HEADLINER
THE MARKET LINE
The options for something to eat in the Essex Crossing complex are about to grow considerably with the opening of the Market Line, a culinary collection beneath the recently opened Essex Market. Three broad staircases (and two elevators) lead to a grid of wide aisles lined with food stands and larger restaurant areas, punctuated with clusters of tables and benches. Most diners and shoppers will regard the two markets as a single multistory feast, but what distinguishes the Market Line from its upstairs neighbor is the greater availability of alcohol. There’s the Grand Delancey, a 200-seat beer garden; and Peoples Wine Shop and Bar, from Jeremiah Stone and Fabián von Hauske Valtierra of Contra restaurant, with Daryl Nunn as manager. A cocktail bar will open soon. The beer garden has no food of its own, but you can order something to eat from some of the other stalls, and waiters will bring it to you. Some Schaller & Weber bratwurst with that I.P.A., perhaps? There’s a multicultural mix, offering handmade tortillas from Tortilleria Nixtamal, Veselka’s Ukrainian food and Puerto Rican fare from Que Chevere, among others. There will be mushroom-based drinks from Four Sigmatic, Southeast Asian desserts from Moon Man, and Ends Meat butcher and salumeria from Industry City. At Essex Pearl, you can buy a fish, have it grilled and eat it on the spot. There’s also a branch of the nearby Tenement Museum, and the museum’s food tours will now terminate in the Market Line. (Opens Friday)
115 Delancey Street (Essex Street), marketline.nyc.
OPENING
Anton’s
The chef Nick Anderer, whose expertise in Italian food had him heading the kitchens in several Danny Meyer restaurants, including Maialino and Marta, has opened his own place in fairly quick order. “I’ve been working on it about six months,” he said. There are Italian elements, like pastas, but they’ve been given highly personalized touches, often based on family recipes, like lasagnettes (broad ruffled noodles) with a long-simmered ragù. He has devised a lemony bread-crumbed sauce for angel hair he calls Francese, and serves a New York-style whitefish salad, mushrooms à la king and a creamless old-school take on creamed spinach. The restaurant, named for a relative, has a gracious, wood-paneled vintage tavern look. “I wanted to capture old New York,” he said.
570 Hudson Street (11th Street), 212-924-0818, antonsnyc.com.
Oceans
Vancouver, British Columbia, is a waterside city well versed in seafood cookery. Now one of its major restaurant groups, Toptable, is opening this showcase for fish and shellfish, its first restaurant in the United States. The executive chef, Andy Kitko, who worked at Milos and STK, is taking a global and local approach to his main ingredients, with offerings like East and West Coast oysters, bluefin tuna, hamachi, Japanese madai, Spanish octopus, New Jersey sea scallops, East Coast halibut and local black bass. Some fish are sold by the pound. There are several steak options, including a cauliflower steak. There’s an eight-seat sushi bar, and sushi is also available at tables in the 220-seat dining room, which has a huge open kitchen. The wine cellar boasts more than 10,000 bottles. (Wednesday)
233 Park Avenue South (19th Street), 212-209-1055, oceansnewyork.com.
The HiHi Room
Court Street Grocers, which specializes in well-made sandwiches and a well-chosen mix of products, started small in 2010. It has gradually expanded to include other locations, and is now adding a full-service dining room. The owners, Eric Finkelstein and Matt Ross, have brought on Walker Stern, formerly of Battersby and Dover, as chef. Guided by the owners’ eclectic tastes, Mr. Stern’s menu includes New England with oysters, Southern shrimp and grits and even Cincinnati spaghetti with chili. A New York whitefish spread comes with waffles, not bialys. The décor is simple, wood and tile, with vintage artifacts.
138 Smith Street (Dean Street), Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, 718-576-3352, hihiroom.com.