New York's Upper West Side Gets Some Dining Upgrades

NEW YORK — For all of its attractions, the Upper West Side has stubbornly remained a desert for destination restaurants. Except for brunch at Barney Greengrass and the options around Lincoln Center, there’s been little to tempt those who don’t live nearby.

But change has come. Tom Valenti’s popular Oxbow Tavern, which opened this year at Columbus Avenue and 71st Street, was a step in the right direction, and a consolation for those who miss his last great local outpost, Ouest. Then chef Marco Canora extended his reach uptown with a Brodo branch at 75th Street and Broadway.

Much more is on the way for the fall. Adam Leonti, a chef who worked at the esteemed Vetri in Philadelphia and has been cooking in Europe for the last couple of years, moved into the neighborhood after he was approached by the owner of the former Dovetail space.

“I wasn’t sure about the Upper West Side,” Leonti said. “But then I started to spend more time and noticed the youthfulness of the neighborhood, and it started to make sense.” His restaurant, Leonti, will be elegant, done in earthy greenmarble, with plush carpeting, leather upholstery, well-spaced tables and art deco touches.

There will be a full-service bar, and the dining room will seat 70. Leonti plans a brief menu: six or so antipasti, three pastas that change seasonally, a pasta of the day and about four main dishes, like black bass with crushed tomato. Bread will be made with wheat milled on the premises, reflecting Leonti’s experience running Brooklyn Bread Lab in Bushwick.

Other locals have similar plans. Tea ZegaracPollock, a medical researcher who said she “always wanted to own a restaurant,” and her chef, Benjamin Vaschetti, have both lived on the Upper West Side for years. They love the area, and Pollock was always bothered that her friends went elsewhere to dine.

Their all-day restaurant, Mokum, will be informal, but has waiters and will serve what Pollock called “the food you wish you had time to cook.” Vaschetti, who is from Provence and worked at Le Cirque, will serve his specialty, ratatouille, which will always be on the menu.

A block away, Le Petit Rooster, a classic bistro and wine bar with rotisserie items, from the owners of several restaurants in Queens and on Long Island, is replacing the fancy food shop Gastronomie 491. Elea, a two-floor Greek restaurant, comes from the team behind the Roslyn, New York, restaurant, Kyma, which recently opened a version in the Flatiron district.

Jeremy Wladis, a veteran restaurateur in the area, is opening the Flying Fisherman with chef Juan Carlos Landazuri. There will also be a takeout adjunct, Fish on the Fly, for lobster rolls and the like. Another busy Upper West Sider, Jacob Hadjigeorgis of Jacob’s Pickles, Maison Pickle and Lucky Pickle Dumpling Co., is adding Tiki Chick with drinks, small plates and a fried chicken sandwich.

For the Lincoln Center crowds, the sushi master Shinichi Inoue, from the Michelin-starred Harlem restaurant Sushi Inoue, will oversee the fish at a grand two-floor offshoot, Sushi Inoue Lincoln Center, in the former Picholine space.

And suppose you don’t want dinner, just something sweet? A new Billy’s Bakery is coming.

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