Renowned Argentine chef Francis Mallmann is set to stir the culinary pot of New York this spring with the opening of a new restaurant within the equally new and opulent Faena New York— a luxury hotel making its debut by the ever-popular High Line at 500 West 18th Street, near 11th Avenue. The architecturally distinguished building, a creation of the Bjarke Ingels Group, will play host to Mallmann's latest foray into his signature live-fire cooking, aligning with Faena's history of lavish hospitality that hails from Alan Faena's foundation of the group in Buenos Aires back in 2000 and spans through to Miami Beach where Mallmann already flames the stakes at Los Fuegos By Francis Mallmann, as reported by Eater New York.
The yet-to-be-named New York venture will sustain Mallmann's elementally rustic cooking techniques, as he continues with "searing in giant cast-iron skillets," a method he is particularly famous for, while still distinguishing itself from the established Los Fuegos in Miami—if their steep mains ranging from $48 to $78 are anything to go by, expect the New York iteration to follow suit in lavish pricing, as detailed by Eater New York. However, not everyone is sold on the price tag, with Infatuation Miami noting that "Los Fuegos just isn’t that fun," despite the chef's critical acclaim.
Meanwhile, over at West Houston, Preston Clark, son of late chef Patrick Clark, steps into a culinary spotlight of his own as the new executive chef of Bar Mercer, taking over Mr. McDonald's previous establishment, Bar Tulix. The moody bar and restaurant boast a menu to complement their classic drinks, with offerings such as filet mignon au poivre and fish and chips. Clark has a penchant for universal favorites, pointing out that "pigs in blankets transcend class," according to a report from The New York Times.
But New York's dining scene isn't just about high-end steakhouses and nostalgia-inducing bars, the city's food tapestry is woven through the streets, with other notable openings like OASES Restaurant & Bar, where Ayurvedic seasonings meet modern New York cuisine, Dante Accademia dedicating itself to the high craft of cocktails, and KID, which plans to redefine the New York pizzeria with a farm-to-table approach—mixing in the unusual suspects like Brussels sprouts and kale atop their pies, while also paying homage to classics with fried clam strips and mozzarella sticks, truly a palate playground for New Yorkers looking to traverse tastes old and new, no matter the genre or the price.
Despite the ever-expanding options for foodies, both Gotham West Market and Il Totano bid farewell to their patrons, the former yet-to-announce future plans for the bustling Hell's Kitchen space and the latter simply not catching the wave of popularity, leaving the door open for the next trending establishment in an ever-evolving dining scene, New York never being short on appetite for change, and innovation, hinging on the culinary crossroads of tradition and transcendence.
