You’ve probably alreadyseenusrecommend cozy Taiwanese spot 886 in the East Village, but we’re excited to endorse their new lunch menu. Tuesday through Friday from noon to three in the afternoon you can get a small bite, a stir-fry, AND a main dish plus a drink all for just $15. Everything in this picture – just $15 at 886!
Photo by Ben Hon
Start out with the honey glazed popcorn chicken or vegetarian crispy silken tofu, move on to the charred cabbage and bacon or tomato and egg stir-fry, and finish up with scallion pancakes or the lunch exclusive Taiwanese sausage rice featuring Taiwanese sausage, cured egg yolk, and garlic lard served over rice. Enjoy your meal in 886’s dining room while sipping on a Coke or an Apple Sidra, a Taiwanese apple soda. All photos by Ben Hon.
886 26 St. Marks Place Tuesday–Sunday: 12:00–3:00 PM, 5:30 PM – 12:00 AM
We’re already a month into 2019, but the Year of the Pig is about to begin! Check out these Lunar New Year specials to help you celebrate on February 5th and beyond.
Westfield World Trade Center is ringing in the Year of the Pig with its first annual Lunar New Year celebrations. On Friday, Feb. 8 at 7:30PM, Westfield will kick off celebrations with a one-hour unique and dynamic orchestral performance presented by the Port Authority of NY & NJ in partnership with the Asian Cultural Center, whose Asian Cultural Symphony of the USA has participated in hundreds of performances across the United States, such as the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the United Nations Headquarters. The music performance is complemented by an all-afternoon and evening art exhibit that features local artists throughout the Transportation Hub. There will be other events throughout the beginning of the month as well:
Friday, Feb 1, 5:30–7:30 PM: Calligraphy at Toytoise
Saturday, Feb 2, 1–3 PM: Brush Painting at Sugarfina; 3–6 PM: Calligraphy at Pandora
Saturday, Feb 2, 2–4 PM: Contemporary Chinese Music at Longines
Friday, Feb 8, 5–7 PM: Calligraphy at & Other Stories, Wood Block Art at London Jewelers, 4–7 PM: Music & Moutai Tasting at Pure Liquid Wine & Spirits; 5–7 PM: Calligraphy at& Other Stories; 7:30–9 PM Asian Cultural Center Orchestra Performance in the Oculus
Saturday, Feb 9, 2–4 PM: Chinese Go at Toytoise
Tuesday, Feb 12, 4–7 PM: Chinese Business Etiquette + Live Music at BOSS Hugo Boss
Loosie’s Kitchen
South Williamsburg’s Loosie’s Kitchen is celebrating Chinese New Year with a menu inspired by Executive Chef Henry Lu’s childhood! Chef Henry grew up in the Bronx where his family owned & operated Chinese restaurants. He’s taken that nostalgia and used it as inspiration to recreate his family traditions for a Chinese New Year feast at Loosie’s. On Tuesday, February 5th from 7:30–10:30 PM, Loosie’s Kitchen and Chef Henry are throwing a “We Are All Pigs” Chinese New Year Party with a buffet-style menu, $5 Tsingtao and house party vibes! Menu highlights include build-your-own steamed buns, pork belly stuffed suckling pig and sweet sticky rice. Tickets are $30 per person and reservations can be made by emailing sayhi@loosieskitchen.com or via Eventbrite.
For the year of the pig, Little Tong Noodle Shop’s East Village location will be serving its take on ShengJian Bao (SJB) – crispy pan-seared pork soup dumplings served with a black sesame plum chili vinaigrette. In addition, they will offer a special mixian with wild mushrooms and sausage for the duration of the two week plus new year festival as well as festive BBQ baby back ribs.
886 (the buzzy Taiwanese-American restaurant in the East Village) has teamed up with Van Leeuwen, (Greenpoint-based purveyors of artisanal ice cream made from scratch) on a collaborative, limited edition Lunar New Year ice cream flavor. The offering is inspired by Pineapple Cake, a sweet traditional Taiwanese pastry that’s associated with celebrations and gift giving. Van Leeuwen’s caramelized pineapple jam is sandwiched between layers of housemade buttery miso shortbread, and folded into a classic sweet cream base that’s been amped up with double fold vanilla extract and vanilla bean caviar. The restaurant will serve the Lunar New Year flavor on a fried bun with spicy honey and candied bacon. Dubbed the “Year of the Pig Sandwich” ($11), the offering is available through March 3rd; it will be served on the weekend brunch menu and as a secret off-the-menu item at dinner. Scoops and pints of the Lunar New Year flavor ($5.50 single scoop / $7.50 double scoop) will be available at the East Village, LES, and SoHo outposts of Van Leeuwen through February 21st. The flavor can also be incorporated into affogatos, sundaes and other preparations.
You’ve got two weeks left to score a reservation for Valentine’s Day, and we here at Downtown think it should definitely be at one of these unique spots. Read on for our 2019 Valentine’s Day dining guide.
The home of Sleep No Moreis ready to take you on a journey this Valentine’s Day! Start with dinner in The Club Car where you’ll enjoy a three course meal, live jazz music and the option of a private train car. If you’re looking for something a bit cozier, you can drink and dine on the roof at The Lodge at Gallow Green while sitting by the fire or cuddling in a private nook. Of course you don’t want to miss the Valentine’s performance of Sleep No More, which begins at 7 PM.
Bell Book & Candle doesn’t want vegans to feel left out this V-Day so they are offering two 7-course tasting menus, one of which is entirely vegan. Dishes will include black truffle topped cauliflower soup and surf & turf featuring grass fed filet and crab stuffed fluke. For the most intimate evening, ask to dine in the Pink Lady Room which seats two and has a private line to the bartender.
If you’re getting a hotel room for the special night, consider the Loews Regency on Park Avenue. Their special three-course menu includes lobster cream soup, yuzu marinated steak and a chocolate dome prepared by new Executive Chef Serge Devesa.
What’s more intimate than sharing food? Boqueria is offering three, special menus of tapas for Valentine’s Day featuring dishes like striped bass with chanterelles and cockles and molten chocolate cake. Tapas are also a great option for a Galentine’s Day get together!
Head to buzzy Taiwanese spot 886 to sip on a delicious Lycheé Rosé Cocktail while enjoying snacks like the sausage party (a sausage wrapped in a glutinous, sticky-rice bun) and soy-sesame glazed chicken wings.
Looking for an aphrodisiac? Ed’s Lobster Bar aims to please with $2 oysters all night long as well as cocktail specials, champagne deals, and whole lobsters.
If you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day the day after, check out Eataly Downtown’s Winter Wine & Food Festa. Enjoy drinks and bites all over the store, including oysters, chocolate, cocktails, and heart-y dishes.
Start the year off right with Downtown’s New Year’s Day dining guide. We know you won’t want to cook on New Year’s Day, so we’ve selected some of our favorite places for you to roll out of bed (probably a little later than usual) and chow down at on your day off.
This all day cafe is one of the cutest spots in Nolita and if it’s not already in your regular rotation add it quick! Epistrophy will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on New Year’s Day, but make sure to stop by for everything from poached eggs with creamy potenta and pancakes to cacio e pepe and hanger steak. Need some booze to get your through the day? You can’t go wrong with their spicy cucumber margarita or any of their spritzes.
Nothing screams day off like dining on fried rice, Taiwanese sausage and chicken wings. If St. Mark’s Place is in your neighborhood, you can make a reservation for dinner at 886 on Resy.
If giving up carbs isn’t one of your resolutions (or if you need one last day of indulgence) head to Aunt Jake’s in Little Italy or Greenwich Village. All diners on New Year’s Day will receive a free brunch cocktail with the purchase or any entrée from 11 AM to 4 PM, so get ready to toast to avocado toast.
Is there anything better than an egg sandwich? Egg Shop in Nolita has perfected them, and if you head in on New Year’s Day you’ll get half-off Bloody Marys and Mimosas plus a can’t miss deal: a Bloody Mary and Pepper Boy Sandwich (MAPLE CURED PEPPER BACON) for $20.
Thinking burgers and beer are the best ways to start the year? Clinton Hall agrees. All of their locations, including the original FiDi outpost, will be offering their award winning double smashed burger and a Gigawatt beer for only $20.19.
Head to Lafayette Street for some cheesy, lobster filled goodness. Get a free Bloody Mary with an order of Ed’s Lobster Bar’s famous lobster mac and cheese or lobster roll all day.
Not enough lobster for you? Two words: Lobster Poutine. Pair cheesy, lobster topped fries with a Bloody Mary for only $25. Flex Mussels, whose downtown location is on 13th and 7th, is also offering $1 oysters from 5–7 PM, talk about happy hour!
Kick off the New Year in the West Village at Downtown favorite Bagatelle! They will be hosting a banging brunch party from 1:00–6:00 PM with family style dishes and music pumping all day long. For reservations email nyerestervations@bistrotbagatelle.com or call 212.488.2110.
