Straker's

Thomas Straker, the London chef best known for his butter, opened his first American restaurant on October 10, in the old Lucky Strike space at 59 Grand Street in Soho. He was born in Washington, D.C., and carries a U.S. passport, which is part of why New York came first.

The menu keeps the shape of London, built from what this coast gives him: striped bass in place of sea bass, perhaps Maine lobster, and dairy from Connecticut farms. The butter on the table is his own, churned in Britain.

Order the mussel flatbread first. The dough is cold fermented for 48 hours, then baked in the wood oven with mussels cooked down in wine and a chile butter made from their stock. It has been on the London menu since that restaurant opened, and it was the one dish he said was definitely making the trip.

Order the mussel flatbread first.

The kitchen is led by Luka Coyne, from Australia. Post Company did the room: an open kitchen, an open bar and a back dining room Straker calls sophisticated but casual, with nods to Lucky Strike. The wine list leans on Champagne, with Krug by the glass and an English sparkling wine.

Dinner is every night from 5 to 11. Tell Theins the night and how many, and your personal assistant will take care of the table.

Text to ask.