Via The New York Times, written by Florence Fabricant:
Headliner
ISLAND OYSTER This 32,000-square-foot mostly outdoor restaurant is opening on Governors Island. The island is home to food events during the spring, summer and fall, but this is its only stand-alone restaurant. And while its ambience couldn’t be more informal, with a raw bar, lobster rolls, fish tacos, corn and burgers, it has full waiter service for the 600 or so guests it can accommodate at a 100-foot stretch of bar, at banquettes and at tables. The kitchen is built into four shipping containers, and the chef, Kerry Heffernan, a seafood expert, will have oysters playing a major role. Alex and Miles Pincus, who run the restaurant, are supporters of the Billion Oyster Project, a nonprofit organization on the island. They also run Grand Banks, a restaurant on a schooner moored in the Hudson River. This month they also expect to open Pilot, an oyster bar on a historic schooner docked at Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park: The Ferry Landing, Governors Island, 917-268-0200, islandoyster.com; Pilot, Pier 6, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Dumbo, Brooklyn, 917-810-8550, pilotbrooklyn.com.
Opening
CITY ACRES MARKET Housed in a converted office tower in the financial district, this branch of the South Williamsburg grocery will have outside vendors. The lineup is Vanessa’s Dumpling House, Artichoke Basille’s Pizza, Beyond Sushi, the Cinnamon Snail and JuiceBrothers (Opens Tuesday): 70 Pine Street (Pearl Street), 917-261-4530, cityacresmarket.com.
DINING ROOM AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART The elegant fourth-floor restaurant has been exclusively for members; last week it opened to the public. Fred Sabo, the chef, offers American food on à la carte lunch and dinner menus. There’s a tasting menu in the evening, frequently with a theme reflecting an exhibition. Open for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays only: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue (82nd Street), 212-570-3975, metmuseum.org.
NARCBAR This bar next to Narcissa, a restaurant with food from the chef John Fraser in the Standard East Village hotel, pulls its name from its neighbor. It’s in the style of a New York hangout, with Tonia Guffey as the drinks consultant. Mr. Fraser’s bar food includes onion rings, peel-and-eat shrimp, green pea tostada, a burger and “obligatory kale salad” with avocado and Caesar dressing. (Thursday): The Standard East Village, 25 Cooper Square (Fifth Street), 212-441-3555, narcbar.com.
THE OFFICE NYC AT THE MANDARIN ORIENTAL NEW YORK The speakeasy-style Chicago bar owned by Grant Achatz, the acclaimed chef of Alinea in Chicago, and his partner, Nick Kokonas, has opened its New York outpost. It’s on the 35th floor of the Columbus Circle hotel in the space that was MOBar. The Aviary, its larger sibling, is to open in the hotel in the fall. For the Office, the designer Adam Tihany created a clubby space, finished in polished wood and leather, with 44 seats and lots of vintage details. “We scoured New York for antiques,” Mr. Achatz said. He said the Office looks back, while the Aviary will be about the future. Both are more about cocktails than food. “But there’s a strong culinary program in the context of a bar,” he said. The Office serves fare like steak tartare, caviar, oysters and salmon rillettes, and, along with $23 mixed drinks, it features “dusty bottle cocktails” made with rare aged spirits that can add more than $100 to the bill: Mandarin Oriental, New York, 80 Columbus Circle (60th Street), theaviary.com, reservations from tocktix.com.
OVENLY This home-style bakery in Greenpoint has opened another Brooklyn location: 210 Flatbush Avenue (Bergen Street), Park Slope, Brooklyn, oven.ly.