3 FUN PLACE TO TRY THIS WEEKEND
All summer long, we’ll be recommending where to eat and drink to take advantage of a New York summer weekend, including great patios, one-time pop-ups, and easy day trips, updated every Friday. Have a pick for us to include? Let us know at [email protected].
Le Rock: If you’re committed to staying in the city on hot days, perhaps lunch and a movie or a show is in the cards on a heat-wave weekend. For those who like to go to the fancier places for lunch (less expensive) and on weekends (fewer people), Le Rock has rolled out its burger, available lunch only, a 7 oz. hand-cut patty (shoulder, dry-aged trim, diced marrow, ground heart); topped with Gouda, served on a bun from sibling Frenchette Bakery, for $32. Maybe skip the fries and go for a profiterole with buckwheat honey fudge ($14). 45 Rockefeller Plaza, at Fifth Avenue, Midtown
Le B.: Speaking of fancier places for less, Fridays and Saturdays starting at 9 p.m., chef and owner of Le B., Angie Mar has assembled a takeout only, Le B.ox by Restaurant Le B. ($32), her answer to what the neighborhood’s partygoers might crave for a late-night bite. The Happy Meal-shaped pink box holds 14 oz., or three pieces, of off-the-bone fried chicken — “So you can eat and walk at the same time,” she says — plus pommes allumette (shoestring fries) with three homemade dipping sauces (dill ranch, vadouvan aioli, and kumquat sweet-and-sour). Ordering is walk-in, with catering options upon special request and advanced notice. 283 W. 12th Street, at Eighth Avenue, West Village
Lenny’s Clam Bar: If you happen to be heading down Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach toward either the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge (a bird watcher’s paradise) or Rockaway Beach, consider stopping at Lenny’s Clam Bar for a bowl of its famous lobster bisque, or maybe a plate of locally sourced clams casino dotted with bacon, red bell peppers, and Parmesan. Founded in 1974 right on Shellbank Basin by immigrants from Apulia, it is one of the city’s few clam bars left, offering every bivalve variation imaginable. Raw oysters, as well as pastas, and seafood stews are available, too. The towering space is lined with signed photos of celebrities like Frank Sinatra, Alec Baldwin, and Andre the Giant. 161-03 Cross Bay Boulevard, near 161st Avenue, Howard Beach