Your Guide to Summer in NYC

Weekends in NYC are active, fun, and really help you unwind after a long work week, but there are also great weekday happy hours and plenty of spruced up menus to entice your inner foodie. If you want to be in the know on what’s happening in NYC, then keep reading because summer in the city is sure going to be fun!

Parties

Fridays at the DL Rooftop on Delancey Street is where, from 5-11PM, you can see lingerie fashion shows, photo expos, and art happenings while sipping on some great drinks at even better prices! Specials for drinks are from 5-9PM and include $6 wines, $8 well drinks and specialty cocktails starting at $14. Be sure to check out DJ Serbee while you’re there and enjoy the alternating event nights.

Toshi’s Living Room at the Flatiron Hotel combines a wonderful experience that’s more than just another nightclub. Here, they showcase live music and their enticing restaurant menu gives you a party-like restaurant experience. Experience the party every Friday and Saturday night in NYC!

Happy Hours

Happy Hour in NY is a city staple when it comes to bars and restaurants. Here are some places where you can score great deals and good times.

Louro on West 10^th street is launching their Petiscos happy hour with free bar bites and nibbles for guests to enjoy with their cocktails. With Portuguese-inspired bites such as clams, white wine, and truffles, as well as Portuguese disco fries, customers can come in and enjoy these from 5:30-7:30pm Tuesday- Sunday.

Crown Restaurant happy hour is a steal this summer with $10 dishes such as Grilled Spanish Octopus and Eggplant Antipasto, along with a selection of $10 wines and cocktails! Be sure to check out this Upper East Side delight from 5-7PM weekdays.

If you’re into longer happier hours with great deals, join Maya on the Upper East Side for $6 flavorful margaritas from 3PM-Close on Wednesday Nights. Between the Spicy Mango, Blueberry, and Strawberry Basil flavors changing weekly, your hump day will be so much better! After a night of tasty food and delicious margaritas, you’ll be able to finish out the rest of the work week without a problem!

Hot New Menus

Hakkasan, a Michelin star restaurant located right outside Times Square, has now introduced a Vegan section to their already incredible menu offerings. You can find items such as Stir Fry Lotus Root, Asparagus and Black Pepper, and Stir Fry Mushroom and Pistachio Pinenut Lettuce Wraps. Stop in as they have a wonderful dim sum brunch menu, tantalizing entrees, and out of this world cocktails.

Caffé Storico in the NY Historical Society Museum launched a new menu by Chef Jim Burke, who was voted Food & Wine’s Best New Chef. Spring favorites like fava beans, ramps, and singing nettles will be featured on the menu alongside some cocktails. One must-try is the Porsepina, which is a refreshing gin cocktail with a little added bubbly and simple syrup!

The Paramount Bar & Grill and Corso Coffee at the Paramount Hotel has brought back really good food to the theater district. It serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a pre-theater pre-fixe menu. The menu offers a variety of appetizers, sandwiches, entrees, raw bar, and includes dishes such as creamy tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons, deluxe burgers, and classic wedge salads with maple-glazed bacon. It’s classic American food with a finer touch. A must-try is one of their signature cocktails. Corso Coffee offers espresso and other wonderful drip coffee blends; it’s an Italian coffee bar with a NY-style ambiance. Here you can have plates of Prosciutto, Fresh Mozzarella, and Arugula along with many more delights.

Gotham Bar and Grill recently launched their annual Greenmarket to Gotham prix fixe menu, which includes two courses for $28 and a six dollar supplement to include dessert. Chef Alfred Portale will select a Greenmarket farm to highlight each week this summer and will offer a vegetarian menu featuring produce from that farm. Additionally, 10% of all Greenmarket menu revenue will be donated to GrowNYC’s educational initiatives.

Cool Deals

Jay Z’s The 40/40 Club is giving 15% off your bill if you bring in a NY baseball stub! This trendy sports bar and lounge reopened last year after a huge renovation and expansion. The multi-level space is beautiful, with an illuminated resin top bar circling an 18 ft. tall lighted champagne tower, leather wall paneling and over 30 flat screen TVs. Just think before you throw away your baseball stubs, as this club is the place to be for a fun, classy night out…and there’s never anything wrong with a little discount, right?

Now, as many of you New Yorker’s know there is a ton to do in NYC during the summer and being in the know with these hot spots will surely add to your summer fun.

Images via Sushi Hana, Reuters, e Promo Brand Solutions.

Top 5 Bites from City Harvest’s Summer in the City

Earlier this week, City Harvest’s young professionals group, Generation Harvest, hosted their 12th annual Summer in the City restaurant tasting and cocktail party at the Metropolitan Pavilion. City Harvest, an amazing organization that provides food to hungry New Yorkers, hosts multiple events throughout the year to raise money for their worthy cause. Many of the city’s newest culinary stars were serving up delicious dishes from their venues and if you are into food, it was like being in heaven. With so many outstanding restaurants participating in this year’s event, it’s hard to choose favorites, but we managed. Here are our top 5 best dishes from Summer in the City, in no particular order.

Ditch Plains – Ditch Dogs (Hot dog covered in mac n’ cheese)

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que – Pulled Pork Sliders

Genting Palace – Pan Seared Scallop with Taro Cake

Zengo – Korean Fried Chicken with Corn-Potato Salad, Pickled Chayoteand Gochujang Sauce

Victor’s Cafe – Fritas Cubanas con papitas Juliana

Honorable Mentions:

Dizzy’s Coca Cola Club – Blackened Catfish Bites with heirloom tomato, avocado & cucumber salad, with po’boy toast

Delaney Barbecue – Mini Sausage Kolaches featuring Brooklyn Kolache

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

Melt Bakery

Genting Palace

The Stanton Social

Rums of Puerto Rico

Delaney Barbecue

Zengo

Victor’s Cafe

Ditch Plains

New York Cake Pops

Oh, you want to know about the desserts? We don’t blame you. Nothing was amiss from the plethora of sweets, including delicious chocolate marshmallow cake pops from New York Cakes Pops, crackly chocolate cookie and malted chocolate rum ice cream sandwiches from Melt Bakery, butterscotch bars from The Treats Truck Shop and milk chocolate salted caramel mousse topped with caramel popcorn from The Stanton Social. These were a few of the many highlights from the epic epicurean night. There were also plenty of refreshing drinks to choose from, whether it be a soda, cocktail, wine or beer. There was also a special performance by Howie Day and an outstanding silent auction. If you missed it, we highly suggest purchasing tickets to City Harvest’s next culinary event, Bid Against Hunger, coming up on October 22nd.

Foodie Delight: Summer in the City

New York City foodies and philanthropists have something big to look forward to. City Harvest, an organization dedicated to feeding New York’s hungry, is hosting their annual Summer in the City benefit on June 19th from 7:30-10pm. The event will bring together over 30 of New York City’s best restaurants and chefs, along with wine, specialty cocktails, incredible entertainment and a silent auction. Last year, the event attracted over 650 guests and raised over $230,000 in support of City Harvest. The event will take place at the Metropolitan Pavilion and will feature a special musical performance by Howie Day. Some of the participating restaurants and beverage stations include Pig & Khao, Booker and Dax, Momofuku Ssäm Bar, and Ardesia Wine Bar. For a full list of participants, click here. Ticket prices start at $150 and can be purchased here (trust us, it’s worth it!)