Kevin Gray - 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers - Page 6

2 min

JR & Son is back in Brooklyn, with new owners and an Italian-inspired, tavern-style menu

🍺 JR & Son, at 575 Lorimer Street in Brooklyn, re-opened on May 2 under new ownership by Michelle Lobo and designer Nico Arze. It features Patricia Vega's Italian-American menu and Amanda Perdomo’s desserts. The 50-seat bar retains historic elements and stays open until 1 a.m., catering to late-night diners. The menu offers dishes like spaghetti and meatballs, rib-eye steak, and seafood platters, complemented by amari-focused cocktails. It's part of a growing Williamsburg late-night dining scene.

3 min

Tim Love opens Stewart’s Croquet & Cocktails in Fort Worth, Texas

🏒 Tim Love's Stewart's Croquet & Cocktails opened on May 12 in Fort Worth, Texas, featuring an 1,100 sq ft building seating 28 inside and a 15,000 sq ft outdoor area with two croquet courts for 12 players each. Situated next to Hotel Otto and Gemelle, the venue offers luxury bar food and a roving Martini cart. A Houlihan Lokey report notes 78% of millennials prefer "eatertainment" venues, reflecting their growing popularity and profitability.

2 min

New York Thai restaurant Fish Cheeks has opened a second location in Brooklyn

🍴 Fish Cheeks, established in 2016, opened a new 2,200 sq ft location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on May 13, 2025. Part of 55 Hospitality, it offers coastal Thai cuisine. The Brooklyn venue, designed by Space NY, features new dishes like tom yam noodles and marinated raw crab. Executive chef Dustin Everett, with experience from Momofuku Ssam Bar, leads the kitchen. Future expansions are planned, and 55 Hospitality will also debut Bub’s Bakery, an allergen-free concept, later this year.

3 min

Scotland-based restaurant concept Fish Shop opens its first outpost in Washington, D.C.

🐟 Fish Shop, part of Artfarm, opened in Ballater, Scotland, in 2023, quickly earning a Bib Gourmand award and a visit from King Charles III. A second location opened in Washington, D.C., on April 29, seating 180 inside with additional terrace seating and three private rooms for 10, 12, and 24 guests. The restaurant emphasizes fresh, ethically sourced seafood and sustainability in both menu and design. The D.C. location's menu is tailored to Mid-Atlantic seasonal availability, with a fish preparation room, and uses locally sourced meat and vegetables.

3 min

‘Top Chef; winner Mei Lin opens 88 Club, a fine-dining Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles

🍽 Restaurateurs Francis Miranda and "Top Chef" winner Mei Lin opened 88 Club in Beverly Hills, Calif. Designed by Preen, the restaurant features 44 dining seats, 5 bar seats, and a private area. The decor includes dark woods, plush seating, marble accents, and jade details. The family-style menu offers dishes like mung bean jelly noodles, prawn wontons, kung pao scallops, mapo tofu, and desserts like jasmine milk tea buns. Sommelier Diana Lee oversees the beverage program, with cocktails like a pickled mustard greens Martini. Miranda and Lin also partnered on Daybird and formerly on Nightshade, the latter closed due to the pandemic.

3 min

III Forks ‘reinvents the steakhouse’ at its new flagship in Addison, Texas

🍴 III Forks, established in Dallas in 1998, moved from its original 20,000 square foot location to a 6,000 square foot space in Addison on April 8. The relocation to Village on the Parkway represents a shift towards a luxury boutique-inspired design by Harrison, featuring a wine display with over 1,200 bottles. Under President Curtis Osmond, the steakhouse aims for a more intimate experience with private dining resembling a speakeasy. The menu, managed by Chef-Proprietor Chris Vogeli, now includes more beef varieties, such as 75-day dry-aged steak, American wagyu from Snake River Farms, and A5 wagyu from Miyazaki, Japan. Lighter options and weekly fish specials are also highlighted. The Addison model will guide future III Forks expansions in Texas and neighboring states.

3 min

50 Best names top drinking establishments in North America

🥂 North America's 50 Best Bars list was announced on April 29 during an awards ceremony at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver. Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City retained its top ranking, with Superbueno in New York City following in second place. The list featured 26 bars from the United States, 14 from Mexico, eight from Canada, and two from the Caribbean. Sip & Guzzle in New York, opening in January 2024, debuted at number five. New York had the most bars on the list with 11, while Mexico City was next with nine. The top 10 included Jewel of the South in New Orleans (fourth), Overstory in New York (sixth), and Kumiko in Chicago (tenth). The ranking also highlighted the rise of Mirate in Los Angeles, climbing 34 spots to rank 12th. The 50 Best organization, based in London, has been ranking top restaurants since 2002 and top bars since 2009, with the North American bars edition starting in 2022.

2 min

José Andrés opens Oyamel in New York City, marking the D.C. restaurant’s first new outpost in 21 years

🌮 José Andrés' restaurant portfolio includes locations in Washington, D.C., New York City, Las Vegas, and more. Oyamel, a Mexico City-inspired restaurant, opened its second location on April 21 in New York's Hudson Yards, 21 years after the original in D.C. The 150-seat venue was designed by Rockwell Group, featuring Mexican street festival themes. The menu offers street tacos, shareable plates, and a "Mexican Fiestas" section with large dishes. It serves Mexican classic cocktails and about 80 varieties of agave spirits. José Andrés Group has over 40 concepts, with a new project, Txula, planned for Hudson Yards.

4 min

Restaurants are offering unique tableside services, including prosciutto, gazpacho, and s’mores

🍽 Tableside service, a long-standing dining concept, has expanded its offerings in recent years. Chicago's Nisos Prime features a prosciutto cart, while Claudie in Miami, opened February, serves tableside gazpacho. Charleston's Costa restaurant offers caviar with gin, and New York City's The Grill presents pasta à la presse with a 19th-century press. Marigold Club in Houston provides a bespoke sundae cart, and Urban Hill in Salt Lake City offers DIY s'mores. These services enhance the experience, sparking curiosity and driving sales.

3 min

Georgian restaurateur Gurami Onianii opens his first U.S. restaurant in New York City

🍝 Restaurateur Gurami Oniani's Guliani Group, with over 30 restaurants in Tbilisi and Moscow, opened its first U.S. restaurant, Laliko, in New York City's West Village last month. The 42-seat venue features Georgian culinary traditions with a menu including khachapuri, khinkali, and Georgian wines, designed by Surgula Studio with cultural elements. Executive chef Manuchar Tsikolia leads the kitchen. Oniani aims to expand Georgian cuisine's footprint in the U.S. and is considering future Manhattan locations.

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