Posts Tagged ‘outdoor dining’

New York City Restaurants Open Indoor Dining Just in Time for Valentine’s Day

Outdoor dining resumes in New York City on February 12, giving you another option if dining outside is too cold for you. But, please note, outdoor dining, indoor dining, takeout and delivery options vary by restaurant and can change based on weather and other factors. Be sure to call ahead to confirm your choice of indoor or outdoor seating.

Born in the U.S.A.

Courtesy Brooklyn Chop House

For Valentine’s Day, Brooklyn Chop House will have you seeing red in a good way with their over-the-top Red Velvet with a Side of Red Velvet special. The menu begins and ends with a Red Velvet creation, first a Red Velvet Frozé and then an oversized slice of Red Velvet Cake. Your dinner is equally colorful, in a figurative sense – order the L.S.D. (Lobster, Steak, Duck), a decadent array of Salt & Pepper Lobster, Ginger & Garlic lobster, dry-aged Porterhouse steak and Peking Duck served with lobster and chicken fried rice.

From New York to the Continent

Courtesy Socarrat Paella Bar

In Spain, Cava is the beverage of romance and Socarrat Paella Bar pairs it with heart-shaped churros dipped in chocolate. You’ll also tuck into a four-course dinner with a shareable Campero board of Spanish charcuterie followed by a tapas selection of red prawns, croquetas and datiles and duck or lobster and seafood paella.

Courtesy Mercado Little Spain

Take a stroll along the High Line and pause to look at the Hudson River and the magnificent New York skyline. Exit at 30th Street for José Andrés’ Spanish Diner at Mercado Little Spain, a second option for those who equate Valentine’s Day with a trip to high-spirited Spain. On the open-air patio, you’ll be treated a Valentine’s Day prix fixe dinner highlighted by the José taco with jamón Ibérico and caviar, croquetas de marisco, and grilled Ibérico pork shoulder. A Cava toast is the perfect precursor to the double-chocolate Nuestro Cardenal, a crispy meringue topped with raspberry chocolate and filled with chocolate ganache.

Courtesy Extra Virgin

West Village favorite Extra Virgin has created an aphrodisiacal Valentine’s Day menu with a dose of whimsy. The Mediterranean-inspired dinner includes hors d’oeuvres like shrimp and Jonah crab cocktail and foie gras mousse and the aptly named Love Bird, a whole roasted jerk chicken to share. As everyone knows, chocolate is de rigueur on Valentine’s Day, and you’ll have a mix of two of the best for dessert with the white and dark chocolate mousse parfait. Playing off the restaurant’s somewhat-ambiguous name, Extra Virgin is selling a limited-edition “Extra Love” red t-shirt. Buy a large so you can cozy up in bed after dinner.

Courtesy The Mark Restaurant

Just steps from Central Park, The Mark Restaurant’s green-and-white striped tent takes on a red tinge with a prix fixe Valentine’s Day menu of Jean-Georges favorites. At the tony Upper East Sider, tuna tartare with caviar is a perfect beginning to sea bass or grilled NY strip. The Linzer tart is as delicious as it is pretty – a heart-shaped sweet finish to a wonderful meal with your sweetie. You won’t need to order a bottle of wine – the sommelier will take care of the perfect pairings.

Courtesy Frevo

Chef Franco Sampogna welcomes you to the re-opening of Frevo for Valentine’s Day. Unusual and romantic, the restaurant is hidden behind an art gallery. It’s like entering Oz — you walk through a painting to find the dining room where a Valentine’s Day playlist sets the tone for Chef’s luxe multi-course dining fête. Artistically plated dishes include lobster cappuccino with Kristal caviar, celery root tagliatelle and black truffle, and quail with foie gras, All ingredients are seasonal, sustainable and locally sourced. The evening’s wine experience is brought to you by sommelier Quentin Vauleon, named Best Young Sommelier in France of 2017.

Courtesy Nice Matin

At Nice Matin, Chef Eric Starkman serves up a special three-course prix fixe menu in their heated, streetside café. The Provençale menu offers starters including lobster bisque, farro risotto and smoked salmon. Entrées appeal to all dining preferences with Filet Mignon, duet of lamb, bucatini Mentonnaise or scallops à la Marseillaise. Dessert is pure rouge decadence: Red Velvet cake with raspberry purée and dark chocolate glaze.

Pacific Delights

Courtesy Nami Nori

Temaki sensation Nami Nori invites you to its outdoor room for a special Temaki Set. The menu of high-level taco-like creations includes five of Chef’s most popular: toro kama with yuzu kosho chimichurri, grilled akamutsu, avocado with pickled goji berries, X.O. scallop with tobiko and lemon, and tuna poke with crispy shallots. A caviar layer dip makes an indulgent appetizer. Drawing on Japan’s cherry-blossom heritage, the meal is finished with a Sakura parfait, a Valentine-pink confection of cherry blossom mousse, hibiscus gêlée, elderflower panna cotta and sponge cake; and “The Cherry Bomb” cherry-red cocktail made with Crémant sparkling wine, cherry sage cordial and soju.

Courtesy 15 East @ Tocqueville

French-Japanese hybrid 15 East @ Tocqueville debuts its first Valentine’s Day menu with a spread to impress. Created by Chef Marco Moreira, the three-course prix fixe meal includes Hudson Valley foie gras custard, butter-poached Maine lobster, duo of Wagyu-beef cheeks and strip loin, and dry aged hay-smoked Magret duck breast. You can choose one of four desserts including baked Fuji apple with passion parfait. If you’d prefer to order strictly Japanese, the Chef’s Sashimi & Sushi Omakase is also available. The red “Enzo and Valentina” with Nolet’s Silver Gin, Campari, St. Germain, Cocchi Rossa, prickly pear and lemon juice is your Valentine’s Day cocktail. Adding to the romance, the inviting (and dimly lit) outdoor space is draped in a sheer pink overhang.

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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January 11 is National Hot Toddy Day – Here’s Where You Can Sample Some of the Best in New York City

Dining outdoors is fun but chilly. You need to pick your menu carefully so food stays warm. Think piping hot French onion soup, boeuf bourguignon and a bowl of spicy chili to stick to your ribs. Your drinks of choice need to stand up to the cold as well. Fortunately, winter is a time to imbibe hot toddies, a beverage famous for its abilities to ward off shivers and the flu, attend to nascent coughs and sniffles, calm a sore throat and provide an overall feeling of warmth. A hot toddy, also known as hot whiskey in Ireland, is typically made with a base of whiskey or rye (or even rum) enhanced with water, honey, herbs and spices. It’s served hot in a glass or mug that will warm your hands as well. The hot toddy is so popular, in fact, that it has its own holiday on January 11, but feel free to order these at any time. They’re just what we need to stay comfy (and healthy) outdoors during the long, dark winter ahead.

Here are six choices in New York City that will keep you toasty through these chillier months.

MANHATTAN

Upper East Side

Amali - Lovers and Liars

Amali (115 E. 60th St.) takes a traditional hot buttered toddy and gives it a Mediterranean twist with peach brandy, Rockey’s liqueur, hot orange saffron tea, honey and butter. If you’re not familiar with it, Rockey’s liqueur is a delicious blend of green apple, pineapple, green tea, black tea, and citrus inspired by classic, clarified milk punch. Pair this with the restaurant’s black cod gyro, their labneh flatbread or any of their pastas, for a mini trip to Italy and Greece. The drink is called Lovers & Liars for reasons that you’ll have to figure out after you’ve had a few.

Theater District

Haven Rooftop

Haven Rooftop above the Sanctuary Hotel (132 W. 47th Street) in Midtown has put together an inventive Hot Toddy menu with versions like Apple Cheer Hot Toddy with lemon, cinnamon syrup, black tea, apple cider and bourbon; Bailey’s Hot Toddy with black tea, agave and Bailey’s Irish Cream; and Hibiscus Hot Toddy with black tea, hibiscus syrup, lemon, agave and bourbon. The drinks pair well with Haven’s eclectic menu of small plates, pizzas and steaks. To warm you up upon arrival, Haven offers a welcoming non-alcoholic shot of hot chocolate or hot tea, a wonderful option, too, if you’re observing Dry January.

East Village

Kissaki - Tokushima Toddy

Putting a Japanese spin on a hot toddy, elevated sushi favorite Kissaki (319 Bowery) features the Tokushima Toddy with Maker’s Mark, passionfruit, yuzu, sake, apple caramel and ginger beer. While hot sake is just so mundane, adding it to a Hot Toddy makes a lot of sense. It also goes surprisingly well with cold sushi and sashimi like chef’s creative nigiri and futomaki fat rolls.

The mixologists at cocktail mecca Death & Co. (433 E. 6th St.) have also embraced the Asian spirit, adding Japanese whiskey with dashi kombu, soup stock made with dried kelp, to their toddy. While bar seating isn’t currently offered, you can order the drink via Tock or Caviar from Death & Co.’s to-go and delivery menu. If you choose to dine on your balcony or in the park, The Super Cult Toddy is guaranteed to keep you happy.

BROOKLYN

Williamsburg

Ainslie

Italian sensation Ainslie (76 Ainslie St)  has a Sip, Stir, Cuddle hot toddy from mixologist Jessica Dure, made with Vecchia Tres Botti brandy, rye whiskey, Amaro Montenegro (from Bologna), honey, lemon, baking spices and Angostura bitters.  This is just the right drink to sip in their outdoor sidewalk patio or in their expansive beer garden with its open roof. Pair it with Ainslie’s shareable saltimbocca pizza, with just the right amount of prosciutto and sage adorning the melty cheese, or the lasagna with Bolognese sauce and linguine vongole.

Ten Hope - Todd’s Hot Date

Nearby, Ten Hope Outdoor Garden (10 Hope Street) offers a hot toddy called Todd’s Hot Date made with brandy, bourbon, date molasses, lemon and clove perfect for enjoying on the open-air, vine-laced patio. The Mediterranean restaurant’s flatbread with zaatar oil is a perfect accompaniment.  Naturally, there are heaters throughout to keep you toasty on the outside, too.

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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5 Places for Outdoor Dining in Brooklyn and Manhattan

Baby, it’s cold outside. But New Yorkers are resilient, and we love to eat. Cold weather won’t keep us home. After all, restaurants are our living rooms; it’s where we socialize. Bundle up and get ready for some creative options.

As New York City restaurants scramble to figure out how to keep their outdoor business flourishing during the chilly (and potentially snowy) winter months, many have come up with creative solutions to keep diners happy and warm. From igloos to bubbles, covered tents, and enclosed-yet-open structures, restaurants are developing new spaces to allow socially distanced socializing and fun.

Given that NYC regulations are constantly changing, please be sure to contact each establishment to verify opening hours, reservation policies, health requirements, and any other variations as the months progress.

Parklife

Parklife

Parklife in the Gowanus neighborhood in Brooklyn will keep its hip crowd happy this winter with outdoor heating and two solariums. Using their 4000-square-foot outdoor yard, they have created a dining and drinking space that guarantees social distancing. Blankets can be rented, if you’re still feeling chilly, for a mere $5, and the blankets are washed, sanitized and vacuumed sealed after each use. Or bring your own. There’s also a fire pit if you prefer to sit in the great outdoors instead to enjoy Texan, Persian and Mexican-inspired dishes and warm cocktails like the new Apple Sauced and Break the Mulled. The bar/restaurant also offers one of the rare socially distanced entertainment options for you during the pandemic – they have a full event calendar with the likes of trivia and movie nights, all free.

The Greens on the Rooftop at Pier 17

The Greens on the Rooftop at Pier 17

The Greens on the Rooftop on Pier 17 will bring all the seasonal charm of Upstate New York downtown as it converts the Seaport’s “The Greens” into a village of 28  winterized rooftop cabins. The personal dining cabins, which fit up to 10 guests (the current maximum allowed in an indoor gathering in NYC), are decked out with classic winter décor and amenities including cozy and comfortable banquette seating, floor-to-ceiling views of New York City, a virtual fireplace, electric heating and a Molekule air purifier. The all-day menu from the Pier’s rooftop restaurant, R17, blends New American cuisine with a festive cocktail program by bar Dante including signature cocktails and recipes developed exclusively for The Greens. Even cooler to fight off any chill, you can order warm beverages in YETI vacuum-insulated drinkware. Reserve the cabins well in advance.

Schaller’s Stube Sausage Bar

Schaller’s Stube Sausage Bar

Chameleon and somewhat-of-a-speakeasy, the unmarked back garden area below Schaller’s Stube Sausage Bar has transformed from an Austrian wine bar to Hütte, their new Alpine ski lodge.  A cozy winter retreat in the middle of the Upper East Side, Hütte (German for small cabin or hut) is a tented, heated outdoor dining experience. There you’ll enjoy hearty stick-to-your-ribs comfort food including game meats and fondue, paired with a wonderful Austrian wine list.  Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket, just to be sure. A piping hot Glühwein will add extra warmth. If you can’t fly to Austria this season, this just might be the next best thing.

Vicolina

Vicolina

Transporting you to Italy, new Carnegie Hill Vicolina has created an Italian garden in an enclosed box. Draped with flowers and grapes and reminiscent of a vineyard, the box is inviting and elegant. The interior is heated and decked out with chandeliers and white tablecloths. White-glove service is the norm. The evening is luxe and perfect for enjoying the restaurant’s extensive menu and wine list.  Be forewarned, portions are huge. The delicious chicken parmigiana is easily shared by two. If you happen to be there on the right night, a strolling musician will make you feel like you’ve just entered a private club or perhaps Trastevere in Rome.

The Mark by Jean-Georges

The Mark by Jean-Georges

For those in the know, the tony Mark by Jean-Georges at the Mark Hotel has been offering outdoor dining from the full menu along with a popular high-end hot dog stand. And, now, for the chillier months, the Mark’s green and white tents have been winterized to keep guests toasty. You can choose from an all-day menu with the likes of sushi, sashimi and black truffle pizza or from Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s elevated selections like slow-cooked salmon in a fermented black bean vinaigrette and the signature salted caramel sundae, a droolworthy confection that includes popcorn and peanuts. Wear your fur-trimmed Moncler or a real or faux fur for this chic experience.

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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Enjoy the Last Weeks of Patio Dining and Drinks in Brooklyn and Manhattan

Now that Hurricane Florence has finally passed and glorious weather is upon us, it’s time to dine outdoors again while the temperatures are still lovely. Here are some wonderful restaurants and bars with patios perfect for people-watching and soaking up the rays in these last few months before fall hits.

Brooklyn

Pig Beach, 480 Union St. Gowanus; www.pigbeachnyc.com

Pig Beach is the critically acclaimed outdoor barbecue restaurant located in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn from Chef Matt Abdoo (Del Posto) and award-winning barbecue teams, Salty Rinse and Ribdiculous Bar-B-Krewe. The all-star team here brings an eclectic barbecue-focused menu to the Gowanus waterfront showcasing barbecue varieties from around the United States. If you’re chilly, there’s also a large indoor space, now open year-round. Come here, first, for a canoe trip on the Gowanus – it’s an experience you’re unlikely to forget.

Gran Electrica, 5 Front St. DUMBO; http://granelectrica.com

Another Brooklyn favorite, Gran Electrica is the Bib Gourmand Mexican restaurant located underneath the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO. Gran Electric offers an authentic and market-driven Mexican menu inspired by traditional Mexican street fare. From hand-pressed heirloom corn tortillas made daily stuffed with lengua, cilantro, onion and radish, to day boat scallops marinated in aguachile, the cooking shows diversity of the many regions of Mexico. The beverage program incorporates Mexican flavors with seasonal ingredients and also features an expansive agave list with more than 50 types of tequila, mezcal, racilla and sotol. The large outdoor area has a breathtaking view of the Brooklyn Bridge. To get here, rent a Citi Bike from Chinatown and bike over the Manhattan Bridge.

Sauvage, 905 Lorimer St, Greenpoint; www.sauvageny.com

Sauvage, meaning wild in French, is a neighborhood restaurant in Greenpoint, founded by the team behind James Beard Award-winning oyster bar and cocktail den Maison Premiere. The decor, cocktails, and wine all add to the restaurant’s distinct dining experience, creating an outdoor “natural” environment with a lush profusion of planted herbs and botanicals filling the restaurant. Facing nearby McCarren Park, the sun-filled restaurant has a lovely outdoor seating

Manhattan

The Smith Restaurant & Bar, Lincoln Square, Upper West Side; https://thesmithrestaurant.com

The Smith offers a wonderful choice for patio dining after an evening at any of the ballet, music and theater venues at Lincoln Center or Jazz at Lincoln Center on Columbus Circle. Under the direction of Executive Chef Brian Ellis, The Smith’s menu features bistro classics and seasonal fare from local farmers and purveyors. The restaurant has a popular craft cocktail program with house-made ingredients featured and an extensive wine selection which includes more than 20 wines by the glass or carafe.

Bowery Road & Library of Distilled Spirits, Union Square;

www.boweryroad.com; www.libraryofdistilledspirits.com

Taking its inspiration as well as ingredients from the nearby Union Square Greenmarket, Bowery Road is an all-day restaurant serving market-driven fare from Chef Ron Rosselli.  Some of the seasonal appetizers include pinto bean hummus with mole spice, seeds and flatbread; roasted carrots with pine nut cream and garlic-honey vinaigrette; marinated beet salad with avocado cream, pomelo, hearts of palm, and almond dukkah. Main courses mix vegetarian with meat-centric choices such as the Union Square Market grain bowl with farro, quinoa, lentils, avocado, broccoli, mushrooms, and sunflower; or Niman pork adobo with mango, radish, onion and corn crepes.

Together with adjacent craft-cocktail destination Library of Distilled Spirits, where more than 1200 different spirits are offered, Bowery Road gives a Manhattan sidewalk-patio dining experience that’s unusual in its spaciousness. Happy hour is popular here as a stop en route to the nearby subway hub, serving up a menu of well-priced cocktails, wines , beer and a shareable bucket and beer filled with fried chicken, two draught beers and snacks.

Vinatería, 2211 Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem; www.vinaterianyc.com

At this beloved Harlem neighborhood restaurant, market-driven and vibrant dishes celebrate the rich culinary traditions of Italy and Spain. Cult favorites like spicy veal meatballs with creamy parmigiano polenta, or fresh rosemary pappardelle with lamb ragu attract a clientele of both locals and visitors. Vinateria’s expansive wine list is chosen from small producers and is full of surprising yet accessible finds, while the artisan cocktail program uses house-made tinctures, seasonal produce and fresh-grown herbs from the restaurant’s own garden. A large outside patio wraps around the restaurant (a corner building), seating 40.

Tavern on the Green, Outdoor Courtyard, Upper West Side; www.tavernonthegreen.com

Tavern on the Green’s outdoor courtyard is the perfect Central Park location for brunch, lunch, and dinner under the soft glow of string lights. Seasonal dishes from Chef Bill Peet include seared yellowfin tuna nicoise salad, miso marinated glazed marrow bone, wild mushroom toast on brioche, and smoked salmon tartine, with trout caviar. The bar at the top of the courtyard offers a separate setting for beer, wine, and cocktails such as white peach sangria, and the refreshing Hot as a Cucumber craft cocktail made with vodka, jalapeño, fennel, and cucumber. Enjoy a wonderful walk in the park to get here – the restaurant is located off Central Park West at West 67th Street or via the interior roadway encircling the park.

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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