Barn Joo, Kura, Clockwork Bar and More Certified Open

1) Flatiron: In last week's Off The Menu, Flo Fab reported on Barn Joo, a new 8,100-square-foot Korean restaurant on the ground floor of Charles Chong's Hotel Verite with small plates (and more) by former Jean-Georges Vongerichten acolyte Steve Song. The menu features Korean fried chicken, rice cakes with chicken, and rolls filled with kimchi. Status: Certified Open; 892 Broadway, 646-398-9663.

2) East Village: St. Marks Place has itself a new sushi counter called Kura, which opened back in February. It's a 12-seat counter with one five-top in the room, serving a daily, constantly-changing omakase starting at $65. Status: Certified Open; 130 St. Marks Place, 212-228-1010.

3) Midtown: TONY writes up a restaurant called Forty2West, now open near Rockefeller Center. It's an Italian restaurant and steakhouse with a raw bar, by Mario Batali protegé John Di Lemme, and by the looks of the Yelp reviews it appears to have opened in January. Status: Certified Open; 42 W 48th St., 212-262-6200.

4) Lower East Side: A spot called Clockwork Bar has opened in the space that formerly housed Sasha Petrasky's White Star, Bowery Boogie learns. A bar and restaurant called Lo Fi was initially targeting that space, but this appears to be unrelated. The punk rock-ish bar is currently in soft open mode, serving drinks only on weeknights. Full opening to come. Status: Soft Open; 21 Essex St.
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