Enjoy oysters and bubbles every Thursday at Freehold in the Park.
Gotham Guide is a weekly list of new restaurants, special menus and pop-ups throughout New York City. Support local businesses and head out on a culinary adventure with our suggestions below.
Full capacity dining in back in the city, and that's great news for our beloved eateries who battled through the last year of quarantine shut down. Show your love by hitting the streets and treating yourself to a top-shelf meal, pairing it with some rare international liquors and maybe even a picnic in the park.
This week's Gotham Guide celebrates a global feast of flavors. Eat al fresco at one of the ample food markets, or enjoy a romantic experience at a classic steakhouse. Whatever your mood, there's something to hit the spot.
See also: Try This At Home: Jake Cohen's Steak Recipe From New Cookbook
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117 W. 58 St. / Website
Dim lighting, white-washed brick, roman arches and black-leather seating sets the tone at this classic steakhouse in Central Park South. Owner Steve Haxhiaj and Chef Jaime Chabla are thrilled to welcome guests back to a full-capacity experience for a menu of top-notch meats. Dazzle your date with bone-in rib eye served tableside and sliced while it sizzles. The filet mignon and NY sirloin are high grade, but if you’d like a steak alternative, try the whole Maine lobster; pollo tuscany with cheese, mushrooms and spinach; or linguini alla vongole cooked in garlic and clam sauce.
20 Union Square West / Website
Now through October, Williamsburg’s Freehold invites you to an open-air concept in Union Square Park for signature coffee, cocktails, and thin and crispy pizzas. Come Wednesday for park-to-table pizza parties, Thursday for oysters and bubbles, and Sunday for a lively jazz brunch.
Vanderbilt at 46th St.; 570 Lex at 51st St.; West 52nd Street at 6 1/2 Ave. / Website
Take your pick of more than 15 flavor profiles at one of Urbanspace’s delectable food hall destinations. Come to the Vanderbilt location for La Palapa’s Mexico City tacos, slow-braised meat bites from Mayhem Sandwiches, modern Taiwanese at Mian Kitchen, and Playa Bites’ refreshing acai and more. At Lex, you can enjoy Takuma Taco’s Japanese-inspired Mexican food, quintessential NYC street-food made with Greek flavors at Pita Yeero and a lot more. The West 52nd location offers Call Me Pasta, Seamore’s 100 percent sustainable seafood, Black Iron Burgers with Mediterranean influence, and others.
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48 Bowery / Website
Chef Kunihide Nakajima is a third-generation Edokko sushi chef serving delicious omakase in Chinatown, and his namesake eatery Nakaji extended its concept with delicious craft cocktails via the Bar at Nakaji--two weeks before the pandemic closed everything. Now, that dream comes to reality with a menu that boasts seasonally-rotating Suntory Toki Whisky Highball drafts, signature cocktails and a stunning $30 cocktail omakase. Enjoy rare limited-edition Japanese whiskies, sake, sochu and draft beer, plus, brand-new bar bites such as yuzu shrimp, miso-marinated snow crab, sea cucumber with soy and vinegar, and more. The Bar at Nakaji is open Tuesday, May 25.
5 E. 54th St. / Website
Classic Mediterranean cuisine has a new home in Midtown. Chef and owner Ioannis "Yiannis” Chatiris was born and raised in Rhodes in the South Aegean Sea, and he’s brought all those traditional flavors to a menu that boasts all the favorite cold spreads of tzatziki and hummus, and hot bites including spanakopita and ouzo flamed haloumi cheese. Mains include squid ink pasta, tomahawk steak and a wide array of fresh seafood options flown in daily on set on display. Skorpios is open for business as of Wednesday, May 26.
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55 Water St. / Website
What’s better than one new restaurant? Time Out Market offers 12 delicious options, running the gamut from casual Indian at Chote Myia to plant-based comfort food at BKLYN Wild, modern Mexican at Ivy Stark, plus fresh pasta, ice cream, southern food and so much more. Enjoy your meal al fresco by the river or on the fifth-floor rooftop terrace, paired with a beverage from one of two main bars. The Manhattan skylines are a summer delight, and there’s a host of musical entertainment planned for the season. Time Out Market is officially open Thursday, May 27.
Photography by: Courtesy Freehold in the Park
