Folks, there is so much Dish to get through today that we're bifurcating Manhattan and the rest of the city (we didn't use the more derogatory "outerboroughs" because we love everyone the same). Coming up right now, the Manhattan Dish. At noonish, boroughs two through five. Memo to reception: you're "gone for the day".
1) Sushi of Gari 46: Up first is Masatoshi "Gari" Sugio's third Gari franchise, Sushi of Gari 46. It opens, officially, tomorrow in the Theatre District (347 W 46th St; 212-957-0046). From the press materials, the restaurant "will focus primarily on Gari’s 130 varieties of signature topped sushi creations, in addition to a menu of traditional Japanese dishes as well as new creations from the master chef. The restaurant will also showcase Gari’s signature blended sakes." There is seating for 40 in the dining room and an additional 11 seats at the sushi bar. [EaterWire]
2) Cafe Cluny: Admittedly, it may not be the kind of gut renovation that her ex-husband Keith McNally is working on, but Lynn Wagenknecht has beat him to the West Village punch, having gotten her Cafe Cluny open more-or-less on schedule. (An official-sounding e-mail, in to Eater late yesterday afternoon: "Café Cluny is open to the public as of tonight.") The plywood alum is essentially Americanized French and in a bit of naming cleverness, Cluny is named after both an abbey in Burgundy and the Paris Métro stop (Cluny/La Sorbonne) that is one down from Odéon on the #10 line. Wagenknecht's partners are Judi Wong and Steven Abramowitz; the chef is Vincent Nargi, who is fresh off a short stint at Odéon. 284 W. 12th St; 212-255-6900. [EaterWire]
3) Mekong: Sans booze paperwork (and, thus, byo), Mekong has re-opened in West Soho. The 'Vietnamese Restaurant & Bar' picks up where its NoLIta predecessor left off, though in much more modest digs. Gone are the distressed wood finishes and assorted fishing boat accessories; they've been replaced by a smaller bar and plasma TV. Grilled Marinated Beef wrapped in shiso leaves and sliced pork chops are a good place to dive back in. 16-18 King Street; 212-343-8169. [EaterWire]
Ahead, D'or Ahn reinvents itself, again, as Izakaya Ten and Gridskipper saves us the trouble of having to go back to Hawaiian Tropic.
4) Izakaya Ten: Down to NoMeat we go, where D'or Ahn has re-opened as Izakaya Ten (following a short, intermediate stint as Anzu). Owner Lannie Ahn, not one to ignore the latest in far east hotness, has morphed her small Korean restaurant into a small Japanese venue or, in trendier parlance, an izakaya. Chef Thomas Kato (Morimoto, Nobu) is all over the map, from signature Uogashi Age-tofu fishcakes in bonito broth to Tsukune-organic chicken meatballs served on a skewer. Strong has more. 207 Tenth Avenue; 212-627-7777. [Strong]
5) Hawaiian Tropic Zone: Our old friend the Hawaiian Tropic Zone has finally completed construction, been certified by the NYFD and thrown open their doors in Times Square (729 Seventh Avenue; 866-HTZONE1). Gridskipper has been by for an inspection of David Burke's menu, saving us the trouble of having to ever step food inside the place. In short: "We ordered "Double Breasted Roasted Organic Chicken with whipped potatoes, angry onions and roasted baby vegetable" ($24) and "Nori & Mustard Crusted Tuna 'Poke Style' with avocado, pineapple, mango, macadamia nuts and tomato" ($32), and sides of asparagus risotto and French fries with asiago and truffle oil (both $7). Everything was delicious." But we're still not going. Bonus Tropic nonsense at Urbandaddy . [Gridskipper]
