This fall’s eating and drinking trends

COMFORT FOOD

FIVE MINUTES AGO
Burgers Beef superstar Pat LaFrieda: His special-blend burger is de rigueur on most menus that take themselves seriously enough to care. So how “special” can it still be?
Missed out? Go straight to the top—the $26 Black Label burger at Minetta Tavern (113 MacDougal St at Minetta Ln, 212-475-3850) has been equated with nirvana on a bun.

NOW
Fried chicken Sometimes we take the things most dear to us for granted, like a longtime love…and fried chicken. But now some of NYC’s hottest chefs (David Chang…) have rediscovered the perennial favorite.
Where it’s at: Until the new Pies-n-Thighs opens, co-owner Carolyn Bane is frying her celebrated bird at Roberta’s Pizza (261 Moore St between Bogart and White Sts, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-417-1118)

TEN MINUTES FROM NOW
Calzones Chef April Bloomfield is opting to make pockets—not pies—in the pizza oven when the Breslin opens in October. She’s putting her pedigreed stamp on the all-purpose drunk food by stuffing it with ndjua, a soft sausage from Calabria.
Coming soon: The Bloomfield-Ken Friedman collaboration, The Breslin Bar and Dining Room (Ace Hotel, 20 W 29th St at Broadway; 212-679-1939)

MOGULS

FIVE MINUTES AGO
Mario Batali Italian cooking that balanced authenticity with a personal touch once made Molto Mario the one to beat. But his national ambitions (TV, cookbooks, venues in Las Vegas and L.A.) have distanced Batali from NYC.
Missed out? A comeback may be in the pipeline when he opens the Italian gastroplex Eataly (200 Fifth Ave at 25th St, eatalytorino.it) next year.

NOW
Danny Meyer For the man behind some of the city’s most popular restaurants, things just keep looking brighter…and bigger: He’s colonizing New York landmarks like Central Park and Citi Field, and Maialino in the Gramercy Park Hotel is set to open in November.
Where it’s at: Hit Shake Shack (Madison Square Park, 23rd St at Madison Ave; 212-889-6600) while you wait for his next move.

TEN MINUTES FROM NOW
Michael “Bao” Huynh Huynh had a small restaurant empire (Bao 111, Bun) before severing his ties with all of them. In little time, he’s rebuilt and surpassed his holdings, with multiple Baoguettes, plus an expansion that seems to give life to a new concept (a beer garden, a noodle house) every minute.
Coming soon: Look for his upcoming Greenmarket-driven Vietnamese eatery, B Clinton (6 Clinton St between E Houston and Stanton Sts, no phone yet).

BACKLASH

FIVE MINUTES AGO
Paul Liebrandt When he cooked at Atlas, this enfant terrible’s technically superb yet at times off-putting dishes seemed intentionally unpalatable.
Missed out? Now he’s killing it at Corton (239 West Broadway between Walker and White Sts, 212-219-2777)

NOW
David Burke The chef’s been getting the wrong kind of attention: In the course of a year, he was in the papers for allegedly “groping” Hawaiian Tropic Zone servers and beating up his driver.
Where it’s at: His flagship, David Burke Townhouse (133 E 61st St between Park and Lexington Aves, 212-813-2121), just got a makeover—could his personal life use one, too?

TEN MINUTES FROM NOW
David Chang Can the It downtown chef expand to midtown, hotness intact?
Coming soon to: We’ll see—a Momo project opens soon in the Chambers Hotel (15 W 56th St between Fifth and Sixth Aves, no phone yet)

CONCEPTS

FIVE MINUTES AGO
Farm-to-table Years ago, a few chefs went seasonal and never looked back. Today, a local bent is almost a given.
Missed out? Dan Barber cultivates produce and livestock for Blue Hill (75 Washington Pl between Washington Sq West and Sixth Ave, 212-539-1776)

NOW
Gastropubs Spurred by the recession, notable chefs and novices alike have turned to upscale taverns.
Where it’s at: Michael Psilakis dishes childhood favorites at Gus & Gabriel (222 W 79th St between Amsterdam Ave and Broadway, 212-362-7470)

TEN MINUTES FROM NOW
Guest chefs Perhaps the trick to keeping a restaurant fresh is to invite new chefs into the kitchen.
Coming soon: The sold-out Five Fucking Dinners (momofuku.com) from culinary exchange project Crossing the Line will showcase some of France’s greatest talents in the Momo and wd~50 kitchens.

INFILTRATORS

FIVE MINUTES AGO
Daniel Humm Humm moved from San Francisco to head Eleven Madison Park. Three years later, he earned four stars from The New York Times.
Missed out? Just try to get a table at Eleven Madison Park (11 Madison Ave at 24th St, 212-889-0905).

NOW
Missy Robbins She left NYC six years ago and returned this past year (from Chicago’s Spiaggia) to helm A Voce.
Where it’s at: Robbins is raising her profile, and the stakes, with the new A Voce Columbus (10 Columbus Circle at Broadway, 212-823-2523).

TEN MINUTES FROM NOW
Nate Appleman The James Beard Rising Star made a name cooking Southern Italian at A16 Food + Wine in San Francisco. Now he’s just moved east to head Keith McNally’s nascent pie joint on the Bowery.
Coming soon: A star pizzaiolo may be born at Pulino’s Bar and Pizzeria (282 Bowery at Houston St, no phone yet)

BARS

FIVE MINUTES AGO
Speakeasies There are enough Prohibition-style bars. Now that we’ve had our history lesson, let’s see what a contemporary bar looks like, hm?
Missed out? We still get a thrill from PDT (113 St. Marks Pl between First Ave and Ave A, 212-614-0386).

NOW
Beer gardens If speakeasies are elitist, beer gardens are democratic, with space and booze for everyone.
Where it’s at: The next-generation beer hall: Studio Square (35-33 36th St between 35th and 36th Aves, Long Island City, Queens; 718-383-1001).

TEN MINUTES FROM NOW
Renaissance bars Thanks to the cocktail revival and craft beer craze, the public has gotten pretty savvy. Expect bars that are solid on all fronts.
Coming soon: The Manhattan Inn (632 Manhattan Ave between Bedford and Nassau Aves, Greenpoint, Brooklyn; no phone yet), an all-purpose bar with a locavore bent, opens in October.

See more in Restaurants & Bars