Tag Archives: What’s Happening

Eat: World Financial Center Restaurant Showcase Menu

EAT: WFC Restaurant Showcase

Eat: World Financial Center Restaurant Showcase Menu
Eat: World Financial Center Restaurant Showcase

To all of you who work in or near the World Financial Center and are packing your lunch for tomorrow, or thinking about what to order from the usual catering menu, STOP!  Look no further, because tomorrow, the restaurants at the World Financial Center are gathering in the Winter Garden to offer you $1-$5 samples of their signature items, as well as some seasonal selections.

I managed to pick up a menu for the event on the way home, and many of the offerings seem very typical, such as P.J. Clarke’s mini cheeseburgers and pulled pork sliders (2 for $5), Au Mandarin’s pork and shrimp dumplings ($3 and $4 respectively), and Godiva’s chocolate-dipped strawberries, macaroons, and oreos.

However, there were some stand-out seasonal items such as Columbus Bakery’s Corn Chowder with Pomegranate ($4), The Grill Room’s Wild Mushroom Risotto with Parmesan Sauce ($5) and Butternut Squash Soup with Caramelized Apples and Pumpkin Seeds ($4), Southwest NY’s Pumpkin Seed Crusted Salmon with Mango-Jicama Salsa ($5) and Financier Patisserie’s Apple Pumpkin Cake with Vanilla Cream ($3) and Pumpkin Cheesecake ($3).

Here is a list of participating restaurants:

Au Bon Pain
Au Mandarin
Blockheads Burrito
Ciao Bella Gelato
Columbus Bakery
Devon & Blakely
Donald Sacks
Ed’s Lobster Bar
Elixir
Financier Patisserie
Godiva Chocolatier
The Grill Room
Harry’s Italian
P.J. Clarke’s on the Hudson
Quality Burger
Southwest NY
Starbucks Coffee
World Financial Center Greenmarket
Yushi

Lili's Noodle Shop Closed

Lili’s Noodle Shop and Pizzabola Closed For Business

Lili's Noodle Shop Closed
Lili's Noodle Shop is Closed.

Brown paper has been taped up on the windows of both Lili’s Noodle Shop and Pizzabola for the last few days with the cryptic message:

“We will be closed from 8/1/10. Thank You. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

However, this is not your average story of another business at 102 North End Avenue biting the dust due to the Goldman shakeup.

Sign outside Lil's shop.
Sign outside Lil's shop.

Lili’s and Pizzabola owner Jonah Phillips spoke with BatteryParkCity.com this morning and let us know that Lili’s will not be permanently closing down but relocating and expanding their menu offering. Phillips will be breathing new life into the former Applebee’s space, introducing Lili’s successor as a new Asian-themed restaurant which will also have a sandwich/deli area.

Pizzabola’s fate is currently uncertain although the owner is looking into new locations for the Italian restaurant in the area. Regardless of the new location, Pizzabola will no longer be serving the gluten-free foods it had been known for.

Phillips, who also owns Izzy & Nats, said that finding a new spot for Pizzabola has been difficult: “There isn’t a lot of space left [to open a restaurant] in the area.”

The 102 North End restaurant version of musical chairs comes in light of Danny Meyer’s announcement last week of his openings of a Shake Shack, Blue Smoke and another “upscale” restaurant in the same building.

While most businesses in the building have gone to the wayside (Chevy’s, Applebees and DSW), it’s nice to know that at least one familiar face will remain amongst the newcomers.

Will you miss Pizzabola?

River to River Festival

River to River Festival Kicks Off

River to River Festival
There are 1,000 free reasons to stick around NYC this summer.

It might not be evident by the mass exodus that occurs during the weekends, but New York City is a wonderful place to be during the summer.

Case in point: The 2010 River to River Festival — which celebrates music, film, theater, dance, art, poetry and, of course, family with a summer full of free events –  kicks off with a massive 100-band punk music festival on Randall’s Island next Sunday, June 20. Don’t worry if punk’s not your bag, though. There’s plenty on the American Express-sponsored festival’s agenda to please an array of age groups, interests and cultural tastes.

For non-punk music lovers, there are a cornucopia of concert options, including a gratis show from singer-songwriter Beth Orton (June 30), a live blues performance by John Hammond and his band (July 1), and countless others.

Film buffs should be happy to hear that beginning on July 29, the festival is screening classic New York films every Thursday at 55 Water Street, as part of a “Movie Nights on the Elevated Acre” series. The flicks include Broadway Danny Rose (July 29), Auntie Mame (Aug. 5) and, for the kids, The Muppets Take Manhattan (Aug. 19).

Theater aficionados will swoon over “Summer Stock 2010: An Evening of Broadway Blockbusters,” a 70-minute show featuring some of the biggest Broadway musical hits of all time.

Dance enthusiasts will dig a free performance by the Rochester City ballet (July 10), as well as a series of performances directed by renowned choreographer Deganit Shemy (July 12-15).

And for families there’s the Children’s Festival & Fireworks on July 26.

There are also a ton of events we haven’t mentioned, but it’d take way too long to list them all. So please forgive our summer-induced laziness, and get more info and a complete itinerary of this summer’s free events at the River to River Festival official site.