Almodovar’s Night Pop-Up Dinner

This is the most important election our life, and probably yours too. No matter which way you lean, your voice is needed and important to truly understand what we stand for and care about. To that end, voting is not as easy as you’d think and getting to the polls even harder especially with the pandemic. Amplifying the already growing food insecurity faced in our country, getting to the polls versus waiting on a food line is a choice that most likely leads to your vote not being cast. To combat this The Infatuation, Zagat, and The Migrant Kitchen have joined forces and launched Feed the Polls, an effort to bring the maximum amount of voters to the polling stations by using free meals as the incentive. The hope is to help every American have a voice, which is what we want, now more than ever. Helping is simple, a $10 donation buys one meal.

It’s getting cold. It’s getting dark. And, we’re all wondering what this shift to winter is going to do to our new found love of outdoor dining. Enter RESY’s Yurt Villages, a pop up restaurant city at your favorite restaurants around the country. We assume they will be heated because, well, they are yurts and its freezing. American Express card members had access for the last two days but today it opens to everyone at 11am so grab a spot before they’re gone. New Yorker’s will see some of their favs like Lilia and Crown Shy yurting it up. In DC, Fiola. In Philly. Zahav. Kann in Portland and Canlis in Seattle rep the pacific northwest. By now you must be envisioning that glamping spot you could never secure on airbnb BUT this reservation food is included. So lace up your redwings, grab your best made axe and head down to the yurt village for a night in the round. Second though, leave the axe at home.

The folks behind summerlong wine company have launched Summerlong Supper Club, a winter supper club in a box along with 16 fantastic NYC restaurants. With the goal of raising enough money to keep all 16 in business until the summer warmth brings back a sustainable customer cadence. The plan is a 16 week $50/week subscription that guarantee a tasty, well crafted meal. That’s $2million dollars of which $120,000 goes to each restaurant. In addition, 100 meals are being donated to frontline workers. Let’s call that double charity OR better yet New Yorkers for New Yorkers. Without much support from the government, restaurants are left to, unfortunately, fend for themselves. This project is built on how New Yorkers live. Help our own when in crisis. We’ve reacted this way from the blackout to 911 and this is just as critical a moment for the community. They are offering pick-up and delivery (inside a fairly generous neighborhood range) The FAQ’s explain more in-depth but this is an awesome program built to ensure your favorite restaurants are still around come summer.

I love a good backyard party. The fact is, I have not been throwing nearly enough of them in the past few years ever since my Brooklyn deck turned into a Queens backyard. That is not to place blame as much as it is to publicly say I am bringing them back this summer. If you don’t get an invite or if you prefer the professional chef version of this American past time, I have great news but it’s unfortunately not directions to my house. The two Franks, yes those Frankie Spuntino legacy guys, have just announced their 3rd annual backyard chef series. For those of you who live under a rock (aka. Deep Queens or the Upper West Side) Frank and Frank did some remodeling last year. They closed Prime Meats, their German steak house, and converted it into Franks. Confusing I know. Their reinvented spot is split between a wine bar and a trattoria. They also expanded the Frankie’s Spuntino dining room which allows for a new and improved backyard scene. All this means that this years line up has some new space and some new ingredients, or accouterments, to play with. The guest chefs include some of my favs like Angie Rito from Don Angie’s and Greg Baxtrom of Olmsted. A few out-of-towners are in the mix like the talented Kristian Baumann from Copenhagen’s Restaurant 108. The best part of all this is the entire evening is communal. From the welcome drinks to the long dining table you’ll make new friends at, things will get intimate. The spots at the table will fill up fast so make sure you pick a chef and grab up some seats before your only option is a useless attempt at a remake in your friend backyard alley, a $6.99 Walmart mini- bricket bbq and a 6-pack of canned rose. May 15th thru September 25th in Brooklyn.