In partnership with The Cordish Companies, Chef Edward Lee's Latest Culinary Vision Whiskey Dry Featured as One of "The Year’s Most Anticipated Restaurants" by Departures
The restaurant and bar lineup for 2018 starts strong, with widely anticipated new releases from Sean Brock, Dominique Crenn, Edward Lee, and other culinary luminaries. As winter melts to spring and summer, even more excitement will unfold, from nouveau delicatessens in Nashville and Cleveland to Japanese-inspired cocktails from the dream team at Oriole in Chicago.
Louisville: Whiskey Dry
Chef Edward Lee (610 Magnolia, MilkWood) will soon open a third restaurant in his home city. The booze and burgers-focused spot will be housed at Fourth Street Live!, Downtown Louisville’s dining and entertainment complex. Upscale burgers and more than 200 whiskeys, with suggested pairings, will be the featured fare. Lee tapped Noah Rothbaum, cocktail editor at the Daily Beast, to help curate the global whiskey selection which includes many from the state and region. The burgers will be crafted from scratch, down to the buns, ketchup, and pickles.
Projected opening: January, 2018; whiskeydryrestaurant.com.
New York City: Soogil
Celebrated chef Soogil Lim (Hanjan, Daniel) will open a Korean-inspired small plates restaurant in the East Village. The menu will combine flavors from Lim’s native Korea with techniques from his French culinary background. The drink menu will use Korean spirits like soju and makkoli to update classic French cocktails.
Projected opening: January, 2018; instagram.com.
Savannah: Husk Savannah
James Beard Award-winning chef, Sean Brock, will bring his masterful take on Southern cuisine to Savannah. Like Husk’s other locations in Charleston, Greenville, and Nashville, Savannah’s menu will be deeply regional—in this case, the unique dishes and ingredients of coastal Georgia. Heirloom produce and grains will reign, and the goods of local farmers and purveyors will join Husk’s in-house pickling and charcuterie. The restaurant will be housed in a 120-year old building in Savannah’s historic district.
Projected opening: January, 2018; husksavannah.com.
Los Angeles: Simone
James Beard Award-winning chef Jessica Largey (Manresa) will open a produce-driven California-inspired restaurant in LA’s Arts District. In addition to the a la carte menu, Largey will offer a tasting menu at the six-seat chef’s counter several days a week. The cocktail program, housed at a cozy bar at the restaurant’s middle, will be helmed by Iain McPherson (Panda and Sons).
Projected opening: February, 2018; simoneartsdistrict.com.
San Francisco: Bar Crenn
Chef Dominique Crenn, of the two Michelin-starred Atelier Crenn and the sophisticated bistro Petit Crenn, will open a Parisian-inspired wine bar adjacent to her flagship restaurant. The wine list will be slim but highly curated, emphasizing organic and bio-dynamic pours. The small bite offerings will focus on classics of fine French cuisine, while the space will strike a balance between luxury and homey comfort.
Projected opening: February, 2018;; barcrenn.com.
New York City: King’s Co. Imperial
Josh Grinker and Tracy Young’s beloved Brooklyn restaurant will open a swanky Manhattan outpost this winter. The restaurant’s signature Chinese-influenced dishes like Red Pine Chicken and Beijing Street Noodles will join a tiki-inspired cocktail program. (Think a frothy, potent mix of gunpowder green tea, honey syrup, rye, and egg white). Daytime diners can enjoy their wok-seared long dumplings at lunch, a service unique to the Manhattan location. They are aiming to open just before Chinese New Year, which this year falls in mid-February.
Projected opening: February, 2018; kingscoimperial.com.
St. Louis: Good Fortune
Corey Smale and Ryan McDonald will open a new Chinese-American restaurant in the city’s Botanical Heights neighborhood. The space will be intimate and inviting, emphasizing Missouri black walnut and stone, and showcasing antique tea tins and a sizable collection of vintage Chinese cookbooks. Modern interpretations of Chinese dishes and plenty of house-cured pickles and fermented goodies will reign on the vegetable-centric menu.
Projected opening: February, 2018; goodfortunestl.com.
Washington DC: Mi Vida
Chef Roberto Santibañez (Fonda) is slated to open a contemporary Mexican restaurant at The Wharf, DC’s waterfront dining and shopping destination. The 9,500-square foot eatery will feature panoramic views of the Potomac River and a waterfront patio equipped with fire pits. The menu will be inspired by Mexican street food with elevated twists. Think hamachi ceviche with jalapeño and toasted coconut or brick-oven braised short ribs with fried plantains and Oaxacan salsa.
Projected opening: February, 2018; mividamexico.com.
Cleveland: Larder
Cleveland will get its own artisanal delicatessen and bakery this winter. Housed in a converted 1850’s firehouse, the space will maintain an airy, vintage vibe. The menu, meanwhile, will focus on innovative takes on classic Jewish deli fare—dishes like koji-cured pastrami, house-baked smoked rye, and dishes dressed up with vinegar fermented from Manischewitz wine.
Projected opening: Early February, 2018; larderdb.com.
Brooklyn: General Debs
Kevin and Deb Adey (of the Michelin-starred Faro) will focus on Sichuan noodle culture at their Brooklyn restaurant. Kevin’s devotion to Chinese-inspired cuisine began with his experiments cooking at home and for staff meals at Faro. The restaurant’s menu will mirror this growing obsession, featuring noodles and dumplings made in-house along with contemporary takes on traditional Chinese dishes crafted from locally-sourced vegetables and pasture-raised meat.
Projected opening: Winter 2018; instagram.com.
Los Angeles: Majordōmo
David Chang is bringing his Momofuku dining empire west, opening his first eatery in the City of Angels. The menu is still in development, but Chang has said it will diverge from the pork buns and ramen that made Momofuku’s name. Instead, the cuisine will draw inspiration from LA’s diverse culinary landscape—both the ingredients and the many converging food cultures.
Projected opening: Winter 2018; momofuku.com.
Nashville: Mile End
Noah and Rae Bernamoff’s hit Brooklyn delicatessen will travel south, anchoring the ground floor lobby of the soon-to-open retro-modern, boutique Fairlane Hotel. Many of the deli’s signature dishes, from mustard-streaked smoked meat sandwiches and potato latkes to gravy-laden poutine, will be available. All of the bread, bagels, and meats will be baked and smoked on-site.
Projected opening: Winter, 2018; fairlanehotel.com.
San Francisco: Che Fico
Chef David Nayfeld (Eleven Madison Park) and James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Angela Pinkerton (E.M.P.) will open a rustic California-accented Italian restaurant in the city’s trendy NoPa neighborhood. The menu will highlight cucina Ebraica, the cuisine of Rome’s historic Jewish community, as well as handmade pastas and Neapolitan-style pizzas fired in an oven imported from Naples. A glass salumi room will round out the experience.
Projected opening: February/March, 2018; chefico.com.
Chicago: Piggie Smalls
Third-generation restaurateur and James Beard Rising Star Chef, Jimmy Bannos Jr. (The Purple Pig), will expand his Chicago legacy this spring with an homage to Greek street food. Greek salads made from locally-sourced produce, souvlaki skewers, and Greek fries (dressed up with fresh herbs, olive oil, and Myzithra cheese) will be joined by rotisserie pork gyros. Piggie Smalls will be located in the soon-to-open Wells Street Market food hall.
Projected opening: Spring 2018; instagram.com.
Los Angeles: Tartine Manufactory
The iconic San Francisco bakery, co-owned by James Beard Award-winning pastry chefs Chad Robertson and Elisabeth Prueitt, will open its first Los Angeles location this spring. Joining the team is Neapolitan pizza guru Chris Bianco (Pizzeria Bianco). Together they are creating a sprawling single business that will house a production bakery, market, two restaurants, a coffee roasting facility, and a coffee lab. The beans will be helmed by San Francisco coffee roasters, Coffee Manufactory.
Projected opening: Spring 2018; tartinebakery.com.
Hawaii: Merriman’s Kaka’ako
Chef Peter Merriman, a pioneer of regional farm-to-table Hawaiian cuisine, is bringing his popular seafood-centric restaurant to Honolulu’s stylish neighborhood this summer. The 6,000 square-foot space will feature several of Merriman’s signature dishes—ahi ginger poke and lamb with rainbow chard and Maui onion mint chimichurri—along with dishes specific to Honolulu.
Projected opening: June, 2018; merrimanshawaii.com.
Aspen: Clark’s Aspen
Austin restaurateurs Larry McGuire and Tom Moorman are branching out from Texas to bring an oyster and champagne bar to Colorado’s premier ski town. Housed in a century-old former bar, the restaurant’s vibe will remain relaxed and vintage-inspired. The menu will pair fresh West and East Coast oysters, champagne, and other spirits selected by master sommelier June Rodil.
Projected opening: June, 2018; clarksoysterbar.com.
Chicago: Kumiko
Noah and Cara Sandoval, owners of the two Michelin-starred restaurant Oriole, are teaming up with renowned mixologist Julia Momose (currently head bartender at Oriole) to open a bar and omakase-style tasting menu. Windy City diners can toast with one of a dozen carefully crafted cocktails, including Momose’s signature spirit-free libations. The restaurant is named for Kumiko, a Japanese wood-working technique based on intricacy and precision. Momose’s artful cocktails and Sandoval’s elegant tasting menu will surely follow suit.
Projected opening: Spring/Summer, 2018; instagram.com.
Image by Dan Dry Photography as featured in Departures online.