Posts Tagged ‘Jean-Georges Vongerichten’

Where to Get the Best Waterfront Dining in New York City

City dwellers love dining with a waterside view. Here are five exceptional choices to catch a breeze and enjoy a great meal.

The Fulton

The Fulton © Meryl Pearlstein

Jean-Georges Vongerichten has captured the heart of the Seaport with his multi-story, multi-room dining emporium The Fulton. At the Chef’s first seafood restaurant, the downstairs dining area features an open-air setting and outdoor patio seating, all with fabulous views of the Brooklyn Bridge and Brooklyn.

The Fulton © Meryl Pearlstein

The most popular room is on the second floor where diners feel like they’re sitting right on the East River with waves lapping at their feet. If you plan ahead, you can also book one of the private rooks set with its own banquette and chairs for a two-sided waterfront affair. The seafood (and meat) menu updates by season with some recent specials including a roasted Mediterranean turbot, presented whole and fileted tableside for a deft extraction of the delicate white meat.

The Fulton © Meryl Pearlstein

Served with a side of heat-packing chili oil and shallots, the seasonal fish is a most appropriate choice for the location. Other specials – order them when they’re available – include uni from California, a full raw bar with seasonal East coast oysters, and roasted summer carrots with an herbaceous basil pistou and tarragon. Add a touch of whimsy to your meal with a strawberry plant pot dessert to fish.

The Fulton © Meryl Pearlstein

The entire creation, a strawberry rhubarb smush topped with chocolate crumble and filling an edible flower pot with an edible flower as garnish, is a fun share to finish your meal.

Island Oyster

Courtesy Island Oyster

A secret to many, Manhattan island has its own satellite island with its own island culture, Governors Island. Sitting between Manhattan and Brooklyn, the island is a gem for parks, picnics and staying cool on a sweltering city day. Here, the seasonal Island Oyster is a casual open-air hangout for bivalves and other seafood while offering an in-city island holiday. Try the blue-toned rummy Permanent Vacation — it’ll definitely put you in a Jimmy Buffett frame of mind. Prepare to get wet, as tables are so close to the water that waves often crash onto diners. For even more fun, there’s ping pong, live music and a kids’ menu. To get to Governors Island, grab a ferry just north of the Staten Island ferry terminal. Stand to the right side and you’ll get close-up views of the Statue of Liberty and

Grand Banks

Courtesy Grand Banks

A wooden schooner-turned-restaurant and bar, Grand Banks is a former fishing vessel (the Sherman Zwicker) beautifully appointed with yellow-and-white sails at Pier 25 in TriBeCa. Views are guaranteed here, but you’ll have to decide which way to face: towards the Hudson River and the New Jersey skyline or towards Downtown Manhattan where One World Trade Center and the cityscape present a photographic background like no other. Menu highlights by Chef Kerry Heffernan are seared sea scallops with sweet corn succotash and coriander, and a lobster roll dressed with fennel, lemon and dulse emulsion. A delicious dessert, key lime mousse keeps the summer spirit going as does the Revolución, a summer-light libation of rum, mint, lime and bitters. Plan to visit during a weekday, if possible, as the post-work bar scene and weekend crowds create long lines to get on board.  If the perfect waterfront sunset is on your bucket list, consider the rooftop at City Vineyard instead, one pier north. The views are equally stunning and you can try one of City Winery’s eight vintages on tap.

Pilot

Courtesy Pilot

For a similar experience, if you’re in Brooklyn, head to Brooklyn Bridge Park to Pier 6 where Pilot sits. A pilot boat-turned oyster bar and restaurant, the beautiful schooner opens on a seasonal basis for seafood-oriented dining on the water.  Pilot shares the same menu as Grand Banks but offers a striking view of the Manhattan skyline and the East River. Come early – like Grand Banks, lines form quickly on beautiful days.

The River Café

Courtesy The River Café

For a fine dining experience in Brooklyn, The River Café in DUMBO has commanded the city’s waterside dining scene for 45 years. Here, venue and views match the caliber of food and service. The beloved restaurant’s very specific dress code adds to the specialness of the experience, and diners reserve well in advance for a waterside table with stunning views of the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges and the East River. The prix fixe menu is fine dining at its loftiest with starters including caviar and foie gras, followed by rack of lamb, butter-poached Nova Scotia lobster, or duck breast. While desserts vary, you can expect the likes of soufflés and other seasonal creations. A Madeira dessert flight is paired with petite sweets for an extra treat. The restaurant sits on an underwater pier and, while stationary, you’ll clearly have the sense that you’re dining right on the water. After acknowledging the tuxedoed doorman who welcomes you, be sure to look around the entry ramp where oversized flower arrangements and seafaring memorabilia make you feel like you’ve just boarded a private yacht. The River Café is open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday.

23 New York City Restaurants Take You on a Thanksgiving Tour around the World

Thanksgiving dinner (or brunch) in New York doesn’t have to be traditional. You can have an all-American turkey-with-all-the-trimmings version, or change it up with some international spice. Here are 23 choices that will keep you out of the kitchen and enjoying a festive meal.

AMERICAN

The Standard Grill

Courtesy The Standard Grill

The Standard Grill invites you to dine indoors or outdoors to observe an American Thanksgiving dinner, enhanced with the restaurant’s seasonal favorites. You’ll love Chef Jean-Paul Lourdes’ traditional turkey with truffle stuffing, roasted root veggies and cranberry sauce. Non-meat eaters have of-the-season choices like roasted pumpkin ravioli with black sesame, or big-eye tuna Wellington with mushroom duxelles. Desserts stick to holiday favorites apple and cherry pies. You can walk off your dinner with a stroll along the adjacent High Line.

The Polo Bar

Courtesy The Polo Bar

It’s no surprise Ralph Lauren’s The Polo Bar stays true to tradition for Thanksgiving. After all, this is Ralph Lauren, the embodiment of Americana in dress as well as food. The restaurant will prepare classics done Polo Bar-style including Green Circle Farms free-range turkey, Calvados gravy, maple-bacon baby Brussels sprouts, sweet potato gratin, house-made cornbread, cranberry sauce and chestnut stuffing. Desserts are equally enticing with a choice of apple-quince pie, pumpkin and vanilla-bourbon ice cream sundae, and Charleston bourbon pecan pie. Side dishes can be added to the family-style meal along with wine or cocktails. Add a Polo Bar touch with dinner menu favorites including shrimp cocktail, Ralph’s corned beef bites, kale and autumn root vegetable salad, pigs in a blanket, honeynut squash soup, pumpkin cheesecake, classic cheesecake, old-fashioned five-layer chocolate cake and coconut cake.

Charlie Palmer Steak NY

Courtesy Charlie Palmer Steak NY

Charlie Palmer Steak NY keeps it strictly American with a family-style meal that includes all dishes on the prix fixe menu. Come hungry because you’ll have three starters of chicory salad, deviled eggs, and local apples with cheddar cheese, followed by roasted McEnroe Farms boneless turkey roast with turkey gravy, classic sourdough stuffing, potato purée, green bean casserole, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato gratin and cranberry sauce.  Dessert is a trio of traditional seasonal favorite pies: pumpkin, apple and pecan. Plan on a serious Thanksgiving nap after this feast!

KOREAN

Cote

Courtesy Cote

You might not think of a Korean steakhouse as a go-to for Thanksgiving Day, But Simon Kim’s feast will make you reconsider. The prix fixe menu is purely Cote, combining four select cuts of USDA Prime and American Wagyu beef (hanger, 45-day ribeye, flatiron, and galbi) with a variety of Korean accompaniments. Instead of the usual mashed or sweet potatoes, you’ll enjoy savory egg soufflé, Korean glass noodles, spicy kimchi stew and sticky rice stuffing with Chinese sausage ad shiitake mushrooms. For dessert, no worries. You’ll have ice cream as you should on Thanksgiving. Festive cocktails will be served as well.

Soogil

Soogil © MST Creative PR

Taking it one step further, French Korean gem Soogil offers a luxurious six-course Thanksgiving feast. Drawing on both Korean ingredients and his French training, Chef Soogil Lim has created a delicious menu worthy of holiday celebrations, combining seasonal ingredients like Brussels sprouts and honeynut squash with French classics like foie gras and caviar. Main courses include a choice of boneless turkey roulade stuffed with foie and served with cranberry sauce, sweet potato beignet and turkey gravy, or grilled American wagyu galbi short ribs with 24-hour soy Bordelaise sauce, Korean sweet potato beignet and matsutake mushrooms. For dessert, Chef brings back his Korean childhood favorite, dalgona candy that is having a moment thanks to Netflix’s Squid Game.

PAN ASIAN

Hortus NYC

Courtesy Hortus NYC

Designed by Executive Chef Lenny Moon, modern Asian Hortus NYC will be featuring an eclectic Thanksgiving menu, infusing Southeast Asian flavors with European techniques. The prix fixe menu begins with a Hortus Royal Platter for Two comprised of a chilled lobster tail, yellowfin tuna crudo and a shrimp cocktail, followed by a crispy duck taco topped with Sichuan cranberry sauce, lettuce and mango salsa. Diners will then choose an appetizer and entrée from the à la carte menu such as kabocha pumpkin soup or Surf and Turf, a decadent mix of  filet mignon, truffle butter, grilled lobster, lobster mac and cheese, and maitake mushroom. The meal ends with chocolate cheesecake topped with black sesame mascarpone cream.

CUBAN

Victor’s Cafe

Courtesy Victor’s Cafe

If you’re planning to hit the parade route, Victor’s Café is an easy walk for a post-float celebration. Opening its doors when Santa makes his last foray down Central Park West, the 50-year-old Cuban restaurant offers Thanksgiving lunch, now provided by founder Victor Del Corral’s daughter and grandchildren. Located in the Theater District, Victor’s has a Latin-spiced meal in store with pavo asado, a traditional roasted turkey, spiced up with cornbread and chorizo stuffing. Add to that sweet potato mash and cranberry sauce to keep the American tradition, enhanced with Victor’s famous black beans and rice, and a dessert of flan de calabaza and you certainly won’t miss your usual pumpkin pie. And what could be more Latin than a mojito with your turkey? If you decide you need to thaw out a bit after the parade before you dine, dinner will be served until 10pm.

CARIBBEAN

Miss Lily’s

Miss Lily’s © 15.IANGITTLER

For Thanksgiving, Miss Lily’s two downtown locations will offer a Jamaican spin on a traditional Thanksgiving meal with a three-course Caribbean feast. Enjoy a slow-roasted jerk turkey with rich gravy, stuffing, mac & cheese pie, and Jamaican greens along with a choice of appetizer (cod fritters or Caribbean pumpkin soup) and a choice of puddings for dessert (signature Miss Homey sweet potato or old-fashioned banana cream). You may not be on an island holiday, but you’ll certainly feel like you are!

PERUVIAN

POPULAR

POPULAR Courtesy Ian Schrager’s PUBLIC hotel

Located at Ian Schrager’s PUBLIC hotel, POPULAR introduces a special Peruvian-inspired Thanksgiving menu with Pisco cocktails. Created by Chef Diego Muñoz (Astrid y Gaston, Lima), the family-style set menu offers an Andean twist for the holiday with a crème brûlée-inspired take on a Pisco Sour, turkey cooked two ways (herb-roasted white meat and confit dark meat), stuffing made with mirepoix, and Chef’s grandma’s recipe for cranberry sauce. An exciting side, Peruvian-inflected Brussels sprouts are fried with an ají limo maple glaze and citrus zest. Dessert is one that can’t be found anywhere else in NYC: Peruvian chocolate and pecan pie with a salted crust and a side of lucuma ice cream.

ITALIAN

Portale

Courtesy Portale

Reflective of Chef Alfred Portale’s Italian heritage, Portale will be offering a three-course prix fixe menu featuring a selection of appetizers, entrees and desserts with an Italian twist. Guests can choose from the likes of terrina with Muscovy duck, foie gras and kumquat mostarda or Chef’s acclaimed crudo di tonno to start, followed by entrees including mafaldine pasta with Maine lobster, Calabrian chili and lemon-basil butter or tacchino with roast turkey, duck confit, sour cherry stuffing, Brussels sprouts and rainbow carrots. Dessert is a decadent bourbon pecan torta.

L’Amico

Courtesy L’Amico

L’amico means friend in Italian and Chef Laurent Tourondel wants you to invite all of your friends and family for an Italian-influenced Thanksgiving dinner in the Kimpton Hotel Eventi. Diners can choose from a selection of appetizers such as crispy Parmesan sformato with prosciutto San Daniele and truffle vinaigrette or butternut squash soup with fontina agnolotti sage. Entrées entice with blends of varying flavors like the wood-fire roasted Heritage turkey with cranberry-orange mostards, oreganata gravy, chestnut, and pork sausage stuffing; or king salmon with Sicilian cauliflower, currants, pistachio, kabocha squash and balsamico. Sides are equally intriguing such as spaghetti squash with gorgonzola and pine nuts or Brussels sprouts with honey and guanciale. Pumpkin pie is tarted up a la dolce vita with a hazelnut crunch and amaretto whipped cream.

SPANISH

Socarrat Paella Bar

Courtesy Socarrat Paella Bar

For a Spanish twist to Thanksgiving, why not consider a paella instead of a turkey? Socarrat Paella Bar begins the meal with gambas al ajillo and a pear and squash salad. The star of the show is Socarrat’s Thanksgiving Paella artfully composed with confit turkey leg, roasted turkey breast, chorizo, butternut squash, piquillo peppers and mushroom sofrito. Sides are slightly more traditional including crispy Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes with shaved almonds, and cranberry bread stuffing. Dessert lets you choose which country’s sweets your prefer: pick either American-traditional pumpkin cheesecake or Spain’s popular cinnamon-sugar churros with seasonally appropriate apple-caramel sauce.

SLOVENIAN

Pekarna NY

Courtesy Pekarna NY

At Pekarna NY, Executive Chef Kamal Hoyte offers up an unusual Thanksgiving meal, melding traditional Slovenian with New American seasonal dishes. His four-course prix fixe menu is reminiscent of dishes found in the former Yugoslavian country, including the Pekarna salad with cranberries, hard-boiled egg, heirloom tomatoes, pickled red onion, crispy chickpeas and shaved Gruyere; turkey roulade stuffed with button mushrooms; and roasted fingerling potatoes and grilled asparagus. For dessert, the Slovenian apple wrap is a thing of beauty, a baked apple roll with sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg topped with vanilla gelato.

PORTUGUESE

Veranda

Courtesy Veranda

Chef George Mendes’ three-course prix fixe menu for Veranda’s first Thanksgiving starts with housemade sourdough and includes an array of traditional American dishes mixed with Portuguese surprises. Think squash soup, Pennsylvania turkey with chestnut-brioche stuffing, and pumpkin spiced cheesecake from the US, with a medley of dishes inspired by Mendes’ Portuguese heritage including shrimp “Alhinho” with sweet smoked pimenton, garlic, olive oil and pressed shrimp jus; and arroz de pato with duck confit, chorizo, black olive, orange and crispy duck skin.

FRENCH

Bar Benno

Bar Benno © Emily Chan

Bar Benno

Michelin-starred Chef Jonathan Benno offers a Parisian-style Thanksgiving meal at Bar Benno in NoMad’s Evelyn Hotel. Benno’s French take on the holiday comes with a multi-course feast of roasted turkey with sage-infused gravy and holiday stuffing with house-made pain de campagne, Union Square Green Market Brussels sprouts with caramelized onion, and cranberry-orange compote. Leonelli Bakery provides the desserts, classic pumpkin pie with mascarpone swirl, or pecan pie made with Old Grandad bourbon.

The Fulton

Courtesy The Fulton

Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s first seafood restaurant, The Fulton invites diners to a Thanksgiving meal mixing French and American dishes at his waterfront eatery at the Seaport. The three-course prix fixe menu offers a petite seafood plateau, yellowfin tuna tartare and butternut squash minestrone as starters, with entrees including pepper-crusted beef sirloin or roasted organic turkey. Dessert choices eschew traditional pies, offering fig tart or apple tarte tatin instead.

MEDITERRANEAN

Fig & Olive

Courtesy Fig & Olive

A Côte d’Azur-inspired three-course meal awaits at Fig & Olive on Thanksgiving. Classics like roasted rainbow carrots and sweet potato mix with Mediterranean and American dishes including French onion soup and Beeler’s pork belly. For the main course, meat eaters and vegetarians will enjoy a choice of free-range turkey or pumpkin risotto. Desserts blend the two continental influences with a choice of pumpkin Bundt cake or gateau au fromage.

Celestine

Celestine © Daniel Krieger

For a Mediterranean twist with views of Manhattan instead of Italy, Celestine is the place to be for Thanksgiving brunch and dinner. Traditional American ingredients like chicory and delicata squash mix with Mediterranean Castelfranco, Trevisano radicchio and Pecorino cheese. Meat eaters will enjoy turkey served as a roulade with fresh herbs and pan gravy while vegetarians can opt for wild mushroom tagliatelle. Other items on the menu span both European and American influences with pommes purées, sourdough stuffing, Parker House rolls, and a dessert choice of either apple galette with crème fraîche or pumpkin cake with spiced cream cheese frosting.

DINER DINING

Old John’s Diner

Old John’s Diner © Meryl Pearlstein

Nothing is more American than a meal at an old-timey diner, and for Thanksgiving the newly re-opened Old John’s Diner has a meal that is pure comfort food. For a mere $45 per person, you’ll get a three-course meal that also includes a glass of wine. The menu for the day features tortellini vegetable soup; roasted turkey breast with mashed potatoes, sweet potato mash, gravy and cranberry sauce; and a choice of apple or pumpkin pie for dessert. Sometimes simplicity is the sweetest thing.

Brooklyn Diner

Brooklyn Diner © Meryl Pearlstein

Curiously not located in Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Diner gives Manhattanites a taste of the other borough with another affordable, traditional feast. For $40 per person, the all-American menu features a free-range herb-roasted turkey along with pecan pie.

SOMETHING SPECIAL

Parade Watching: JAMS

Courtesy 1 Hotel Central Park

Helmed by acclaimed Chef Jonathan Waxman, Jams at 1 Hotel Central Park offers a comfortable way to watch the parade while indulging in a great Thanksgiving brunch. The restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows offer privileged indoor viewing of the floats and bands as they make their way down Sixth Avenue. Jams will be hosting a full day of Thanksgiving dining experiences including brunch and post-parade dining serving up both hot and cold buffets at each. Pretty much every sort of holiday and seasonal food is included from mini butternut quiches to roasted turkey and peppercorn-crusted ham and brunchy items like French toast sticks and pastries. If you have your heart set on watching the parade in situ, this is a fabulous way to do it.

Dessert Only (Maybe): Black Tap

Black Tap © Black Tap

So turkey isn’t your thing but you want to celebrate Thanksgiving in a novel way? Then this one’s for you: Black Tap has created a new, crazy shake with all of the holiday flavors. The over-the-top Pumpkin Cheesecake CrazyShake® is a pumpkin-spiced shake with a vanilla-frosted rim with mini marshmallows topped with a pumpkin cheesecake slice, whipped cream and pumpkin spice.

Black Tap © Black Tap

But don’t worry – if  you’d prefer your shake as a dessert after something turkey, Black Tap’s Thanksgiving Burger will certainly fit the bill. Almost as large as the shake, the turkey burger comes with Brie, applewood smoked bacon, corn and sage potato roll stuffing, cranberry and orange aioli.

Leftovers All Month Long: Industry Kitchen

Courtesy Industry Kitchen

Everyone knows the best part of Thanksgiving is the leftovers. At Industry Kitchen, the team at this Seaport restaurant is reprising their creative twist on holiday flavors with their Thanksgiving Pizza. The wood-fired pizza combines the classic spread of turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing to create a dish that balances the sweet and salty flavors of Thanksgiving. The happy news? It’s available through the entire month of November.

It’s Easy to “Eat Green” with New York City’s Variety of Plant-based Dining Options

From American comfort food to fine dining, dessert and ethnic variations, you’ll have lots to choose from as you pay attention to how your dining affects the environment.

Courtesy Willow

Willow

Created by Guy and Tali Vaknin, the couple behind the city’s popular Beyond Sushi, Willow is your “green” go-to for American comfort food favorites. At the new Chelsea bistro,  you’ll find the comfort favorites that felt so right during the pandemic, but without meat. Think porcini chick’n Marsala, steak frites (made with grilled seitan steak), scallop cacio e pepe made with oyster mushroom scallops and semolina linguine, cheeseburger sliders, cauliflower wings, taquitos and calamari. A don’t-miss is their signature Willow flatbread with “ricotta,” pistachios, artichokes figs and baby arugula. You can also order vegan sandwiches like the “tuna” melt or cherrywood smoked pastrami made with seitan. Comfort food never tasted this healthy!

Courtesy Beyond Sushi

Beyond Sushi

The name says it all: this fast-casual restaurant goes beyond sushi to provide a varied vegan menu with flavors from around the world.  Adhering to a fully plant-based and kosher ingredient list, Chef Guy Vaknin’s Beyond Sushi has proven so popular that it is now a mini-chain with Manhattan five locations. In addition to veggie-filled sushi rolls and dumplings, the adobo mushroom tacos, butternut squash tortellini and jackfruit crab cakes are also standouts.

Courtesy Whipped – Urban Dessert Lab

Whipped – Urban Dessert Lab

Whipped–Urban Dessert Lab fills the vegan dessert void as the world’s first oat-milk ice crème shoppe. The company, opened at the start of the pandemic, has been a blessing for health-conscious ice cream lovers, with fans now converted to the dairy-free way of life. Whipped’s modern ice crème desserts have two signature bases — sweet crème with a touch of vanilla or chocolate – all free of dairy, eggs, nuts, soy and gluten. Toppings are dairy free as well and can be added to create “hand-selected fusions.” Newest flavors include strawberry shortcake, mint chocolate cookie, cinnamon apple crisp, peanut butter chocolate cookie, and chocolate, adding to the already cultish list of favorites. The best part? All are made with oat milk, which, in addition to being 100% plant-based and dairy-free, adds richness both in taste and texture. If you can visit the Lower East Side store, you’ll have the benefit of soft-serve cones with mix-ins or toppings like salted pecan, pretzels, or strawberry crumble. To go and blissfully available for delivery, the new hard-scoop Oate line is something you’ll want to keep in your freezer for late-night snacking.

Courtesy Galioto’s

Galioto’s

New York City has its first plant-based Italian delicatessen with Galioto’s. Setting up shop in Little Italy, the deli and market is an Old Country throwback with a modern take. You can order vegan meatball subs and Impossible™ meatball parm at the deli counter or shop the market for seasonal produce, Italian specialties, and grab-and-go foods like pasta salads, sandwiches and giardiniera.

Courtesy AbcV

AbcV

“Plant based, sustainable, artisanal, and organic whenever possible,” promises AbcV, Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s high-end plant-based restaurant. The restaurant is an homage to vegetables with presentation an equally important part of the concept. The gardenlike setting is a smart backdrop for dishes which exemplify intriguing flavor combinations. Green chickpea hummus or a “pasta course” of mushroom walnut Bolognese kicks off the meal. Follow with smoky tandoor white yam with coconut yogurt. Each pairs well with organic, alcoholic beverages or tonic “vibrations” with instructive names like “joy” and “grounding.” Because this is a restaurant from Jean-Georges, after all, you should select the chef’s tasting menu which comes with elaborate explanations of the largely unfamiliar platings.

Courtesy Reserve by Amor y Amargo

Reserve by Amor y Amargo

Reserve by Amor y Amargo is an exclusive plant-based pairing concept. Hidden through a door behind the counter of General Store by Amor y Amargo, the intimate speakeasy-restaurant from Chef and Master Mixologist Sother Teague is reserved for ten diners only. The prix fixe menu pairs stirred small plates and cocktails celebrating spirits and bitters such as a martini with olive bitters and Aquavit with cured carrot “lox” with tofu scallion cream cheese. The “improved” Negroni is made with overproof rum with pimento bitters and is accompanied by “scallops” of jerk-seasoned king trumpet mushrooms. Dishes and drinks change every two months to reflect what Teague calls “micro” seasons.

Courtesy Le Botaniste

Le Botaniste

Taking style inspiration from its “pharmacy” setting in Ghent, Le Botaniste is the first carbon-neutral certified organic plant-based restaurant in New York City. And while that sounds like a mouthful, the vegetable-forward, organic food is truly “good for the planet and good for your body.” Offering a fully plant-based, 99% organic food and wine menu, Le Botaniste lives its philosophy: Le Botaniste is building its own forest in Peru in partnership with GoForest, and diners can choose to “add” a tree to their orders, increasing the sustainability of their meal. Going one step further, carbon emission values are indicated for each dish on the menu. Lest we neglect the dining experience, the fast-casual menu includes the likes of spicy chili sin carne, Moroccan tajine with quinoa and lemon harissa dressing, seaweed tartare and a sushi roll with turmeric onions, marinated tofu and red sauerkraut.

Courtesy Jajaja Plantas Mexicana

Jajaja Plantas Mexicana

The East Village’s Jajaja Plantas Mexicana keeps the party healthy with a menu of plant-based Mexican street food, Mexican beers and an extensive tequila and mezcal program.  The “culture-and-community through comida and cocktails” concept encourages selection from familiar-yet-unusual dishes like tacos with chipotle sweet potato, or gorditas with serrano and shiitake bacon. A Mexican fiesta buzz sets the tone.

Courtesy Cadence

Cadence

Also in the East Village, Cadence meanders north of the border bringing plant-based versions of Southern and soul food together with wines from Black-owned vineyards. Executive Chef Shenarri Freeman has prepared family faves through the lens of sustainability and healthfulness. Re-imagined dishes from her Virginia upbringing like smoked grits made with chickpeas, heart of palm and chipotle aioli slaw; black-eyed pea garlic pancakes; or collard greens stuffed with Aleppo rice, shiitake mushrooms and poached pears appear on the  menu, perfect with one of the global wine selections.

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.

Jet Set back to the 60s at the TWA Hotel

Nostalgia fans and fans of the Jetsons, TWA and the 60s in general, will feel right at home when they enter the TWA Flight Center turned hotel at New York City’s JFK International Airport. Utilizing the striking design elements that defined the space as conceived by Eero Saarinen and opened in 1962, the current-day TWA Hotel, its two unique cocktail lounges, and the Jean-Georges Vongerichten-helmed restaurant, Paris Café, are an instant time trip to a bygone era.  This is midcentury retro at its best, with fun twists like elevator buttons that reference present-day JetBlue and the 1960s TWA Hotel, telephone booths (remember them?), and cars with tailfins that seem to stretch for blocks.

The red and white color scheme of the hotel and the Paris Café restaurant/Lisbon Lounge space is original, using chili pepper red and white carpeting to full futuristic effect.  You can choose to sit at a very-George Jetson looking table or at seats hugging the swirling counter where you’ll be treated to servers knowledgeable in the why’s and wherefore’s of Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s very appropriate cuisine.

The all-day menu varies from light bites to nostalgic faves inspired by food from in-flight TWA menus including burgers, fish & chips, and Parmesan-crusted organic chicken breast. Among the dishes with the most prominent Jean-Georges stamp are the refreshing spring pea soup, crispy salmon sushi, and black truffle pizza.

You should definitely try an expertly prepared cocktail with updated monikers from the 60s like the Passionfruit Whiskey Fizz, made with a savory-sweet combination of Maker’s Mark whiskey, passionfruit and chili.

But you also might want to save a bit of energy for a cocktail at Connie , the original TWA plane converted into a lively cocktail lounge with seating both theater-style and facing each other as in a luxury jet.  You actually climb the stairs to board the plane from outdoors. A reservation and classic in-flight cocktails like negronis and martinis are musts.

The Sunken Lounge sits in the original waiting and check-in area of the TWA Terminal. The original red carpeting is there as are cocktails with 60s names like “Come Fly with Me,” inspired by Frank Sinatra’s tune and adorned with swizzle sticks showing TWA’s original destinations.

Everything is appropriate to the look and period from the clothing worn by servers to the light switches, elevators, coin telephone booths with rotary dialing, and even the rotating panels that show departures and arrivals as well as cheeky messages.

If you’d like to get into the swing of it, you can purchase a TWA flight bag at the gift shop. Or, better still, book a room at the 512-room hotel. And, don’t worry about noise, the windows are outfitted with a glass wall designed to prevent any sounds from planes landing and taking off at the busy airport. The style is mid-century but the infrastructure is definitely current.

I was completely enthralled being back in the iconic TWA Terminal. The setting has the making of a perfect staycation, or at least for a very different evening out. And it’s another good reason to plan for an early flight in the morning – you can overnight here before you leave and avoid rush hour traffic.  https://www.twahotel.com

Best Picks for Bar Dining in New York City

Ever try to get a reservation at the newest, hottest, trendiest restaurant that you’ve been dying to go to and get closed out?  Try dining at the bar instead where you can often enjoy the full menu while conversing with the bartender and making friends with your neighbors.

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