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  1. Rockaway Taco

     

     

  2. Photograph: Cinzia Reale-Castello
    Photograph: Cinzia Reale-Castello

    Brooklyn Kitchen

     

     

  3. Photograph: Lizz Kuehl
    Photograph: Lizz Kuehl

    Booker and Dax at Ssäm

  4. Photograph: Jolie Ruben
    Photograph: Jolie Ruben

    Smorgasburg

     

     

  5. Photograph: Paul Wagtouicz
    Photograph: Paul Wagtouicz

    Jones Wood Foundry

     

     

Summer dates in New York: Food-and-drink dates at NYC bars and restaurants

Charm a gourmand by getting dinner or drinks at NYC hot spots on these summer dates.

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If you’re going to woo a food-obsessed partner, go beyond the standard dinner and a movie this season. Check out five food-and-drink-focused summer dates at New York bars and restaurants.
Chow down at Rockaway Beach Club
  • Attractions
  • Beaches
  • Rockaways

You’ll find all the makings of a seaside picnic within a stone’s throw of the water, thanks to this concession stand, which includes goods from returning vendors like Motorboat & the Big Banana and Santa Salsa. Keep an eye out for new-to-the-beach outposts of NYC eateries such as Steve’s Ice Cream, the Commodore and the Lobster Joint. And before hopping back on the A train, fill up on chorizo tacos ($3–$4) and watermelon juice ($2) at the ever-popular Rockaway Taco (95-19 Rockaway Beach Blvd at Beach 96th St). Rockaway Beach Boardwalk between Beach 86th and 106th Sts, Rockaway, Queens (rockawaybeachclub.com)

  • Things to do
  • Classes and workshops
  • Williamsburg
  • price 2 of 4

Learn how to make a great meal together during sessions taught by the experts at this Williamsburg culinary haven. Roll out dough at a pizza-making class (Sun 27 at 2pm; $75) or cozy up during a special Couples Dinner (June 8 at 6:30pm; $165 per couple). Just remember to make notes—instead of  googly eyes at your partner—so you can put your newfound skills to use at a later date. (718-389-2982, thebrooklynkitchen.com)

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Sip creative cocktails in the East Village
Photograph: Lizz Kuehl

Sip creative cocktails in the East Village

A dusky bar and strong spirits are tried-and-true allies on any date, and you’ll find both at the East Village’s new crop of drinkeries. Start at Booker and Dax at Ssäm (207 Second Ave at 13th St; 212-254-3500, momofuku.com)—a sleek, bustling bar annex to the Momofuku eatery—with a Mustachi-ode (amaro, Becherovka, bourbon, egg white, pistachio; $14). Gadgets like an electric red-hot poker make drink preparations look like magic acts—albeit with a purpose. Afterward, head to the Wayland (700 E 9th St at Ave C; 212-777-7022, thewaylandnyc.com), a rustic, welcoming space serving cocktails such as the Bermuda Black ($12), a dark-and-stormy–esque quaff with the hoppy addition of black IPA. (The bar also features an upright piano, should the urge to serenade your sweetie arise.)

  • Shopping
  • Markets and fairs
  • Williamsburg
  • price 2 of 4

Instead of settling for a Whitman’s Sampler, woo a potential lover with locally made, inexpensive (most items are under $10) goodies found at this waterfront bazaar. On a typical visit, you may be able to try sour-cherry shaved ice from People’s Pops, Danny Macaroons’ chewy coconut cookies, stroopwafel ice-cream sandwiches from the Good Batch and Whimsy & Spice’s cardamom marshmallows. Wash it all down with a refreshing rhubarb-anise quencher from Brooklyn Soda Works. (brooklynflea.com/smorgasburg)

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Cross the park on an uptown bar crawl
Photograph: Paul Wagtouicz

Cross the park on an uptown bar crawl

Begin a sampler of upscale pub grub at Jones Wood Foundry (401 E 76th St at First Ave; 212-249-2700, joneswoodfoundry.com), where you can fuel up with a bottle of house signature beer London Pride ($8) while sharing a selection of toasts with toppings like pear and blue cheese ($7) or smoked mackerel ($9). Then, head to Earl’s Beer & Cheese (1259 Park Ave between 97th and 98th Sts; 212-289-1581, earlsny.com) for a second course of pork belly and kimchi-stuffed grilled cheese ($8), and a can of Sly Fox Pikeland Pils ($5). Stroll through Central Park to work up an appetite before settling in at Jacob’s Pickles (509 Amsterdam Ave between 84th and 85th Sts; 212-470-5566, jacobspickles.com), and reward yourselves with an assortment of brined veggies (three for $10) and Southern-inflected fare.

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  • Sex and dating

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100 pickup spots: New Yorkers tell us where they go to find a date
  • Sex and dating

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The dater’s handbook: Dating tips to help you prevent a bad date
  • Sex and dating

Here are dating tips that you need to know to help you survive a horrific date—and tips to protect yourself before one even happens. We’ve all been on terrible dates—and they suck. But with our dater’s handbook, you just might be able to prevent a bad date from happening. Our dating tips include apps to download that can help boost conversation, and services that send robocalls to get you out of a bad date. Plus, find out how to graciously decline another outing. Before Set up a Google Voice numberYes, you should definitely keep an open mind when you’re looking for the right person, but it’s equally important to protect yourself from under-the-radar stalker types. If you’d prefer not to receive random 2am texts, mask your cell number by registering for a free Google Voice account (google.com/voice). After linking it to your legit number, you can have the system forward both calls and texts, which you can respond to without giving away your real digits. (But if things go well, be sure to come clean as soon as possible.) Memorize your local Rejection Hotline numberThese days, striking up a conversation with an attractive stranger in a bar or other public locale sounds more like a meet-cute than real life. More often than we’d like, that good-looking someone is actually an overzealous, liquored-up weirdo. Should things get desperate, save yourself by doling out the number of the Rejection Hotline’s New York branch (212-660-2245). When the soon-to-be rebuffed party calls, th

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