By Caroline Grogan By Caroline Grogan | July 26, 2021 | Food & Drink,
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.
As July comes to a close, there is no better time to treat yourself to a leisurely meal from one of the best new restaurants in the city. This week sees the opening of new Middle Eastern restaurant Shukette and barbeque mainstay Virgil’s reopening in Times Square. Head to Central Park to enjoy a picnic lunch curated by Grand Marnier and Luxe Fête Social or stop by celebrity hotspot Gabriel’s in their new location on Central Park South.
See also: 9 Tequila-Based Cocktails to Brighen Your Next Celebration
The Courtyard at Arlo Soho
231 Hudson St / Website
Temperatures are going up, and this year there’s no need to leave Manhattan to get a taste of the beach. Instead, head over to The Courtyard at the Arlo Soho Hotel, where you can find the ultimate beach-themed pop-up open all summer long. ‘Arlo Beach’ is serving up the perfect beachy drink, a Tiki-style cocktail with Bacardi, lime, strawberry honey, Peychaud’s bitters and mint, served over crushed ice in glassware made to look like the mouth of a shark. The menu also includes three flavors of table tap cocktails, all $99 and perfect for larger groups.
L’Adresse NoMad
1184 Broadway / Website
The team behind L’Adresse in Bryant Park has now opened their second location in NoMad, serving up contemporary American fare with a diverse menu of seasonally inspired dishes ranging from burgers to elegant seafood dishes as well as a world-renowned bar program. Evgeny Zhuravlev, founder of L’Adresse Restaurant Group, says, ““L’Adresse is all about bringing the community together around great food and drinks and offering a place where our neighbors and friends can join us for a fun and creative dining experience.” Menu highlights include grilled octopus with chimichurri, watercress and crispy chickpeas, tuna tartare with yellow tomato compote, avocado and saffron aioli and syrniki, a popular Eastern European pancake made with cottage cheese, creme fraiche and mint.
Sola Pasta Bar
330 W Broadway / Website
After a long day of shopping and strolling through Soho, stop at Sola Pasta Bar on the corner of West Broadway and Grand Street. Dine al fresco at their new outdoor dining space adorned with summery floral arrangements and palms, the perfect backdrop to enjoy “La Dolce Vita.” The outdoor space features a wraparound terrace as well as a new indoor-outdoor bar where guests can enjoy a modern take on Italian cocktails including two varieties of spritzes and an aperitif with fresh strawberry puree and sparkling rose. Sola Pasta Bar’s menu includes homemade pastas and specials as well as a selection of aperitivo and desserts. If you can’t get enough of the pasta, try the pasta tasting, a two-person selection of five half pasta dishes for $100.
Virgil’s Real BBQ Times Square
152 W 44th St / Website
Virgil’s will celebrate their grand reopening on July 29th with new menu additions and an opening day drink special. Hurry over, since the first one hundred customers will receive a free “Fall off the Porch” signature cocktail with the purchase of any entree. New menu additions include catfish bites, a pork belly sandwich, fried chicken sandwich and sausage link sandwich. Tourists and locals alike will rejoice the reopening of this classic barbeque spot located just steps away from the theaters and sightseeing destinations in Times Square. Be sure to try their Memphis-style pork spare ribs, Carolina pulled pork or Texas beef brisket, all smoked in-house for 13 to 15 hours.
Grand Marnier x Luxe Fête Social
Grand Marnier has teamed up with Nathalie Cadet-James’ event planning studio Luxe Fête Social to launch a limited-edition collection inspired by the French tradition of the ‘On Holiday.’ The collection contains everything needed for a refined picnic for two, including Grand Marnier cocktail recipes, a cheese board, dried florals, wine glasses, a picnic blanket, Luxe Fête conversation starter cards and more. The collection makes it easy to elevate an everyday moment into a grand occasion, whether you enjoy the picnic in Central Park or on the bank of the Hudson River.
Gabriel’s Bar and Restaurant
40 Central Park South / Website
Gabriel’s Bar and Restaurant has reopened, this time in a new location on Central Park South but with the same upscale Italian cuisine that has attracted Hollywood stars and music industry mavens since it first opened in 1991. The restaurant has outdoor cafe seating and is now open for breakfast for the first time in its history. Menu highlights include carpaccio di polpo, gnocchi sorrentina with Gabriel’s famous tomato basil sauce and capesante con prosciutto di parma.
Shukette
230 9th Ave / Website
From the team behind esteemed Mediterranean restaurant Shuka in Soho comes its spinoff Shukette. While both restaurants highlight Levantine cuisine, guests can expect to see a more loud and energetic side of chef Ayesha Nurdjaj’s cooking. She told New York Eater that she wants the new restaurant “to be, like, controlled chaos. If someone is clapping in the middle of the dining room here, it makes sense.” Guests can enjoy savory, smoky chicken and lamb dishes cooked in Shukette’s charcoal grill as well as new takes on traditional appetizers including baba ganoush made with zucchini and a smoked salt cod dip with pickled serrano chilis.
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