The bistro Corner Bar from restaurateur Ignacio Mattos, the chef behind Estela and Altro Paradiso. Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson.

Now that New York City is back in full force, it may feel as though there aren’t enough meals in the year to keep up with the crop of buzzy new restaurants to check out. Two that have fashion insiders lining up deliver on downtown cool cred — they’re both in the Dimes Square section of the LES — and ridiculously good food.

Prime Instagram bait: the Casino interior by model and designer Camilla Deterre. Photo by Alex Staniloff.

Casino was opened in December by first-time restaurateur Aisa Shelley in the space that formerly housed Mission Chinese. The interior by model and designer Camilla Deterre is prime Instagram bait: bold checkerboard floors, curvy white walls, and candy-apple red booths – all under ultra-flattering light. The coastal Italian menu holds its own, with a focus on hearty seafood, including a can’t-miss turbot for two.

A table for two, al fresco, at Corner Bar. Photo by Daniel Krieger.

A few minutes’ walk from Casino brings you to Corner Bar, opened by Ignacio Mattos, the chef known for a string of foodie favorites in New York: Estela, Café Altro Paradiso and the newish Lodi in Rockefeller Center. Situated in Nine Orchard Hotel, Corner Bar serves perfectly executed bistro fare from morning to late-night, making it convenient to power-up for a day of fashion shows with an omelet and wind-down with friends over cocktails and steak.  So, brush up on your dining-out etiquette with tips from New York Magazine , book a table on Resy and start practicing.

More to explore in Entertaining