Some Summery Openings and Events
Jaffa in Brooklyn, Adrienne's in Broad Channel, Rockaway Openings, and 40 Years of Paumanok
Michael Solomonov to open Jaffa
Michael Solomonov, a chef who’s done a lot to put serious Israeli food on the map, is opening a third restaurant at the Hoxton Williamsburg, adding to Laser Wolf and K’Far. (If you haven’t been to his Zahav in Philly, go, even if you take the train up and back in one night; I’ve done it. Worth it. Although if you do stay over, have the best falafel of your life the next day at Goldie’s and take home some Federal Donuts for the kids.)
Now, back to Brooklyn, Mike’s Jaffa Cocktail and Raw Bar, an open air restaurant with frozen drinks to spare, will open later this month, just in time for those glorious Brooklyn summer sunsets.
If you’ve been to Jaffa, the old city just a few miles up the beach from Tel Aviv, you know it’s a coastal beauty, a haven for local artists that’s known for its seafood and amazing Jaffa oranges. (There’s a lot more to the story of oranges from Jaffa, read it here.)
Here in Williamsburg, Mike’s Jaffa will be a sprawling space with room for over 100 guests to mix and mingle in both indoor and outdoor seating areas. Sam Levenfeld, the Chef de Cuisine at K’Far, will run the kitchen serving fresh coastal fare, think oysters and crudos, octopus shakshuka, and za’atar fried almonds.
Cocktails will honor those oranges with sunset-ready sips like a frozen Jaffa with vodka, aperol, orange, and vanilla. Their craft cocktail list is quite hilarious and includes the Oy Vey with rum, mango, and coconut; The Gelt Rush, bourbon, honey, apricot, and lemon and the Fizzy Bubbelech, made from tequila, forthave, and blood orange soda. Cheers to Mike and the team!
Rockaway Summer Eats and Openings
In more summer-loving news, Rockaway beach favorite Tacoway Beach will open this Friday at 11am for the season! If ever you needed a reason for an weekday beach day, this is it!
While we’re talking about Rockaway in the summer, Seany Pizza is already open on Saturdays and Sundays, so get some of his fabulous pizza this weekend! Say hi from me.
Finally, Chris Keegan, who was Director of Food and Beverage at the Rockaway Hotel, will open Adrienne’s this summer in Broad Channel. The restaurant, which is owned by a group of Adrienne’s family, honors longtime In Good Company (IGC) Hospitality chef Adrienne Guttieri, who died tragically last year when she was just 33 years old.
The restaurant, under chef Jeff Haskell, Adrienne’s longtime IGC mentor, will overlook the water with an Amalfi coast vibe, and indoor and outdoor seating on a wide deck with sweeping views of the bay. Get a sneak peak of the menu at The Rockaway Hotel’s Dinner & A Band Pop-Up Series, where they’ll be showcasing one of their dishes.
Where: The Rooftop at The Rockaway Hotel
When: Thursday, May 11th at 6pm
Music by philkadet
Tickets: $20
Get them here.
Lore launches Twilight
One of my favorite spots in Park Slope has just launched a delightful happy hour menu called Twilight (if you’re a vampire, this one’s for you.) Jay’s Twilight menu at Lore includes snacks and cocktails ideal for the end of the day — a little aperitivo hour before dinner, or an entire meal at the bar depending on what your plans are. The menu includes a few house cocktails ($12 each) and a selection of inspired snacks: croquettes with spring peas, uttapam bites with black lime yogurt, shrimp ssam with daikon slaw, mint and gochujang, and my favorite, lamb sliders (made like his chapli kebabs) on brioche with masala aioli. Let me know what you think when you go!
Celebrate 40 Years of Paumanok Vineyards on May 18th
I’ve been going out to the North fork for about 20 years now and one of my first friends out there was Kareem Massoud, whose family owns Paumanok Vineyards, the OG of North Fork wines. His family has been producing world-class "Old World" wines, with some of the best Chenin Blanc I’ve had, for the past 40 years. In celebration of the vineyard's 40th consecutive harvest, the team at North Fork Table & Inn is serving a farm-to-table four-course tasting menu to pair with the Paumanok’s gorgeous wines.
Kareem and his wife Karen will be there along with North Fork Table’s Beverage Director, Amy Racine, to walk you through each unique pairing throughout the memorable evening. Congrats to Kareem and family!
Thursday, May 18th, 5:45pm
Four-course tasting menu with wine pairings
$150 per person, excluding tax & gratuity
Reserve on Resy.