Monday Opening Report: Above Allen, Brick Lane Too, Simon Sips, Paradiso Certified Open

photo credit: Bailly Roesch

1) Lower East Side: Thrillist has a bit more on the Thompson Hotel LES's new “members-only” rooftop bar Above Allen that we mentioned last week: “Nibbles-wise, they're trotting out mini portions from in-hotel resto Shang...As for tippling, AA's pouring the usual suspects (Stella, Guinness, etc), plus the odd Mexican (San Miguel) and cocktails like the vodka and Canton 'Yen Yen', the shaken martini for 2'9" Filipino martial arts hero Weng Weng.” Status: Certified Open to the public now Thurs-Sat, going members-only in March. 190 Allen Street; 212-460-5300. [Thrillist]

2) East Village: An Eater correspondent reports that a new, larger outpost of Simon Sips, a coffee kiosk in Bryant Park, has opened in the former Tasting Room Café space. Here’s a look at the offerings: “They serve three meals a day from a constantly changing menu, as well as coffee and tea throughout the day and a selection of beer and wine. Breakfast consists of an assortment of pastries, as well as hearty favorites such as steel cut oats. Two sandwiches will be served daily for lunch as well as a frittata of some sort. Dinnertime features a variety of small plates ranging from deviled eggs (the owner's favorite) to duck confit, all for under $8.” Status: Certified Open. 72 E. 1st Street; phone unknown. [~E~]

3) East Village: Blogger EV Grieve checks in Friday with two new EVill openings, the first of which is Paradiso, which he describes as: “an Italian cafe that serves homemade sweets (like Tiramisu) and sandwiches, opened last week at 105 Avenue B near East Seventh Street. (The former spot of Bang On, the hipsterized T-shirt shop.) I stopped by Paradiso to check out their coffee. It's nice and strong. “ Status: Certified Open. 105 Avenue B, phone unknown. [EV Grieve]

4) Midtown: A PR rep writes in with word that a smaller second location of Brick Lane Curry House has opened in Midtown, aptly titled, Brick Lane Too. From the press release, here’s some menu info: “ Other house specialties include Bricklane kabaab Roll’s, a dish consisting of Kabaab’s served in a fresh baked bread roll; and for Vegetarians, Malai Kofta’s and Bombay Aloo are just two of the various options offered by Kartik. More customary “From the Tandoor,” or clay oven specials, are also available, including Methi Salmon and Imli Ki Champe , which are lamb chops infused with a tangy tamarind, ginger and garlic marinade.” Status: Certified Open. 235 East 53rd Street, 212-339-8353. [Eater Inbox]

5) East Village: And finally, EV Grieve reports on the opening of Hala Pita on E. 9th Street but doesn’t offer much in the way of details. But we're guessing it's a Middle Eastern restaurant serving, among other things, pita? Status: Signs point to open. E. 9th Street near Avenue A, phone unknown. [EV Grieve]