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[title]End of the Century Bar Partners Ian Present, Sofia Present and Valentin Gonzalez make quite the murderers’ row of bartenders—between them, they’ve tended some of the most notable bars in Manhattan (Pegu Club, PKNY) and Brooklyn (Maison Premiere). But when searching for a home for their own drinking den—a tiki bar–cum–cocktail club, designed to feel like a living room—the trio decided to push beyond those well-trodden boroughs for, of all places, Queens. “Queens hasn’t seen the same cocktail movement yet,” Ian Present says. “But we’d like to help change that.” The team is going heavy on the classics at their Forest Hills haunt, but with a personalized touch: tequila bucks stirred with house-made ginger ale, a Tom Collins hit with grapefruit and bitters, and Moscow mules served with metal straws. Scorpion bowls also make the docket, like an aged rum-absinthe-lime concoction called the Rum-Vroom Punch. Inspired by the trio’s own homes, the walls are dotted with Indonesian masks, maracas from Cuba, vintage Russian cameras and linens from Japan. “Forest Hills feels both local and international—it’s one of the most diverse areas of the city,” Present says. “We want to be a microcosm of that.” 104-08 Metropolitan Ave between 71st Dr and 72nd Ave, Forest Hills, Queens (718-544-1624)
LYFE Kitchen For the first East Coast location of their fresh-casual chain, Art Smith and Jeremy Bringardner target the Paleo-diet-obsessed with dishes like unfried chicken with roasted brussels sprouts and quinoa-buttermilk pancakes with Greek yogurt and fresh berries. 248 W 55th St between Broadway and Eighth Ave (212-265-5933, lyfekitchen.com)
Miracle on 9th Street This spirited pop-up, bedecked with garlands and tinsel, doles out festive cocktails like the Grinch (rum, coconut butter) and the Three Wise Men (Calvados, frankincense). 649 E 9th St between Aves B and C (212-673-1190)
Num Pang Sandwich Shop Ratha Chaupoly and Ben Daitz reopen their Asian-inspired Union Square sub shop with sandwiches like peppercorn catfish and five-spice glazed pork belly on house-recipe bread. 28 E 12th St at University Pl (646-791-0439, numpangnyc.com)
Underwest Donuts New York has eateries hidden in its deepest nooks and most unexpected crannies, from speakeasies above burger joints to coffeeshops carved into office basements. Joining the ranks of these cloak-and-dagger dens is this pocket-sized doughnut dive from Chanterelle vet Scott Levine wedged inside a car wash. The old-fashioned cake-style dunkers are pulled from an automatic Donut Robot, which fries and cools the rings behind a glass wall as cars are scrubbed and buffed. Choose from sugared, glazed and plain pastries in flavors like cocoa-raspberry, lime-coconut and a shredded-halvah number. The tiny, subway-tiled space hits Levine’s nostalgic Americana mark, with six seats at the counter and a retro marquee menu displaying daily offerings. 638 W 47th St at Twelfth Ave (212-317-2359, underwestdonuts.com)
VU46 Enjoy soaring views of the skyline at this glass-enclosed rooftop bar, offering classic quaffs like the cachaça-lime caipirinha and the old-fashioned–inspired Vu Fashion (rye, ginger ale). 59 W 46th St between Fifth and Sixth Aves (212-382-3045, vu46.com)