Opening this week
Omakase at Bar Miller, Seafood at Point Seven, and Chez Ma Tante's Apero
Happy Wednesday my friends. The sun is out (hallelujah) and I’ve got some fun openings to consider for your weekend plans. Bar Miller is a gorgeous new sushi and omakase spot in the East Village from the Rosella team, Franklin Becker and Sam Mason unveil Point Seven, a luxurious stage for seafood at the Met Life Building, and Greenpoint’s darling Chez Ma Tante is doing a new Apero menu. Read it and eat!
Bar Miller
Bar Miller, a new jewel box omakase restaurant from partners Jeff Miller and TJ Provenzano, the duo behind acclaimed sushi restaurant Rosella, opens today in the East Village.
Designed by James Beard Award winner Anna Polonsky of Polonsky & Friends, whose notable projects include Rosella, Sweetgreen and FINI Pizza, the restaurant features an eight seat quartzite bar complemented by oak and burl wood walls, creating a warm, intimate environment.
Chef James Dumapit, who has worked at Rosella since its opening in 2020, joins partner Jeff Miller in the kitchen, offering a 15-course menu ($250) utilizing sustainably sourced, North American seafood and local produce. Their menu showcases both traditional Japanese preparations such as nigiri, sashimi and chawanmushi, as well as more innovative dishes: think Pickled Oysters in Nori Sauce, with pureé of nori, oysters, pine nuts, olive oil, and chardonnay vinegar; a Bluefin Party Platter with tuna of differing ages and fat content served with various seasonings; Chawanmushi & Smoked Uni; alongside a variety of eight luminous Nigiri which will rotate frequently, including Hudson Valley Smoked Trout, Bluefish, Chopped Fatty Tuna, South Carolina Shrimp, and Sea Urchin; Beef Tartare Hand Roll; and Spanish Mackerel in a whitefish broth with seaweed butter.
Two unique dessert courses round out the menu: Corn Ice Cream with Caviar, and Amazake, a traditional Japanese drink made of fermented rice, served with stone fruit jam.
Provenzano’s beverage program offers domestic wine, cider, and small-batch sake.
Bar Miller is located at 620 East 6th Street, between Avenues B and C. It is open Wednesday through Sunday for two nightly seatings, at 6pm and 8:30pm. Reservations will be available on Tock. For more details, visit Rosella Bar Miller’s website and follow along on Instagram @barmillernyc.
Point Seven
If you head to midtown for work, you’ll want to bookmark Point Seven, the new seafood-centric restaurant which opens today in the iconic MetLife Building.
Point Seven comes to us from chef Franklin Becker (formerly of Capitale, Catch, and founding partner of The Little Beet), and restaurant veteran Stephen Loffredo (Zoe, Cena & Jovia), who have named it after the percentage of earth that is covered in water.
The bright, airy, sustainably-designed space by Studio Valerius features two spacious levels for seafood-centric dining with a pair of distinct menu treatments from Becker. The Bar Room, with an extensive a raw bar, is built for more casual dining and drinking, while the Dining Room on the second floor offers an elevated experience. Highlights include Live Scallop Ceviche with lemon and truffle; Smoked Sturgeon & Caviar with chive cream cheese on a pumpernickel bagel; Shrimp & Grits with Benton’s Ham, garlic-chili butter and scallions; Grilled Octopus cooked “Veracruz” style with tomato sauce, peppers, onions, chiles, and olives; and Steamed Bangs Island Mussels in Thai curry with fresh herbs.
For a hands-on experience, Chef Becker is serving “Sushi Unrolled,” featuring DIY temaki that you can assemble with choices including Spicy Tuna with tobiko, red onion and shio kombu, and Red Crab with scallion cream, sweet and sour sauce, and rice pearls; with the option to add caviar or uni.
The inimitable pastry chef Sam Mason, formerly of wd~50 and the founder of Oddfellows Ice Cream, is doing desserts like Banana Cream Chai with hot honey granola; The Hazelnut Gianduja with chocolate, Concord grapes, and toasted hazelnut dacquoise; and rotating flavors of Soft Serve “Sam style,” with fun twists on classics with chocolate shells and cherry dips. (Worth a trip for these desserts alone.)
Max Green, formerly of Amor y Amargo and Death & Co., oversees the seasonal, ingredient-forward cocktail program with exquisite drinks like the 4 Corners Martini with gin, Oka Kura, Timbal Dry, and Seville orange bitters; and a cocktail called Among the Ferns, a play on a classic white negroni with mezcal, gin, Aveze, Blanc Vermouth, poblano ancho verde, and grapefruit bitters.
Wine Director Vanessa Da Silva (Press Club Grill, The Aman New York, Milos), has curated a well-rounded list of small producers, and biodynamic and organic wines to pair with Franklin’s seafood inspired menu.
Point Seven is located in the Met Life Building at 200 Park Avenue, entrance on Vanderbilt at 44th Street. It is open for dinner in the Bar Room from 3 PM to 11 PM, and in the Dining Room from 5 PM to 11 PM. Lunch will follow in upcoming weeks. For more information, please visit pointsevennyc.com and follow @pointsevennyc.
Chez Ma Tante Launches Apero Hour
Who doesn’t love a Happy Hour? Chez Ma Tante, the terrific neighborhood restaurant in Greenpoint from chef-partners Aidan O’Neal and Jake Leiber, has launched their own fabulous version, a new Apero Hour which features $6 snacks and $9 drinks daily, from 5-7pm Monday through Friday, and 4-5pm Saturday and Sunday.
Cocktails include a classic Cappelletti Spritz made with Cappelletti, Sparkling Wine and Soda; the CMTeeny made with Gin, Vermouth, Bay Leaf and Guindilla, and the Mini CMT Martini served with an Olive and Guindilla Pepper Skewer. The cocktail-friendly collection of bites includes Boquerones and Peppers, Smoked Trout Rillette, Chicken Liver Pâté, Chips and Aioli, and Pickled Mussels and Giardiniera.
Chez Ma Tante is located at 90 Calyer Street in Brooklyn.