Headliner
Sami & Susu
Amir Nathan, who worked at Via Carota and Maison Premiere, and his partner at this new takeout and delivery spot, the chef Jordan Anderson, who cooked at Maison Premiere and Olmsted, are making and delivering food from Maracuja, a bar and restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, that closed during the pandemic. The owners of Maracuja are their partners. “They were closed, so we were able to make a deal with them,” Mr. Nathan said. The food is Mediterranean with Middle Eastern influences. Spreads like baba ganoush, a lentil salad with fava beans, spicy carrots with harissa, roasted cauliflower with a pastrami rub, moussaka and bouillabaisse are some of the specialties. They also do picnic baskets. The project takes its name from an old Arab-Israeli television series. Mr. Nathan, who is from Israel, said he’d wanted to open a wine bar and grocery using that name for years, but the virus derailed those plans. The partners have not shelved their plans for a restaurant.
279 Grand Street (Roebling Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, samiandsusu.com.
Opening
Pulkies
Almost anyone’s familiarity with Yiddish includes “oy vey,” “chutzpah,” “shlep” and “klutz.” But “pulkies” (or “pulkes”)? Those are plump poultry legs, and they’re the main attraction at this new Jewish-style barbecue spot doing takeout and delivery from the Creamline store in Chelsea Market. Harris Mayer-Selinger, the chef, with his partners in Creamline, where he’s also the chef, have created this project. Barbecue pulled turkey, pastrami turkey breast, soups, noodle kugel mac and cheese, cinnamon babka bread pudding and a Manischewitz spritz cocktail are on the menu. He hopes to eventually open his own brick-and-mortar spot. (Opens Thursday)
Chelsea Market, 428 West 16th Street, 646-410-2040, pulkies.com.
Rangoon
This much-appreciated Burmese addition was in soft-opening mode back in February. It reopened for takeout and delivery, and finally got its wine and beer license last month. Daniel Bendjy and his wife, the chef Myo Moe, met years ago working at Mercer Kitchen. Ms. Moe, who is from Yangon, formerly Rangoon, puts some of her fine-dining background into play in dishes like onion fritters, noodle soups and curries. When rules allow, they look forward to opening their garden for dining.
500 Prospect Place (Classon Avenue), Crown Heights, Brooklyn, 917-442-0100, rangoon.nyc.
RA Kitchen
With most of the museums, catering venues and corporate workplace cafes that they usually work with and supply now closed because of the coronavirus, Restaurant Associates has now teamed up with Fresh Direct, the food delivery service, to create a number of prepared dishes. Chicken cacciatore, eggplant Parmesan, penne with sausage Bolognese, meatballs in marinara sauce, za’atar-roasted root vegetables, roasted butternut squash, yellow lentil soup and chicken-vegetable soup are the choices for now, $9.99 to $17.99 a portion.
freshdirect.com.