The caviar, uni, and egg dish has been in Akiyama's repertoire since he worked at the now-closed NYC restaurant Lan. It's presented as a rich chawanmushi, topped with generous uni and caviar. The nigiri course comes with three pieces, including the aori aka, in which the bigfin reed squid is chopped and intricately layered; the texture was far creamier than I ever expected squid to be.
HAGS is one of those truly New York dining treasures, an eclectic fine-dining queer restaurant in the East Village, run by co-owners chef Telly Justice and sommelier Camille Lindsley. Dinner is a tasting menu affair, but brunch is more accessible, with a pay-what-you-can approach on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. HAGS often hosts guest chefs; for my brunch, it was Austin baker Mariela Camacho of Comadre Panadería.
Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show was a success, but can the same be said about his other business ventures? Ahead of Bad Bunny's historic Super Bowl performance, I visited Gekko, a Japanese steakhouse in Miami co-owned by the singer and Miami hospitality mogul David Grutman. Since its opening in 2022, Gekko has established itself as a celebrity hot spot in Miami, attracting stars like Kim Kardashian and frequently hosting entertainment industry after-parties.
Meeting a close friend before an evening like that matters. It sets the frequency. BLACKBARN proved to be the ideal place to do itwarm, assured, and quietly seductive. The space hums with confidence rather than noise. Reclaimed wood beams, metal accents, and a modern barn sensibility create an atmosphere that feels cultivated without ever feeling staged. My signature Belvedere martini arrived first and immediately signaled that we were in capable hands.
The first thing most people will probably notice is the eye-popping price tag, $1,500 for the full experience, including beverage pairings. That's almost twice as much as the normal bill, including alcohol at Noma in Copenhagen. To secure a table, you'll need to sign up for the Noma newsletter by January 23, and then bookings will open up on January 26 at 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. While Noma has done international "residencies" in other cities before, this is the first in the United States.
When Ki Kim was outlining the dishes for Restaurant Ki, his 10-seat modern Korean tasting-menu counter secreted in the basement of Little Tokyo's Kajima Building, he knew his meal needed a center of gravity - a midpoint course to balance the opening parade of seafood snacks with several heftier, saucier, pre-dessert dazzlers. Just before the pandemic Kim had been sous chef at Blanca, a now-closed restaurant in Brooklyn run by the people behind pizza icon Roberta's.
Jenna's three kids Mila, 12, Poppy, 10, and Hal, 6, came together to give Jenna the ultimate cheese-lover birthday celebration. The dinner was not only made with love but the Hager kids added personal and creative touches. "Mila was sort of the creative director," Jenna says while referring to the green-printed dinner menus titled: "Mom's Bday Tasing Menu." The tasting menu showcased these tasty delights with pun-filled food names.
Kappo, a new 12-seat Japanese restaurant, is slated to open on Dec. 2, according to a news release. Kappo is owned by Omakase Restaurant Group, the team behind San Francisco's Michelin-starred Niku Steakhouse and recently opened Prelude. The intimate, open-kitchen restaurant is helmed by executive chef Nikolas Neuwirt, who has worked at SF's Niku Steakhouse, Prelude and Birdsong, as well as in kitchens in Denmark and France.
Thought NYC had its fill of Japanese chef's tables? Think again - the city's latest, Muku, just opened in Tribeca. Launched under the Kuma Hospitality Group (which counts fellow Tribeca restaurant L'abeille in its numbers), Muku plans to make its mark on the city's scene with an intimate, tasting-menu only set up. Just 20 guests can dine here a day.
Pujol isn't just another acclaimed restaurant-it's a global bucket-list destination. Since opening in 2000, Olvera has redefined Mexican fine dining, weaving traditional ingredients and techniques into one of the world's most inventive tasting menus. The restaurant currently holds two Michelin stars (a first for Mexico) and a perennial spot on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list.
Jenna Bush Hager, the former president's daughter, revealed her father's hack on an episode of the Today show. She explained, "He'll call the restaurant and order the meal before we get there so we don't have to wait. He has a little bit of a restless personality." Bush apparently has someone on his staff send him over the menu, and then call his family to take their order, too. It speeds up the process so much that they can be finished eating in 30 minutes.
Like you, the staff keeps things casual, flying between the tightly packed two-tops in oversized button-ups and distressed jeans, and always attentive without hovering. Courses arrive in quick succession, without long, drawn-out pauses, and reservations come relatively easy (weekday tables are usually available day of and weekends just need a day or two of notice). Stlll, there are fine dining touches where it counts: big-deal wine bottles, cutlery swaps between courses, and daily printed menus.
In introducing a new tasting menu alongside lunch and dinner options, Niall Davidson has strategically revitalized Allta, catering to both casual diners and dedicated food enthusiasts alike.