Craving Great Food and Drink Under the Stars? Take it Outside!

Outdoor dining; Tavern on the Green Courtyard

Santina
820 Washington St., NYC, 212-254-3000

Locale: From the team behind Carbone and Dirty French, this Renzo Piano–designed glass-cube restaurant includes 60 outdoor seats in the shadow of the High Line in the Meatpacking District.
Lip-smacker:
Crudités with anchovy pesto to start, followed by cecina, a Ligurian chickpea pancake served with raw Calabrian tuna and drizzled with chili oil.
Libation:
Manganelli punch—a heady mix of tequila, banana, pineapple, and cinnamon.

Café Clover
10 Downing St., NYC, 212-675-4350

Locale: Chef David Standridge, previously of Market Table, presents health-conscious cuisine at this Steven Gambrel–designed hot spot that seats 60 outdoors.
Lip-smacker: Shaved root salad with mineral-rich chia seeds, and quinoa tagliatelle with beet greens and maitake
mushrooms.
Libation: The Beetnik, a concoction of beet-infused Tito’s vodka, ginger, mint, and lime.

Tavern on the Green
W. 67th St. and Central Park West, NYC, 212-877-8684

Locale: This Manhattan landmark has a dreamy courtyard and celebrated Central Park views, with outdoor seating for 300 on rattan lounges around low cocktail tables or at umbrella-topped patio tables.
Lip-smacker: Indulge in the cheeseburger with a pepper aioli sauce and thick homemade potato chips. A courtyard raw bar debuts this summer.
Libation: The Queens, made from Bootlegger vodka, Velvet Falernum, Sorel Hibiscus liqueur, pomegranate molasses, and lemon juice.

Locale:Restaurateur Sarid Drory recently took over this legendary shrine to cheese amid the hubbub of lower Park Avenue, adding 65 seats on the sidewalk.
Lip-smacker: Lobster roll on butter brioche with French fries, or a customized cheese flight.
Libation: Try a Grüner Veltliner or Grüner Sylvaner, crisp white wines that match virtually everything on the menu.

A version of this article appeared in the May/June 2015 issue of New York Cottages & Gardens with the headline: Alfresco Affairs.

This article appears in the May 2015 issue of NYC&G (New York Cottages & Gardens).