Le Garage Catherine Allswang, a native of Normandy, has owned and cooked in restaurants in San Francisco and Paris. Her daughter, Rachel, an interior designer who grew up at her mother's side in the kitchen, has teamed up with her to open a place in New York. They have turned a former garage in Bushwick, Brooklyn, into an intimate restaurant, largely French, where the temptations on a concise menu include steamed mussels, foie gras with winter radishes and beets, potatoes stuffed with snails, pork shoulder braised in milk, and chicken for two. Creative cocktails are named for Frenchwomen like Simone de Beauvoir, who is represented by an alluring mix of Byrrh aperitif, Dolin dry vermouth, orange bitters and tonic water. The décor, by Rachel Allswang, combines hard-edged industrial and sleek Art Deco: 159B Central Ave nue (Suydam Street), Brooklyn, 347-295-1700, legaragebrooklyn.com.
OpeningBierocracy A Central European-style beer hall offers a number of Czech and Slovakian brews on tap and by the bottle, as well as German, Belgian and American beers. The gastro-pub fare consists mostly of small plates, including lobster salad on a pretzel roll and braised pork belly. The spacious room, done mostly in no-frills style with some folksy touches, seats 220 at a long bar and rough-hewn communal tables: 21-23 Jackson Avenue (47th Road), Long Island City, Queens, 718-361-9333, bierocracy.com.
Cipura In its heyday, Lundy's in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, was said to be the world's biggest restaurant, seating more than 2,500 lovers of Manhattan clam chowder, lobsters and baked clams. Since it closed in the late 1970s, resuscitation attempts have largely failed, and it became a shopping complex with a few restaurants. Last month, Cipura, a new place with an eastern Mediterranean seafood menu, opened at one corner. Except for the terra-cotta tile roof, none of the Moorish architecture of the original remains; the new look features gilded mosaic columns and swimming-pool-blue chairs. The chef, Sina Sucuka, who is Turkish, like the owner, Michael Polat, prepares shrimp wrapped in shredded phyllo, grilled octopus, taramosalata, grilled whole orata and a few meat dishes like lamb chops: 1901 Emmons Avenue (19th Street), Brooklyn, 718-758-5353, cipurany.com.
ClosingBrasserie The first restaurant to bear the name brasserie in New York opened in 1959 in the Seagram Building, serving classic fare like onion soup, quiche Lorraine and choucroute garnie. It will end its run on Dec. 31: 100 East 53rd Street, 212-751-4840, thebrasserieny.com.
Danny Brown Wine Bar & Kitchen This restaurant, which has been a highlight in Forest Hills, Queens (it won a Michelin star), announced that it would close at the end of the year because of a rent increase. But a fire last week forced Mr. Brown to close early. He said he hopes to find a new space.
Moscow 57 After seven months without a gas hookup, this restaurant opened in the fall on Delancey Street with a full menu to complement its vibrant cabaret and infused vodkas. But the financial stress of those months was hard to overcome, so Ellen Kaye, an owner and the founder, has closed the restaurant. She and a new partner are seeking a new location.
Ted & Honey This spot for breakfast, lunch and brunch will call it quits on Sunday afternoon. Alexandra Raij and Eder Montero, who own La Vara two doors away, are taking over the space to open their first non-Spanish restaurant: 264 Clinton Street (Warren Street), Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, 718-852-2212.
Looking AheadHakkasan and Yauatcha The Hakkasan Group, a chic London-based Chinese restaurant with American branches in New York, Miami Beach and Las Vegas, will expand its reach to Jakarta, Indonesia, where it plans three restaurants next year. Its sibling, Yauatcha, a dim sum restaurant, will open in Houston and Honolulu.
Tetsu This spinoff by the luxury sushi chef Masa Takayama, which was originally to have arrived in 2013, is finally moving ahead. The restaurant's team expects to open in the spring on two floors, with casual fare on the ground floor and a tasting menu on the lower level: 78 Leonard Street (Church Street).
Upland The chef Justin Smillie will start serving hearty four-course family-style dinners once a week on the lower level of the restaurant. They will be for parties of six to 10 guests, $100 a person, not including beverages, tax and tip. Reservations are being accepted for 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 22 and Jan. 5, 12, 19 and 26: 345 Park Avenue South (26th Street), 212-686-1006. For reservations: upland.downstairs@starr-restaurant.com.
Source: Le Garage Adds a French Touch to Bushwick, Brooklyn
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