Three new restaurants will be opening their doors in the coming weeks and months, bringing an authentic Italian cafe to a part of the neighborhood seriously lacking options, as well as two new upscale restaurants in Lenox Hill and Yorkville.
Details about the new spots, from both longtime restauranteurs and first-time business owners were revealed during Community Board 8’s Street Life Committee meeting on Tuesday night, where the establishments owners and representatives presented plans for their businesses in hopes of receiving a recommendation for a New York State liquor license.
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Adriano
This intimate Italian cafe is set to open at 1198 First Avenue, between East 64th and 65th Streets — an Upper East Side block without a similar, quick-service cafe.
The brain-child of Chef Adrian Kercuku, who hails from Italy and tells Upper East Site he served as an executive chef for the popular Felice restaurants on the Upper East Side, Adriano will offer strong coffee and smaller plates of authentic eats.
“We will have a simple menu, which we will have some pasta, some homemade focaccia,” said Chef Adrian, “Really easy things.”
Adriano is set to open in the next two weeks and will initially be open from 7:30 am until 6:00 pm, before expanding to a 10:00 pm closing time every day.
Gazette
Siblings Madalina Iavarone and Dinu Bogdan detailed their plan to open a small, upscale restaurant called Gazette offering European-influenced cuisine. Gazette will be located at 1582 York Avenue, between East 83rd and East 84th Streets, in half of the space formerly occupied by Mumtaz Indian Cuisine in Yorkville.
“Our love of food started with our mom,” explained Iavarone, sharing her family’s story, “We grew up in Romania and we moved here early on, and it only solidified with my brother graduating from the French Culinary Institute in New York City.”
Gazette is expected to seat 42 guests, with a small bar with space for eight guests, as well as patio in the rear, according to Iavarone. The restaurant plans to be open from 11:00 am to midnight seven days a week.
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Unnamed Italian Restaurant
Owned by Nick Tsoulos and Nick Pashalis, the restauranteurs behind Anassa Taverna and Patsy’s Pizzeria here on the Upper East Side, this unnamed Italian restaurant won’t be opening for at least six months, a representative told the committee Tuesday night.
Set to be located on the ground and mezzanine floors of the building currently undergoing a gut renovation at the corner of Lexington Avenue and East 73rd Street, the new buildout will feature table seating for 54 guests, with space for another 12 people at the bar.
A representative described the new restaurant — whose menu has not been finalized — as being an upscale, but affordable experience.
Dangerfield’s
Plans to reopen the legendary comedy club located at 1118 First Avenue, between East 61st and 62nd Street, were not presented Tuesday night, as expected.
Instead, the group behind the new Dangerfield’s venture chose to have their liquor license application taken up by Community Board 8’s Street Life Committee at some point in the future.
