This week in NYC, marked
7/20 – 7/26: A new Thai spot from Ugly Baby, dance party in a museum courtyard, a chicken salad sandwich collab, and tomato specials in season.
Open for business
Spots on my radar that just opened – or are already accepting reservations.
Coffee Stain (opened 7/12): A new coffee shop on Havemeyer Street in East Williamsburg.
Muje (opened 7/2): A more casual tasting menu spot near Koreatown, from Jungsik Yim – the chef behind Jungsik, one of only a handful of restaurants in the city with three Michelin stars.
Hungry Spicy (opens 7/23): A new Thai restaurant in Chelsea from the team behind Hungry Thirsty, the Brooklyn restaurant that relaunched fan-favorite Ugly Baby last year. Same team, same spice level – but where Hungry Thirsty sticks to the flavors of Southern Thailand, this one is ranging across the rest of the country’s regional cuisines.
This week in NYC
My favorite things to do between July 20 – July 26.
Soundbath at Brooklyn Botanic Garden (7/20): An outdoor listening session on the garden’s lawn – bring a mat, lie back, and a string quartet is performing their Grammy-winning album live as the sun goes down.
After the Curtain at Masquerade (7/21): Masquerade is an immersive, walk-through reimagining of The Phantom of the Opera playing Off-Broadway. It’s throwing a late night concert series in the show’s Lake Bar, a set built to look like the underground lake from the opera’s original story. This week, Broadway star Ciara Renée is singing a French-inspired set of jazz standards.
Peak Summer at Hart’s (7/21): This Bed-Stuy restaurant changes its menu nightly based on what’s fresh at the market. This week, that means leaning all the way into peak summer produce.
Rolo’s Clam Shack Pop-Up at Brothers (7/24): Rolo’s, the Ridgewood wood-fire bar and grill from a pair of Gramercy Tavern alums (that’s always booked out), is taking over Brothers – a cafe on the boardwalk in Rockaway – for a day of clams and other shore food.
MoMA PS1 Warm Up (7/24): MoMA’s contemporary art museum in Long Island City is throwing its long-running summer dance party in the outdoor courtyard, with DJs playing house, dub, and techno.
Frø’s Guest Chef Smørrebrød Series (7/25 & 7/26): Frø is a Red Hook bakery known for its dense Danish rye bread. It’s throwing the first of a four week series, where a different guest chef builds smørrebrød – Danish-style open-faced sandwiches – on top of that rye each week.
Meadow Lane x Tuckshop Chicken Salad Toastie (7/22–7/28): Tribeca’s viral grocery store Meadow Lane is teaming up with Tuckshop, a West Village shop known for Australian-style grilled sandwiches, to turn its cult-favorite chicken salad into a toastie for one week only.
Tomato time
The best tomato specials on menus and in glasses right now.
Tomato Tree at Sip & Guzzle: A cocktail built entirely from parts of a tomato plant – tomato water for the fruit, dill and basil for the leaves, elderflower for the blossom, and a Greek liqueur standing in for the sap. This West Village bar was just named the best in North America by World’s 50 Best, an annual ranking of the world’s top bars.
Caprese Martini at Jac’s on Bond: Tomato and basil-infused vodka shaken with olive oil, vermouth, and balsamic – a savory martini that’s become this NoHo bar’s signature order.
Smoked Corn BLT at Edith’s: This sandwich counter’s bacon-lettuce-tomato is back for the summer, stacked with peak season tomatoes and smoked corn.
Tomato, Watermelon & Whipped Feta Salad at The Snail: Ripe tomato and watermelon with whipped feta, basil, and mint at my favorite Greenpoint restaurant. I tried it Saturday night and it was delicious.
Tomato Menu at Breads Bakery: This acclaimed Union Square bakery, known for its award winning chocolate babka, is running a tomato-only menu through the end of July. Includes a tomato galette, an open-faced tart of cherry tomatoes and tomato jam on flaky pastry.
Marinated Tomato Salad at Cove: Marinated tomatoes with grapes, ajo blanco, and fried thyme, at Flynn McGarry (of Gem Home)’s Hudson Square restaurant
Wow lots of options!