5 Last Chance Summer Foods to Eat Right Now
The last couple of weeks of summer can feel like a long, drawn-out Sunday afternoon. Sure, there’s technically time to do the things you want to do, but there’s an inevitable pall cast over the proceedings—a creeping dread that in only a precious few hours, the work week will stretch out unremittingly before you. But if you can’t forestall the inevitable dawn of Labor Day, you might as well try your best to make the most of the time you have left, by having one final go at these quintessential summer foods!
Indulge in Frozen Rum Cocktails at Glady’s: They’ll undoubtedly continue to serve rum year-round at this hip Crown Heights Caribbean spot (after all, they carry over 40 different bottles, from the locally-made Owney’s to Pyrat Private Cask from Anguilla), and they might even blend up an off-season Dark & Slushie or two, made with Goslings, ginger and lime. But it’s considerably harder to convince yourself you’re in Barbados when you’re dressed in a down vest, doggedly sipping on a frozen cocktail.
788 Franklin Avenue, Crown Heights
Get Your (Iced) Caffeine Fix at Ample Hills Gowanus: Transitioning from hot coffee to iced is one of our first seasonal rites of passage, and we generally resist switching back until Starbucks starts aggressively hawking those dastardly pumpkin spiced lattes. So before the leaves start changing colors, start your morning with a smooth, creamy Stumptown Cold Brew from Ample Hills new Gowanus shop, available on a nitro tap, the kind used to pour a proper pint of Guinness. Ugh; we’re NOT ready for Guinness weather.
305 Nevins Street, Gowanus
Sail Away on a Crustacean Cruise: The only thing better than seafood in the summertime is slurping it waterside, and thanks to a new fleet of shellfish-focused dinner boats, New Yorkers can do just that. Our hands-down fave is The Water Table, which takes a 2-hour tour of the East River, while patrons sup on lobster rolls and ice cream floats, but North River Lobster Company is a perfectly pleasant alternative; boasting half hour jaunts, a raw bar, and a sprawling menu of lobster shack favorites. And then there’s the undeniably chic (if woefully stationary) Grand Banks, from Diner and Marlow & Sons co-founder Mark Firth; a bobbing, seasonal oyster bar and maritime exhibit on the historic F/V Sherman Zwicker.
The Water Table: thewatertablenyc.com
North River Lobster Company: northriverlobsterco.com
Grand Banks: grandbanks.org
OD on Tomatoes at Delaware and Hudson: At only $48 for four generous courses, the prix fixe at Patti Jackson’s acclaimed new Williamsburg restaurant is already an undeniable steal. But if you factor in the per-pound price you’re likely to pay for heirlooms at any of the local farmers markets, you’ll feel like you won the lottery at her current, all-tomato feast. Start with an assortment of appetizers to share, including a rustic, appealingly tangy green tomato pie, followed by a plate of feather-light ricotta ravioli with cherry tomatoes and basil, your choice of striped bass with stewed sungold tomatoes or leg of lamb with roasted tomatoes, and a progression of scrumptious (but sadly, tomato-free) desserts.
135 N 5th Street, Williamsburg
Eat Your Weight in Ice Cream at Hay Rosie: The unofficial sweet of summer, there’s no shortage of places to get an ice cream fix in NYC. But our preferred new shop of the season is Carroll Gardens’ own Hay Rosie, which in addition to serving offbeat flavors such as cherry-chocolate-sour cream, Savannah sweet tea, sriracha popcorn and feta-tomato, offers a brilliant riff on the ice cream sandwich. Affectionately referred to as “BarnBurners,” they consist of a cinnamon bun, brioche, donut or brownie “shell,” filled with your choice of ice cream and sauces and then toasted and sealed in a specially designed press.
204 Sackett Street, Carroll Gardens