Delicious Design: The Best Outdoor Dining in New York City
Delicious Design: The Best Outdoor Dining in New York City
While dining outdoors in the heart of winter is commonplace in Europe, it’s not something that has ever taken root in the United States—not even in New York City. But with indoor dining temporarily prohibited and gourmands still looking for a night out, the sidewalks of New York have come to life with open air dining rooms everywhere you look, even during the coldest months of the year. A few notable ones have gone the extra mile and created striking environments that provide safety while also delighting the eyes and palette.
Lafayette
Chefs Andrew Carmellini and Brian Nasworthy, along with partners Luke Ostrom and Josh Pickard, have created Le Village de Lafayette, a festive winter-wonderland pop-up of individual chalets featuring a hearty menu that highlights the restaurant’s signature French brasserie offerings.
The private heated chalets, which are fully disinfected after each use, are steel frame structures with clear polycarbonate window panels created to provide maximum cozy comfort. Ostrom, who spearheaded the design, wanted to “create a winter pop up experience reminiscent of chalets in the French Alps.'' “Playing off the natural daylight and the evening glow from city lights that the transparent structures enjoy, I leaned towards neutral tones and white, and silver blues,” he says. “We used natural alpaca furs, handwoven mini-carpets, kiln-dried split fire wood, and dehydrated pampas grasses to keep a chic apres ski vibe.” Subtle icicles and snowflakes on the roof reference the season and create a charming street scene that glows in the Gotham night.
Menu highlights include a decadent fondue made with a blend of Comte, Gruyère, Swiss, Emmenthal, and freshly grated black winter truffle, and served with heaps of pain de campagne, endive, cornichon, potato, apple, and rosette de Lyon, and expertly prepared classics like escargots Lyonnaise, chicken Proven?ale, and an impossibly light mousse au chocolat.
Daniel
Chef Daniel Boulud, the Dinex Group team, and designer Stephanie Goto have created Boulud Sur Mer (a play on “Beaulieu Sur Mer,” the small coastal village between Monaco and Nice), a collection of 17 sidewalk bungalows where diners can enjoy fine dining with warmth and ample ventilation.
Taking inspiration from the seaside bungalows dotted along the French Riviera, each wood-structured frame is covered on three sides by a graphic, geranium-red-and-sand-colored striped outdoor fabric from Perennials, features a peaked roof with a clerestory and small porthole windows to let in light, and marine cabin heaters for warmth. Guests can choose to close the curtain for privacy or leave it open for increased air flow.
While the decor speaks to warmer climates, the three-course prix-fixe menu is seasonally hearty. Guests can enjoy seasonal dishes like duck consommé in puff pastry, beef stroganoff, grilled yellowfin tuna with satsuma mandarins, and persimmon tart.
Fairfax
Two downtown restaurants with two very distinct points of view are part of The Yurt Villages, a covered, heated, and safety-focused outdoor experience available exclusively for American Express card members through Resy. The collection of custom-designed tents serve as miniature private dining rooms in a range of sizes holding four to six people.
Fairfax, the all-day West Village cafe, has decorated its yurts with bold buffalo plaid tablecloths, colorful antique textiles, vintage lighting, and quirky accessories. “We were going for a Midwest Hunting Lodge kind of feel,” says owner Gabe Stulman when describing the rustic ambience. In fact, whether you are enjoying the avocado toast at breakfast or the famous Bar Sardine burger at dinner, a visit to one of these yurts will feel like a trek in the woods.
Crown Shy
Crown Shy, another restaurant in the Yurt Villages program, delivers a sexy downtown experience. Designed to mimic the restaurant’s interior, the tentpoles of the yurt are painted black to resemble steel beams and the blond wood tables are topped with leather pads and geometric placemats. Anchoring the yurt interiors are a neon sign in the shape of Crown Shy’s trident-shaped logo and works of art by chef (and gifted graffiti artist) James Kent. And for a bit of warmth and texture, partner Jeff Katz and events director Leigh-Erin Balmer added color-block rugs, woolen throws, and furry pelts. These chic environs are the perfect backdrop for a long list of signature cocktails and family-style meals of chickpea tagine, scallop crudo, roasted lamb, and lemon-lime tart.
Chris Cracchiolo, Senior Vice President, Global Loyalty and Benefits, American Express, says about the initiative, “We have a long history of supporting small businesses and inspiring our card members and community to do the same through offers and initiatives like The Yurt Villages. We have received a tremendous response from card members and recognize that restaurants need us now more than ever.”
Dante at the Greens
Dante, the iconic Greenwich Village cafe voted North America’s best bar two years in a row, is serving guests its award-winning cocktails at The Greens, the waterfront rooftop of the Seaport District’s Pier 17. The Upstate New York inspired glass cabins, which can seat up to 10 people, offer guests contactless ordering, winter décor, spacious banquette seating, a virtual fireplace, heaters, and sweeping views of New York City outside the floor to ceiling windows.
"To match the theme of the 28 ski-inspired rooftop cabins, we wanted to offer a menu of hot cocktails, alongside our bottled cocktails, both of which we developed in response to COVID,” says Linden Pride, Dante’s co-owner. “Our selection of hot cocktails draws inspiration from Alp-style drinking, including mulled cider, hot buttered rum and chartreuse hot chocolate. Our signature cocktails are served in custom Riley Sheehey hand-illustrated bottles, which allow guests to pour and enjoy at their leisure, or take with them and enjoy in the comforts of their own homes.”
To accompany their craft cocktails, diners can enjoy The Greens menu which includes cheese fondue, truffled grilled cheese, meatballs and polenta, and spiced buttermilk fried chicken.
“Our introduction of The Greens this past summer allowed us to create a new reprieve at the Seaport District for locals looking to responsibly socialize and dine outdoors,” says Saul Scherl, President of the New York Tri-State Region, The Howard Hughes Corporation. “We’re looking forward to continuing to fill that need for New Yorkers and provide a fun and safe way to enjoy the winter season as we transform The Greens at Pier 17 into a relaxing Upstate getaway downtown.”
From chalets to yurts, New York restaurants are getting creative when it comes to building outdoor dining options.