The Top 10 Big Deal Restaurants to Watch This Fall

Now that Flo Fab has dropped her monster fall preview—following those of New York, Time Out, The Post, Metromix, and The Feast—the fall previewing season is behind us and the actual fall season of restaurant openings can begin.

To make these lists and features of dozens of new restaurants easier to digest, Eater presents a list of the ten any real restaurant obsessive needs to pay attention to. These are the big budget, blockbuster restaurants with a lot of money and a great deal of ego on the line. Or they're as blockbuster as you get in a post-recessionary dining world. Stay tuned later for the smaller time neighborhood gamechangers.

1) Crown
Who: John DeLucie
What: The Lion's John DeLucie goes uptown with what he hopes will be a sceney uptown sequel to his Village joint. He'll serve continental fare in a moody, clubby space, complete with the requisite skylight.
Where: 24 East 81st St., Upper East Side
When: September 9
Should You Try It?: If you live on the Upper East Side or end up there through some sort of Fashion Week shenanigans, then yes.

2) Catch
Who: EMM Group, Hung Huynh
What: Team Abe & Arthur's tries seafood with this Meatpacking District restaurant with three floors, two open kitchens, a raw bar, a sushi bar, and a tapas station.
Where: 21 9th Ave., Meatpacking District
When: September 19
Should You Try It?: Probably not, but maybe chef Huynh (who at least looks like a badass chef on TV) can pull out a win.

3) La Mar Cebicheria Peruana
Who: Gaston Acurio
What: Peruvian chef Gastón Acurio, who owns 28 restaurants in 12 countries, will open a branch of his Lima-based restaurant and now international chain La Mar Cebicheria in the old Tabla space later this month. It will be designed by Stephanie Goto (Aldea, Corton).
Where: 11 Madison Ave., Gramercy
When: September 20
Should You Try It?: Knowing how New Yorkers treat big deal imports, especially those with the hubris to open in a space as big as Tabla's, this could be soul crushing. But the people in San Francisco dig it, and it should be a spectacle no matter what. So, yes. [Photo]

4) The Bowery Diner
Who: Mathieu Palombino
What: Motorino's Mathieu Palombino tries his hand at all-American fare in his retro homage to a diner. Expect formica counter tops, a real griddle for making pancakes, a milkshake list, and an eclectic menu.
Where: 241 Bowery, Lower East Side
When: End of September
Should You Try It?: The Belgian guy who perfected brussels sprout pie trying American diner classics? Um, yes.

5) Romera
Who: Dr. Miguel Sánchez Romera
What: A neurosurgeon/Michelin star winning chef is making his New York debut with a 12 course $245 menu that will put his new kind of cooking, called "neurogastronomy," on display. His cuisine has been called "the most radical on the global food scene," so this should be quite the show.
Where: 355 West 16th St., MePa (inside the Dream Hotel)
When: Late September
Should You Try It?: If you have a generous expense account, knock yourself out. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy it vicariously through Sam Sifton's inevitable threespot.

6) Jung Sik
Who: Yim Jung Sik
What: This restaurant that opened in Seoul in 2009 is making its NYC debut, serving modern Korean fare in the old Chanterelle space. It's considered one of the modern pioneer restaurants in Korean, but can it survive in New York?
Where: 87 Hudson St., Tribeca
When: Mid-late September
Should You Try It?: This could be a flop, considering it's a big, expensive foreign import opening in an high rent space. But some people think of it as the best restaurant in South Korea (and the Facebook photos look pretty boss, so we're going to call it as a dark horse.

7) Parm
Who: Rich Torrisi, Mario Carbone
What: After a short renovation at the end of this month, Torrisi Italian Specialties will move its sandwich making operations over to this new restaurant next door, which will open with an expanded menu, serving sandwiches, appetizers, mains, and cocktails, both day and night.
Where: 248 Mulberry Street., Little Italy
When: Early October
Should You Try It?: Oh hell yes.

8) Kutsher's
Who: Jeffrey Chodorow, Zach Kutsher, Mark Spangenthal,
What: Jeffrey Chodorow brings back the Borscht Belt Jewish staples of his youth by reviving old Catskills haunt Kutshers here in downtown Manhattan. Kutshers scion Zach Kutsher will run the show and serve "a contemporary and playful approach to the canon of Jewish cooking."
Where: 186 Franklin St., Tribeca
When: October
Should You Try It?: If you're a fan of the original Kutsher's or live in Tribeca, sure. Otherwise stick it out and Katz's and file under 'wait and see.'

9) Empellon Cocina
Who: Alex Stupak
What: Alex Stupak takes his Mexican adventure over to the East Village to open a refined version of his new West Village restaurant Empellon. Expect less tacos, more experimentation, and a tasting menu thrown in as a special bonus.
Where: 105 1st Ave., East Village
When: November
Should You Try It?: Stupak's a talented guy, and there are some serious hits among his misses at the original Empellon. If the price is right here, this will be a tasting menu worth checking out.

10) North End Grill
Who: Danny Meyer, Floyd Cadoz
What: Danny Meyer's first major foray (that isn't a burger joint or a taco hut) south of the safe confines of Gramercy, North End Grill will be a seafood-centric return to the stoves for chef Floyd Cardoz.
Where: 102 North End Ave., Battery Park City
When: mid-December
Should You Try It?: Every self respecting food person will have to try it. But going back habitually for anyone who doesn't live or work in BPC is a little more questionable.