Marlow East Brings Southern Charm Uptown

New York Times

27-05-2025

Opening
The South comes from the kitchen of Braxton Decker, a Virginian whose new restaurant is owned by the restaurateurs Elena and Dragan Ristovski, of Marlow Bistro on the Upper West Side. They bring Virginia oysters, country ham and pimento cheese croquettes, buttermilk fried chicken (off-menu, but always available) and deviled eggs to a light-filled duplex space; the bar is on street level. The beverage director Kat Foster, who has worked with the chef, devises drinks that sing of the South with elements like honey-butter-washed whiskey. (Opens Sunday)
1022 Lexington Avenue (73rd Street), 646-767-0123, marloweast.com.
Defying its underground location with effective lighting, Blue Peak Villa is a showcase for dishes said to hearken back to the Qing Dynasty, China's rulers from 1644 until 1912. The family of the executive chef, Jian Wu, cooked for an empress; he is serving aromatic Yunnan chicken with mashed potatoes, flamed golden eggs finished tableside, and caramelized pork ribs with black vinegar. On street level with a separate entrance (175 East Houston Street), there's Zhong Guo Xiao Long Bao, for soup dumplings, spicy wontons and noodle dishes.
200 Allen Street (East Houston Street), 917-717-1976, bluepeakvilla.com.
LDV Hospitality and the chef here, Francesco Battisti, can be forgiven for including trenette al pesto, a standard from a province well north of Rome, on a menu in an all-day restaurant that otherwise turns its focus on the Imperial city. Featured are pastas like cacio e pepe, carbonara and amatriciana, and also puntarelle salad, artichokes Roman style, pinsa pizzas, and lamb chops scottadito. Sleek décor with geometric pops of color define the former As You Are restaurant space.
Ace Hotel Brooklyn, 252 Schermerhorn Street (Bond Street), Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, 718-313-3636, lelesroman.com.
The four-year old restaurant run by the chef, Felipe Donnelly, and his wife, Tamy Rofe of Colonia Verde in Brooklyn, has undergone a refresh and has reopened with a new Latin American bistro menu (sea bream ceviche, spaghetti a la Huancaina) and brighter décor more focused on Latin America.
Freehand Hotel New York, 23 Lexington Avenue (23rd Street), 212-475-1924, comodonyc.com.
Italian Twinkies? Except that the rich filling oozes from the split top and isn't tunneled as with the Hostess snack cake, it's a close call. For Bauli, a company in Verona, Italy, that has been in business for more than 100 years and has been baking these since 2017, this is its first storefront and bakery in the United States. They are baked on premises and filled to order with creams in various flavors, plus toppings.
866 Broadway (18th Street), 646-368-9217, minutobauli.com.
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