Should we beware of the ides of August? News is a popular Vietnamese restaurant re-opens in Queens, a Chelsea restaurant is inviting you to get liquored up for two hours during brunch, and a rooftop bar in Gramercy has begun pairing cocktails with Lisa Frank merchandise.
So, no, we should not be afraid of it; clearly, we should embrace it. Have a tip? Send us a note via Instagram or by emailing info@diningout.com.
The 411
Chef Laurent Tourondel signs on to the RARE Steak Championship, a new Roman restaurant in Chelsea wants you to go bottomless, and there’s speculation Una Pizza Napoletana is looking to create even more viral lines in the West Village.
The Grand Tour-ondel
Big news in the world of steak. It’s just been announced that Gallic super chef, founder of the BLT empire and currently running Skirt Steak in Manhattan, Laurent Tourondel will be at the RARE Steak Championship. For the first time this steak festival from DiningOut Events comes to the city, taking place on September 10. Other steak-centric eateries that will be represented at the festival include, Vinyl Steakhouse, Le Rivage, and Raval Steakhouse, among a large handful of others.
Go Bottomless, Roman Style
The new Roman restaurant in Chelsea, Forno d’Oro, has a fun weekend brunch now on the docket. Grab a seat anytime between noon and 4 p.m. on Saturday or Sunday, and tuck into the Italian-accented brunch menu. Think Eggs Purgatorio and B.E.C. Pizza. Then fork out $25 more to get bottomless mimosas and bellini drinks for two hours.
Ginger & Lemongrass is Back
If you’re in or around Whitestone, Queens, and have a hankering for excellent Vietnamese fare, point yourself to Ginger & Lemongrass. The restaurant, which opened in 2016, closed in early 2026, but news is, it reopened last week in a new location at 1422 150th St. Now you and local Whitestoners can enjoy chef Petra Rickman’s fine Pho Bo or luscious Lemongrass Soup.
Una Pizza in Villaggio Ovest?
According to The Infatuation, Una Pizza Napoletana, the Lower East Side pizzeria that is often ranked as the number one pizzeria in the United States, may be opening up an outpost in the West Village some time later this year. Apparently, people associated with the pizzeria recently applied for a liquor license for the space at 30 Jane St. More lines for the West Village!
Roaring for a Honey Deuce
If you couldn’t get tickets to the U.S. Open, happening in Flushing this month, put Lucky Tiger into your G.P.S. This Financial District Asian-inspired cocktail bar shared news that it will be showing every match on its big-screen TVs. If you happen to turn up during a weekend day, the bar recently began serving a 90-minute bottom-less brunch for $35. Drinks include the Honey Deuce, the official boozy beverage of the U.S. Open.
On the Menu
Head over to Bar Susanne this week to indulge in either the new happy hour or to feast on a lobster roll. You might also want to point yourself to SoHo, news is there’s a Ferragosto-inspired menu at Piccola Cucina.
Celebrating Ferragosto in SoHo
In Italy, August 15th is Ferragosta. It’s technically a religious celebration but for Italians it also means that it’s time to go on vacation. But if you’re at Piccola Cucina Enoteca in SoHo, it means a lavish Ferragosto-inspired menu of Swordfish and Tomatoes, Olives, and Capers; Sausage with Fennel Seeds; and Busiate Pasta with marinated zucchini, fresh mint, and Caciocavallo cheese. The menu is available from now until August 23. That is, if you’re not on vacation.
Mussel Beach
Bar Susanne, the new seafood-centric restaurant with a prime spot on the East River in Williamsburg, has a bounty of new offerings: First up, daily happy hour on weekends from 4 to 6 p.m. and weekdays from 4 to 5:30 p.m. That means $14 spritzes and $2 oysters. Tuesdays at Bar Susanne are Mussel Tuesdays where diners can get a pot of Steamed Mussels laden with njuja, white wine, and pickled Fresno chiles. Finally, stop by on Wednesdays for the Lobster Happy Meal: a Mini Lobster Roll with fries ($24). You can add on a Mini Vesper Royale for just $10.
High-Altitude Drinking with Unicorns and Rainbows
The rooftop bar at Gramercy’s Freehand hotel, Broken Shaker, is going back to the 1990s. And it wants to take you with them. This month Broken Shaker broke the news of a partnership with Kitsch and its line of rainbow-and-unicorn Lisa Frank products in order to offer a few unique, limited-time cocktails.
Enjoy the view from the rooftop while drinking a Let’s Be Frank, a concoction of peach, citrus, and coconut flavors that come with Lisa Frank Rainbow Leopard or Angel Kitty hairclips; or So Kitchy, blending vodka, rum, and apricot that comes with a Kitsch + Lisa Frank hair scrunchie set; finally, there’s Rooftop Daydream, mixing mezcal with watermelon and basil that comes with a Kitsch + Lisa Frank Dancing Dreams Body Wash Bar.
Don’t Miss This Week
Need some dining out recommendations? Try these three hot spots, and make sure to check out the week’s events.
Wednesday: There are a handful of must-try pizzerias in lower Manhattan. And then there is Keepers, a brand new Negroni-centric bar and restaurant in the West Village from the folks who brought us Dandelion. On Wednesday evening, I’ll be cozied up to the bar eating the excellent take on Chicago tavern-style pizza and taking in the homey Midwestern vibe of the place.
Thursday: The Tavern menu at Gramercy Tavern has just been updated to include a new limited-time dish: Smoked Pork Ribs with Carrots, Cashews, and Sesame, the restaurant’s take on the Southern classic. You can bet I’ll be there this week, Thursday to be exact, to tuck into this hearty dish.
Friday: Bar Bas, one of the hottest new openings in New York this summer, has a new happy hour and I’m going to be taking advantage of it. The bar, only open Thursday to Saturday, is offering full-size classic martinis for just $9 from 7 to 10 p.m. During that three-hour window, you can also slurp down oysters for $1.50 each.
