TIME OUT NEW YORK
Top chefs pairing up for new East and West Village venues
Two sets of co-chefs are getting their acts together for new restaurants, one in the West Village and the second in the East Village.
Ryan Lory and Adam Bordonaro, former kitchen helmsmen at Charlie Palmer and Fig & Olive, are slated to launch Ardyn next month at 33 W. 8th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues.
Named for a sacred forest, Ardyn is a 36-seat American eatery that focuses on seasonal local fare.
The restaurant will open with a lounge space offering cocktails and bar food.
A chef’s table that seats six will offer two tasting-menu-only seatings a night at $85 per person, with an optional $60-per-person beverage pairing.
In addition, there’s a private dining “alcove” with black croc-skin wallpaper that seats up to seven people.
The chefs’ design concept delivers a forest-like feel, with jewel-green tiles, white countertops and lots of natural wood, along with a 14-seat white quartz bar.
Meanwhile, far east of Fifth Avenue, chefs Nahid Ahmed and Arjuna Bull have joined forces to open their first restaurant, Luthun, this spring.
Named for Ahmed’s mother — the name means “something new and unexpected” in Bengali — the 800-square-foot restaurant will have 30 seats in the former Teshigotoya space at 432 E. 13th St.
The global menu is influenced by the countries and top eateries where the chefs have worked — from Lespinasse and Café Gray to El Bulli, The French Laundry and The Fat Duck.
The plan is to offer two tasting menus, one of which would be vegetarian, both seasonally driven and well-priced along with a small and “world-focused” wine list, the chefs say.
Dishes will include a lamb tartare with cranberry harissa and green juniper; lamb neck with Malabar spinach, asparagus, pumpkin seed and coriander; and squid with charred onion and passion fruit.
We hear … that the newest Chefs Club residency is Lev, which means heart in Hebrew, and is perfect for Valentine’s Day.
The concept is from Israeli chefs Loren Abramovitch and Daniel Soskolne, who trained under top chef Eyal Shani to prepare simple dishes with Middle Eastern flavors.
The residency of the 3,400-square-foot, 120-seat restaurant on the ground floor of the Puck Building, at Houston and Mulberry, runs from Feb. 11-27.
The private dining room space will also be transformed into the Moroccan Room, with its own bar and belly dancers on some nights.
