Food &amp; Dining

Manhattan's Garment District is getting a new food and beverage concept in early September. Located at 231 West 39th Street, The Deco Food + Drink will include a food hall, cocktail bar, and event space aimed at appealing to both office workers in Midtown and tourists known to flock to the neighborhood. On Wednesday, the food hall released its list of vendors and the line-up promises to offer a variety of cuisines, from French baked goods to traditional Filipino fare.
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Food & Dining

10 businesses including Tracks Bar will be shuttered in $600M Penn Station revamp

Photo of Tracks Bar by 6sqft

June 14, 2019

10 businesses including Tracks Bar will be shuttered in $600M Penn Station revamp

Recently-revealed renderings show the final design for the new main entrance to Penn Station. It's no surprise that, as the Wall Street Journal reports, the overhaul will mean the eviction of 10 businesses including popular commuter watering hole Tracks Bar. Real estate developer Vornado will be making the decision about which, if any, of the businesses–other than Tracks, mostly chain restaurants–can return when renovations are done.
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Six restaurants to open this fall in Nordstrom’s flagship store at Central Park Tower

Rendering courtesy of Nordstrom

June 12, 2019

Six restaurants to open this fall in Nordstrom’s flagship store at Central Park Tower

Six unique restaurants and bars will set up shop at Nordstrom's flagship store in New York City when it opens in October. Located in the base of the supertall at 225 West 57th Street, known as the Central Park Tower, the 285,000-square-foot Nordstrom takes up seven floors of the building. As Eater NY first reported, the restaurants will be run by two chefs from Seattle: Ethan Stowell and Tom Douglas.
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The Four Seasons is closing this week, less than a year after $40M reopening

Photo via Wikimedia

June 10, 2019

The Four Seasons is closing this week, less than a year after $40M reopening

Less than a year after moving out of the historic Seagram Building and reopening a new space, the famed Four Seasons Restaurant will close Tuesday, the New York Times reported. The news comes after the restaurant reopened last year on East 52nd Street with a $40 million renovation. And last December, former managing partner Julian Niccolini resigned after pleading guilty to sexual assault in 2016.
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Food & Dining

Dating app Bumble will open a permanent cafe and wine bar in Soho this fall

Via Pexels

June 4, 2019

Dating app Bumble will open a permanent cafe and wine bar in Soho this fall

A dating app wants to make planning first dates in New York City easier by narrowing down the choices of cafes and bars to just one. Bumble, the app that prompts women to make the first move online, is opening a permanent cafe and wine bar in Soho for people to meet, as Bloomberg first reported. Bumble Brew, opening this fall, will operate as a coffee shop during the day, with wine and small plates offered later.
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Food & Dining

Moishe’s Bakery may get a new life in the East Village

Photo by James and Karla Murray of the store in 2015 after the original signage was replaced following the East Village gas explosion nearby.

May 31, 2019

Moishe’s Bakery may get a new life in the East Village

"Formerly Moishe's" is the strangely straightforward name that may soon christen the beloved East Village Kosher bakery. A local tipster and friend of long-time owner Moishe Perlmutter told EV Grieve that Moishe recently let him know that a new group of bakers would be taking over the location. He said they'll still serve baked goods and coffee and he may stay involved in some limited capacity. After 42 years in business, the bakery closed its doors in March after Moishe decided to retire.
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Food & Dining

A new food pop-up at Chelsea Market will provide temporary rent-free space for culinary entrepreneurs

Image via Flickr cc

May 28, 2019

A new food pop-up at Chelsea Market will provide temporary rent-free space for culinary entrepreneurs

The East Harlem-based culinary nonprofit Hot Bread Kitchen has opened a new pop-up space in Chelsea Market that will host a rotating cast of alums from its incubator program, which provides training and low-cost kitchen rental facilities to culinary entrepreneurs. Up first is Gorsha, a fast-casual Ethiopian restaurant from Hiyaw Gebreyohannes, which will take residence in the space through October 31st. As the WSJ first reported, this reflects a new trend among food halls who are offering rent-free spaces to food startups in exchange for fresh flavors and ideas.
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Food & Dining

Asian food hall and performance space could come to Flushing’s Sky View Parc

Google Street View of the mall and Sky View Parc

May 23, 2019

Asian food hall and performance space could come to Flushing’s Sky View Parc

According to The Real Deal, developer Blackstone will be opening an upscale food hall at Flushing's Shops at Skyview, a large shopping mall with big-box stores such as Target, BJ's, and Nordstrom Rack that's part of the larger Sky View Parc luxury condo development. In addition to plans for "chef-driven" and "fast-cash" food offerings, performance spaces and nightlife events are also in the works. And according to the group who will be curating the food hall, it's taking inspiration from San Francisco's popular Chinese marketplace.
More details ahead

Food & Dining

Street food competition Vendy Awards will host its final event this fall

Via Flickr

May 22, 2019

Street food competition Vendy Awards will host its final event this fall

The annual competition celebrating New York City street vendors will end this fall after 15 years. The last Vendy Awards ever will be held on Governors Island on September 21, providing one last chance to enjoy one of the city's greatest food events. The competition, organized by the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center, launched with just four vendors in 2005. It has since grown to feature vendors from across the city, serving nearly two thousand hungry foodies annually, and becoming a career launch pad for vendors.
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See inside the newly-opened Essex Street Market

The latest version of the Lower East Side's beloved Essex Street Market, its name streamlined to simply Essex Market, opened Monday in its new home inside the Essex Crossing development at 88 Essex Street. It's triple the size of the original market, from which 21 vendors (yes, Shopsin's remains) have moved in, along with 18 new stalls and two full-service restaurants. The old market officially closed its doors on May 5, making this the first new public market to open in the city since 1955.
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Food & Dining

Carnegie Deli and ‘Mrs. Maisel’ team up on a pastrami food truck this week

Photo courtesy of Prime Video

May 13, 2019

Carnegie Deli and ‘Mrs. Maisel’ team up on a pastrami food truck this week

If you watched "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," you know that Midge loves herself a good old pastrami sandwich when she dines at her favorite Jewish deli, which is why the iconic Carnegie Deli is back for its second pop-up with Amazon. Ahead of the second season's launch in December, the former Midtown deli (which closed in 2016 after 80 years) returned for an eight-day stint in a Nolita storefront. And now Prime Video has created a Carnegie Deli food truck so that New Yorkers "can enjoy the 'sandwich worth the schlep' without too much of a schlep." From today until Wednesday the retro pink truck will be serving up two signature sandwiches, black-and-white cookies, and vintage sodas.
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A mini-Smorgasburg is coming to Hudson Yards

Photo courtesy of Timothy Schenck for Related-Oxford

May 9, 2019

A mini-Smorgasburg is coming to Hudson Yards

At least this means there will be more affordable bites at the far west side mega-development. As first reported by Eater, open-air food market Smorgasburg will be setting up shop at Hudson Yards every Tuesday and Wednesday this spring/summer, starting next week. In addition to offering less-expensive options (say than, $17.50 fava beans and $14 sides of fries), the market will also bring some local flavor to the corporate complex, from Queens-based Destination Dumplings to the Red Hook Lobster Pound.
Check out the list of vendors

Food & Dining

Halal Guys, Empanada Mama, and more are coming to the TWA Hotel

Photo courtesy of TWA Hotel/MCR and Morse Development

May 2, 2019

Halal Guys, Empanada Mama, and more are coming to the TWA Hotel

In just two weeks, the famous Eero Saarinen-designed TWA terminal at JFK Airport will be reopened for the first time in 18 years, rechristened as the Jet Age-throwback TWA Hotel. There have been several announcements in recent months, from the opening of reservations to the unveiling of the rooftop infinity pool and observation deck, and now we have even more details on everyone's favorite topic--food. The terminal's famous Departures Hall, where TWA travelers originally checked in for flights, will be transformed into a small dining hall with offerings from four local mini-chains--The Halal Guys, Empanada Mama, Earl of Sandwich, Playa Bowls, and Fresh & Co.
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Food & Dining

This nitrogen ice cream parlor in the Bronx is a pastel-painted dream

All photos courtesy of Costas Picadas

May 1, 2019

This nitrogen ice cream parlor in the Bronx is a pastel-painted dream

Last December, Ice Scream opened at the Mall at Bay Plaza, giving the Bronx its first liquid nitrogen ice cream parlor. In addition to serving up futuristic frozen treats, the shop provides a fun and relaxing rest stop in between shopping. Founded by New Yorker Julien Albertini and Alina Pimkina, from Moscow, interior design firm Asthetíque specializes in luxury hospitality and residential design. Although developing a brand for a family business tailored to children was a totally new concept for Julien and Alina, the duo took on the design for Ice Scream and came up with a concept that "benefits society and makes peoples’ lives and businesses more beautiful and functional," according to the designers. Inspired by the 1980s Memphis design movement, Asthetíque has created a space for guests to have “plenty of Instagrammable moments.” From the ceiling's coordinated light show to the fun mantras written in neon script throughout the 24-seat store (ie: "Ice Scream is better than therapy" and "Count your sprinkles, not your problems"), Ice Scream's design not only provides a spot for families to make memories, but as a declaration that the "Bronx can contribute to the world of design." For its innovative and playful ice cream parlor design, Asthetíque was a winner in the 46th annual IIDA Interior Design Competition this year. Ahead, see inside the eye-catching ice cream parlor and hear from Julien and Alina on the brand development process.
Get the scoop on Ice Scream

Historic Village icon White Horse Tavern is now closed for renovation under new ownership

Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim via Flickr.

April 30, 2019

Historic Village icon White Horse Tavern is now closed for renovation under new ownership

As 6sqft reported earlier this year, the building that is home to White Horse Tavern, the 140-year-old West Village bar famous for its notable literary and artist clientele, was recently purchased by Steve Croman, a notorious landlord who served prison time for tenant harassment. The tavern, which opened on Hudson Street in 1880, is also under new management; the historic bar will be run by restauranteur Eytan Sugarman, who, as Gothamist reports, was behind Midtown's Hunt and Fish Club. The latest development raises new fears: The bar has been closed, according to a sign posted on the door, for "much needed repairs and upgrades." Readers are assured, "Have no fear, we have no intention of changing any of the historical elements that make the White Horse Tavern the landmark that it is."
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This Brooklyn brewery is selling beer made with bagels

Photo by Alex Ostroff

April 25, 2019

This Brooklyn brewery is selling beer made with bagels

Fusing the two favorites of many New Yorkers, Carroll Gardens brewery Folksbier has partnered with Black Seed Bagels to brew a special bagel-based beer. Called Black Seed Glow Up, the Berliner Weisse-style sour wheat beer will be available at a select number of restaurants and bars starting Thursday. Instead of being brewed with wheat, the Glow Up beer includes leftover bagels and honey.
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Food & Dining

New Essex Market officially opens on the Lower East Side next month

Rendering by SHoP Architects via NYCEDC

April 24, 2019

New Essex Market officially opens on the Lower East Side next month

Essex Market's new home on the ground floor of the mega-development Essex Crossing officially opens to the public on May 13. Located across the street from its nearly 80-year-old home, the market is hosting a free event on Saturday, May 18 at 88 Essex Street to celebrate, as Eater NY first reported. The market's more than 20 existing vendors will make the move across the street, to be joined by 18 new vendors and two restaurants. The old market will officially close its doors on May 5.
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Food & Dining

Where I Work: How Kerry Brodie helps empower refugees through food at Emma’s Torch in Brooklyn

6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and off-beat workspaces of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we’re touring Carroll Gardens nonprofit-restaurant Emma’s Torch. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch!

April 24, 2019

Where I Work: How Kerry Brodie helps empower refugees through food at Emma’s Torch in Brooklyn

While volunteering at a Washington, D.C. homeless shelter a few years ago, Kerry Brodie witnessed how food can facilitate conversations among diverse groups of people. “If I have one background, someone else a different one, but we have this shared experience of cooking with our mothers and grandmothers, there’s got to be something else we can do to propel change,” Kerry said. With the idea to help those from disenfranchised communities find jobs and feel empowered doing so, she quit her job in public policy, moved to New York, and enrolled in culinary school. A month after graduating, Kerry founded Emma’s Torch, first as a pop-up in Red Hook to now a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Carroll Gardens, where it’s been for about a year. The nonprofit, named after Emma Lazarus whose poem is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, serves as a culinary school for refugees, asylum seekers, and survivors of trafficking. Applicants who are accepted to the 12-week paid program not only learn how to cook in a high-pressure setting but also work on English language skills and career planning. 6sqft recently sat down with Kerry at Emma's Torch ahead of a graduation dinner, a night where the students take over the menu and "cook from the heart." Ahead, learn more about the mission of Emma's Torch, the challenges of operating as a nonprofit, and Kerry's plan to expand beyond New York City.
See the space and meet the founder of Emma's Torch

Mixed feedback from LPC on proposed open-air pavilion at Fulton Ferry Landing

Rendering by Starling Architecture

April 9, 2019

Mixed feedback from LPC on proposed open-air pavilion at Fulton Ferry Landing

The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) on Tuesday gave mixed reviews for a proposed new concession pavilion outside of the landmarked fireboat station at the Fulton Ferry Landing. The proposal, chosen last December by the Brooklyn Bridge Park (BBP), includes constructing an outdoor restaurant and bar that would connect to an adjacent utility shed and sit in front of the two-story fireboat station, previously home to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. While Alex and Miles Pincus, the operators of the proposed space, designed the outdoor concession to be simple and airy, some LPC commissioners expressed concern over the structure possibly blocking views of Manhattan and the need to keep the space as open as possible.
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Dean & Deluca debuts a new fast food concept in the Meatpacking District

Images by Julian Faulhaber; drawings courtesy of Buro Ole Scheeren

April 4, 2019

Dean & Deluca debuts a new fast food concept in the Meatpacking District

Dean & DeLuca has unveiled a new concept—separate from the renowned gourmet market—which seeks to slow down fast food consumption and highlight the artistry that goes into preparing food. STAGE, which opened yesterday at 29 Ninth Avenue in the Meatpacking District, was designed by the German architecture firm Büro Ole Scheeren. It transforms the typical buffet counter into a theatrical space that allows customers to interact with staff and watch their food being prepared.
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Food & Dining

The iconic Zagat New York City restaurant guide is coming back to print this fall

Image by Emily Schindler; courtesy of The Infatuation/Zagat

April 3, 2019

The iconic Zagat New York City restaurant guide is coming back to print this fall

For the first time since 2016, the Zagat New York City Restaurants Guide will be printed later this year, just in time for its 40th anniversary. The iconic burgundy paperback launched in the 1980s and quickly became a gold standard for restaurant reviews, spreading to other cities in the US and beyond. The family-owned company was acquired by Google in 2011 for $151 million, moved to an online platform and stopped publishing books altogether. Zagat.com was bought by the Infatuation—a restaurant rating and guides platform—last year, with the goal of rebuilding the brand. News of the upcoming 2020 edition is a sign that the "Burgundy Bible" is coming back into relevancy.
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Where I Work: Noam Grossman wants to perfect the NYC slice at his throwback pizzeria Upside

Photo courtesy of Molly Tavoletti

April 3, 2019

Where I Work: Noam Grossman wants to perfect the NYC slice at his throwback pizzeria Upside

How do you heighten something as ubiquitous in New York City as a slice of pizza? It’s all about the dough. Noam Grossman, the founder of Upside Pizza, which opened in the Garment District in January, uses a 100 percent naturally leavened dough with a sourdough starter, unbleached flour, and a rise time of 72 hours. Grossman credits this mixture, along with the use of a brick-lined oven and in-house ingredients, for making Upside Pizza stand out among the hundreds of other slice joints found across the city. With a team consisting of dollar-slice gurus Eli and Oren Halai, of 2 Bros. Pizza, and pizza consultant Anthony Falco, of Roberta’s fame, Grossman’s pizzeria elevates the New York slice experience while retaining its grab-and-go roots. “We’re not cranking out quick-made pies,” Grossman told 6sqft. “We’re working tirelessly to make our pies memorable, and the absolute best they can be.” And all of this is happening in a 330-square-foot joint on the busy corner of 39th Street, across from the Port Authority. Boasting a colorful, in-your-face aesthetic, the inspiration for Upside Pizza's design came from "the nostalgia of being a kid in the '90s when hip hop and sports reigned supreme, and local pizza parlors were places of community gathering," he said. Ahead, hear from Grossman on Upside Pizza's plan to perfect the slice, the pizzeria's expansion, and his favorite slice joint in the city.
Meet Noam

Legendary French bistro Pastis will reopen in the West Village in May

Image via Flickr

April 2, 2019

Legendary French bistro Pastis will reopen in the West Village in May

Keith McNally’s Pastis was an iconic fixture of the New York dining scene since it opened in 1999, known for serving steak frites to an A-list celebrity crowd including regulars Anna Wintour, Martha Stewart, and Sarah Jessica Parker (it also made regular appearances on "Sex and the City"). Replicating the vibe of an early 20-century French brasserie in the middle of the industrial Meatpacking District, the influential spot was credited with transforming the neighborhood into one of the city’s top dining destinations. Since it shuttered its doors in 2014, McNally has been resolved to reopen and now the anticipated arrival of Pastis 2.0 is almost here. Referred to as “the biggest comeback in NYC dining in years,” Pastis is set to open at its new West Village location, 52 Gansevoort Street, in just one month, Eater reports.
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Food & Dining

Jersey City’s Harborside gets a new food hall featuring 13 local vendors

All images by Ben Gancsos, courtesy of District Kitchen

March 27, 2019

Jersey City’s Harborside gets a new food hall featuring 13 local vendors