Gilded Eastern European Restaurant Verōnika Is Back — Without Restaurateur Stephen Starr

Gilded Eastern European restaurant Verōnika inside Manhattan’s Fotografiska museum is making a comeback — without high-profile restaurateur Stephen Starr. The opulent restaurant will be reopening in June 2022, according to a representative, alongside a separate bar dubbed Bar Verōnika. The menu will focus more broadly on “continental European classics” versus the Eastern European fare from chef Robert Aikens that drew in accolades under Starr’s tenure.

The high-ceilinged, gold-tinged restaurant first debuted in January 2020 as a highly anticipated venue from Starr, who had been growing his portfolio of fine-dining restaurants in NYC with spots like the celebrated French spot Le Coucou. It was open for all of three months in 2020 before it closed in accordance with the citywide shutdown amid the pandemic. It flickered back open for three weeks in August 2021, before seemingly closing for good in early September. The revival is now being run by Fotografiska owner CultureWorks, according to the representative.

Soho House owner moves into the NoMad

The Ned — a hotel and member’s club founded in London and run by the same owners behind Soho House — is taking over the former NoMad hotel. The building will include “a mix of members-only and public spaces,” according to a representative, and an outpost of swanky Italian chain Cecconi’s, which also has a location inside Soho House’s spot in Dumbo.

DoorDash now runs a food hall in Brooklyn

Food delivery app DoorDash is dipping its toes into the ever-expanding food hall space, according to Crain’s New York. The venue, located in Downtown Brooklyn at 383 Bridge Street, near Willoughby Street, is an expansion of its DoorDash Kitchens business, first launched in California, where restaurants use the kitchen space primarily to expand their delivery business. There are five restaurants operating out of the food hall, which opened this week, including Brooklyn favorite Pies ‘n’ Thighs and national pizza chain Little Caesars.

Legendary speakeasy PDT is popping up in the Empire State Building

Famed East Village speakeasy PDT (Please Don’t Tell) is popping up at the Empire State Building for the month of May, according to a representative. The popular cocktail bar will be taking up residence on the 86th floor of the observatory and selling cocktails and dressed-up hot dogs from Crif Dogs, the hot dog shop that customers must first enter through in order to get to the bar in the East Village.