(Bloomberg) It’s hard to overstate the turmoil restaurants have experienced since the pandemic closed down dining rooms across the country in early 2020. No surprise, New York City chefs and restaurateurs have worked to persevere.
Last summer, Midtown brasserie Quality Bistro cobbled together a row of sun-shaded tables and chairs on the sidewalk along West 55th Street, called it an outdoor patio, and launched open-air dining for the first time. Come winter, sturdy, white tents were erected over the tables and chairs, chandeliers were hung, a checkerboard floor was laid over the sidewalk, some potted plants were added in the corners, and the outdoor patio transformed into a heated outdoor winter garden.
Now, in a third level-up that is “really bonkers,” as co-founder Michael Stillman puts it, the company installed a row of 14 private cabins covered in greenery in front of the restaurant, to add onto the tents, wooden benches and shaded tables for two lining the curb.
How the AAPI chef community mobilized to combat racism and launch a one-of-a-kind dinner series
• 9 min read
How Chinatown has transformed amid COVID-19 and rise in racist attacks
A new generation of residents living in New York City’s Chinatown is mobilizing to protect the elderly and the businesses in the area. Deanna Ting
Chefs and restaurants are stepping up from coast to coast to raise awareness of racism toward the Asian American community and serving up a new way to unite people through unique dining and takeout experiences.
In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Chefs Stoping AAPI Hate and Resy, the restaurant reservation website, are working on a new dinner series led by a collective of AAPI and ally chefs.
The 2021
Michelin Bib Gourmands are here, marking the Red Guide’s return to New York City as the COVID-stricken hospitality industry slowly continues the process of rebuilding itself. The famously anonymous inspectors, who did not issue ratings last year during the height of the pandemic, will drop their more prestigious starred selections on Thursday. Today, however, the guide unveiled 131 standout dining options on the more affordable side of the culinary spectrum, 30 of which are newcomers to the list.
Among this year’s biggest additions to the Bibs are Thai Diner, the all-day Southeast Asian-American spot from the team that used to run Uncle Boons; Nami Nori, the popular Greenwich Village temaki restaurant; Xilonen, the vegetable-forward Greenpoint Mexican venue by chef Alan Delgado and the Oxomoco crew; Winner, chef Daniel Eddy’s Park Slope cafe; For All Things Good, the heralded Bed-Stuy masa spot; Rangoon, chef Myo Moe’s Burmese spot in Prospect Heights; and Bolero,