Here Are Five New Lower Manhattan Restaurants Where We Can’t Wait To Sup

Tuck those cloth napkins into your shirts — some first-rate cuisine is headed this neighborhood’s way, and is already picking up some heated anticipation in the press, on the heels of the Post’s Steve Cuozzo hailing the Seaport’s transformation “from tourist trap to culinary nirvana.”

Saga (70 Pine Street)

From Vogue’s “SAGA Sets a New Standard for Sky-High Dining in New York City”:

SAGA is a sharp departure from New York’s customary fine dining circuit… with its panoramic views of the city, the space also holds masterworks by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Victor Vasarely, and Egon Schiele. Guests are escorted from the vaguely tropical bar in the restaurant’s entrance onto a nearby open-air terrace, where they can take in the sunset as they await the first of many delicate, classic cocktails.

The restaurant is set inside the 63rd floor of 70 Pine Street, and opened August 25. 

Blue Ribbon Sushi (84 William Street)

From Tribeca Citizen’s “Seen & Heard”:

It looks like Blue Ribbon Sushi will replace Blue Ribbon Federal Grill at 84 William. The national chain was founded 20 years ago on Downing Street as Blue Ribbon Bakery Kitchen (the original closed in 2016) and now covers cuisines from burgers to fried chicken to…sushi.  

Carne Mare (89 South Street)

From the NY Post:

A new eatery by Michelin-rated chef Andrew Carmellini…the chef behind Locanda Verde in Robert de Niro’s Greenwich Hotel is gearing up to open Italian chop shop Carne Mare on June 10 — the latest in a series of high-end eateries to take over the casual dining and fast-food restaurants that once dominated the downtown Manhattan Pier. 

We’re told to expect scrumptious menu items such as florentine steak, spicy lobster spaghetti and salt-baked sea bass wrapped in fig leaves.

From Chefs Wylie Dufresne And Josh Eden (1 Fulton Street)

Via The Seaport:

On the Seaport’s cobblestones, an exciting new restaurant in partnership with Josh Eden — previously of Shorty’s 32 — and James Beard award-winner Wylie Dufresne is taking shape, with a view to opening later in 2021.  

Cicci Di Carne by Dario (Brookfield Place)

From Gothamist’s “Legendary Tuscan Butcher Launches Sandwich Shop Empire In Battery Park City”:

When I heard that a new spot with the butcher’s name attached to it had opened in the Brookfield Place mall in Battery Park City I was a bit surprised, and also knew that I needed to try it…It’s also important to note that the sandwiches here are, for the most part, really good. There’s a Panini Caldi (hot) section, a Panini Freddi (cold) section, and everything is piled within a seven-inch roll (soft on the inside, with a nice crust holding it all together)… Pickles, mustard, and sharp fontina cheese provided some spark as well.

photo: SAGA/Adrian Gaut