the classic curved zinc bar outfitted with signature white subway tiles, vintage mirrors with handwritten daily specials, and a mosaic-tiled floor in the 180-seat dining room. There will be 30 more seats on the all-important patio; the space is more than 2,000 square feet larger than the original.

● The menu will offer 50% of the classic bistro menu, including the steak sandwich and steak frites. (Those Pastis fries are legendary). Half the dishes will be original.

● The beverage program will feature a predominantly French list of sparkling, white, pink, and red. There will also be cider, beer, and, of course, pastis served with ice.

Details
Location: 52 Gansevoort St.

Gai Chicken & Rice (Midtown; opened May 29)

● Chicken in multiple forms is the focus at this new takeout spot near Times Square.

● Chef Chat Suansilphong helped put regional Thai food on the map in New York at Fish Cheeks. Here his short menu features crispy and spicy fried chicken with rice and chile dipping sauce. Hainanese-style steamed chicken with gingered rice comes with either white or dark meat. Along with soda, there’s Thai iced tea.

● Suansilphong has opened the compact, 400-foot place with partners Ace Watanasuparp and Chatchai Huadwattana (Obao, Spot Dessert Bar), and the group has plans to expand the brand. The interior was designed by Space NY with bright yellow orb-shaped fixtures that evoke egg yolks.

Details
Hours: Monday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
Location: 158 E. 45th St.; 917 675-6642

Roey’s (West Village; opened May 16)

● This all-day cafe is an offshoot of the popular Italian restaurant Rosemary’s a block away, from owner Carlos Suarez. The 50-seat space was formerly Rosemary’s Pizza.

● Chef Wade Moises will continue to offer pizza from the wood-fired oven, such as broccoli rabe with stracciatella and pecorino, as well as a pepperoni pie that also includes ’nduja. On the breakfast menu is a cacio e pepe egg sandwich. At night there’s lasagna verde and the coffee counter becomes an aperitivo bar.

● Roey’s donates a percentage of afternoon sales from the kids menu to neighboring PS41 elementary school.

● For the adults in the room, Roey’s offers a boozy brunch with $18 bloody marys, mimosas, and spritzes with an entree. There’s a 60-minute time limit.  

Details
Hours: Monday–Friday, from 7 a.m.–11 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday, from 10 a.m.
Location: 1 Perry St.; 646 864-1200 

In the News

Barbuto. The West Village restaurant that for 15 years provided the city with superior Cal-Italian dishes and people-watching closes its garage doors on May 31. Chef Jonathan Waxman presided over a kitchen that brought kale salad into the national conversation and made roast chicken a dish to be obsessed over. (For the last weekend alone, Waxman had to dedicate refrigerators entirely to chicken.) During its last week, Barbuto, whose regulars included Kings of Leon’s Caleb Followill and his wife, model Lily Aldridge, was impossible to get into.

The $5,000 Cocktail. The cheapest cocktail on the menu at the Baccarat hotel bar in New York is $26. The newest offering costs more than most computers; a round costs as much as some cars. The $5,000 L’Imperial is expensive because of what it’s made with, including a valuable green chartreuse that goes for around $1,150 an ounce. The other pricey part is the high-stemmed blue-and-white Tsar glass that’s valued at $3,600, which customers get to keep.   

MoMA Party in the Garden. The event honors Alice and Tom Tisch, Yvonne Rainer, and Diller Scofidio + Renfro with a performance by Maggie Rogers and a DJ set by the Knocks. Leon Black is chair of the museum’s board. Tuesday, June 4, at the Museum of Modern Art

NYBG Conservatory Ball. Outgoing board Chair Maureen Chilton is honored at this black-tie event, which raises funds for children’s education and conservation programs. Thursday, June 6, at the New York Botanical Garden

Battery Gala. Innovation is the theme of this dinner on the southern tip of Manhattan, with co-Chairs Frank Bisignano and William Rudin. Monday, June 10, at the Battery

Carnegie Hall Medal of Excellence. Robert F. Smith, who recently pledged to pay the student loans of Morehouse College’s Class of 2019, presides at this ceremony as chairman of Carnegie Hall. Vartan Gregorian, president of Carnegie Corp., will receive the medal, and violinist Pinchas Zuckerman and pianist Bryan Wagorn will perform. Monday, June 10, at the Plaza 

—With assistance from Amanda Gordon

To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Gaddy at

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