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New Restaurant Radar: Spunto, Butcher Bay, Fat Hippo
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 10, 2009
Modified Feb 10, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 10, 2009
Modified Feb 10, 2009
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Spunto: This is the newest member of a growing paper-thin-crust pizza chain that includes Gruppo, Posto, and Vezzo. Open tonight, the West Village restaurant (pictured) uses a gas-fired brick oven to turn out pies with a dizzying array of toppings, from the Shroomtown (portobello, shiitake, button mushrooms, white-truffle oil) to ChixPotle (chipotle chicken, pineapple, and cilantro). According to NY Mag, the space holds room for 64 skinny-pizza lovers. 65 Carmine Street, near Seventh Avenue South, (212) 242-1200
Butcher Bay: This new seafood pub, opening in the former home of popular burger den Seymour Burton, is the talk of the town this week, and with good reason: if these gorgeous Eater photos are to be believed, it's quite the charmer. The wood-paneled vibe was perhaps best summed up in this baroque Urban Daddy blurb: "Butcher Bay is the kind of dilapidated sea shanty that you would pull up to on a schooner on the Chesapeake or wander into barefoot on the boardwalk in Ocean City, MD—just, you know, in the East Village (so please, wear shoes). It's the kind of easy after-work or Saturday afternoon spot where you'll get lost in a tidal wave of beer and finger food. And when we say finger food, we mean handheld comforts: hush puppies, littleneck clams, oysters, Maryland blue crabs, po' boys, seafood pie and, naturally, housemade chili dogs." And come spring, a raised backyard garden will provide the restaurant will fresh vegetables and herbs. 511 East 5th Street, 212) (260-1333
Fat Hippo: This new "American food" restaurant on the Lower East Side is opening in the space once occupied by Wylie Dufresne's old 71 Clinton Fresh Food. Chef Ten Vong (Yumcha, Barmarché, and Bread) tells Grub Street he hopes to be ready by Friday in order to cash in on Fashion Week customers. Samples from the menu, currently posted outside the place, include such appetizers as Chili & Chocolate Glazed Spare Ribs, $8, and entrees like Authentic Maryland Crab Cake with Mac n’ cheese, corn succotash and roasted garlic caper sauce for $14. But with dishes like that, and a name referencing a notoriously obese water mammal, we're thinking maybe Vong doesn't really need to rush to open for Fashion Week. 71 Clinton Street, (212) 228-0994.
Also too, be sure to check out our deluxe photo spreads on recent Egyptian arrival Casa La Femme, as well as the forthcoming old timey cocktail lounge Dutch Kills.
Tagged
best
butcher bay
fat hippo
new york
nyc
opening
pizza
spunto
thin crust
west village
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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