After a successful run last spring, fine-dining favorite Eleven Madison Park is bringing back its bakery pop-up Bake It Nice this month.

Kicking off on Saturday, April 20 and running through Saturday, May 11, the seasonal spin-off gives New York eaters the chance to try one of the world’s best restaurants without forking over a hefty fee for that famed, four-star tasting menu. 

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Eleven Madison Park’s Executive Pastry Chef, Laura Cronin, will be spearheading this year’s plant-based offerings at the pop-up, including a one-of-a-kind croissant-inspired pastry available in a trio of tasty-sounding flavors: candied hazelnut and vanilla, chocolate and pretzel praline, and strawberry-rhubarb and orange blossom. 

In addition to the pastry team’s delicious creations, the Bake It Nice pop-up will also offer agua fresca from the restaurant’s Beverage Director Sebastian Tollius’s team: choose between quenchers like hibiscus-passionfruit or cucumber-ginger. There will also be Devoción Coffee to go, as well as a selection of Eleven Madison Home products, like their jarred granolas (blueberry-lemon, cherry-pistachio) for sale. (Pro tip: with Mother’s Day coming up on Sunday, May 12, you can consider the pop-up a great opportunity to find a yummy something special for mom.) 

The Bake It Nice pop-up will launch outside the iconic restaurant at the northeast edge of Madison Square Park beginning this Saturday between 11am and 1pm, or until sold out. It will return on April 27, May 4 and May 11, and we expect long lines, so plan accordingly! 

Get a sneak peek of the pastries and tarts on offer below, as well as those refreshing agua frescas: 

* This article was originally published here

The National Action Network recently held its 33rd convention with Joy Reid of MSNBC, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, and Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie among the high-profile attendees.

Bill Moore photos

The post PHOTOS: National Action Network hosts 33rd Convention appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

New York State Senator Cordell Cleare hosted the third annual EID celebration this week at the Millbank Center in Harlem, along with Hon. Yusef Salaam, Hon. Charles Fall, Hon. Eddie Gibbs. The day of food, fashion, games, and more was co-sponsored with community masjids. All were welcome to the gathering.

Bill Moore photos

The post Eid Mubarak! NYS Senator Cordell Cleare hosts celebration in Harlem appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

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Little Thailand Way, that spirited stretch of Woodside Avenue between 77 and 76 Streets in Elmhurst, Queens, is one of New York City’s best Thai enclaves, with dozens of Thai restaurants and thousands of Thai residents in the area. The area clearly makes for the best place to celebrate Songkran, or Thai New Year, with a series of special events throughout the month, in an effort to properly ring in the year 2568.

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In Thailand, the holiday is celebrated in April with extravagant water festivals and offerings to local Buddhist monks. Thai Community USA, the driving force behind the Songkran festivities, aims to recreate the extravaganza in Queens both for the local Thai community and New Yorkers at large.

The biggest event of the bunch is a street festival on Saturday, April 20, kicking off at 10am with music, Thai boxing, traditional dance and, of course, lots of delicious Thai food,from local spots including Isaan Thai eatery Hug Esan, critically acclaimed Ayada, dessert specialist Khao Nom, Thai rice and curry hotspot Khao Kang, James Beard Award semifinalist Zaab Zaab, local favorite Spicy Shallot, casual eatery Tea Cup Cafe and boat noodle spot Pata Paplean.

“I am proud to celebrate Songkran and honor our Thai cultural traditions both for the local community and non-Thai people who love Thai food and culture,” said Juttana “Moo” Rimreartwate, founder of Thai Community USA, in an official statement. “Each year we do this and it keeps getting better and better.” 

Earlier this month, Thai Community USA New York State in conjunction with New York State Assemblyman Steven Raga, who represents Elmhurst, held the first ever Songkran Celebration at the New York State Capitol.

The Songkran celebrations coincide with Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day, an initiative announced by the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), in which a record number of NYC streets will be entirely car-free on Saturday, April 20. In Queens, the standout site will be on Woodside Avenue stretching from 75th Street to 78th Street, so that means they’ll be plenty of streetside room for all of that Thai-flavored fun this weekend. 

* This article was originally published here

Spring is finally spring-ing in New York City, and if you need even more proof than the gloriously sunny weather we’ve been experiencing these last few days, this should do it: North River Lobster Company, New York City’s floating lobster and seafood restaurant, is officially reopening for its 10th season on the Hudson River.

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Beginning Thursday, April 18, seafood lovers will again have the opportunity to enjoy fresh lobster rolls—like the cold, creamy Maine versions; the warm, buttery Connecticut exports; and their own newfangled twist, the Lower East Side Lobster Roll served on an everything bagel—raw-bar platters, juicy burgers, shareable appetizers and refreshing cocktails, all while taking in the stunning sights of New York City along the Hudson River.

The beverage lineup includes two popular drinks that debuted in 2023, the Midtown Mule and Sailor’s Spritz, as well as margaritas, rum drinks, frozen cocktails and a selection of beer and wine, served across all three decks of the waterfront restaurant and bar. 

Along with all of those returning menu favorites, the boat itself (located at Pier 81 on Twelfth Avenue and West 41st Street) has undergone some renovations and is now the site of some new activations for the season, including fresh photo opportunity such as a giant lobster claw and an Instagrammable “One in Two Million” lobster wall. (There’s also the return of The Shelley, the world’s biggest lobster roll, measuring a whopping 28 inches in length, which always makes for a great ‘gram moment.) 

“We can officially consider North River Lobster Company a New Yorker as we enter into our 10^th season and look forward to celebrating this exciting milestone,” said Craig Kanarick, Chief Executive Officer of New York Cruise Lines, Inc. in an official statement. “Year after year, our customers flock back to the restaurant, so we are pleased to be launching our first-ever loyalty program to better serve our customers delicious lobster rolls, seafood dishes, and signature cocktails to those alike.”

For $45, customers can join the Season Pass Club where members receive free boarding throughout the 2024 season as well as a free drink during the week of their birthday or half birthday. Anyone living or working near Pier 81 will qualify for the Season Pass Club and receive free boarding all season. You can buy boarding passes and check out the current menu over at the North River Lobster Company website. 

* This article was originally published here