Bama's List

A hint. A look forward.

A reminder that the weather is finally breaking, and a few short weeks from now, birds will be chirping, skin will be peeking from behind sundresses and the long, cold, nightmarish hibernation will be over.

At which point, you’ll remember that you like going out. On dates. With people.

And you’ll quietly wonder if there are any sexy new date spots to add to your stable.

To which we’ll respond, “Yes, yes there are.”

Introducing Betel, a sleek little upscale Thai street-food joint, just now opened in time for your spring awakening in the West Village.

Walking into the unmarked door of Betel, you’ll quickly realize the Aussie owners have consulted the courtship oracle—the front room is decked in dark wood, bathed in candlelight and set up with dark corners (not to mention a small back lounge) for canoodling and cocktailing.

You’ll want to opt out of a private table (trust us) and take a seat at the long communal table that runs the length of the main room (built at a narrower 18 inches for closer conversations). Here, you can get lost in the din of the room, dig into some Wagyu Brisket and Crispy Skin Duck and sup a rotating cast of muddled concoctions (try the Blackberry Passionfruit Caipiroska) and citrusy whiskey drinks (like the rye-based Sarang Manhattan).

And when spring finally hits for good, they’ll be unleashing a private back patio and front sidewalk section for your outdoor dining needs.

Which are much more significant than your regular dining needs.

Think of the zoomed-in, high-def pleasures of ringside seats, backstage passes and those too-few occasions where you, yes, make it rain.

Also, the kitchen.

Introducing Wall & Water, open now for power breakfasting, lunching and (soon) dining, and founded on the idea that the closer you are to the action—both in the kitchen and on the Street—the better.

Think of it as a place where mergers, acquisitions and eggs Florentine are all made in the same room. To enter the restaurant, you’ll walk up a few asymmetrical marble stairs and immediately realize: you’re in the kitchen. (Imagine GoodFellas if Ray Liotta walked into your cool bachelor uncle’s kitchen instead of the Copacabana.) Behind large marble tables, chefs will be curing hams, poaching eggs, modeling aprons…you get the idea. Of course, as you would in any kitchen, feel free to grab a plate of prosciutto if you see one. And yes, that bubbly you see sitting in a nearby ice bucket—you can grab that too.

And because no kitchen is complete without a second, larger kitchen, you’ll want to slide next door where the real action is happening. Settle into a cozy, olive-green banquette, and the same rules apply: you see food, you take it. But here the chefs are whipping up more elaborate fare: handmade doughnuts, braised veal cheek and seared Hudson Valley foie gras.

You might have to fight for that veal cheek.