New York City’s New Hot Spot: Dutch Kills, Long Island City Inline
Photo: Courtesy of chickpeaandolive / @chickpeaandolive1/6Smorgasburg Queens
Tomorrow—July 11—a special edition of the much-loved Brooklyn food festival finally comes to Queens with a carefully culled lineup of the borough’s vendors—strictly locals only. From Arepa Lady’s Colombian corn cakes, to Plant Love House’s Taiwanese popcorn chicken, expect this Smorgasburg to be a spot-on introduction to the best of Queens cuisine.
43-29 Crescent Street; open Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Boro Hotel / @borohotel2/6Boro Hotel
Billed as the borough’s first design-savvy boutique hotel, the Boro opened its doors this month to unveil a raw industrial space (cement bricks, concrete floors) with Instagram-friendly touches—think tiny succulents and Le Labo candles on tables. All west-facing rooms have unhindered views of the Manhattan skyline, from the red brick houses of Harlem all the way down to One World Trade. The rooftop bar alone will be worth the trip.
38-28 Twenty-seventh Street, 718.433.1375
Photo: Courtesy of Debbie Cho / @debbiejcho3/6The Noguchi Museum
Housed in a former twenties brick factory, Isamu Noguchi’s dreamy open-air sculpture garden turns 30 this year, and is slated to finish a huge restoration of its verdant, pebbled courtyard this summer. To celebrate, an installation of the artist’s sixties-era bronzes has been re-created and will be progressively deconstructed over the course of three months, in a bit of sculptural performance art.
9-01 Thirty-third Road (at Vernon Boulevard), 718.204.7088
Photo: Courtesy of Doris Yeah / @yeah40164/6Mu Ramen
Quick, grab a spot at Mu’s communal table—first come, first served—for a Korean-style take on ramen broth that earned two stars and a critic’s pick from the New York Times in May. Run by husband and wife duo Heidy He and Joshua Smookler, the latter a Per Se alum, the restaurant happily revealed a new lunch service last week called MUNCH (what else?) with piping hot ramen and uni and ikura bowls ready by noon.
12-09 Jackson Avenue, 917.868.8903
Photo: Courtesy of LIC Flea and Food / @licflea5/6LIC Flea Food
Now in its third season, Long Island City’s waterfront flea market showcases more than 80 Queens-centric vendors each weekend (newcomers include Anna Harper and her recycled metal stacking rings and Ecuadorian street sammies from Chuta Madre). This year, the flea has also expanded its all-Queens outdoor beer garden: Pale ales and IPAs from SingleCut, Finback, Queens Brewery, and Rockaway Brewery Co., microbrewed mere minutes away.
5-25 Forty-sixth Avenue, open Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
