Fall is a time for restaurant openings. Lots of them. Restaurateurs will make promises, excite us, with their grand plans. Consider this here the intel you need to keep abreast of it all—and start obsessing at just the right moment.
The John Dory, in the beginning of Sept., courtesy of the John Dory blog
The John Dory, 85 10th Ave., North MePa/Chelsea; no phone yet.
Initial Debut Projection: Spring '08
Current Debut Projection: October
Odds, On Time Arrival: 2-1
Eater Projected Opening Date: 11/3/08
One of the biggest, or shall we say most epic, openings of the fall is the highly anticipated John Dory from Ken Friedman and Spotted Pig chef April Bloomfield. This guy has been a long time coming and Pig fans and the pro and amateur critics will be clamoring at the door once it opens at some point this fall. More info than you could need can be found on the official John Dory blog, but we also took a walk through to get a preview of what the space will become:
The inside is small, basically two rooms. The main room is a bar and raw bar on one side and a raised seating area on the other. Ceilings are high and the maritime theme is pronounced. There's a fish-in-water inlay in the floor that runs the entire length of the space. The second room is a small lounge off to the left side. It'll be separated from the main room by a 13'x15' fish tank that will house, yes, John Dorys. The game-over details are actually outside the restaurant—two huge fish bowls, globes really, will double as lights on either side of the entrance. Seating in the main dining room is for 45ish.
· All Fall Tracking Coverage [~E~]
· The John Dory Blog [Official Site]
· Checking In: The Fall Preview's Delayed Openings [~E~]For more stories from Eater, go to eater.com.
