The September Hit List: La Vara, Torishin, Bar Goto Niban, Thai Diner, and More

Known for its unique style of coastal, Spanish cuisine, La Vara makes food that’s especially crave-worthy in the summertime. Lucky for us, they’re now up and running with reservations for outdoor dining. Galician octopus with citrus and marjoram, stuffed rabbit loan with sweet corn escabeche, and salt-baked sea bream with harissa ajada are calling your name.

Dining status: Patio is open for reservations and takeaway is available. 

Pour one out for the recently departed Uncle Boons by enjoying some of their greatest hits at Thai Diner. Although Ann Redding and Matt Danzer have said goodbye to their original celebrated spot, they’re still dishing classics like spicy rotisserie chicken and banana blossom salad (try it as a sandwich) and the rum and Thai tea-based Muy Thai Punch over at Thai Diner. Put your order in, and then seat yourself — or take it to go.

Dining status: Outdoor tables are available for guests to seat themselves; takeaway and delivery are being offered.

A molino has lately graced the corner of Franklin and Greene in Bed-Stuy, doling out tetelas, quesadillas, memelas, and tlayuditas on fresh, house-made tortillas. Try as much of the menu as you can, and think of it as an escape to Mexico City. More info here.

Dining status: Outdoor tables are available for guests to seat themselves.

Now that we’ve had some time to mourn the loss of Ssäm Bar’s original location, the Momofuku crew has given us something new to get excited about over on 2nd Ave & 13th Street. A patio has been installed and a kitchen team is cooking up collaborative dishes ranging from smoked burnt pork ends with a sweet-and-sour glaze to “very spicy” Hokkaido scallop kimbap, plus miso ice cream, matcha yuzu lemonade, and melon sake slushies. They’ve called it 207. Get in on the fun, if you’re lucky enough to grab one of the handful of tables. (This is what Notifies were made for.) 

Dining status: Patio is open for reservations and takeaway is available.

If crispy rice-cake lasagna, uni fried pizzetta, and watermelon kakigori all sound too good to be true, you’re in for a surprise. Kimika is a brand-new Italian-Japanese restaurant courtesy of the team behind hit sensation Wayla, where chef Christine Lau and pastry chef Clarice Lam are crafting some of the city’s most alluring dishes of the moment.

Dining status: Patio is open for reservations.

Who would’ve ever thought we’d be delighting in Torishin’s Michelin-starred skewers streetside? No one. But that makes it all the more fun. From crispy wings to meatballs, neck skins, and kidneys, this Japanese stalwart serves some of the most delicate and delectable chicken in the game.

Dining status: Patio is open for reservations, plus takeaway and delivery are being offered.

Need a drink? From Suntory whiskey highballs to cherry blossom Martinis to hojicha old fashioneds, Bar Goto has you covered at their latest Brooklyn outpost (in addition to their original LES location). This newer edition of Kenta Goto’s beloved Japanese bar also excels in drinking fare, inclusive of exemplary miso wings and the potato-based croquettes called korokke.

Dining status: Patio is open for reservations, plus takeaway and delivery are being offered.

The streets of SoHo are emptier these days, but Raoul’s forges on, imparting its iconic bistro glow and serving burgers au poivre to fashionable, hungry New Yorkers situated on Prince Street. For those that need reminding of the city’s resilience, a visit to this longstanding institution will do the trick.

Dining status: Patio is open for reservations.

Invite your friends to Prospect Park, tell them to bring their own blankets, then stop by A&A on Fulton St. for a dozen doubles — deep-fried flatbreads filled with chickpea curry — to go. That’s a perfect plan for a socially distanced gathering while it’s still warm out. This Fulton Street staple won a James Beard American Classics award last year for good reason. Call 347-425-0016 for more info.

Dining status: Takeaway only.

Danny Meyer’s OG joint, now on Park Ave. and helmed by chef Lena Ciardullo, has upshifted from takeout to the al fresco scene, with a chalkboard menu highlighting seasonal produce from the nearby market. Flatbreads might come with zucchini, pasta comes with Jersey corn, and stone fruit shines in a galette. Enjoy the edible brilliance of late-summer as long as you can.

Dining status: Patio is open for reservations, plus takeaway and delivery are being offered.

For the month of September, the dynamic duo of Frenchette and Estela are going back-to-back, week after week, on a uniquely 2020 culinary experience. Each of the acclaimed eateries will serve bountiful prix fixe baskets — think terrine and tortilla from the former, and oysters and scallop crudo à la the latter — and serve them to small parties seated at round picnic tables within Manhattan’s iconic Rockefeller Rink.

Dining status: Pre-paid tickets only, order them here.