Headed Up By Two Michelin-Starred Chefs, Mifune Opens Tomorrow — and More Intel

Mifune and Sushi Amane open this week

Mifune (245 East 44th Street) debuts on Thursday, the big-deal restaurant opening that’s the high end of international imports. The menu includes Japanese-European fusion dishes from Hiroki Yoshitake of Michelin-starred Sola in Paris. Downstairs, Shion Uino oversees the sushi bar at Sushi Amane. He’s second-in-command at Tokyo’s Sushi Saito, the bar with three Michelin stars many regard as the best sushi in Tokyo.

Akhtar Nawab heads to Alabama

Brooklyn’s Alta Calidad founder Akhtar Nawab is partnering up with Fourth Earl Hospitality Group in Birmingham, Alabama, the city where Food & Wine recently announced it’s relocating. The restaurant will be named Fero (Latin for steel) in a nod to the town’s steelmaking past. As head chef, he plans to spotlight local produce in a menu of modern, Mediterranean-inspired fare. It’s housed in the Pizitz Building, constructed in 1923 that today is a food hall with two restaurants and a handful of vendors. It opens on Saturday

How giants shape groceries

“Niching has become an important way for grocery owners to remain viable,” says the Commercial Observer in a piece on how Amazon and Whole Foods are reinventing the supermarket industry. It includes an interview with John Catsimatidis, the head of real estate and grocery company Red Apple Group, of the 35 remaining Gristedes and D’Agostinos — down from 100 in New York City twenty years ago. “Right now we’re acting strictly as convenience stores,” he says.

Ten pours, $20, daytime only, this week

In the event that you have a free afternoon, Quality Italian, Quality Meats, Smith & Wollensky, Park Avenue, and Maloney & Porcelli are offering pours of ten wines from a choice of 100 vintners for $20, in addition to the costs of lunch. It’s a deal that’s been going since the ‘80s during this week’s National Wine Week and runs through Sunday. Find out more here.

Sweet treats and an afternoon ride

Red Lantern Bicycle Shop & Cafe has been doing bike tours to restaurants in different neighborhoods, with the one on Saturday, July 15 scheduled for sweet treats around Brooklyn. It’s about eight miles, starts at 10 a.m., and hits four to five spots. Find out more about the $20 tour here.

An Indonesian feast in Astoria

Tucked in the bamboo lounge beneath Kaufman Astoria Studios, the Queens Dinner Club is hosting an Indonesian feast from the Elmhurst-based Awang on Thursday July 20 at 7:30 p.m. Dishes include bandeng presto, a milkfish that’s been marinated, cooked in a pressure cooker, and deep fried. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased here.

Oysters and ice cream to go

At the Tavern on the Green to-go window, customers can buy takeaway raw bar items like poke and oysters on the half shell ($18), followed by a scoop of birthday cake soft-serve in a waffle cone for dessert. Ice cream and oyster are only available through Labor Day weekend, while the walk-up window will be open with different items for sale through the fall.

Do the best oysters come from New Orleans?

Some Southerners seem to think so. Compare those from local waters versus the Gulf at one of these happy hours listed on our handy oyster map.