"Since 2008, Shuichi Kotani has been supplying freshly made soba noodles to some of the top restaurants in New York — including Yakitori Torishin, Momokawa, and the now-closed Kibo, where he worked alongside Joël Robuchon — and he’s finally getting his own place in Greenpoint, in an area that’s shaping up as a hub of Japanese cuisine. The behind-the-scenes soba master will open Uzuki, at 95 Guernsey Street, near Norman Avenue, on Thursday, starting with dinner service. The menu flaunts an array of buckwheat-based dishes like duck shio or salmon ikura noodle soups, sesame custard, and ice cream in New York." - Caroline Shin