Based on a very helpful suggestion (thank you, Howard), I am refining a question I asked earlier. I'll be in New York for a weekend in July (Fri. - Sun.). I do have a list of restaurants I would like to try, but, because of the season, I'm wondering about restaurants or other food-related activities that are particular to summer in New York. I'm staying near Grand Central, but I like to walk and am also comfortable taking subway/buses. As far as taste in food, I have a wide range -- street food, ethnic food, and American/European food. I particularly like highly spiced food. As far as type of experience, I'm thinking of restaurants with great outdoor eating, farmers markets where I can walk/browse/graze, restaurants that have very interesting seasonal menus (perhaps emphasizing fish and produce) or other summer food experiences. I don't mean to be vague, but I am open to any suggestions for an interesting summer weekend/food adventure in New York.

Barolo in Soho has a great outdoor garden. A little pricey for what you get, but a nice meal and a very nice patio. Nice place to take a break after spending the day in Soho.

Jill,
The most famous farmer's market is called the Greenmarket and it is located in Union Square on Wednesday, Fridays, and Saturdays. Different vendors set up in the Square and sell their wares. There is also an outdoor cafe there named Luna Park (it is only open during the summer).

You may also want to have a drink outside at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It has a fantastic view of the Park.

Most of the finer restaurants in New York serve seasonal menus. Blue Hill in particular seems to change their menu quite a bit. You may also want to try a restaurant called Prune as the chef cooks with only seasonal ingredients.

The soft shell crabs are in season and are quite delicious. I've heard that NY Noodletown in Chinatown has a very delicious version.

I also recommend posting on www.chowhound.com on the Manhattan Board. There are a lot of knowledgeable posters there and they tend to be extremely helpful.

Near Grand Central is the New York Public Library, and at the back of the library is the Bryant Park Grill....a lovely, outdoor restaurant overlooking Bryant Park.

A delightful place to have dinner.

For outdoor dining, try the Boathouse in Central Park ovelooking the boating lagoon.

The city is great on the weekends here, lots of people head out of town so there are less crowds.

We have TONS of street fairs every weekend somewhere in Manhattan. You will generally run into them somewhere if you are walking around. You can also find info on them on www.sidewalks.com or look up street fairs in your search engine.

All around the Lincoln Center area and up Columbus Ave and Broadway (but more up Columbus) are lots of outdoor cafes where you can sit and watch the city go by.

Also Lincoln Center has lots of outdoor entertainment and lots of it is free check www.lincolncenter.com before you come to see what is playing.

Mostly Mozart starts the end of July and run all through August and lots of great performances going on.

The lines have been alot less for TKTS this summer, and there are ALOT of plays and musicals for the new season, so you should be able to get theatre tickets and not have to stand in line too long. Bring cash to buy your tickets, no credit cards accepted there.

Hope this helps have a great time while you are here.

tweedy