Labor Day Weekend 2014 Dining Guide
It’s much harder to get jazzed up about Labor Day weekend, the unofficial finale of summer, than it is to celebrate Memorial Day, which commemorates the (similarly unofficial) kick-off to the season. And yet, being that it’s only a matter of time before we’re resigned, once again, to parsnips and parkas, we might as well bid adieu to balmy weather with one last big hurrah this Labor Day weekend. Check out New York’s best dinners, parties, & dinner parties…
The Gander
At chef Jesse Schenker’s second New York restaurant, The Gander, guests can celebrate Labor Day with a special 3-course, prix fixe menu for only $35. From 12pm – 8pm, you’ll feast on utterly comforting grub, such as Shrimp and Grits with smoked mushrooms and cracklin’s, Chilled Sweet Corn Soup with crispy gnocchi, a Dry Aged Cheeseburger with bread and butter pickles, or Brontosaurus Beef Rib with coleslaw and BBQ beans, followed by celebratory sweets, like a Banana Parfait with saffron, caramel and coconut, and a Brown Sugar Corn Cake with plum, lemon verbena, and sesame flax pecans. Special items from The Gander’s “Snacks” section (like the killer Brisket Tots!) will also be available a la carte, along with some special cocktail and drink offers.
Read MoreMaison Premiere
Brooklyn’s favorite oyster bar and cocktail den is hosting their fourth annual Labor Day Party on Monday, September 1st. Admission is free to the event, which kicks off at noon, and will include an assortment of premium oysters (of course!), chilled seafood and a selection of chef’s specials, in addition to live music. The full bar will be available throughout the day, featuring Maison Premiere’s signature absinthe cocktails (try the super summery “Maison Absinthe Colada,” made with Mansinthe — Marilyn Manson’s own brand of absinthe — rum, crème de menthe, pineapple and coconut syrup), as well as wine by the glass and bottle, and a range of draft & bottled beers.
Read MoreGrand Banks
Eating seafood while overlooking the water is as essentially summery as it gets. But what about slurping shellfish on an actual boat? Before it closes for the season, be sure to book a table at the regal Grand Banks, an oyster bar (and maritime exhibit) on the historic “F/V Sherman Zwicker,” the last of a large fleet of schooners that fished the Grand Banks of the North Atlantic. Co-owned by Mark Firth (who’s behind the seminal Brooklyn restaurants, Diner and Marlow & Sons), the seafaring eatery serves sustainably sourced oysters, like Oak Beach from the Great South Bay, ingredient driven seasonal plates, such as Wild Striped Bass Ceviche with mango, hearts of palm, chile, and lime, and nautically inspired cocktails including the “Engine Room,” made with lager, Aquavit, ginger and lemon.
Read MoreBlenheim
With Le Restaurant’s Ryan Tate newly installed at the helm, Blenheim is finally tapping into its potential as a noteworthy farm-to-table restaurant (the bulk of the ingredients come from the owner’s farm upstate). And Labor Day, which marks the final day of Blenheim’s month-long, $38 prix fixe, is an excellent time to check out Tate’s delectable dishes, made with perfect, end-of-summer produce. Try the Blenheim Salad, made with lettuces and herbs from their hydroponic greenhouse, Pork Loin paired with charred okra, smoked onion, peaches and sorghum, and a Corn Crémeux for dessert, accompanied by poached apricots, popcorn and apricot kernel ice cream.
Read MoreHearth
Marco Canora’s James Beard Award-nominated restaurant, Hearth, is capping off summer with the last of its Lobster Boil dinners, on Sunday, August 31st. Inspired by Canora’s family vacations at Martha’s Vineyard, the seafood feast includes three courses for $68, starting with Tomato and Watermelon Salad as well as Smoked Bluefish Pate served family style, a Lobster Pot for the table including one lobster per person, as well as corn on the cob, steamer clams, potatoes and chorizo, and Peach Cobbler for dessert, topped with vanilla ice cream.
Read MoreGrand Central Oyster Bar BK
If you love the idea of a good, old fashioned clam bake, but aren’t particularly inspired to dig a fire pit in the sand yourself, grab a fun “Clam Bake To-Go” Labor Day package from Park Slope’s new outpost of Grand Central Oyster Bar. The package includes lobster, cherrystone clams, mussels, corn and potatoes for either two ($34.95) or four ($59.95) people, and can be enjoyed in nearby Prospect Park, at a local beach, or even your own backyard (or fire escape) minus all the muss and fuss.
Read MoreDo or Dine
Once again, Bed Stuy’s ever-quirky Do or Dine is holding a “Rub-a-Grub” Labor Day party in their spacious, graffiti-bedecked backyard. From 2pm to 10pm on Sunday, August 31st, for $15 (or $30 for a VIP ticket), you can commemorate the end of summer at their “beats-meets-bites” celebration, which will feature three inventive rounds of food and drinks from chef Justin Warner (winner of “The Next Food Network Star”), each coupled with different DJ sets.
Read MoreOkonomi
Transition gracefully from summer to fall at Williamsburg’s tiny Okonomi, a diminutive Japanese eatery serving traditional Ichiju Sansai set meals for breakfast and lunch. For the next few Mondays (including Labor Day!), owner Yuji Haraguchi will stage pop-ups of his acclaimed Yuji Ramen, featuring inventive, season-straddling bowls of mazemen (brothless) noodles, such as Cured Salmon with lemon and crème fraiche, Smoky Bacon with kale and a poached egg, and Barley Miso topped with roasted market vegetables.
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