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One of Vino Verso’s signature
dishes is a panko-crusted sea bass with citrus infused yucca mash, next to that
is a shrimp ceviche bruchetta.
Northern Manhattan’s adolescent restaurant scene has gone through another growth spurt. There have been a number of recent restaurant births and they are all eager to dazzle with their culinary cuteness:
New Inwood sushi restaurant to open, for real this time
After a number of false start dates, the new sushi fusion restaurant on Broadway and W. 214th Street, Hashi Fusion, will finally open…seriously. On Fri., June 11 there will be a soft opening for friends and family and on Sat. June 12, they will open to the public for dinner beginning at 6 p.m., co-owner Rosslinet Alten said.
Alten explained that the new venue, which once had a due date scheduled for around this time a year ago, experienced a number of setbacks – waiting nearly six months for a handmade chandelier to arrive from Italy and redoing a number of decor choices after further reflection, including replacing the bamboo flooring with a wood-like surface and completely re-tiling the bar. The fashionable space which seats 48, will serve traditional sushi with an entrée menu that combines Japanese Hawaiian and French cuisine.
Homemade soda and panko crust
On May 25 VinoVerso quietly came into existence on Henshaw Street just south of Dyckman Street. Head Chef Matt Conti, who has worked for many high profile restaurants in the city including New Leaf Restaurant and Bar, said the restaurant will bring midtown flavors to Northern Manhattan.
The menu includes things like baby spinach risotto cakes with wild mushroom mélange, pan-seared eggplant rolled in basil, ricotta and house-made duck prosciutto, and panko-crusted sea bass with citrus infused yucca mash.
“The fact that it lies off the beaten path, beyond the new ‘restaurant row’ that has emerged along Dyckman Street, may add to its charm, because at VinoVerso the food is the main event, not people watching,” Owner Felix Fermin said in an emailed statement. The new restaurant also serves homemade sodas including flavors like New York Egg Cream, Key Lime, hibiscus and chocolate.
Venezuelan food invasion
The popular Cachapas y Mas, the Venezuelan fast food restaurant on Dyckman that began out of a fritura truck in eastern Inwood, has expanded to Washington Heights. A little less than a month ago, in the former location of Pizza Nova on Broadway and W. 178th Street, “Patacon con too’ by Cachapas y Mas” opened its doors. The tiny location will focus on what has made it famous with its largely Dominican audience – a rare regional sandwich from the northern state of Zulia that uses mashed and fried plantain wafers instead of bread in a saucy sandwich. According to owner, Larry Villalobos, the restaurant’s name is a reference to the typical order preference: “Patacon con todo [Patacon with everything].” “Too’” is meant to be a nod to the tendency in Dominican Spanish to drop consonants, despite the misplaced apostrophe.
Quick bites
William Segura, the owner of Café Tabaco y Ron on 10th Avenue and W. 215th street has come one step closer to his goal to turn east Inwood into the next Meatpacking District by opening a second lounge, Viñtich (pronounced Vintage) a few blocks south on 10th avenue.
Altus Café on Broadway just across from the Staples recently erected removable platforms for its sidewalk café. The $4,000 platform, complete with leather couches, was necessary according to co-owner Lenin Lopez because of the severe tilt on Broadway. “If you sit down you wouldn’t be able to hold your cup,” Lopez said.
Strokos, a new gourmet deli on W.165th Street just east of Dallas BBQ will open within a week, according to the ownership.
Corcho, the new wine bar on Dyckman opened this month and a few doors down Papasito, a Mexican restaurant, is targeted to open by June 17.
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