RESTAURANTS: Awaited tables

Photo: Roxana Marroquin

Michael Lomonaco

THE MAESTRO: Lomonaco is best known as the former executive chef of Windows on the World in the World Trade Center, but he also worked at Le Cirque alongside Daniel Boulud and Alain Sailhac.

THE VENUE: Porter House New York will replace another meat emporium, Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s V Steakhouse, in the Time Warner Center. The 10,000-square-foot space was designed by Jeffrey Beers and features a sleek, masculine decor: The main dining room is fitted with chocolate leather armchairs, and the bar area boasts cherrywood floors. Lomonaco will serve USDA 28-day dry-aged prime beef, but will also offer lots of locally sourced seasonal seafood.

Opening late September or early October (10 Columbus Circle between 60th and 61st Sts, fourth floor; 212-823-9500)

Akhtar Nawab

THE MAESTRO: Nawab started out working in the kitchens of some of San Francisco’s top restaurants: Bizou, Jardinière and La Folie. Then he moved to New York and honed his skills at Gramercy Tavern with Tom Colicchio, following him to Craft and eventually becoming executive chef of Craftbar.

THE VENUE: Nawab will be preparing seasonal American cuisine with Mediterranean touches at Allen & Delancey, part of a loft conversion on the Lower East Side. As at Craftbar, the menu will focus on fresh ingredients and complex juxtapositions. Appetizers will include cured fluke with pickled watermelon and fennel pollen; entrées will include capon served with peas, tarragon and pistachios.

Opening in October (115 Allen St at Delancey St, no phone yet)

Photo: Cinzia Reale-Castello

Didier Virot

THE MAESTRO: Frenchman Virot had worked in some of the top Gallic kitchens in the city—Park Bistro, La Côte Basque, JoJo and Jean Georges—before launching his own eponymous restaurant in the Dylan Hotel in 2001, and then Aix on the Upper West Side.

THE VENUE: With FR.OG (which stands for French origin), Virot is moving downtown to Soho. The menu is more eclectic than the name implies: It includes dishes from Vietnam, Morocco and Lebanon, countries that have been heavily influenced by the French. The bi-level restaurant, designed by Coffinier Ku Designs (Aix, Frederick’s), will have an open kitchen and be able to seat 120 people.

Opening late November or early December (71 Spring St between Crosby and Lafayette Sts, no phone yet)

More in RESTAURANTS:
The sweet spots | Q&A: Gordon Ramsay | Awaited tables | Save the dates