As if on cue, the temperature drops and, all of a sudden, New York’s latest restaurant openings are all about warmth: we’re talking wood-fired dishes and wood ovens as centerpieces, not to mention spaces that make you want to cozy up to your dining partner and linger a little. Norte, a new northern Mexican spot focused on live-fire cooking, and Straker’s, a hotly anticipated import from London with a focus on wood-fire grilling, are sure to be top date night contenders for exactly that reason.
There’s another good excuse to venture out from home to explore all of this month’s new tables: some of New York’s (and the world’s!) most in-demand chefs are flinging open doors on new concepts, and for some of them, the restaurants mark their first solo projects. Camari Mick of The Musket Room fame and Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park are just two of the major names striking out on their own this season.
But with such a glut of high-profile openings, it can be tricky to determine which spots deserve reservation alerts and which can wait until the buzz dies down. And that’s where we come in: we’ve been busy researching dozens of October openings to bring you the roundup of the absolute best of the month. Read on to discover which 10 tables should be on your wish list.