Headliner Sona Priyanka Chopra Jonas, a star and producer of the film “White Tiger,” is the marquee name involved in this new restauran...
Headliner
Sona
Priyanka Chopra Jonas, a star and producer of the film “White Tiger,” is the marquee name involved in this new restaurant. She’s serving as creative adviser. Her friend Maneesh K. Goyal, an entrepreneur whose father owned a restaurant but who is new to the business, is doing the heavy lifting. He has brought on David Rabin, a partner in the Lambs Club, and the chef Hari Nayak, who has worked in kitchens in Bangalore, India; Bangkok; Dubai, the United Arab Emirates; and elsewhere, after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America. Melissa Bowers designed Sona to evoke the Art Deco period that flourished in Mumbai in the 1930s. Mirrors from that era share the space with earlier design statements like Thonet-style chairs and Josef Hoffmann sconces. Stately gilded columns brighten the front lounge and the rear main dining room in a space that’s elegant down to the tablecloths. Mr. Nayak’s menu, not the typical Indian culinary encyclopedia, covers the subcontinent and beyond with dishes like tandoor roasted beets, Malvani prawn curry, Malabar chicken biryani, and coal-roasted oysters spiked with chile, garlic and lime. There’s a black-spiced roast chicken feast for two, and a Goan fish curry in a tribute to the late Floyd Cardoz, who was a friend to both Mr. Nayak and Mr. Goyal. He also gives a nod to Mr. Goyal’s family’s Texas restaurant, India House, with their butter chicken. (Opens Friday)
36 East 20th Street, 212-203-6460, sona-nyc.com.
Opening
Victor
Ryan Angulo and Ian Alvarez, chefs who worked together at Buttermilk Channel and French Louie, have taken over the former Freek’s Mill space to open their own spot. The fairly concise menu whispers France as it summons the Mediterranean. Shishito peppers with a squid ink romesco, bacalao with gigante beans, mackerel tartare with preserved lemon, tarte flambé, frites with aioli, a burger topped with Comté cheese, and a spiced half-chicken are a sampling. The space is divided into two areas, pale brick in front, natural in back, and the kitchen is equipped with a wood-burning oven. Outside, with seating for about 20, the walls are splashed with whimsical murals. (Thursday)
285 Nevins Street (Sackett Street), Gowanus, Brooklyn, 347-889-6588, victorbrooklyn.com.
Talea Beer Co.
A beer company, formed in 2018, by Tara Hankinson and LeAnn Darland, was supposed to become a full brewery and taproom last year. The pandemic slowed things considerably, but the brewery and its taproom have now opened. They’re bright, with a clean, airy design that nicely reflects their often lighthearted beers. Wine, coffee, nonalcoholic beverages and snacks like olives, cheese and hummus are also served.
87 Richardson Street (Leonard Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, taleabeer.com.
Whitney Cafe
Union Square Hospitality’s Untitled at the Whitney closed a year ago as a result of the pandemic. Now, Union Square Events, the company’s catering and restaurant division, is reopening the ground-floor space at the museum with this pop-up cafe, for prepared sandwiches, salads, pastries, coffee, wine and beer to take away or to consume at limited outdoor seats. It’s available for museumgoers and the general public.
99 Gansevoort Street (Washington Street).
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