Wau, From the Laut Chef, Opens on the Upper West Side

Headliner

Wau

The Upper West Side has just gained a significant addition to its dining lineup. This latest venture from the chef Salil Mehta looks mainly to Southeast Asia, featuring dishes often inspired by street food. (Food from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand figure into the menu.) Mr. Mehta, who is Indian and also owns Laut and Laut Singapura downtown, says he has long been attracted to the region’s flavors. He calls the cooking at Wau “kampung,” the Malaysian term for village, implying humble and homey. Much of the food is served family-style. Starters include chicken satays, Thai tom kha mussels in coconut broth, barbecue ribs, and savory doughnuts with chicken and shrimp in a panko crust. There are various curries and noodle dishes like Singaporean hawker-style noodles and curry laksa, and rice preparations like Indonesian nasi goreng and Hainanese chicken rice from Singapore. Tropical fruit drives many of the drinks, like the banana leaf old-fashioned, by Colin Stevens, the restaurant’s beverage director. It’s a compact space, with booths seating 45, and a bar for 10, all done with vintage latticework and colorful upholstery. An enclosed sidewalk area, with 65 spots, is strung with sparkly lights and little Malaysian moon kites called “wau,” the inspiration for the name.

434 Amsterdam Avenue, 917-261-5926, waunyc.com.

Opening

Coco Pazzo

Pino Luongo has moved his SoHo restaurant, Coco Pazzo, into the former Giorgione in Hudson Square, a space he took over for one of his Coco Pazzerias. Mr. Luongo said he wanted a larger restaurant with an area for private dining, which the new location affords. The menu will combine Coco Pazzo dishes with some popular Coco Pazzeria items. The Coco Pazzeria in Midtown East remains in business.

307 Spring Street (Greenwich Street), 646-850-1003, cocopazzonyc.com.

La Rotisserie

Francis Staub, who founded the French cookware company Staub, was an original partner of Le Coq Rico on East 20th Street in Manhattan with the chef Antoine Westermann. (Mr. Westermann owns Le Coq Rico in Paris.) The chef withdrew his direct involvement with the New York restaurant two years ago and, though he is still a partner, it’s Mr. Staub who’s running the show. After a pandemic hiatus, Mr. Staub has turned it into this French rotisserie restaurant where poultry, beef, pork and vegetables will burnish on vertical and horizontal spits. The restaurant consists of two rooms, each with bars, that meet in a rear dining room. In addition to the rotisserie items, the star of which is the Sasso-breed chicken served with a choice of sauces, there are appetizers like foie gras terrine, duck crackling salad and oeufs mimosa. A sampler menu is $22 at lunch, $42 at dinner.

30 East 20th Street, 212-267-7426, larotisserienyc.com.

Three of Cups

The tarot card symbolizing revelry and feasting is brought to life at this new SoHo restaurant where the dinner options include festa boards for tables of up to six people. The boards are loaded with items like salmon, homemade bratwurst, vegetarian meatloaf made from vegetables, and rotisserie chicken, plus salads, grains and vegetables, all for sharing. Michael Polesny is an owner of the restaurant, open for breakfast through dinner, and Santo Vicenzino, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, is the chef and co-owner. Rachel Lauginiger, the consulting chef who was at Marlow and Daughters, collaborated with Mr. Polesny and Mr. Vicenzino on the menu. A liquor license is pending; the restaurant is not related to the pizzeria of the same name that was in the East Village.

150 Sullivan Street (West Houston Street), 646-649-4221, threeofcupssoho.com.