0 Love It  Gato opens in Noho  Bobby Flay launches a
Mediterranean eatery downtown, his first new NYC restaurant in a
decade.  Photograph: Virginia Rollison   Photograph: Virginia
Rollison   Photograph: Virginia Rollison   Food Network megastar
Bobby Flay—who made his bones with Mesa Grill (1991–2013) and
Bolo (1993–2007)—makes his big return to the New York dining
scene. With eight—count ’em!—TV shows on rotation, the flame-
haired toque puts the chef’s whites back on for this 130-seat
Noho canteen. From a fan-baiting open kitchen, Flay dispatches
Mediterranean-influenced plates, like mushroom-kale-and-egg
paella, lamb tenderloin with salsa verde, and oven-blistered
chicken with goat cheese and dandelion. At the rectangular wood
bar, find small plates like scallop tartare and toasted tomato
bread, alongside cocktails like the Paco (vodka, blood-orange
juice, cava). Furbished with tiled floors, steel-and-glass
chandeliers and 22-foot-high ceilings, the digs are spacious,
but with Flay at the helm, expect it to