Parcelle Greenwich Village

The Best New Restaurants in New York City

"If you step into a wine bar and see that every seat comes equipped with exquisite slim-stemmed Zalto glasses (gift a pair to your favorite oenophile, when you can), you know that place means business. But a wine bar, this is not—not technically. It’s a wine bar-plus, the plus being extremely good food. A new restauranty iteration of Parcelle arrived this July, right on the border of NoHo and SoHo—so, you know, on Houston. Compared to its older sibling in Chinatown, a drinks-and-bites dispensary with emerald green couches for early-evening flirting, Parcelle Greenwich Village is a full-service 45-seat joint and already a bona fide hot spot—not only because the AC was under repair when I went (I’m told it’s now been fixed), but because it was packed on opening week with a who’s-whomst of Manhattan’s culinary and media crowd. Set your Resy alerts for this place because the kitchen here is doing extremely fine work, with a menu that’s tight in scope and pure in vision: bar fare with substance. The prosciutto ($24) came with cracker puffs for a delightful contrast in textures; the yellowtail tartare ($24) was bright as day; the herbed tomatoes with stracciatella ($24) made my mouth pucker—into which I poured an array of gorgeous wines, pulled from a studied list of bottles over 500 strong. (For those inclined toward spirits, they have a streamlined list of those too.) The rigatoni with fermented tuna and Calabrian chili ($24) soaked up my pet-nats and sparklers, and I’m hearing great things about a crab, heart of palm, and hollandaise dish ($25), already on my list for my next visit. Cap the evening with a digestif and something sweet; I had a bread made with sweet corn, polenta, and condensed milk, topped with whipped crème fraîche ($20). Whether you’re picking wine to go with your food or vice versa, let the charismatic staff guide you every step of the way (when you go, say hi to Scottish Jamie for me). They’re a knowledgeable and stellar bunch, the types to fold your napkin and place them on the table if you’ve stood up to go to the loo or say hi to friends at a neighboring two-top. The vibe is convivial and chic: You come here with friends and run into more, in a burled-wood space that looks like the dining room of a fabulous pal who lets even her messiest but best friends use her good wine glasses. —M.O." - CNT Editors