The Upper West Side dining scene is about to see a lot of fresh eating, with new restaurants from a Dovetail alum and the Maison Pickle team planned for later this year.
Lucky Pickle Dumpling Co., a new venture from Jacob Hadigeorgis of neighborhood favorites Jacob’s Pickles and Maison Pickle is set to open in May at 513 Amsterdam Ave. and West 85th Street. It will feature a short menu of dumplings, like the shrimp pillow dumplings on the menu at Maison Pickle, and soft-serve for dessert. The restaurant will be previewed at the 11th annual Taste of the Upper West Side.
In July, Nick Pfannerstill — who was previously at Michelin-starred Dovetail — will open Nobody Told Me at 951 Amsterdam Ave., near West 107th Street. West Side Rag reports that the new restaurant generated buzz among board members at a Community Board 7 committee for liquor licenses. Pfannerstill described the restaurant as “fast cuisine.”
And as previously reported by Eater NY, Tom Valenti is also hitting the UWS with a new restaurant. Valenti’s Oxbow Tavern is set to take over the space formerly occupied by French bistro Cafe Tallulah at 240 Columbus Ave., between West 71st and 72nd streets.
Also getting previews at the Taste of the Upper West Side event, Harlem bakery Make My Cake is moving to UWS after closing its 22-year-old shop in Harlem due to rising rents. Make My Cake is scheduled to open in June at 805 Columbus Ave., near West 100th Street. Elea — from Joe Ragonese, formerly of shuttered Long Island restaurant Kenta in Melville — is also set to open in June at 213 West 85th St., between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. And Twin Palms from chef Ryan Turner of Burke & Wills is set to open the same month at 200 West 84th St., near Amsterdam Avenue.
According to West Side Rag, the Cibo E Vino and Marlow Bistro owners are opening a yet-to-be-named restaurant at 1012 Amsterdam Ave., between West 109th and 110th streets, as well. Thai restaurant Ruadee is opening at 307 Amsterdam Ave. The 60-seat Ruadee is slated to open in April. Akimoto Sushi Inc. is opening a sushi joint at 146 West 72nd St., between Amsterdam and Columbus avenues. There is also an Akimoto Sushi in Tribeca. And serving small plates and only open for lunch, Owl Café is opening at 215 West 75th St., near Broadway.
And it wouldn’t be a restaurant proliferation without a poke expansion. Pokebab in Williamsburg is opening a new location at 2047A Broadway, between West 70th and 71st streets next week. The space formerly housed Maoz.
The neighborhood has experienced several closures recently, including the long-running Big Nick’s Burger & Pizza Joint Too, seafood restaurant Ed’s Chowder House, and the 11-year-old South Indian restaurant Hampton Chutney.
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CLOSE The new restaurant is considered the "union" between Old Town and the Poudre River District. "This is the gateway to the River District," said Ryan Houdek, who owns Union with Ty Fulcher of Social and Raffi Jergerian. Holly Engelman/The Coloradoan
Buy Photo Co-owner Ryan Houdek talks with hosts and servers during a staff training at The Union on Tuesday, February 20, 2018. The 6,000-square-foot restaurant on Jefferson Street opens Feb. 28. (Photo: Austin Humphreys/The Coloradoan)Buy Photo
Three new restaurants are opening this week — two in Old Town Fort Collins and one on Harmony Road.
Honolulu Poke Bar, a quick-serve sushi franchise, held a soft opening during the weekend at Front Range Village, at the intersection of Harmony and Ziegler roads. And Union, the newest concept from owners of Social, Rodizio Grill and the Melting Pot, opens to the public on Wednesday.
Who opened
Honolulu Poke takes the place of J Gumbo's, which closed in 2016. Owned by Nelson Zhu, Honolulu Poke recently opened at Johnstown Plaza at 2534.
Poke is a mix of raw cubes of seafood that are marinated in a soy sauce base; garnished with seaweed, cucumber, edamame, avocado; and served over rice or greens. Honolulu Poke Bar has more than 40 locations nationwide.
Alexandralaw1977, Getty Images/iStockphoto Poke was a hot trend in 2017 and it is now coming to Northern Colorado. Spicy tuna poke here is served with sesame oil powder and micro cilantro. (Photo: Getty Images)
Union, at the corner of Jefferson and Linden streets, bills itself as a combination diner/soda fountain serving updated classic sandwiches, soups and salads, milkshakes, champagne cocktails and fortified floats (regular milkshakes for the kids and ones with a kick for adults).
It will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Simmer, 2519 S. Shields St., is in the shopping center just south of the Fort Collins Senior Center. Owned by Steve Lauer, who last year opened Cabana and Mac'd Up, serves globally inspired tapas in an eclectic ambiance.
Open for brunch, lunch and dinner, Simmer has a wide selection of cocktails, wine and beer. The brunch menu on the weekends serves traditional omelets and Benedicts, as well as French toast, and hot chicken with sweet potato waffles.
Dinner and lunch offers traditional options as well as small plates.
GameDay Sports Grill, 1027 W. Horsetooth Road, opened in mid-February in the space previously occupied by Pappy's Corner Pub, which shut down in January after serving a 10-day liquor license suspension for serving an underage patron in November.
Jim "JB" Quick purchased Pappy's and turned it into a "dedicated sports bar." Quick, a special education teacher in California, plans to move to Northern Colorado after he retires in June.
Restaurant inspections: Whole Foods offerings 'excellent'
Emporium Sports Bar, 925 S. Taft Hill Road, bills itself as a new pool hall. It has 13 pool tables and 11 dart boards in the space that was once Virtual Links, a virtual golf course, and before that housed a Blockbuster video store.
Emporium Sports Bar was inspired by the 1970s throwback film “Dazed and Confused” and is unaffiliated with Emporium Kitchen & Wine, which opened in the new Elizabeth Hotel in December in Old Town Fort Collins.
Choice City Wings, 120 Olive St., won't officially open to the public until March 5, but the restaurant has had a soft opening for several days.
Choice City replaces Uncle's Pizzeria, which closed last year. Russ Robinson, who also runs Choice City Butcher & Deli, said he wanted to create a place for the community to gather together for wings and salads.
The site's interior was gutted and redesigned, and Uncle's Pizzeria staff members were retained for the new spot.
Who closed
While new eateries are opening this month, two recently closed.
Grimaldi's, the oven-fired pizza franchise, was one of the first national eateries to sign on to the renovated Foothills shopping center in Midtown. It opened nearly two years ago and is the second restaurant to close at Foothills. The Melt shut down just months after it opened. Its location across from C.B. & Potts is still vacant.
Buy Photo Grimaldi's Coal Brick-Oven Pizzeria, 327 E. Foothills Parkway Suite 110, at Foothills Mall. (Photo: Sarah Jane Kyle/The Coloradoan)
Wasted Space, 253 Linden St., closed abruptly. A note on its Facebook page said, "an opportunity arose and we decided to sell our venue." Owners were working on a new space downtown with large patios, more slushies and more games.
Who's coming
Panhandler's, 2721 S. College Ave., closed the doors of its Campus West location nearly six months ago. The wait for its return is almost over.
New owner Louann DeCoursey expects the new Panhandler's will open in early March. Equipment from the old Panhandler's was moved into the new store on Monday.
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Rush Bowls, the grab-and-go eatery — which has locations in Boulder and Denver — plans to open this spring at 3581 E. Harmony Road in the Harmony Commons development.
Rush Bowls serves a smoothie-like product made with fruit, frozen yogurt and acai (a high-nutrient fruit that tastes like a cross between a grape and blueberry).
Bowls are often topped with organic granola and honey. Many menu items feature added protein and vitamins.
Chick'nCone, located in the Exchange in the 200 block of North College Avenue, plans to open in the spring with a new take on chicken and waffles.
The restaurant that features waffle cones filled with chicken and a choice of six sauces started as a food truck in Pennsylvania. It will join CopperMuse Distillery; Churn Ice Cream; Fort Collins Doughnut Company, or FoCo DoCo; Vatos Tacos and Tequila; Steamies Burger Bar; and The Pizza Press. The Exchange hopes to open in April or May.
Who changed
Cozzola's Pizza, 241 Linden St., was sold to Corina Miller, who plans to rename the 30-year-old restaurant later this spring.
Like Panhandler's, which will open with new ownership but the same familiar pies, Miller plans to keep the full 17-member staff and the restaurant's recipes.
The Cozzola's Pizza at 1112 Oakridge Drive, will continue to operate as normal.
Coloradoan food and drink reporter Jake Laxen contributed to this report.
More: 30-year-old Fort Collins sandwich shop started as class project
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