Dinosaur Barbecue Opens Tonight at 5pm

We've been anticipating Dinosaur Barbecue opening since January last year and have kept a close eye ever since. We wait no longer. Tonight at 5pm Brooklyn's Dinosaur Barbecue opens to the public. The restaurant was in soft opening mode over the weekend with friends and family Thursday - Saturday and a VIP event last night. Stage's Upstate 'cue was served for each occasion and we had the good fortune of attending. Here's a look at the space and some of the 'cue.

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Lafayette is Open

[photo: digestny] the manAndrew Carmellini, Josh Pickard, and Luke Ostrom's highly-anticipated French restaurant Lafayette opens for dinner tonight. We started covering the restaurant's progress on June 20th last year. Only back then, we had no idea it was going to be called Lafayette. Or that the menu would offer such an extensive array of French cuisine. You can get a glimpse of the menu here (courtesy of Eater). Classic bistro dishes like beef tartare and steak frites are joined with dishes inspired by the cuisine of France's neighbors: Italy and Spain. There's pasta on the menu, a result of Italy's pasta-making traditions crossing the Pennine Alps and making their way into Southern France. Black linguine with seafood and chorizo combines this influence with the combination of seafood and chorizo that's common throughout Spain. The restaurant's rotisserie lends itself to dishes like wood-fired Dorade and roast chicken for two. On his inspiration for the menu, Carmellini said, "It's food I want to eat everyday."

The cafe and bakery opens at noon to serve coffe and pastries, but dinner service launches tonight at 5:30 p.m. Breakfast, lunch, and brunch coming soon. We got in for a coffee and pictures this morning. Take a look after the jump.

380 Lafayette Street | 212-533-3000 | www | map

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Finalmente Franny's: New Location Opens Tonight

After months of construction, the new, long-awaited, stronger-faster-bigger-better location of Franny's is opening tonight at 5:30pm. The new space, at 348 Flatbush, has two ovens, a private dining room, takes reservations for 6 or more, and offers delivery. For now, pizzas are the only thing to go, but more of the menu will be available as the restaurant gets settled.

The new location is also open for lunch Friday through Sunday; from noon to 11:30pm Friday and Saturday, and noon to 11 pm on Sunday. Dinner hours Monday through Thursday are 5:30 pm to 11 pm. No menu on their website yet, but we'll be there soon to find out and get back to you. If you make it there before us, let us know how it is!

348 Flatbush Avenue | 718-230-0221 | www | map

Nightingale 9 Opens Tonight

Nightingale 9 is opening tonight on Smith Street. In preserving past and present, fading from the former signage hasn't been painted over. But don't worry, it's not really Benevento Florist, it's the highly anticipated restaurant from the Seersucker team. The Nightingale 9 sign hangs on the restaurant's north-facing window; the name painted therein inspired by an old Brooklyn phone exchange: NI9.

We got a sneak peak of the new digs at last night's preview party and found wonderfully flavored food riddled with the nuances that have made Seersucker the neighborhood favorite it is. Most of what was being passed around, albeit delicious, isn't going to be on the menu. But the fried rice, chicken congee, and buttermilk-brined, rice-battered fried chicken with fresh grated coconut showcase clean flavors and a learned execution. Chef Robert Newton isn't "trying to reinvent the wheel," he told us. Instead, he aims to do what he and partner Kerry Diamond do at Seersucker and Smith Canteen; provide well-sourced, thoughtful food. At Nightingale 9, it just happens to be of Vietnamese influence.

Nightingale 9 | 345 Smith Street | 347-689-4699 | www

Weekdays 6pm - 10pm; weekends 6pm - 11pm

Closed Wednesdays

Suzume Opening Tonight in Williamsburg

Michael Briones and Sam Barron are opening a humble restaurant on the corner of Devoe and Lorimer. Suzume, which means sparrow in Japanese, is bringing sushi and ramen to Williamsburg via 30 seats set in a cozy room rife with Eastern influence. Barron is a carpenter with two other Brooklyn projects to his name in Maggie Brown and The Emerson. Briones honed his ramen skills in the kitchen at Momofuku Noodle Bar and learned his way around fish filets during his time at Bond St. In addition to sushi and ramen, Briones' menu at Suzume is one of izakaya-inspired small plates and everything on it shares a focus on sourcing the freshest ingredients possible. The restaurant opens tonight at 6pm.

We were lucky enough to get invited to a soft opening earlier this week. Here's a look at what to expect from Suzume.

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Boulton & Watt is Open

Boulton & Watt opened on the corner of East 1st Street and Avenue A last week. Darin Rubell and David Rotter have reworked what was Nice Guy Eddie's into a restaurant inspired by the Industrial Revolution. The space takes its name from Matthew Boulton and James Watt, the two gentleman who perfected the steam engine in the late 18th Century. Like Nice Guy Eddie's, Boulton & Watt is open until 4am (the kitchen takes orders until 2:15 am) seven days a week, but they'll be serving a revised take on American and English comfort food. It comes in the form of "Snacks & Entrees," including dishes like short rib and bone marrow toast ($13), pigs in a blanket ($11), a classic wedge salad ($9), an array of homemade pickles ($6 per jar, three for $15), and steak frites ($22).

Ten beers are available on tap in either 14oz ($8), 32 oz ($15), or 64oz ($30). Thirty-two and 64 oz growlers are also available with a $5 deposit. Each of the 20 or so wines on the list are available by the glass ($10), carafe ($20), or bottle ($35), and cocktails are $12 each.

Boulton & Watt | 5 Avenue A | 646-490-6004 | www

Monday - Sunday, 5:30 pm - 4 am

L'Apicio is Open

[photo: krieger] dining room at l'apicioJoe Campanale and Epicurean Management have officially opened L'Apicio.  Dinner kicked off last week at 13 East 1st Street on Thursday night.  The 170 seat restaurant is the team's fourth project and the second to open from our Taste of Tastes to Come list.

Gabe Thompson's Italian-inspired menu showcases his knowledge of the country's cuisine.  L'Apicio offers a variety of salads, meat, fish, pastas, and a handful of "Polenta all Spianatora," where a stew or ragu is served directly on top of polenta.  Pastas range from $14 (Spaghetti - spicy tomato sauce and basil) to $22 (Tajarin - porcini mushrooms, garlic, and thyme), and sweetbreads show up for $17 with agnolotti and mascarpone.

Joe Campanale has taken care of the beverage options at L'Apicio.  Beer is broken down into "Draft," "High Octane (high alcohol %)," "Sessionable," "Quirky," and "Hoppy."  House cocktails come in at $13.  A few Champagne options take the list to France, but otherwise Campanale has stayed in Italy and the states to curate the wine list.  Sparkling, white, orange, rose, and red wines are all offered by the glass.  The bottle list breaks down selections into two categories: "New World" and "Old Country."  New World refers to those wines being made domestically, where wine makers tend to take a modern approach to wine making, i.e.  temperature controlled fermentation and the use of small barrels.  Old Country wines refer to those coming from Italy, where tradition, more often than not, dictates wine production methods. 

Sunday-Wednesday, 5:30pm – 11:00pm, Thursday-Saturday, 5:30pm-12:00am

L'Apicio | 212.533.7400 | 13 E 1st St | www

A Look Around Brooklyn Central: Now Open in Park Slope

Brooklyn Central opened at 289 5th Ave in Park Slope Wednesday.  The new project from the guys behind Sottocasa on Atlantic Avenue is the first to open from our Brooklyln Edition of A Taste of Tastes to Come.  A simply decorated room, exposed brick, and wood tables make for a rustic setting to enjoy "Old World" and "New World" pizza creations.  For starters; cesar, kale, and arugula salads provide a few green options while meatballs and oven roasted octopus showcase the Italian lean.  For the Neapolitan-style pizzas, the Old World options are a bit more traditional, made with mozzarella di bufala imported from Campania in Italy.  New World pizzas are made with fresh mozzarella from Brooklyn.  The full menu is here.  We stopped in before service tonight and snapped a few pictures.

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