Weekend Report: April News
A Perfect Order at Bar Mercer + 7 Newly Opened New York City Restaurants You Need To Try This Spring
»EATER New York dropped below, click over for full feature.
A Perfect Order at This Standout Soho Tavern With Reasonable Drinks
At Bar Mercer, Preston Clark makes the kind of food he likes to eat by Melissa McCart
Lure Fishbar veteran Preston Clark is making the revamped Bar Mercer his own, where he’s created a menu of tavern favorites for every budget (including appealingly affordable drinks). While he still oversees the Mercer Street restaurant group, he’s a partner in this restaurant.
Bar Mercer reminds me of a Soho variation of the also-excellent Red Hook Tavern: it’s humble fare done well. You will often find Clark cooking here, as the kitchens between Lure and Bar Mercer are practically adjacent. But while Lure is more of a scene —as it has been for the past 20 years — Bar Mercer feels like the neighborhood spot that’s always been there.
Bar Mercer’s updated dining room includes a retro red-and-black checkerboard floor, bistro seating, and cushy red banquettes. Old New York photos from New York Archives line the room. The bar is cozy and warm — a good spot to grab a seat early while waiting for a table.
Even though Bar Mercer feels like a tavern, the burger is off-menu (or occasionally listed as a chalkboard item), joined by some flex options like Dover sole with asparagus and morels ($75) and a cowgirl steak (a ribeye cap, bone-in for $85). There’s no chicken on the menu, despite it becoming a must-have sleeper hit at new restaurants around town from Crevette to Chez Fifi. But this restaurant has a show-stopping main of a different sort. Read on for the perfect order at Preston Clark’s Bar Mercer.
Read on to see how Melissa suggests dining Solo, For Two or with a group.
Dinner for two
I love snacks, so I’d double down on a visit here with a friend. In addition to the pigs in a blanket, I’d start with the three-piece, fried-oyster-topped deviled eggs ($21), a bite that nods to the South. Hamachi crudo also wears crunch, this time: cracklin, along with Thai chile, and dressed with nearly neon olive oil ($24). Add a chicory salad, a layering of bitter, sweet, and creamy, with apples, hazelnuts, blue cheese ($17). If you need one more dish beyond the chop, go for the beer-battered haddock ($28) with lemon tartar sauce, served with a ramekin of truly mushy peas, and malt vinegar.
»FORBES
7 Newly Opened New York City Restaurants You Need To Try This Spring
From Mediterranean delights to XL soup dumplings, New York City’s hottest new restaurants are serving up spring with style. By Rana Good
Just in time for spring, a slew of new restaurants has opened in New York City. Head uptown for a chic dining experience by an esteemed Italian design house, indulge in a steakhouse helmed by one of the city’s most renowned chefs, or grab pizza in a lively nightlife setting. From intimate boîtes to larger-than-life spots, there’s something new for every palate.
La Tête d’Or, Bar Mercer, Opto, Crazy Pizza, Upon The Palace, Armani Ristorante, and Meili. Check out the full recap here via Forbes.
Bar Mercer just opened this past January but somehow feels like it’s always been there. Step inside from Houston Street and you’re greeted by a glowing bar, checkered floors, and a cross-section of effortlessly cool New Yorkers. Lately a lot of gimmick-y restaurants have hit the New York restaurant scene (a few blocks down, adults line up at 5 pm to eat pizza rolls every day) but Chef Preston Clark (who’s also the executive chef at Lure Fishbar) focuses on doing the classics just right. Try their broiled oysters which will wow you with their bacon chili better deliciousness and crispy texture. The fish and chips are perfectly flaky served with a tasty tartar sauce and mushie peas to get the real deal UK rendition of the dish. Pornstar Martini lovers, Bar Mercer’s rendition of this cocktail is slightly tarter than its wildly saccharine counterparts making it a sip-worthy standout. For dessert try their berry cobbler which comes piping hot with a generous serving of vanilla ice cream.
Easter Brunch Launches at Bar Mercer + Cha Cha Tang
Starting Easter Sunday, we’re bringing brunch to two of our downtown favorites:
• Bar Mercer opens for its first-ever brunch service — doors at noon, serving brunch specials alongside the regular menu.
• Cha Cha Tang rolls out a brand-new Weekend Dim Sum Brunch menu, created by Wilson Tang and Doron Wong.
Reservations are open as of today for Easter. Come celebrate spring with us.
»Travel
Michelin Awards Three Stars to Two New Restaurants in France
The latest edition of The Michelin Guide France celebrates two new Three-Star restaurants, nine new Two-Star establishments, and 57 new One-Star distinctions. By Laine Doss, Broken Palate
This year, 57 restaurants earned their first Michelin Star, nine restaurants achieved Two-Star status, and two restaurants were added to the coveted Three-Star status shared by only 151 restaurants in the world, including world-famous names such as Alinea and the French Laundry in the U.S., the Fat Duck and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in the U.K., and Noma in Denmark.
Find a complete list of all 654 restaurants listed in the France Michelin Guide, including the 57 new One-Star restaurants, here.