Former Tenpenny chef Chris Cipollone returns to the New York scene with Piora, a small, slightly elegant restaurant on Hudson Street. His menu includes things like scallops with chanterelles, duck confit, barbecued octopus, English pea angolotti with truffles, and suckling pig with radish and apples. It's an eclectic menu, but there are a lot of crowd pleasers on there. So far, the early word is very strong.

Somtum Der is the first New York location of a popular Bangkok restaurant that specializes in the cuisine of the Isaan region of Thailand. The menu includes bar snacks, several larb salads, fried rice dishes, and a few grilled meat entrees. On a first visit, Robert Sietsema was particularly impressed by the spicy pork cartilage soup. The space has a clean design, with several four-tops, a few communal tables, and a handful of seats at the bar. [Photo: Robert Sietsema]

The East Pole is the new Upper East Side restaurant from the team behind Downtown hot spots The Fat Radish and The Leadbelly. Chef Nicholas Wilber's menu includes light dishes like fluke crudo, white gazpacho, and roasted heirloom carrots, as well as things like chicken Kiev and a bacon cheeseburger with duck fat fries. The airy space has two dining rooms, a bar, and an outdoor garden.

Sushi Nakazawa is the 10-seat omakase restaurant from former Jiro Ono-apprentice Daisuke Nakazawa. (In the film Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Daisuke was the chef that prepared the square omelet.) Right now, Sushi Nakazawa serves omakase tastings paired with sake, but Nakazawa plans to introduce an expanded menu later this month. The restaurant is now accepting reservations online, but they are already very hard to come by.

Red Farm's main dining room is closed for renovations this month, but Ed Schoenfeld and Joe Ng have opened up the downstairs space as a pop-up they're calling Red Farm Steak. The menu includes many, many new dishes, like lobster over rice, shrimp-stuffed fried chicken, a three-pound grilled crab, foie gras tarts, and a dry-aged bone-in strip.

Marc Forgione recently opened this Southeast Asian restaurant with his longtime right hand man Soulayphet Schwader (AKA "Chef Phet"). The menu includes things like crunchy coconut rice with sausage, bamboo grilled quail, duck laap, spare ribs, grilled chicken, and pork belly with quail egg. Most of the entrees on Chef Phet's menu are priced between $21 and $25. Right now, Khe-Yo is tracking through the roof.

The first New York location of Adam Fleischman's LA-based chain is now open in Greenwich Village. Umami Burger specializes in burgers that are topped with umami-rich ingredients like sautéed mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, and Parmesan crisps. And if you don't like umami, the restaurant also offers things like bacon and cheddar burgers, veggie burgers, and "Cali" burgers. Umami Burger has been mobbed since opening day.

For their follow-up to Carbone, the Torrisi boys and restaurateur Jeff Zalaznick opened a tiny restaurant specializing in composed seafood plates and elaborate cocktails. So far, early diners love the food and the libations at ZZ's Clam Bar, but this is definitely a “splurge” restaurant -- the pricing is comparable to that of a fine sushi restaurant. [Photo]

Robert Bohr's Italian restaurant has a fun vibe, a comfortable dining room, and a menu that's full of winners. But the service is the most impressive part of the equation. The servers here are knowledgeable and attentive in a way that you don't always find at hip Downtown hot spots like this, and rising star sommelier Grant Reynolds will make sure you find something great to drink, no matter how much you want to spend. Charlie Bird is one of the year's big surprises.

Estela is the new home of chef Ignacio Mattos, who developed a cult following at Isa in Williamsburg. He's joined by former Blue Hill beverage director Thomas Carter, and restaurateur Mark Connell. The menu features snacks, shareable small plates, and a few entrees, plus cocktails and over 20 wines by the glass. Mattos's cuisine draws influence from Europe, America, and South America.