CORN MEAL

Garrett Popcorn Shops, a longstanding Chicago icon known in particular for caramel corn and cheese corn (which should be eaten together) are now in New York. One is at 1 Penn Plaza (242 W. 34th St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues), and the other is on Fifth Avenue (650 Fifth Ave. at 46th Street, garrettpopcorn.com).

MILL TOWN

Irving Mill is serving family and friends this week in the space that used to be Candela (116 E. 16th St., between Union Square East and Irving Pl., 212-254-1600), with the goal of opening to the public on Monday. The restaurant features the local and seasonal food of Gramercy Tavern veteran John Schaefer. Menu items include chicken liver crostini with smoked bacon, quince, arugula, and aged balsamic vinegar, and roasted arctic char with farro, savoy cabbage, speck, cipollini onions, and red wine.

Executive pastry chef Colleen Grapes is serving items such as peanut butter and milk chocolate caramel parfait with crunchy meringue and peanut brittle.

WARM FUSION

Husband-and-wife team Maristella Innocenti and Esteban Molina, who used to work at East Village Italian eatery I Coppi, will soon know if New York is ready for Tusc-Mex. They are serving a fusion of Tuscan and Mexican cuisine at their new restaurant, Matilda (647 E. 11th St., between avenues B and C, 212-777-3355). Their guacamole alla Toscana is made with basil and red pepper, and served with tortilla chips and roasted focaccia. The tacos alla fiorentina are filled with rosemary scented filet mignon, arugula, and shaved grana padano cheese. The nachos, made with pecorino cheese, are drizzled with black truffle-infused olive oil.

Among other menu items are salmone alla tequila, bistecca vegetariana (made with nopales cactus instead of steak), and pozole a fagioli (cranberry bean soup with giant Mexican white corn).

Ms. Innocenti’s sister, Lorella, is one of I Coppi’s owners.

FREE FOR ALL

Chef Matthew Kenney’s latest project, Freefoods (18 W. 45th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-249-4529), is open for lunch and delivery — but the food is not free. Instead, it is mostly free of chemical pesticides and fertilizers — everything except for the cheese is organic. All of the soups currently on the menu, except for the lobster stew, are vegan. Salads start at $11.25, and sandwiches are $8.75. Smoothies, made with high-impact ingredients such as cacao nibs, almond milk, goji berries, agave syrup, and cashew butter, are $7.50 for 16 ounces.

Day-to-day activity in the kitchen is being handled by chef de John McAllister, recently of the SoHo Grand Hotel. He also was on the opening team of Heartbeat.

MOVING EAST

Dell’Anima (38 Eighth Ave. at Jane Street, 212-366-6633) is scheduled to open next Wednesday, and will feature the debut of Gabriel Thompson as executive chef. A former sous chef at Bread Tribeca, Mr. Thompson is teaming up with former Babbo sommelier Joe Campanale for the restaurant — the wine focus will be Italian. The food will be “off-the-cuff,” depending on what is in season, the chef, who is the son of Texas hippies and grew up in Vermont, said. He cooked his way through Oregon, Aspen, and Austin before moving to New York, where he has worked as a line cook at Del Posto and Le Bernardin.

“It seems like it’s going to be a pretty cool place,” Mr. Thompson said of his Dell’Anima, which will have an open kitchen that will keep serving until 2 a.m.

Mr. Thorn is food editor of Nation’s Restaurant News. He maintains nrnfoodwriter.blogspot.com.