New UES Restaurants: Steakhouse, Southern Food, And More

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The Upper East Side is gaining four new restaurants soon, including a new American joint to replace a recently shuttered Second Avenue standby.

The restaurants were presented to Community Board 8's Street Life Committee on Tuesday as owners sought approval for beer, wine and liquor licenses.

Here's what we learned about each spot:

Corner Joint (1496 Second Ave., corner of East 78th Street)

A replacement for the recently shuttered steakhouse Quality Eats run by a neighborhood restaurateur was reported by Patch last week, but more details emerged at this week's meeting.

Operated by new spot will operate under the name Corner Joint and will have 108 table seats, with 22 at a ground floor and cellar bar.

Massimo Lusardi, the man behind Uva, Uva Next Door and Keys & Heels, spoke with his father, Mauro, said he was "looking to bring a neighborhood American restaurant to the corner," that would "straddle the line between casual and elegant."

The new Corner Joint, Lusardi said, sits just next door to where his Italy-born father opened his first spot.

"I grew up on the block," Lusardi said. "This isn't a hedge fund that got a bunch of money and is looking to do a restaurant just for fun."

"We're very proud and very flattered, to be have been very well received for so long in the community," Lusardi said.

Hollybrook Lane (1712 First Ave., near East 89th Street)

A southern-comfort spot run by a Texas native is coming to Yorkville.

The "moderately upscale" restaurant is cozy, at 1,400 square feet, with room for 65 people.

Sanders, who lives nearby, said his years of working in the restaurant industry alongside some top chefs

Houston-born Cedric Sanders told the committee that since moving uptown, that he "fell in love with the Upper East Side in the way that I didn't expect to," and is "looking to bring some southern food to the neighborhood."

"I'm just looking to provide something for the community," Sanders said.

Catch 'n Chop (1600 Third Ave., near East 90th Street)

Taking over the former Parlor Steak and Fish, the vacant "eyesore" will become, again, a steak and fish place.

The long-vacant spot will have 31 tables with an enclosed sidewalk cafe.

Operator Emir Mrkulic — the owner behind Third Avenue's Siena Cafe — said his team is "doing quite a bit of renovation inside and it's going to be beautiful."

Bar/Tavern TBD (1378 Lexington Ave., corner of East 91st Street)

A new bar will replace the recently-shuttered and beloved Juliano's Espresso Bar, which closed in the spring after more than three decades, on Lexington Avenue in Carnegie Hill.

The yet-to-be-named beer and wine cafe-style spot operated by Artan Hidric will have 15 tables with 40 seats and a small seven-seat bar.

For eats, the "small operation" will focus on pastries, paninis and coffee.