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.

Willow Road is the stylish new Chelsea American restaurant from a team of NYC nightlife vets. Former Cru chef Todd Macdonald and Top Chef alum Grayson Schmitz are in the kitchen. They're not trying to reinvent the wheel here, but the space is fun, the menu offers a little something for everyone, and the food is reasonably priced. Summit Bar's Greg Seider designed the cocktail list, and the space is open late.

John McDonald and Josh Capon, the boys behind Lure and B & B, recently opened this stylish new Mexican restaurant. Capon developed the menu with Scott Linquist, a California chef who has worked in some of the country's best modern Mexican restaurants. The early word suggests that El Toro Blanco is both a crowd-pleaser, and a restaurant that Mexican food snobs will dig. It's already packed to the gills.

L'Apicio is the new East Village restaurant from restaurateur Joe Campanale and chef Gabe Thompson, of L'Artusi, Dell'Anima, and Anfora. They haven't messed with the formula established at their West Village restaurants very much, but so far, people love what Thompson is doing in the kitchen. Order any of the polenta dishes (there are five), and make sure to try one or two of the pastas. And if you just want a cocktail or a glass of wine, L'Apicio has a bar that's big enough to accommodate you and a few of your friends.

Tribeca Canvas is one of the stranger restaurants to open this year, but so far, early diners have good things to say about chef Masaharu Morimoto's menu of Asian-influenced American comfort food. The offerings include fried chicken with ginger scallion dressing, steamed mussels with chorizo, shrimp nachos, hamachi tacos, mac and cheese, and skirt steak with "bone marrow potato puree." Most of the appetizers are in the low teens, and most of the entrees are in the mid 20s.

First and foremost, go to The Library to enjoy the room, which was built by legendary designer David Rockwell and his crew. Stay for the superb cocktails, and the eclectic menu by Andrew Carmellini. Right now, The Library is a stealth gem, mostly because it's hard to find — walk into the Public Theater, veer left, walk up the flight of stairs, cross the fluorescent-lit hallway, open the door, and then you're there. This place will absolutely blow up in the next few months, but right now it's very manageable. Get the burger.

The Beatrice Inn is a space with a lot of history. It existed for decades as a fine West Village Italian restaurant, then, for a few years, it was the hottest nightclub on the planet. Now, in its third iteration, The Beatrice is an upscale American restaurant owned and operated by Sir Graydon Carter, with food by Per Se vet Brian Nasworthy. This is a very hard table to score right now. Pro tip: show up early, or very late.

Bill's is the clubby new steakhouse from John DeLucie and Crown Hospitality in the space that previously housed Bill's Gay Nineties. The menu here features dry-aged steaks, pastas, seafood, steakhouse sides, and salads. Jason Hall (Crown, Gotham Bar & Grill) is the executive chef. The dining room looks like a cross between Gramercy Tavern and DeLucie's The Lion, but with taxidermy and blue wallpaper. The socialites and celebrities will feel right at home here.

Chef Laurent Tourondel teamed up with Tao Group for this new Upper East Side bar and restaurant. This is basically a steakhouse that looks like a club in the vein of Beauty & Essex. It will be interesting to see how the restaurant is received by both the critics and the people who live in the area.