Outdoor dining in Midtown/Central Park area, and UES
 

Hello

I am soon heading to NYC. It's partly a business trip which is why I will be in close-ish to Central Park versus where I usually stay which is somewhere near Washington Square Park. I was planning on switching it up soon anyway because I so rarely spend any time north of 57th street and this time I will be close enough to plan to spend my leisure time there and north.

I am all VAXXed up but I still really don't want COVID. So I am going to concentrate on outdoor dining and luckily there isn't much rain in the forecast.

Apart from just wandering around and stopping if something looks appealing, any recommendations from, say, near Bryant Park and heading north? I think the UES would have a lot of options but I haven't spent a lot of time there but I do plan to this time, especially as I got a Met membership on my last visit.

Thank you!

I don’t have any personal recommendations but I found this:
https://www.timeout.com/newyork/rest...-dining-in-nyc

If you go to The Met-don’t miss the new costume exhibit which includes George Washington’s and Lincoln’s rarely seen coat. (They are too delicate to go on display normally) Brooks Bros. made Lincoln’s and it has an embroidered quote in the lining. It was the coat he was wearing when he was shot and there is some missing fabric from souvenir takers.

Off the top of my head, I can suggest Bryant Park Grill (in Bryant Park near 5th Ave) and Quality Bistro (55th near Sixth Ave). I haven't been to either of these places since the pandemic hit, but they offer good outdoor dining options where the tables are actually outside. Be aware that quite a few places have put up completely enclosed structures in the street (including windows covered in plastic) and consider that outdoor dining.

Thank you deladeb! I was planning on checking it out but I didn't know that detail. For sure I will now! And thank you for the link.

spring, thank you. DC did that too, but many of them are individual little pods - IE you are limited to breathing in your companion's air, not your neighbor's air too.

I LOVE Bryant Park and am watching all their nifty events coming up. I wish I could sneak out for some of them - they just started up the Broadway/author series. I'm going to try to hit up the ones before the seminar.

Is Maison Kayser still open? I both ate in and did carry out there. Pre-covid of course.

Unfortunately Maison Kayser is kaput - the company went bankrupt but a few locations have reopened as Pain Quotidiens. There is one on UES but I don't know if they have an outdoor set up. I just know the one in the West 70s and they do have an outdoor cafe section.

Thanks, spring212, and isn't that a shame. I've enjoyed three good meals in Pain Quotidien....D.C., London and NYC (58th St.).

Quick update: It was HOT during the weekend although I did sit outside at least one meal and on a rooftop for a cocktail. The Zabar family have not only the big Zabar's on the UWS, they also have a restaurant called E.A.T. near the Met on Madison. After the Met I wandered over to Madison and settled in at their outdoor streatery. I also went to the Library Hotel which has a really lovely garden retreat on the 14th floor for a cocktail or two. The Monday evening (which was much cooler) I went to the French restaurant La Boucherie near the Hilton where I was staying. It's set in one of those large internal laneways - entirely open at end to end but also covered. I also had a Pret a Manger meal at Bryant Park. As well as various nibbles such as from either Dough or Doughnuttery while I wandered around. Otherwise I was inside for meals.