Vincent Fox

Smithereens
2026.02 & 06 dinners
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Lobster roll
Bay scallops from Rhode Island, citrus, fresh wasabi
Amberjack with green blueberries and citrus
Fluke with celtuce, magnolia and sesame
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Down a few steps in the East Village,「Smithereens」is a seafood-driven restaurant shaped by chef-owner Nick Tamburo’s New England upbringing, but expressed through a much broader culinary language. Bluefish, shellfish, anadama bread, and other Northeastern ingredients meet Japanese and Asian influences such as seaweed, bonito, fish sauce, sake lees, and dashi-like broths.

Tamburo worked at「Momofuku Ko」,「Blanca」, and「Claud」. That background brings plenty of technique, but very little pretension. The dishes can be inventive and unexpected, yet remain comforting and, above all, simply delicious: a buckwheat pancake hides smoked bluefish beneath its folds, while rustic anadama bread arrives with seaweed butter. Perhaps that is the restaurant’s greatest charm.「Smithereens」doesn’t dress itself up more than necessary. The room is intimate and slightly rough around the edges, while even the most creative dishes retain the soul of something you simply want to eat.

Reservations have become incredibly difficult to catch, which says something about how much the restaurant has resonated. For me, it has quietly become one of my favorite restaurants in New York right now—thoughtful cooking without preciousness, and proof that technique is often most compelling when you barely notice it.
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@smithereensnyc @nick.tamburo
#vinfox_smithereens #nyceats #nycfood #foodblogger #foodgram Less

Muku
2026.02
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AGEMONO
A5 wagyu beef tenderloin cutlet, seasonal salad

GOHAN
Sawara, chirimen baby sardines, sansho

Caviar uni noodle
Crab curry

SOBA
House made soba with buckwheat from chef‘s hometown, duck dipping sauce

MIZUGASHI
Kotoka strawberry, sake lees ice cream
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Opened in Tribeca in September 2025,「Muku (無垢)」is one of the newest additions to New York’s growing kaiseki scene—and one that made its mark remarkably quickly. Led by Yamagata-born chef Manabu Asanuma (浅沼 学), the restaurant earned its first Michelin star barely two months after opening.

Rather than following the rigid structure of traditional kaiseki,「Muku (無垢)」takes a more contemporary approach to nihonryori, built around goho (五法)—the five classical techniques of raw, grilled, simmered, steamed, and fried. Seasonality and Japanese technique remain at its core, but the expression feels distinctly modern: clean flavors, thoughtful compositions, and occasional touches of luxury woven into a restrained progression. It is a fresh interpretation of kaiseki that respects its foundations without feeling confined by them.
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@restaurantmuku.nyc @chef_manabu.nyc @kokisotome
#vinfox_muku #nyceats #michelinguide #omakase #japanesefood Less

Muku
2026.02
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OWAN
Lotus root cake, uni, white miso soup

OSHINOGI
Mochi rice, Japanese whiting, caviar, yuzu

OTSUKURI
Seasonal sashimi selection

YAKIMONO
Kinki rockfish, chrysanthemum greens purée, crispy fried onions

SUNOMONO
King crab, white asparagus, Tosazu vinegar

NABE
Amadai tilefish, bamboo shoots, yuzu kosho
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Opened in Tribeca in September 2025,「Muku (無垢)」is one of the newest additions to New York’s growing kaiseki scene—and one that made its mark remarkably quickly. Led by Yamagata-born chef Manabu Asanuma (浅沼 学), the restaurant earned its first Michelin star barely two months after opening.

Rather than following the rigid structure of traditional kaiseki,「Muku (無垢)」takes a more contemporary approach to nihonryori, built around goho (五法)—the five classical techniques of raw, grilled, simmered, steamed, and fried. Seasonality and Japanese technique remain at its core, but the expression feels distinctly modern: clean flavors, thoughtful compositions, and occasional touches of luxury woven into a restrained progression. It is a fresh interpretation of kaiseki that respects its foundations without feeling confined by them.
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@restaurantmuku.nyc @chef_manabu.nyc @kokisotome
#vinfox_muku #nyceats #michelinguide #omakase #japanesefood Less

César
2025.11 dinner
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Kegani in tuiles en feuilles de brick
Kamasu, crispy nori, koshihikari rice
Bluefin tuna toro, caviar and uni monaka
Kisu fish and chip
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White truffle season is always special, but experiencing it through the lens of「César」is on an entirely different level. If there is one tasting menu to prioritize before the season ends, this is an absolute must.

Chef César’s mastery lies in his incredible precision—using the heady, aromatic power of pristine Alba truffles not just as a lavish topping, but as a seamlessly integrated component that elevates his signature French-Japanese seafood craft. Every dish crowned with those delicate, paper-thin shavings strikes a flawless balance between rich, decadent warmth and subtle elegance.

The depth of flavor throughout the night was extraordinary, proving once again why his dining room remains one of the most compelling culinary experiences in the city. Truly an unmissable highlight of the season.
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@cesar.newyork @chez__cesar
#vinfox_cesar #michelinstar #nycfood #foodblogger #foodgram Less

Francie
2026.04 dinner
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AGED CROWN OF ROHAN DUCK
swiss chard, parsnip, soppressata jam

CANARD AU CITRON
bergamot, brown butter, fromage blanc
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Tucked inside a restored limestone bank building in Williamsburg, 「Francie」has become one of New York’s defining modern brasseries. Since opening in 2020, @chefcipollone has blended Italian technique with broader European influences, earning a Michelin star while creating a restaurant that feels refined without ever becoming formal.

The restaurant is perhaps best known for its Crown Roast of Duck, a dish that has become almost synonymous with「Francie」 on social media. Beautifully presented and expertly cooked, it is certainly worth trying once. That said, I couldn’t help feeling the duck has become slightly larger than the dish itself. For me, the handmade pastas showed even greater finesse and left a more lasting impression, revealing the precision and confidence that define Cipollone’s cooking.
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@franciebrooklyn
#vinfox_francie #michelinstar #nycfood #foodblogger #foodgram Less

Matsukawa
2025.04 lunch
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白魚とフキ天ぷらのひや蕎麦
Shirauo and fuki tempura cold soba

炊き立てご飯
いくら、生唐墨、海苔、ちりめん山椒
松川丼
Freshly cooked white rice
Ikura, raw karasumi, nori, chirimenzansho
Matsukawa donburi

水羊羹
Mizu yokan
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I could scarcely believe it was my very first spring at「Matsukawa」. The menu paid elegant homage to the fleeting, ethereal crown jewel of the season — Hanasansho. To capture and savor such a rare, transient moment felt like pure fortune
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#vinfox_matsukawa #松川 #kaiseki #懐石料理 #予約困難 Less

Matsukawa
2025.04 lunch
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近江牛フィレの炭焼き
花山椒・徳谷トマト
Charcoal-grilled Omi beef fillet
Hanasansho, Tokutani tomato

近江牛と白子筍と花山椒のしゃぶしゃぶ
Obi beef, shirako bamboo shoot and hanasansho shabushabu

鮑と新ワカメのしゃぶしゃぶ
Awabi and fresh wakame shabushabu
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I could scarcely believe it was my very first spring at「Matsukawa」. The menu paid elegant homage to the fleeting, ethereal crown jewel of the season — Hanasansho. To capture and savor such a rare, transient moment felt like pure fortune
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#vinfox_matsukawa #松川 #kaiseki #懐石料理 #予約困難 Less

Matsukawa
2025.04 lunch
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京都塚原の白子筍と蛤に蕗の炊き合わせ
木の芽
Simmered dish of white bamboo shoots from Tsukahara, Kyoto and clams with butterbur
Garnish with kinome

京都塚原の白子筍の焼き筍
Grilled white bamboo shoots from Tsukahara, Kyoto

帆立の真薯碗・キクラゲ・バチコ
Scallop shinjo owan, wood ear mushroom, bachiko
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I could scarcely believe it was my very first spring at「Matsukawa」. The menu paid elegant homage to the fleeting, ethereal crown jewel of the season — Hanasansho. To capture and savor such a rare, transient moment felt like pure fortune
.
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.
#vinfox_matsukawa #松川 #kaiseki #懐石料理 #予約困難 Less

Matsukawa
2025.04 lunch
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桜茶
Sakura tea

ワタリガニの飯蒸し
ベルーガキャビア
Steamed sticky rice with watari-gani
Beluga caviar

炙りミル貝、鮑と蕗の薹の天ぷら
Slightly grilled mirugai, tempura of awabi and fukinoto

お造り
淡路島の鯛・鯛の白子醤油
青森県産『大千』ムラサキウニ
コシアブラ
Sashimi
Awaji tai, tai shirako soy sauce
Aomori Daisen Murasaki-uni
Koshiabura
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I could scarcely believe it was my very first spring at「Matsukawa」. The menu paid elegant homage to the fleeting, ethereal crown jewel of the season — Hanasansho. To capture and savor such a rare, transient moment felt like pure fortune
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.
#vinfox_matsukawa #松川 #kaiseki #懐石料理 #予約困難 Less

Matsukawa
2025.04 lunch
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I could scarcely believe it was my very first spring at「Matsukawa」. The menu paid elegant homage to the fleeting, ethereal crown jewel of the season — Hanasansho. To capture and savor such a rare, transient moment felt like pure fortune
.
.
.
#vinfox_matsukawa #松川 #kaiseki #japanesefood #予約困難 Less