Emma Orlow

Checking out the many delights of rising-star borough Queens is thirsty work, you know. Whether you've been soaking up the delights of the Museum of the Moving Image, working on your suntan at Rockaway beach, or working up an appetite at one of the best Queens restaurants, you'd be well advised to order a tall glass of your favorite cocktail at one of these choice spots. Choose from tried 'n' trusted neighborhood faves like Donovan's and hip new spots like Sundown Bar. We'll take ours with a maraschino cherry, please. RECOMMENDED: best bars in NYC

The best Upper West Side restaurants in NYC are a diverse bunch. The uptown neighborhood boasts a motley crew of some of the city’s priciest French restaurants, best New York delis and modern Chinese restaurants. Whether you want a fancy tasting menu or one of the best bagels in NYC, the UWS has a spot for you. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best restaurants in NYC

If you're like us and you've found yourself spending quite a lot of time inside these days, you might have wine on the brain. And whether you're looking to stock up on a glass you tried at one of the best wine bars in NYC, or one that you keep seeing all over your Instagram, we've got you covered. Some of the coolest wine shops deliver straight to your door—and with options at every price point, no less. What's better than getting uncorked and watching latest videos streaming on Netflix. Now that's a Friday night! Recommended: the best flower delivery options in NYC

The dive bars are still there, sure, but the best East Village bars have expanded to include acclaimed cocktail dens, on-tap wine bars and relaxed beer halls and beer gardens. Whether you’re craving a beer-and-shot combo or a composed cocktail, these are the neighborhood’s best drinking spots to try right now. Note: Make sure to call ahead or check to see if the bar is open before going, given the citywide shutdown. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best bars in NYC

With everything that's happening in the world right now: the pandemic, historic levels of unemployment and emergency protests calling to end police brutality against the Black community, some may find it to be a weird time for celebrating America. But one thing is clear: those who will be participating in 4th of July festivities this year will largely be doing so outside more than in year's past (and certainly with less of an all-out party vibe due to current citywide health guidelines). While many Independence Day plans revolve around a backyard grill loaded with burgers and hot dogs, sometimes it’s nice to turn over the cooking duties to a professional, particularly this year, if you're looking support small businesses near you. This fourth, visit one of these restaurants with specials and feast on some of the best tacos or best lobster rolls in NYC—without having to lift a finger. Get some of the items to-go and bring 'em to the beach or park for a social-distanced summer picnic.   RECOMMENDED: Full coverage of the 4th of July in NYC

There are few pleasures greater than New York pizza—except, that is, the ease and convenience of New York pizza delivery. Available by mobile app, desktop ordering or one of the city’s growing number of delivery services, you can get piping-hot za from these delivery restaurants at the push of a literal button. Here is the best pizza delivery in New York City.

Spring is just around the corner, which means it's time to check out contenders for best New York restaurants. Get out of your winter rut. We promise, it’ll be worth it when you're checking out these new restaurants—including one focused on Burmese food, a cuisine not often seen across the city. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best restaurants in NYC

Need a liquid cool-down after a day spent strolling Madison Square Park? Look no further—the best Flatiron bars aren’t just great neighborhood spot, they’re some of the best bars in NYC, from beer dives to cocktail beauts to bars with games. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Flatiron NYC

Welcome to Food Envy, where we’ll highlight different dishes from Time Out Market New York that we think you’re going to love—partly because we do. This week, Jacob's Pickles’s mushroom gravy fried chicken sandwich steals our hearts (and stomachs). New York has no shortage of standout fried chicken. At Bobwhite Counter in the East Village, the fried chicken is pressure-fried and has an unfussy, old-school charm. David Chang makes an unforgettable sandwich at his fried chicken-focused Fuku. Then there's the halal thigh meat at Adda in Long Island City, and those beloved wings at Charles’ Country Pan-Fried Chicken in Harlem (both Adda and Charles’ appear on our list of best restaurants in NYC).  Upper West Side’s Jacob’s Pickles—a restaurant that provides a much needed cool factor to a neighborhood whose food scene remains somewhat still dormant—offers its own competitive fried chicken at Time Out Market New York.  The Jacob’s Pickles market stall offers several fried chicken options, served as sandwiches between pillowy biscuits. As of late, we’ve tried their version with mushroom gravy ($13).  The behemoth portion comes smothered with a creamy sauce that is decadent but less traditional with a lighter color than one might see with other versions. You will need a friend to help finish this.

Those looking for hassle-free dining during the most wonderful time of the year can book reservations at one of the best restaurants open on Christmas Day. NYC has plenty of traditions to cross off your holiday to-do list—including visiting the Rockefeller Christmas tree, going broke on bespoke gifts at holiday markets or gathering around the table for a home-cooked meal. And yes, you can really find that last one at these places! From boisterous Indian restaurants to Italian favorites, here are the best NYC restaurants open for Christmas dinner. RECOMMENDED: See the full guide to Christmas in New York

Welcome to Food Envy, where we’ll highlight different dishes from Time Out Market New York that we think you’re going to love—partly because we do. This week, Alta Calidad’s mushroom roti steals our hearts (and stomachs). RECOMMENDED: Guide to Time Out Market New York  The mesmerizing whirling dervish of the white sauce drizzled in a spiral on chef Akhtar Nawab’s roti—a dish designed his stand at our Dumbo market—is reason enough to make the dish memorable.   The flatbread is one of the most clear representations of Nawab’s cooking style at the intersection of Mexican and Indian flavors, a combination emphasized at his Prospect Heights stellar restaurant, Alta Calidad.   The flatbread is 12-inches, a huge portion, which you’ll need at least another person to help you finish. It's priced at $16. On top of the circular carb base are black beans, poblano, salsa, onions and cilantro as well as a surplus of saucily-cooked mushrooms. The dish is one of the more filling ones at the Time Out Market, that still feels, dare say, healthy?  Either way, it's one that we keep coming back to again and again. 

Welcome to Food Envy, where we’ll highlight different dishes from Time Out Market New York that we think you’re going to love—partly because we do. This week, the crab curry at Fish Cheeks steals our hearts (and stomachs). RECOMMENDED: Guide to Time Out Market New York  Fish Cheeks—the Bond Street Thai restaurant with primary color chairs and lamps that look like woven fish scales—is by far one of New York’s better seafood restaurants. Joining the Time Out Market’s New York location opening, they’ve pared down their menu, but whittled it down to a handful of excellent dishes like its version of dressed oysters and fried chicken wings with chili, lime and mint. But Fish Cheeks’ crab curry is what I keep coming back to.  I deeply believe it is the biggest sleeper hit of the market, and I do not say that lightly. As a plated dish, it is honestly not that aesthetically pleasing, but it is a must-try.  Served in a shallow and wide-rimmed bowl, unctuous and expertly-cooked crab gets placed in a well-spiced bath of coconut milk curry, the color of a deep tan. The result is a spicy-yet-silky dish that is close to perfect. It's so rich that I’d like to dip into it at the spa or lather it over myself like sunscreen.

Real New Yorkers often avoid museum cafés for fear of price-gouging and all those tourists. Having spent years as a chef to artists and top galleries before publishing Cooking for Artists (2015), Mina Stone is uniquely positioned to make MoMA PS1’s dining option just as much a destination as the museum’s current exhibitions.Pistachio walls with fuschia lighting makes Mina’s feel like one of the galleries. Wearing a restaurant’s merch has become a flex, and Mina’s takes that a step further, selling its own brand of Páros olive oil in bottles designed by the artist Urs Fischer.Sesame seeds splattered the table like confetti when we broke the bread that came with our selection of small plates (choice of four, $22): whipped feta; a briney fava dip with capers; meaty olives with cracked coriander; and quick-pickled carrots. If you don’t already know Stone’s cooking, the menu is a pleasant intro to her Greek-ish recipes.On recent visits, the peinirli ($12), essentially a cheese boat topped with an egg, was overcooked and needed more yolkiness, but it was still comforting. A nod to Stone’s Jewish and Greek heritage, the challah French toast ($14) is filled with perfect savory notes from goopy tahini and tart Greek yogurt, topped with seasonal fruit compote (there’s also a babka version). But our favorite was the breakfast mezze ($18): With tangy beet tzatziki (easily the brightest color that appears in the room), chewy fried halloumi and jammy eggs, it’s a rare trifecta of ingredien

The menu at Tamra Teahouse is initially hard to pin down to any particular cuisine: Chef-owner Yunha Moh is a first-generation immigrant by way of South Korea, and inspiration from his heritage appears throughout the menu. Meanwhile, there are also nods to the Caribbean food that’s endemic to Crown Heights, Latin cooking and Pan-Asian ingredients. In the wrong hands, the fusion could get muddled, but here it is both creative and ambitious.You might be sick of menus that feature avocado toast, but Tamra’s take ($10)—served on tostones instead of bread—reinvents the recipe with help from a sweet pineapple dressing and sesame seeds. However, you can pass on the carrot salad ($9) with chadon beni (a Trinidadian herb similar to cilantro), Thai basil and pumpkin seeds, as its resulting flavors are too similar to the superior avocado dish. Curry is common in many cultures, and  the version ($11) here is a hit, with butternut squash, corn and potatoes served with jasmine rice, chadon beni and daikon pickles. We’ve come back multiple times for this plentiful helping of balanced sweetness, finished off with a zig-zag  of magenta sauce. The curry with oxtails ($16) braised in coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger and shrimp paste—in the style of Filipino kare kare—is silky and tender, though it could’ve used a crunchy element. By far the best dish is the atypical pho ($13), which arrives as a glistening spicy-sour soup, a combination of chicken, lime and jalapeño that feels filling and deepl

The couple Jimmy and Sonia Arouche, who were homesick for Paris, have opened a fast casual rotisserie chicken spot focused on traditional Gallic recipes. Each roasted bird can be accompanied by homemade fries, haricot verts and ratatouille.

AFTER REBRANDING FROM Dig Inn to just Dig, the fast-casual brand is one-upping its salad competitors with its first-ever upscale restaurant. Yet upon entering, you’d never suspect its corporate origins: Helmed by chef Suzanne Cupps (formerly of the Whitney’s Untitled café), it has a far more soothing feel than the lunch-hour rush at Dig.   Many of the vegetables are sourced from the same farms as ingredients found at the salad spot, only at a higher price point.    The best offering is charred cauliflower ($17) with Concord grape jam and sunflower butter: The concept initially seems like a kid’s wacky concoction but reveals itself to be an inspired homage to PB&J. Such fare is precisely where Cupps demonstrates her prowess for cooking in a monastic style that has a touch of the unexpected.    We also appreciated the hunks of marinated beets ($14) beside funky, unctuous black lentils topped with fried shallots. The carrots ($17) are another colorful, shareable plate: Grilled on an open-fire hearth and served with a sweet hot-honey ricotta, the root vegetable stands on its own.    It’s unsurprising that the menu’s least appealing item is the porchetta ($26), an entrée that needed more acidity from the pickled fennel to balance out the overpowering (and almost nauseating) fattiness.    By contrast, the kitchen excels at feeding our city’s revived lasagna kick. Cupps’s homey version ($29) abstains from red sauce; instead, the recipe is composed of tiers of luxurious Jasper Hill F

Most New Yorkers only know the basics of Venezuelan cuisine: arepas. Few restaurants in the city offer the South American nation’s lesser-known dishes, let alone incorporate them into fine dining. Casa Ora is intent on changing that. A lived-in feeling pervades the space (its name translates to “home”), thanks to hanging pothos plants, velvet couches, framed maps of the country and photographs documenting Venzuelan street life. It’s a full house: Ivo Diaz (a NoMad alum) and his partner, pastry chef Rachel Diaz Pirard, opened the space with his mother, Isbelis, whose home-style Venezuelan cooking has been transformed. The menu's development was also informed by Chef Luis Herrera (previously Sous Chef at Cosme and Alto, a “World’s 50 Best- Latin America” restaurant in Venezuela). We began our meal with tequeños ($10), or Latin-style cheese sticks, crispy shells that ooze queso blanco instead of mozzarella. We loved dipping them into the tartar and guasacaca sauces—a step up from simple marinara. After that delicious start, a few of Casa Ora’s dishes got bogged down in too-similar flavor profiles, making it redundant to share plates, even if they were individually pleasant. For example, the hallaca ($12), pork tamal with chickpeas, could’ve used more olives for some extra dimension. The bollitos pelones ($14), which are corn dumplings stuffed with ground beef in a tomato sauce, lacked a strong taste of its component ingredients. But some plates do stand out, such as the pabe

For almost a decade, Eric Finkelstein and Matt Ross’s beloved sandwich shop Court Street Grocers has maintained its scrappy, art-school ethos (signs in bubble lettering and playful menu names like “Uncle Chucky”), even after opening multiple locations. Now, they’ve evolved with a first-ever, full-service restaurant that’s shockingly not about deli meat stuffed in bread, save for muffuletta. Their knack for reviving quirky regional specialities (as they did with the kaiser onion rolls and celery soda at Court Street) can be seen in the hush puppies ($6). They were a bit dry, though the honey butter made them better. We preferred the thinly sliced, salt-baked celery root over faro ($15), which had a tart punch of vinegar.Brooklynites may flinch at the idea of Cincinnati chili, which is dumped atop spaghetti and often comes with oyster crackers. Chef Walker Stern’s adaptation ($22) is elevated with handmade noodles and duck bolognese but stays true to the Ohioan delicacy’s origins with raw onion and ajwain, here, an approximation of the original’s near-mythic spice blend. Overall, it felt like the kitchen was afraid to use the heavy-handed seasoning this dish needs for more dimension. Beans do not often get their proper due, but at HiHi, they pull their weight in the menu’s two best offerings: Steen’s cane-syrup–glazed chicken ($26) with baked-style butter beans and the perfectly crispy trout ($32), which comes with a cascade of Sea Island red peas, replicating pebbles in a stre

We first encountered chef Daniel Bagnall a few months back at Short Stories, a clubby restaurant on the Bowery that initially seems easy to write off as basic due to its millennial-pink interior and influencer-heavy clientele. But the food—we tasted a pasta with ramp pesto and pickled strawberries—was memorable. Bagnall left for Public Records, where he’s whipping up more impressive, plant-based offerings.More than a restaurant, Public  Records is also a music venue, a bar and a zine shop stocked with printed matter on niche topics, like the aesthetics of football culture, next to lingonberry gummy candies. No matter what mood you’re in, the spot has something to offer: a morning cortado, an energetic yet mature group hangout where you can feel like you’ve “gone out” but still make it to bed by 10pm, and food that’s flexible to dietary restrictions. Located on an industrial block, it feels like a secret passageway into one of the  laid-back restaurants that are currently hot in Mexico City, with a touch of  hypnotic, austere Berlin nightlife. Grand ceilings,  skylights and a spacious gravel patio feel like a blessing in a city known for cramped quarters. And the entirely vegan menu is a nod to the building’s history as a former ASPCA. Dishes are ambitious and surprising (and not just because the dim lights don’t do justice to the Technicolor ingredients). The outstanding but vaguely named Fermented Bok Choy ($13) was a thick-cut sourdough toast topped with  kimchi–bok choy an

This Brooklyn wine bar comes from the Gran Eléctrica and Colonie team. Expect small plates with an Italian influence, such as sunchokes with labne and lemon confit. You’ll want to lounge here while sipping on the low-intervention wines and custom amaro.

Since its first location opened on Atlantic Avenue in 1948, Sahadi’s has become a New York institution. Expanded for the first time in 70 years, the Middle Eastern grocer opened a café at Industry City this August. The aisles are filled with the same high-quality, carefully sourced spices and dried fruits for which the store is known, but now the same team also offers a limited menu of bites and wines.The best is the chewy halloumi sandwich ($11), which showcases the vastly underrated cheese, followed by the bright, well-balanced curried chickpea ($9). Both are prepared on a saj, a dome-shaped griddle that’s used to create laffa flatbread—distinctly thinner than a pita and, when rolled up, perfect for takeaway.Next, we opted for the Moroccan-style hummus ($8), with preserved lemon and ras el hanout, which is made even heartier by a topping of chickpeas that are so perfectly crispy, they shatter into a powder when consumed. Meanwhile, the baba ghanoush ($8) contains smoked paprika and jewel-like pomegranate seeds, the latter of which provides a pleasant crunch. Less of a bargain is the falafel ($8), a small portion with only three of the fried orbs surrounded by crudité.Not only is it difficult to locate, but this Sahadi’s also has odd hours: On most weekdays, the restaurant closes at 7pm, and the sandwiches are only available at lunchtime, so we had to take a trip back to try them. Ultimately, we’d only visit the café again if we were already in the area.Sahadi’s has a few ki

Snip, snip. The bartender’s scissors cut a velveteen rice flower for a cocktail garnish. Just a few short blocks from the Flower District, Il Fiorista serves blossom-accented plates in its restaurant and bouquets in its attached shop, for a memorable meal where the floral theme never feels overdone.Blooms aren’t just used to dress drinks but also act as main ingredients. Artichoke hearts ($18) appear in a tangy Italian appetizer: Sure, it doesn’t take many risks, but the edible buds, preserved lemon, flageolet beans, speck and smoked olive oil are incredibly pleasing. The corn tart ($16) with deconstructed buckwheat pastry shards looks nothing like its name. But no matter: The husk cherries are so sweet, and the corn pudding so rich and magnolia-yellow, that we’d eat it by the spoonful just as if it were ice cream. (Plus, when the waiter reminded us that corn is also a flowering plant, we got a little botany lesson.)The star entrée is the duck cappellacci ($29), in which discs of yellow beets are cloaked in Swiss chard that resembles a thicket of trees. The root vegetables here are as essential as the poultry confit that’s tucked inside the folded pasta. It’s exactly the kind of satisfying grub we’re always searching for.The heritage chicken ($36) is cooked just right, and its crunchy roasted broccolini (another flowering plant), wiggly foraged mushrooms and mustard-seed glaze are soul-warming. Frankly, there’s nothing on chef Garrison Price’s menu that we’d hesitate to try.I

Joining a growing number of restaurants whose chefs left behind their high-end pedigrees in favor of more fun, laid-back takes on comfort food—MeMe’s Diner and, arriving later this year, Soho Diner and Thai Diner—Sam Yoo has pivoted from Momofuku Ko and Torrisi to debut a greasy spoon of his very own. Unlike the real thing, Yoo’s version opens at 10am, too late for prework meetings, though its hours go till 11pm. While the new Two Bridges restaurant is decked out in the leather-covered swivel stools, doily-like curtains and stained-glass lamps of yesteryear, the menu offers all-day eggs, pancakes and other nostalgic classics that are updated with global accents, alongside more plant-based options than is typical of these retrofitted spots.Consider Yoo’s mushroom Reuben quesadilla ($14)—a gooey delight. The oily pressed tortilla’s flavor doesn’t stand out at first, but when it’s dipped in the pink Russian dressing, the oozing dish feels like a contender for the world’s best drunk food.The wontonini ($13) has pork dumplings in brodo, garnished with a cascade of shredded Parmesan and elegant mushroom slices, plus a dusting of nutmeg. It all feels just as soul-nourishing as minestrone or Yankee bean soup—we’d be lucky to have Yoo bring it to us the next time we come down with the flu. Diners aren’t exactly known for great pasta, either, but the sumptuous, curlicue-edged Taiwanese noodles ($18)—so striking they could be a dress strap in the next Gucci collection—will make you reco

While the term vegan was only coined in 1944, Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Rastas have long maintained a meat-free diet. Now, many New Yorkers are coming around to the plant-based lifestyle, and restaurateur Ravi Derossi is leading the way. Since 2016, he has been revamping his existing restaurants and new concepts to be vegan. Night Music (in his former Fire + Water space) is focused on Indian cuisine, which already has a plethora of vegetable-forward dishes that Derossi can pull from his childhood.A yellow lentil dip ($7)  topped with sunflower seeds is complicated by the fermented notes of pickled mango and roasted pineapple purée—and it’s so good, we would buy it prepackaged at the supermarket. It’s best when combined with the house-made aloo paratha ($8), or stuffed potato bread.The maitake buns ($5 each) are sure to be a crowd-pleaser: The hearty mushroom is fried and covered in (way too much?) vindaloo aioli. While delicious, the maitake gets drowned out in such rich elements.For the saag ($19), brussels sprouts are employed in two ways—roasted and in a mixture of vegan cream cheese, vegan butter, ginger, garlic, serrano chile, onion and turmeric—but the result is much less creamy than the classic spinach recipe. An eggplant dish that’s usually served mashed, the bhartha ($18) here is roasted and sits in a spicy tomato chutney and eggplant purée—oddly, this rendition tasted Italian. Both of these misguided entrées are pricier than the environment warrants. Derossi is k

New York City’s tattoo shops are not considered to be essential businesses, which means that all parlors are currently closed. And while they may be some of the last to be granted the green light to reopen again, many tattoo artists and studios are already thinking about the best ways to operate in a safe manner. Almost a dozen tattooers all told Time Out New York that studios that formerly encouraged walk-ins would be moving to an appointment-only policy—at least until there's a vaccine. Perhaps that means an end to the drunken tattoo mistakes some customers make on a whim? Josh Agnew of Electric Anvil Tattoo in Crown Heights says that walk-ins accounted for “a huge part of his business.” His tattoo shop has a “you get what you get machine”—essentially a randomized gumball machine filled with different tattoo designs that customers get without knowing in advance. For now, he thinks that feature used by many of his walk-ins (many of which are tourists) will be a thing of that past.  Licensed tattoo artists, not unlike restaurant workers, are held to high health standards that they already follow and they especially know how to deal with blood-borne pathogens. “Funny enough, besides medical workers, we were probably the most prepared industry for something like this. We are experts in cross contamination and have been wearing gloves and face masks for years!” shares Matty "No Times" Marcus of Three Kings Tattoo. But now, with concern about airborne-contact, people like Todd “W

New York’s most-perfectly ripe avocados are only available via DMs. On a normal day in New York, it’d be incredibly hard to find avocados that you wouldn’t have to let ripen for a few days before using to make avocado margaritas, guacamole or a perfectly Instagrammable avocado toast. But in the midst of a pandemic? Nearly impossible. That is, unless you’ve discovered the work of New York’s avocado angel, Miguel Gonzalez.  Gonzalez supplies avocados to some of the city's best restaurants, including Michelin-starred spots like Cosme, Casa Enrique, The Modern and Daniel (when they were open) as well as neighborhood favorites like Williamsburg’s Peruvian Llama Inn and Greenpoint’s Madre restaurant. According to Eater, as of 2018, he supplied the in-demand fruits to 120 of the city’s top restaurants. These days, he’s operating under the social media moniker @davocadoguy, and it’s there that you can slide into his DMs to request an order. (You can also text him at +1(347)-703-7181.) Orders placed today will be delivered to tomorrow.  Gonzalez’s avocados (and limes, don’t forget the limes!) come from his native Michoacán in Mexico and are stored at his warehouse in Queens. His business is open Mondays through Saturdays with order drop-offs from 7-11am.  In a conversation with Time Out New York, Gonzalez revealed that demand has actually increased during the pandemic, and that he’s staying busy by continuing to supply to a number of restaurants offering delivery and takeout, as well

Domino Park, the newly-designed waterfront public space that offers great views of the Manhattan skyline, recently launched a new project inside of the park. With citywide compost pick-ups on hold due to health concerns surrounding COVID-19, there was a gaping hole left in the conversation of sustainable sanitation in the area. North Brooklyn residents in Williamsburg and Greenpoint could once drop off their compost at North Brooklyn Farms, but sadly, the farm was forced to close in late 2019 when the team’s lease ended. Now, Domino Park is attempting to pick up some of that slack with a new composting facility called “The Rocket," that can process thousands of pounds of food, to be reused on-site.  On Mondays from 10am-12pm and Thursdays from 6pm-8pm, anyone can drop fruit and vegetable scraps, ground coffee or even bread to the park for composting (see below for a flier of what can and can't be composted there). The composting rocket collection site is located at 15 River Street, next to Domino’s bathrooms.  Representatives of the park tell Time Out New York that the initiative is intended to be a stopgap measure for the city’s paused composting programs. The new rocket-shaped composting space is set to remain at Domino Park until June 2021 with the potential to become permanent. "Sustainability initiatives launched at Domino Park have already reduced the number of commercial garbage trips in the neighborhood and diverted thousands of pounds worth of food waste from local r

A new bar called Any Thing has opened in Prospect Lefferts Gardens. It is attached to Mo’s Original, the Caribbean-inflected ramen bar from William Garfield (an owner of Glady’s in Crown Heights) and Amanda Bender (who also worked at Glady’s). Any Thing first opened on March 13th and only had two days it was open for service before it was forced to close due to the pandemic. Now, the bar is back in action and eager to introduce its cocktail program to the neighborhood.  Bender tells Time Out New York that during their initial opening, the focus of the cocktails was on “these crazy, wacky cocktails that made you feel like you were in a different dimension,” but since the pandemic they’ve shifted their menu by consulting with their kitchen staff and bartenders about how they could make the space “feel more at home” with a more comfort-focused menu to reflect that. They’ve since added their take on Sex on the Beach called “Sex in Prospect Park” and a take on a Long Island Iced Tea, in addition to more “out-there” combinations. Bender says this call and response, working with the community to figure out what they actually need right now is something that she hopes continues for the long run. Most cocktails hover on the $11 or under price range—increasingly rare for NYC where cocktails can go up to an eye-popping $22 at its most luxurious—and drinks include a yuzu-lemon fizz (which can be made sans alcohol), a spicy margarita with tangerine and a frozen banana liqueur drink, among

Abi Balingit spends her days promoting concerts for her job in the music industry, a role, which like for so many others, has had to shift to the needs of the current nightlife landscape. She used to come home from her daily commute into Manhattan and used baking as a way to unwind, finding herself making treats at dusk. Now, working remotely from home, she’s launched The Dusky Kitchen, a nod to her former commuter life, that is part-food blog, part-way to sell her baked goods for the first time and share them with a new audience. Though Balingit is not a baker by trade, she’s learned about making Filipinx desserts from her mother, who, she tells Time Out New York, like so many homecooks, “doesn’t write down the recipes.” Next month, Balingit will offer treat boxes filled with modern spins on Filipinx flavors (drawing upon other pan-Asian ingredients along the way), such as ube puto with cheese, mini peach-mango pies, black sesame cinnamon rolls with a matcha crème fraîche glaze, horchata bibingka, strawberry polvoron and pork floss-miso caramel brownies. The treat boxes—called pasalubong, which is Tagalog for souvenirs—cost $25 for six treats with an option for delivery. Much like the  “Boocha Bear” kombucha makers over in Ridgewood, these pastry treats have a charitable mission. Fifty percent of proceeds will go to Bed-Stuy Strong, a local mutual-aid network of “over 3,000 people from across Bed-Stuy who are supporting the community during the COVID-19 crisis with contact-f

Inspired by the efforts of Bakers Against Racism—an international collective of bake sales that launched during the pandemic to raise money for Black Lives Matter-related organizations—a pair of New Yorkers are starting their own cottage industry pop-up, selling homemade kombucha for a great cause. Their beverage line is called "Boocha Bears" and arrives in bear-shaped jars (similar, but slightly more girth-y than the bear-shaped jars that often hold honey) and proceeds go to a group called Black Chef Movement that has been on-the-ground, nourishing protestors with free meals since earlier this summer. The initiative comes from roommates Syd Wheeler Larsen and Erica Bastida, who have been selling the kombucha jars out of their Ridgewood apartment (currently the team is only offering pick-up only) over Instagram DMs. Prior to the pandemic, Wheeler Larsen worked for music venues and Bastida worked in scenic production for theater, two industries that draw large crowds at cultural centers and will likely be some of last to reopen.  "Small businesses here in Ridgewood are very connected. They're with the movement and really uplifting each other. We wanted to be a part of that and do our little part, and say, here you go and thank you. But it's also been a fun way to spend our time because we have so much time now," says Bastida. After Wheeler Larsen was given a scoby "mother"—a layer of bacteria and yeast formed during the fermentation process—the duo got inspired to start using

As we documented back in 2019, New York City diners were already on the brink of death due to a variety of reasons, including rising rents and changes in customers’ dietary restrictions and other consumer food trends. But with COVID’s attack on the hospitality industry, New York City diners are in an even more dire position.  It’s looking like Ellen’s Stardust Diner —which first opened in 1987—may be in danger of closing. A sign obtained by Time Out New York posted on the diner’s door earlier this month from Sterling Landlord Corp. says that Ellen’s owes $618,459.22 for the above property and that they are required pay that money to their landlord by August 7th, 2020 or the business will have to vacate the premises. We reached out to Ellen’s Stardust by email and phone but did not hear back at the time of publication.    Photograph: Time Out New York   Ellen’s Stardust Diner, located at 1650 Broadway at 51st street, is a retro, 50s-style diner known for its singing servers. According to its Wikipedia page, it was a set location for the film New Year’s Eve featuring Sarah Jessica Parker and has been known to be a home for dozens of employees who went on to work in top Broadway shows, such as Wicked, Avenue Q and The Lion King, among others.  With tourists largely cleared out of the Times Square area these days and Broadway shows and other cultural events in the area on indefinite pause, it seems fair to assume that foot traffic has been down these days at Ellen’s Stardust Di

The team behind Butter & Scotch, the beloved Crown Heights bakery and bar (often known for its birthday cakes with feminist slogans) is expanding for the first time with a new sister concept elsewhere in Brooklyn.  The new bakery is called Love, Nelly and opens tomorrow at 53 Rockaway Avenue with a focus primarily on Colombian-inspired sweets. In addition, it will be home to an expanded production kitchen to support Butter & Scotch's made-to-order cakes, allowing the team to have more space than the Franklin Avenue spot affords.  The business is co-run by Keavy Landreth and Stephanie Gallardo. Gallardo—who, over the years, worked her way up through the Butter & Scotch kitchen taking on various roles—grew up in Kew Gardens, Queens, and the bakery’s name is a nod to her mother, Nelly, whose recipes inspired many of the creations. “She was very excited, it’s very sweet. It’s also what makes it a bit more personable,” says Gallardo of the bakery’s namesake and the drive to open her first spot of her own (in addition to working at Butter & Scotch, she honed her pastry skills at places like A Voce under Missy Robbins, Poppy’s bakery and Café Grumpy, among many others). Growing up, her father worked in construction and helped build out restaurants in the area, allowing her to get a unique behind-the-scenes vantage point of the industry.  View this post on Instagram "Raspa! Raspa!" - Little baby Steph yelling at the shaved ice cart. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Love, Nelly will featu

Yes, new businesses are still opening during the pandemic. High Low Beverage Company, located at 295 Wyckoff Ave in Bushwick (which first opened back in May), joins a handful of new concepts thrust into the realities of socially-distanced hospitality. The sparkling emerald all-day bar and café comes from Shriver Tran and Jaime Hodgkin, who first met working in different departments at Stumptown Coffee—the concept is loosely Vietnamese-influenced, a nod to Tran’s family heritage.  “When I moved to New York, there were the standbys for decent pho and banh mi—but to now see places like Di An Di, Hanoi House, etc, approach classic dishes with a fresh and elevated take (as well as introducing lesser known dishes), it's been refreshing and exciting to see,” says Tran of the growing new-wave of Vietnamese restaurants in New York. “And while we're not claiming to make true Vietnamese food at High Low (there certainly are no baked pandan donuts in traditional Vietnamese cuisine), we are definitely looking to lean on those familiar flavors in the greater context of the modern café/bar.”  The elusive Matthew Tilden—who garnered intense fanfare with his SCRATCHbread bakery in Bed-Stuy (before it shuttered back in 2015)—has been drumming up press in recent months for hints of a Brooklyn return with a project he’s calling Seven Grain Army. While details of Seven Grain Army remain underwraps, Tilden has been consulting on various projects, including for High Low (he also helped develop the

For restaurants able to offer outdoor dining, which the city recently greenlighted in accordance with Phase 3 guidelines, keeping up with what seems like daily-changing rules can be a full-time job in and of itself. A new non-profit called Safe Eats hopes to help alleviate some of the confusion surrounding these guidelines, while also alerting customers that they are in partnership with these restaurants with public-facing stickers that would be tacked onto the front of the storefront, not unlike city-mandated health letter grades.  As the New York Times first reported, restaurants like Dan Kluger’s Loring Place have joined on board for membership (Safe Eats was founded by Carlos Suarez, who owns a group of restaurants in the West Village including Rosemary’s and Claudette alongside Yann de Rochefort, the founder of the Boqueria chain).  However, while the intention of the project seems initially like a positive way to share information and reassure prospective customers about safety, there are potential harmful effects, even if unintended.  Safe Eats intends to charge prospective members a fee, $69 per month, according to The Counter. Nevertheless, no matter how "nominal" a fee, restaurants are shuttering at an alarming rate: they can’t afford rent, are having to lay-off employees in mass, and any kind of additional charge has the ability to put a business over the edge right now. That said, the potential to gain information about the current guidelines without having to was

The beloved donut chain Doughnut Plant has shuttered its chain of donut shops for a second time since the start of the pandemic in March. According to Eater NY, the team first closed all seven of its donut spots back in March and then reopened back in May for delivery and take-out only at four locations: Lower East Side, Williamsburg, Long Island City and Downtown Brooklyn. But, now, owner Mark Israel shares that he’s been forced to re-shutter his business due to financial stressors particular to COVID-19, citing barriers to pay for rent and a decrease in customers, among other factors particular to bakeries right now.  The article also details that there may be some hope for reopening, as Israel is still in the midst of negotiations with his landlord.  “It is very upsetting for me to see my employees having to keep going through this,” Israel told the publication. As we’ve seen lately, a business re-shuttering after closing at the start of the pandemic can—unsurprisingly—have immense affect on employees both in terms of mental health and their ability to qualify for unemployment benefits.  Doughnut Plant is the latest smaller, regional chain to have been hit hard by the current crisis. Elsewhere in New York, we reported those effects on Xi’An Famous Foods. We’re certain more are to come. Most popular on Time Out - The F train is shutting down nights and weekends until March 2021- Everything you need to know about Phase 4 reopening plans in NYC- 13 hidden patios, backyards an

New York City’s restaurant scene has been forever changed by the current crisis. As some restaurateurs figure out how to pivot to delivery-only models or expand onto the streets with social-distanced outdoor dining, others are calling it quits. With no hope for rent relief underway and no vaccine roll-out plan, some restaurants can’t afford to stay open and fear putting their employees at risk and complicating their unemployment benefits should they need to close again this fall, when the virus, some experts say, may come back with a stronger vengeance.  The precariousness of the restaurant industry right now is one of the many reasons so many New Yorkers like chef Molly Levine have chosen greener pastures upstate, at least temporarily. During the pandemic, Levine launched a farm-focused food truck she’s calling The Pony Stall in Tannersville, New York, out of which she’s been selling homemade fresh bread loaves, flatbreads, fresh ricotta, chili oil, spreads and more weekly-changing picnic-y bites. The Pony Stall is one of several new upstate pop-ups and food trucks that have launched during the pandemic, finding alternatives to communal dining within new framework. Elsewhere in New Paltz, Baba focuses on plant-based Italian bites out of a colorful food truck. Meadowbloom is a new flower-focused farm stand in Hillsdale, New York. Hudson favorite Lil' Deb's Oasis has transformed their restaurant concept into a backyard cookout at nearby Rivertown Lodge. New Catskills natural w