Clubby, Expensive Il Mulino Is Opening a Fifth Location in Tribeca

Another Il Mulino

You may remember thirty-year old Il Mulino in the Village on West Third Street, back when Bill Clinton and Barack Obama ate there together in 2009. The brand continues its NYC takeover, with plans to open another clubby, wildly expensive outpost where it will likely serve giant portions, this time in Tribeca at 361 Greenwich in the former Tablao space. In addition to the Village location, there’s Il Mulino Trattoria (36 East 20th Street), Il Mulino Prime (331 West Broadway), and Il Mulino Uptown (37 East 60th Street). Tribeca Citizen reports that the restaurant is hiring, so it looks to be opening soon.

In novelty news

Food Baby NY has been showing his kids eating selfie cookies baked in the shape of an iPhone and more, printed on sugar cookies and delivered. Here’s the link.

A new Japanese cafe

The Times’ Ligaya Mishan writes about a new Japanese cafe in the bustling Jackson Heights neighborhood, where “Mitsumine Oda quietly makes onigiri (rice balls) shaped like hearts” at 969 NYC Coffee:

They wear bands of nori like beauty-pageant sashes or crisscrossed bandoleers. Most fillings are hidden at the center: flaked salmon off the grill; chicken pan-fried with doubanjiang and gochujang, for a lacquer of heat and crunch; umeboshi (preserved plum), its tang so intense that it obliterates any distinction among salty, sour and sweet. One heart comes studded with bacon shards and wrinkly edamame, a duel of brine and earth.

A New Orleans-themed 1803 opening in Tribeca

Tribeca Citizen reports that Tal Lavi and Jacob Rabinowitz are turning Church Publick (78 Reade Street) into a New Orleans-themed restaurant called 1803 — named for the year of the Louisiana Purchase — with a menu of crawfish croquettes ($10), fried green tomatoes, cornmeal-fried oysters, jambalaya ($24), barbecue shrimp, and Cajun-style fish ($24). It’ll have a raw bar and occasionally feature live music.

Schiller’s closing countdown

More on the August closing of Schiller’s after a 14-year run: Friends and family will be celebrating Schiller’s throughout its last week — with August 13 the final day — a spokesperson says, with details in the works. The sticky toffee pudding, allegedly the staff favorite, will live on at Lucky Strike (59 Grand Street) starting August 14, along with sticky toffee pudding ice cream made by Morgenstern’s.

Upper West Side Openings

Tim Harris is opening Twin Palms at 200 West 84th Street in what had been Spiga, reports West Side Rag. The Australian native also owns the UWS Burke & Wills and the speakeasy Manhattan Cricket Club bar upstairs. The new spot will be 40 seats with about ten at the bar and a menu that includes an oyster happy hour, small plates for an average of $30, and large plates around $45.

Elsewhere in the neighborhood, Guacamole Taqueria will open 786 Amsterdam near West 98th Street in September and a to-be-named Greek restaurant will open at 2350 Broadway near 85th Street. Now open uptown is the 14-seat Kureiji, a kosher restaurant with a full sushi bar at 506 Amsterdam near West 84th Street.

Shuffles at Rouge Tomate

As of August 1, Rouge Tomate is getting a new executive chef: Alan Wise, a Rouge Tomate alum who will replace Andy Bennett as executive chef. And beverage director Pascaline Lepeltier will leave at the end of August, “to harvest in France.”

Egg snobs, take note

Le Coq Rico in Flatiron has a new brunch they’re calling “egg-bow,” with eggs from several heritage breed birds chosen by chef Antoine Westermann. There are big terra cotta eggs from the Dutch Weisummer, blue-green eggs from the Ameraucana, light brown eggs from the American Delaware breed, and dark chocolate-colored eggs from the French Cukoo Maran.

Weekend breakfast options

Consider the scallion pancake: