Do you miss eating dinner while watching a show? Well, you’re just in luck because The Ragtrader located at 70 W 36th Street and its subterranean piano bar Bo Peep, are bringing live entertainment and good food to New York City.
Starting this week, Bo Peep’s revered pianist Skip Brevis will be bringing his musical songs to The Ragtrader’s 36th Street sidewalk every Tuesday through Friday starting at 6 pm. The Ragtrader’s outdoor diners as well as people who are walking by can request any songs that they’d like from nostalgic favorites to modern classics. This astounding event will also feature some surprise guest pianists and vocalists with a variety of Crudo, apps, authentic pizzas, and large + small plates such as Salmon Poke, Artichoke & Olive pizza, Cauliflower Steak, and Mushroom Bolognese for you to enjoy. This will all highlight the restaurant's strong relationship with local farmers. Reservations are not required for you to attend.
For those who have been craving some good ol’ barbecue but haven’t been able to get out of the city, you are just in luck! The Ragtrader will be hosting an event with your good ol’ barbecue favorites on Wednesday, July 29th from 5 pm to closing time. This event will feature items such as St. Louis style ribs, DemKota Ranch Brisket, Baked Beans, Mac n’ Cheese, Pecan & Bourbon Pie, and so much more scrumptious food that your taste buds just won’t be able to resist.
But wait! There’s more! The Ragtrader’s sibling restaurants, White Oak Tavern located in Greenwich Village at 21 Waverly Place and Street Taco located at 358 3rd Ave, are officially open for outdoor dining, takeout, and delivery. New York City’s restaurants are slowly coming back to life whether you want to be entertained while you eat or not.
As restaurants across New York City are trying to survive during this pandemic, many restaurants are looking into both new and creative ways to promote their businesses. To help gain more customers during this challenging time, Brookfield Place which is a premier waterfront shopping center on the Hudson River in Downtown Manhattan announced the release of a digital cookbook called “Bite-Sized: A Taste of New York’s Culinary Secrets.” This book is in collaboration with various restaurants across the city.
Restaurants such as Sant Ambroeus, Blue Ribbon Sushi, Gabriel Kreuther, Seamore's, and Tartinery have whipped up some tasty recipes in this cookbook. It is available for your purchase today at bfplny.com for only $10. All proceeds will benefit the Relief Opportunities for All Restaurants, which is a New York City restaurant employee relief fund.
The special recipes are just the beginning when it comes to this cookbook, there are also tips on how to recreate some of the best savory dishes like Bluestone Lane’s Avo Smash and Tartinery’s Smoked Salmon Tartine or Sant Ambroeus’s beloved cacio e pepe. And there are guides on how to make the most out of your basic kitchen ingredients such as Sweetgreen’s six ways to use old vegetables for the perfect salad, or Gabriel Kreuther’s Anatomy of Chocolate.
Craft cocktail specialist Shigefumi Kabashima has reopened both of his Japanese cocktail bars and full-service restaurants, ROKC (Ramen + Oyster + Kitchen + Cocktails) in West Harlem and NR in the Upper East Side. NR’s latest brunch menu is now available on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 pm and it features a wide range of contemporary Japanese dishes and your favorite brunch classics such as Chef Takashi’s handmade Soba Noodles and Truffle Egg Sandwiches. These restaurants were closed during the hype of the pandemic, ROKC and NR are now in their newest chapter. Their dining is complete with outdoor tables and chairs as well as a new chef and menu for their food, this was all planned out while executing the creative and delicious cocktails Shige is known for.
The rain has become every restaurant’s worst nightmare. Fortunately, a Mediterranean restaurant located in the West Village called “Extra Virgin” has got our back! This restaurant offers its guests both umbrellas and an awning for their outdoor seating options. Michele Gaton is the owner and she is also the General Manager of Union Square’s Coffee Shop. Her Partner in Crime and Executive Chef Joey Fortunato is also known for his work at Manhattan Ocean Club, Layla, Picholine, and Tribeca Grill. The menu also allows guests to use their phones to scan a QR code for ordering food and drinks. Some of “Extra Virgin” most well-known dishes include:
Chopped Summer Salad with Watermelon and Feta with crisp romaine lettuce, baby arugula, sweet corn, grape tomato, red onion, radish, cucumber, and roasted chickpeas, dressed with a honey-lime vinaigrette.
The Truffled Mushroom Asparagus Turkey Burger, which is dressed with a porcini aioli and served with fries or a salad.
Spicy Shrimp Tacos with a chile-lime aioli, pineapple salsa, avocado, jicama slaw, pico de gallo, and pickled jalapeño.
The Mushroom Crusted Virgin Chicken, which has been on the menu since the restaurant's inception and made with a juicy chicken breast coated in a mixture of different mushrooms, served with sweet pea risotto, cipollini onions, and truffle broth.
The 40 Ounce Froze and the Hampton’s Favorite Bailey’s Banana Colada are just some of the many extravagant cocktail options that “Extra Virgin” has to offer. You can go to this restaurant today at 259 West 4th Street and you can also visit their website at https://extravirginrestaurant.com/
The restaurants that I have talked about are just some of the many options that are available in New York City for your entertainment. Whether that includes music while eating, takeout, outdoor dining, indoor dining, or a picnic by Central Park with loved ones. Food brings people together, and right now especially we need to be united instead of divided.
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