Pig Bleecker

155 Bleecker Street
646.756.5115
You’ll no longer have to wait for better weather to enjoy the succulent meats of seasonal Brooklyn joint Pig Beach. In February, Chef Matt Abdoo opened a permanent Greenwich Village semi-BBQ restaurant that’s catching a lot of hype.

Pig Bleecker marries smoky barbeque with homestyle comfort food, and elevates the result into a fine dining setting. With a menu featuring dishes like brisket ravioli with black truffle butter, smoked fried chicken with cheesy grits, and cavatelli with sausage, chili and clams, it’s the perfect spot to warm up a late winter evening.

FISHBOWL

210 W 55th Street
646.756.2077

Billed as a “retro adult playground,” this new weekends-only lounge at the Dream Midtown hotel is like a high-end version of Dave and Buster’s (meaning, you wouldn’t be embarrassed to suggest it to your cool date). Grab a low-key cocktail and challenge a friend to a round of skee ball, retro bowling, or a vintage arcade game.

Not into getting competitive? With its 1970s-style basement-rec-room vibes (including a huge saltwater fish tank), it’s a great atmosphere for hanging out and looking hip AF.

Pig Bleecker marries smoky barbeque with homestyle comfort food, and elevates the result into a fine dining setting. With a menu featuring dishes like brisket ravioli with black truffle butter, smoked fried chicken with cheesy grits, and cavatelli with sausage, chili and clams, it’s the perfect spot to warm up a late winter evening.

Mokbar Brooklyn

212 Flatbush Avenue
347.987.3042

Esther Choi is expanding past her Chelsea Market outpost into Brooklyn with more space and a more ambitious menu.

Along with ramen and dumplings, the focus is on jip-bap, or home-style Korean meals; choose a protein like caramelized kimchi pork belly or garlic chive soy tofu steak, and it will arrive with greens, kimchi, rice, soup, and three seasonal side dishes.

Ikinari Steak

90 East 10th Street
917.388.3546

New York steakhouses, while delicious, can feel a little… stodgy. Enter Ikinari, a beloved Japanese chain with no chairs.

You’re “seated” like at any steakhouse, except your table has no chairs and you order at a counter. Place your order, watch the butcher cut the meat right in front of you, then go back to your “standing station”, where your steak will be served rare on a hot cast-iron skillet.

Diners are typically in and out in 30 minutes, and lunch is only $20 including tip; check it out and see for yourself how it stands up to good old Peter Luger. The founder plans to open up an incredible 20 locations in New York in the next five years.

You can thank the internet for 3+ hour wait times, lines around the block, and a bouncer (no joke), but you should still check it out while your friends will still get jealous. Maybe on a weekday at 11 AM?

Original article from EVENBRITE