The menu at Harold Dieterle's new West Village restaurant is inspired by the chef's German and Italian heritage. Dishes include grilled baby chicken with fried salami and Brussels sprouts, braised duck and pretzel dumpling soup, and a wagyu culotte steak. The space is stylish and comfortable, and co-owner Alicia Nosenzo created a wine list that includes over 300 selections, with a special focus on Germany, Austria, and Italy. The restaurant is home to a $26 mushroom dish that is a real treat for fungus fans -- it's a massive, whole maitake, with delicious crispy edges.

The EMM Group opens monster club/restaurants that attract hordes of beautiful people, and the food is always surprisingly good. At the group's new behemoth on the Bowery, chef Hung Huynh has created a pan-Asian menu that includes a little something for everyone: sushi, dim sum, noodles, crispy chicken, Peking duck, and many lightly prepared proteins.

David Rabin, Larry Poston, and a handful of other industry movers and shakers recently transformed the old Lyon space into a bustling American bistro. The menu from chef Daniel Eardley features market-driven soups and salads, a pork chop, a few steaks, several seafood dishes, and a burger. The space now feels more comfortable and intimate than it did before.

The Spotted Pig's Ken Frideman and April Bloomfield recently opened this quirky taqueria inside the Pod 39 hotel. Fonda chef Roberto Santibanez collaborated on the menu, which includes traditional Mexican tacos, tortas, and snacks, as well as things like Moroccan lamb breast on toasted naan, and a roasted cauliflower and broccoli taco with curried crema. Hotel Delmano's Sam Anderson is in charge of the cocktails.

So far, early diners love the pies that are coming out of American Flatbread's wood-fired clay ovens. This Vermont import specializes in salads and pizzas made with organic, locally-sourced ingredients. The bar is stocked with several beers that are hard to find outside of the Vermont Area. Large pizzas run $13 - $21.

This cozy Soho restaurant is the new home of chef Ken Corrow, who previously worked at Acme and Anella. Entrees include a skirt steak with latkes, roasted chicken with sausage, pappardelle with olives, and risotto with duck confit. The prices are fairly low for the neighborhood.

Chef Hooni Kim's follow-up to Danji is a casual bar and restaurant offering a mix of modern and traditional Korean food. The menu includes things like a spicy octopus stir-fry, braised pig trotters with shrimp sauce, and a salmon sashimi salad with chojang. One section of the menu is devoted to skewers and fried chicken. The cocktail list features many Soju-based drinks, and the bar is stocked with over 40 wines and several Korean rice beers. After 10 p.m., Hanjan also serves ramyun (Japanese Ramen's Korean counterpart) made with a 12 hour stock.

Gabe Stulman and Mehdi Brunet-Benkritly's handsome new restaurant offers sushi and traditional Japanese dishes, as well as things like Brussels sprouts with apples, crispy chicken with kimchi, and a grilled cheese sandwich made with smoked cheddar and foie gras. From day one, Stulman has pitched this as an inauthentic version of a Japanese izakaya, and that's still a good way to describe what's going on here. The early word suggests that the miso-maple salmon head is the must-order dish.

Mighty Quinn's is the new Texas and Carolinas-inspired barbecue restaurant from Hugh Mangum and restaurateur Micha Magid. Mighty Quinn's was a hit at Smorgasburg, and the early word suggests that the East Village outpost is a strong addition to the New York barbecue scene. Magnum smokes his meat in a pit the size of most people's living rooms, and the individual portions of the meat are all priced under $9.

David Santos, a chef that is beloved by the Chowhound set, recently struck it out on his own with this restaurant in the space that formerly housed Lowcountry and Bar Blanc. The food here skews New American, but there are some sharp international influences — the menu includes things like piri piri shrimp, boar sausage with spaetzle, and salmon tartare in a yuzu broth. The regular menu is served Tuesday through Sunday, and on Monday nights, the chef is offering a version of the meals that he cooked for the Um Segredo supper club.

Le Philosophe is the new Bond Street French bistro from East Village restaurateur Amadeus Bogner and chef Matthew Aita, formerly of Jean Georges. So far, the early responders love what Aita is doing in the kitchen. Most of the entrees are in the mid '20s, and the restaurant offers a three-course prix fixe during lunch for $24. (Photo)