New Restaurants on the Radar: Plaza Food Hall, Taberna, Lina Frey

<strong>The Plaza Food Hall</strong>: Imagine a mall food court run by Williams &amp; Sonoma and you'll have some idea where chef Todd English was going with the <a href="http://www.theplazafoodhall.com/">Plaza Food Hall</a>, set to open on June 4th. Decked out with <em>eight different food bars</em>, the food hall offers dine-in and take away options, plus a market for flowers, cookware and overpriced jars of confit. From a raw bar to wine to dessert, the Plaza Food Hall delivers nearly endless bounty to any customer. The problem is knowing where to start.<p></p>English provides stations for cheese, sweets, meat, dumplings, sushi, pizza, wine and tapas—all local when possible. All 30 cheeses are provided by Murray's and will be rotating by season. A 5 cheese plate costs $19, and comes with quince paste, fig jam, and walnuts in olive oil. Roman-style pizza includes classic margherita pies and a decadent sweet and salty combo of prosciutto and fig with a rosemary crust. The grill and carvery serves house-cured meats and burgers. Prime rib sliders feature creamy fontina, while the Food Hall burger is packed with 1/2 lb. American kobe, fried onion, grilled bacon, roasted tomato, gorgonzola, and bbq sauce. You can also pick up freshly butchered meat to make at home.<p></p>Cupcakes (of course!) are provided by English's daughter's "<a href="http://www.izzyscurlycakes.com/">Isabelle's Curly Cakes</a>," and English is debuting his own line of chocolate bars, including a PB&amp;J bar and key lime caramels. There's also a "Little Devil" cake, which tastes just like a chocolate Hostess cupcake but with significantly less preservatives. Take all this and add in the 60 bottles at the wine bar, and you'll never want to leave. Until you run out of money, which will probably happen very quickly.<p></p><em>Plaza Hotel Concourse Level [1 West 59th Street], 212-986-9260 </em>

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The Plaza Food Hall: Imagine a mall food court run by Williams & Sonoma and you'll have some idea where chef Todd English was going with the Plaza Food Hall, set to open on June 4th. Decked out with eight different food bars, the food hall offers dine-in and take away options, plus a market for flowers, cookware and overpriced jars of confit. From a raw bar to wine to dessert, the Plaza Food Hall delivers nearly endless bounty to any customer. The problem is knowing where to start.English provides stations for cheese, sweets, meat, dumplings, sushi, pizza, wine and tapas—all local when possible. All 30 cheeses are provided by Murray's and will be rotating by season. A 5 cheese plate costs $19, and comes with quince paste, fig jam, and walnuts in olive oil. Roman-style pizza includes classic margherita pies and a decadent sweet and salty combo of prosciutto and fig with a rosemary crust. The grill and carvery serves house-cured meats and burgers. Prime rib sliders feature creamy fontina, while the Food Hall burger is packed with 1/2 lb. American kobe, fried onion, grilled bacon, roasted tomato, gorgonzola, and bbq sauce. You can also pick up freshly butchered meat to make at home.Cupcakes (of course!) are provided by English's daughter's "Isabelle's Curly Cakes," and English is debuting his own line of chocolate bars, including a PB&J bar and key lime caramels. There's also a "Little Devil" cake, which tastes just like a chocolate Hostess cupcake but with significantly less preservatives. Take all this and add in the 60 bottles at the wine bar, and you'll never want to leave. Until you run out of money, which will probably happen very quickly.Plaza Hotel Concourse Level [1 West 59th Street], 212-986-9260

Gothamist

<strong>Taberna:</strong> Summer in the city pairs well with sangria, and where there's sangria there are usually tapas. Chef Jennifer Cole, who has over a decade of experience working at various restaurants in Spain, is bringing both to the Upper West Side with Taberna. Opening today and featuring just a partial, cold menu for the moment, Taberna focuses on market ingredients for their tapas and drinks. Current dishes include a refreshing sounding strawberry gazpacho with sea scallop ceviche, artichoke carpaccio and meat and cheese plates. They'll also be serving four types of sangria—red, white, pink and champagne. Once their gas gets installed they'll be serving hot tapas and a paella brunch on Sundays. Welcome to summer.<p></p><em>429 Amsterdam Avenue, 917-388-3500 </em>

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Taberna: Summer in the city pairs well with sangria, and where there's sangria there are usually tapas. Chef Jennifer Cole, who has over a decade of experience working at various restaurants in Spain, is bringing both to the Upper West Side with Taberna. Opening today and featuring just a partial, cold menu for the moment, Taberna focuses on market ingredients for their tapas and drinks. Current dishes include a refreshing sounding strawberry gazpacho with sea scallop ceviche, artichoke carpaccio and meat and cheese plates. They'll also be serving four types of sangria—red, white, pink and champagne. Once their gas gets installed they'll be serving hot tapas and a paella brunch on Sundays. Welcome to summer.429 Amsterdam Avenue, 917-388-3500

Gothamist

<strong>Lina Frey:</strong> Named for owner Patrice Bihina’s Alsatian grandmother, this affordable new French bistro on the Lower East Side opens today for breakfast and lunch, with dinner service starting Monday. The point of entry here is their menu of crepes both sweet and savory. Walk up to the window and get yours to go like the French do, or sit your ass down inside like an American and dine under their 20 foot retractable roof. <p></p>But beyond the crepes, the menu from Chef Bamba Seydou (from the Ivory Coast of Africa) is divided into Salades ($5); Proteines de la Terre ($7-$9); Proteines de la Mer ($6-$9); and Les Petits Plats ($4). Options include Chicken Paillard Persillé; signature Moules au Poivres; Grilled Hangar Steak au beurre de Lina or Grilled Spiced Marinated Shrimp. The menu also features many of Bihina’s grandmother’s original recipes from her bed and breakfast in Alsace, including Scallops au Beurre de Lina and Boulettes de Viande. And in addition to the sweet crèpes, dessert options range from Petits Fours to Tarte aux Pommes.<p></p><em>201 East Houston; (212) 995-5546</em>

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Lina Frey: Named for owner Patrice Bihina’s Alsatian grandmother, this affordable new French bistro on the Lower East Side opens today for breakfast and lunch, with dinner service starting Monday. The point of entry here is their menu of crepes both sweet and savory. Walk up to the window and get yours to go like the French do, or sit your ass down inside like an American and dine under their 20 foot retractable roof. But beyond the crepes, the menu from Chef Bamba Seydou (from the Ivory Coast of Africa) is divided into Salades ($5); Proteines de la Terre ($7-$9); Proteines de la Mer ($6-$9); and Les Petits Plats ($4). Options include Chicken Paillard Persillé; signature Moules au Poivres; Grilled Hangar Steak au beurre de Lina or Grilled Spiced Marinated Shrimp. The menu also features many of Bihina’s grandmother’s original recipes from her bed and breakfast in Alsace, including Scallops au Beurre de Lina and Boulettes de Viande. And in addition to the sweet crèpes, dessert options range from Petits Fours to Tarte aux Pommes.201 East Houston; (212) 995-5546

Gothamist