Racines NY has taken a Chinese restaurant on Chambers and made it somewhere you’d actually want to linger, with a spare, semi-industrial vibe. A bar on the western wall seats 13, while there is room for around 40 diners at tables and the chef’s counter along the open kitchen. As the “NY” implies, Racines NY is related to an establishment elsewhere. For our outpost, David Lahner, who owns the two Racines in Paris, has partnered with David Lillie of Chambers Street Wines and sommelier/manager Arnaud Tronche. The cellar has the capacity for 8,000 bottles of wine, with around 800 on the list at any given time. The menu is refreshingly small, with around five appetizers, four entrées, a cheese plate, and three desserts, and despite the low-key vibe,  the food is complex. Note: Acclaimed chef Paul Liebrandt is in the kitchen through the end of 2018.

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