The Fabulous Freshmen of '09 By SAM SIFTON

December 30, 2009
The Fabulous Freshmen of '09 By SAM SIFTON

FOLLOWING is a list of my favorite restaurants among those that opened in New York this year. It is in no particular order except that Marea is first and foremost.

MAREA The latest gem in the crown of the restaurateur Chris Cannon and his talented partner-chef, Michael White, representing the marine treats of a nation that is almost Italy, almost the United States. 240 Central Park South (Broadway), Columbus Circle, (212) 582-5100.

LOCANDA VERDE Andrew Carmellini, cooking like the hippest Italian grandmother you never had, in a dining room that's drop-dead pretty, with desserts by Karen DeMasco. Reserve now. In the Greenwich Hotel, 377 Greenwich Street (North Moore Street), TriBeCa, (212) 925-3797.

PRIME MEATS Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli's new venture combines steaks and cocktails under something like a German flag, to great effect. And the main dining room's not even open yet! 465 Court Street (Luquer Street), Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, (718) 254-0327.

MINETTA TAVERN Keith McNally opened a steakhouse in an old Village landmark, updating the room with great skill and making the food about six times better than he needed to. Everybody came. 113 Macdougal Street (Minetta Lane), Greenwich Village, (212) 475-3850.

DBGB KITCHEN AND BAR A Daniel Boulud restaurant this far downtown is as strange as contemplating a David Chang one in Midtown. Incredible sausages and very good beer, however, make it worth the cognitive leap. 299 Bowery (Houston Street), East Village, (212) 933-5300.

OCEANA The Oceana of old was a pleasant room with elegant food and a caring touch; the new one, in the McGraw-Hill Building, is a high-functioning luxury mill. Sometimes that's just what you need. 1221 Avenue of the Americas (entrance on 49th Street), Midtown, (212) 759-5941.

LE RELAIS DE VENISE L'ENTRECOTE There is only green salad and steak frites. You can have O.K. wine and a dessert after. Women in French maid outfits serve the stuff, turning tables as if they were stools at Schrafft's. And you know what? It's terrific. 590 Lexington Avenue (52nd Street), Midtown, (212) 758-3989.

CO. Jim Lahey, of Sullivan Street Bakery, got into the restaurant game this year with Co. (pronounced "company"), a pizzeria. It's casual, fairly elegant in its way. The pizza's excellent. 230 Ninth Avenue (24th Street), Chelsea, (212) 243-1105.

FATTY CRAB A big, loud, ugly spinoff of the smaller, downtown, stoned-glutton restaurant of the same name, Zak Pelaccio's Fatty Crab brought gastro-hipster cachet to a neighborhood not formerly known for it — and good noodles, too. 2170 Broadway (76th Street), Upper West Side, (212) 496-2722.

ROCKAWAY TACO After a trial run in summer 2008, this fantastic summers-only surfer-shack taco stall opened with intensity for beach season 2009, with perfect fish tacos from Andrew Field, the chef, that are best eaten barefoot. 95-19 Rockaway Beach Boulevard (Beach 96th Street), Rockaway, Queens, (347) 213-7466.
The Top New Restaurants of 2009 - Review - NYTimes.com (30 December 2009)
http://events.nytimes.com/2009/12/30/dining/reviews/30ylist.html?ref=dining&pagewanted=print
http://snipurl.com/twxev