Gordon Ramsay at the London
151 W. 54th St., nr. Seventh Ave.; 212-468-8888
It’s been quite a month for British culinarian and reality-TV despot Gordon Ramsay. Last week, he turned 40, and on November 16 he unveils his first American restaurant, Gordon Ramsay at the London NYC Hotel (formerly the Rihga Royal). Thanks to two seasons on Fox and a characteristically frank autobiography (Roasting in Hell’s Kitchen, out last week from HarperEntertainment), the man’s reputation brashly precedes him. But Ramsay, like many a French-trained, Michelin-obsessed chef before him, would prefer to be known for his food than for his F-word fetish. To that end, he has installed trusted lieutenant Neil Ferguson to run the New York show, which comprises an intimate dining room, an adjacent bar, and the hotel’s room service. The $110 “menu prestige,” a seven-course tasting, will be available for lunch and dinner (in addition to an $80 prix fixe; another lunch menu costs $45), and feature signatures like poached lobster ravioli and cannon of lamb with confit shoulder (pictured), while the more-casual London Bar will serve small plates based on the menu at Maze, one of Ramsay’s London restaurants.
Pera Mediterranean Brasserie
303 Madison Ave., nr. 41st St.; 212-878-6301
In its heyday, during the Ottoman period, there was no cuisine as sophisticated as Turkish. Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent lived up to his moniker, employing over a thousand cooks to make the kebabs at his posh Topkapi Palace. Pera, a nicely appointed Turkish-leaning restaurant, doesn’t have that many on its payroll, but it does seem to be making an effort to bring back a little Topkapi Palace panache. On the menu: a chickpea-crusted crab cake, a hand-minced beef-and-bulgur tartare, and what must be New York’s first Turkish grilled-meat tasting menu.
AND … In the proud Greek-American tradition of running Italian-American restaurants comes Dean’s Family Style Restaurant and Pizzeria, from the same people who brought you Goodburger. The red-sauce menu plays it safe with dishes like baked clams, Caesar salad, and chicken Parm. Consider the eggplant-and-zucchini “fritti” with garlic-yogurt dip Greek-Italian fusion (801 Second Ave., nr. 43rd St.; 212-878-9600).