7/7 - Post-Pandemic NYC Restaurant Trends
Tweaks: less essays, more restaurants, and some #takes from one of y’all. Week two. Shall we?
Restaurants:
All places you can still eat at this week. Now coming with a brief reason why you might want to.
Hudson Clearwater (West Village): Sunken back patio with plenty of ivy. Great wine. Cool staff.
Threes Brewing Greenpoint (Greenpoint): Cold beer. Partnered with local fish market.
Cadence (Ukrainian Village): Impossible to get into, besides right now. Vegan soul food.
Samurai Mama (Williamsburg): Solid sushi. Big wooden community table. Affordable.
Otis (East Williamsburg): Cocktails, pasta, and a place you’ll want to sit at for a while.
Post-Pandemic NYC Restaurant Trends:
Courtesy of Cousin Nell, resident martini expert and vibe curator.
Maximalism - Caviar bumps. Champagne. Luxe, old school cocktail bars - Temple Bar, Pebble Bar. People are down to spend on a night out.
Americana - Dirty Shirleys. Retro food a la Patti Ann's. Spag Tav.
Vibe > Food, or equally. Think Bongo's partying vibe. Saraghina Caffe is a new hotspot for its chic Milanese bar vibes despite the food at their other restaurant being far superior and less expensive.
New York Nostalgia - People want to go and have the New Yorkiest of New York nights after being deprived of our city's greatness for two years. New York classics are all of a sudden buzzing again (Balthazar, Raoul's come to mind). Jazz + supper clubs are having a moment - Saint Tuesday, The Nines.
Ideas:
Wonder wants to change food delivery by using mobile kitchens to cook meals right outside your home. An idea so stupid that they were just awarded $350 million in funding. But things are working against them: rising gas prices, a shortage of trained chefs, and the decision to use the “Bobby Flay Steak” as promotional material.
Stories:
Dan Giusti isn’t too hard to stumble across in the food section of the internet. He did the coolest thing a chef could do in running the kitchen at Noma for a few years. Dan then left to return home to Connecticut and tackle a new culinary challenge: school lunch. More often than I’d care to admit, I find myself rewatching his Ted talk as it nails the role ego should (or shouldn’t) play in providing a meal for someone.
Wine:
Great, brief article outlining how climate change could expedite the acceptance of hybrid and indigenous grape varieties among US winemakers. Exciting stuff, especially for your friend from high school that grew shitty weed.
Beer:
Brick alert. A perfectly poured Guinness with classical music in the background. If you like old TV ads, check out this compilation of the best Guinness ads to ever run on the tele.
Music:
New Body Electric. Easy, fun listening. Throw them on next time you set up to cook and you’ll have just a bit more fun than you normally would have.
Again thank you all for reading. For all those who reached out after the first one: you are each amazing. Looking forward to more feedback and contributions. Thanks again!