This week in NYC, marked

Spots on my radar that just opened – or are already accepting reservations.

• Zig Zag Oyster Bar (opens 7/28): The team behind Hart’s is opening a proper raw bar on the Crown Heights/Prospect Heights border – local oysters, good wine, and a patio for walk-ins.

• More of the same, everywhere: Kings Co Imperial is opening in Park Slope (7/27), Frenchette opened its third location in Nolita (7/14), and Skinny Louie just opened a fourth location with its smash burgers in the East Village (7/24). It feels like every beloved spot in this city is cloning itself lately. Not mad about any of these individually, just wish this section had more net-new openings to put on it and less of the same names popping up in a new neighborhood.

My favorite things to do between 7/27 – 8/2.

• A one-night LaRina takeover at Edy’s Grocer (7/28): Chef Silvia Barban of LaRina is cooking an Italian x Lebanese dinner – including focaccia, a family-style pasta and grilled meat spread, and a tiramisu spin on Edy’s labneh mousse sundae. I went to a Brooklyn Grange rooftop dinner she hosted awhile back and it was delicious, and I love LaRina, so this one should be good.

• A week-long pop-up at With Others (7/29 – 8/2): This week’s guest chef at the Williamsburg wine bar is coming from Early June in Paris, one of my favorites there (referenced in my Paris guide). Sounds like this is their last chef pop-up for awhile – they’re hinting at something new coming after this one.

• Soft Bar’s first-ever dinner party (7/30): The trendy non-alcoholic bar in Greenpoint is hosting five Italian courses built around summer produce, with non-alcoholic pairings to match. One long table, cooked by the café’s own team.

• Union Square Greenmarket turns 50 (7/31): This is the regular Friday market at Union Square, just with extra programming to mark 50 years of the Greenmarket – cake, music, games, and bites from Abigail’s Kitchen, Bread’s Bakery, Brooklyn Curry Project, and more, along with the usual stalls.

• Summer Streets kicks off in Manhattan (8/1): This is the first of three Saturdays where you can walk or bike up a carless Park Avenue. The street is closed to cars along with Lafayette Street, from the Brooklyn Bridge up to Inwood.

• Larry’s Cà Phê pops back up at Still Life (8/1): Larry’s Cà Phê was the beloved Vietnamese coffee shop that closed in Park Slope a few months ago – everyone was sad about it. Now it’s doing a one day pop-up in Gowanus, serving three drinks representing the north, central, and south of Vietnam.

Coffee, eggs, and some place green to eat them.

This is one section from my backyards & patios guide – the full list also covers wine bars with patios, outdoor remote work cafes, and romantic dinner spots with back gardens.

• Colonia Verde (Fort Greene): Latin American food in a farmhouse-feeling space that opens into a bright greenhouse room, then out again into a small patio. Go for the shrimp tacos.

• ACRE (Greenpoint): Somewhere to pop in for a matcha or an iced hibiscus tea, or stay for a real meal – the grilled salmon bento is the one people talk about. Either way, there’s a garden patio out back.

• Gertie (Prospect Heights): The bagel and deli spot that closed in Williamsburg came back in a new Prospect Heights space. Get the Best Bialy, hot and cold smoked salmon with a dill caper schmear, and find a shaded spot in their back patio.

• Milk & Roses (Greenpoint): The inside looks like a moody little library, all dark wood and bookshelves, with a fireplace crackling in the colder months. Out back there’s a big garden with a small greenhouse, pretty enough that people get married in it.

• Bakeri (Greenpoint & Williamsburg): A Scandinavian bakery, known for its bread and pastries. The Greenpoint location has the larger outdoor seating.

Paid subscribers can find the rest of the backyards & patios list – wine bars, cafes, etc. – plus the running map, in the full guide.