Protest Erupts Outside Bed-Stuy Cafe For Alleged Racist Incident

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A protest erupted outside a Bed-Stuy cafe over the weekend in response to an incident on Halloween where staff allegedly offered candy to white children, but not black children.

People stood outside Strand Cafe on Saturday with signs saying to boycott the coffee shop and restaurant at 492 Nostrand Avenue, between Halsey and Hancock Streets. The incident followed testimony from two Community Board 3 members who claimed they witnessed a staff member at the cafe turning away black children in costume and then handing white children candy. The owner later acknowledged the incident and said he fired the staffer responsible.

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A Star Wars Pop-Up Bar Is Now Open in NYC

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The force seems to be with New York this holiday season: A Star Wars-themed pop-up bar has opened in Soho, full of themed drinks, food, and events. DarkSide Bar, at 201 Lafayette Street between Kenmare and Broome Streets, is open through January 14 for all serious Star Wars fans, offering “a truly immersive galactic experience.”

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MatchaBar brothers made it to 30 under 30

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When the Fortgang brothers, Max and Graham, opened the first location of MatchaBar in Brooklyn in 2014, the matcha craze had barely just begun. Today, with masses demanding the caffeine-heavy coffee alternative, MatchaBar has expanded to three locations and a ready-to-drink bottled product distributed nationally by Whole Foods.

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Here’s What Breakfast at Tiffany’s Really Looks Like

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In Holly Golightly’s now-iconic 1961 breakfast outside of Tiffany’s, her morning meal consisted of a bodega croissant and coffee, leisurely consumed while yearningly window shopping. In the real-life cafe, now open for four days at the Fifth Avenue store, it’s a rushed, sit-down affair that sets diners back at least $29.

Blue Box Cafe swung open its luxurious doors last week and has been packed ever since — people who arrived even an hour before the 10 a.m. opening on Saturday were sent home since reservations were already full for the rest of the day. People returned to queue up the next day more than four hours in advance of Sunday’s noon opening.

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NYC Brunch: 12 Restaurants to Try Right Now

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There are plenty of brunch restaurants to choose from in this city, but all too often they involve lame prix fixe menus, boring egg dishes, and watered down mimosas. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Here’s a guide to 12 recently launched brunches that are worth checking out. There’s everything from luxe leisurely brunches of steak and bread baskets, to a lot of pizzas topped with eggs.

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22 Worthy Options for Thanksgiving Day in New York City

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Thanksgiving menus in this gloriously overpriced city are often a ripoff. But here’s a map of 22 wonderful New York City restaurants that will be open on Thanksgiving Day and are offering inventive menus or great value. Majority are prix fixe tasting menus (with a few a la carte options), some have a unique take on the day’s cuisine, and others will satisfy a traditional Americana version of the holiday. One thing all these restaurants have in common: pie.

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Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar Snags Funding for World Domination

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Cereal milk and Crack Pie are headed for world domination: Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar just raised its first round of venture capitalist funding. The brand’s first outside investment will be used to propel its expansion into more cities, per a press release.

Milk Bar launched as Momofuku Milk Bar in 2008, after Tosi made a name for herself creating desserts for David Chang’s restaurants; it eventually became an empire all its own and dropped the Momofuku part of its name. Today, outposts in New York City, D.C., Toronto, and Las Vegas sling its cookies, cereal milk soft-serve, candy bar pie, cake truffles, and bagel bombs. An L.A. branch is to open in early 2018. The company also plans to use the funding to expand its e-commerce business, merchandise offerings, and baking classes.

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Massive Taiwanese Dessert Chain Tackles the East Village 9

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Meet Fresh, a popular Taiwanese dessert chain that peddles taro balls, shaved ice, tofu pudding, and more, is headed to the East Village. With more than 100 stores in Taiwan, plus others across Asia and Australia, Meet Fresh will soon make its NY debut at Cooper Square and East 6th Street.

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Salt Bae’s NYC Restaurant Now Hiring For People Looking to ‘Flare It Up’

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Viral sensation Salt Bae — aka Nusret Gökçe — must be super close to opening the Midtown location of his steakhouse Nusr-et. The restaurant posted a Craigslist ad seeking staff for the 60 West 53rd Street, near Sixth Avenue, restaurant, seeking servers, grill cooks, and butchers. The requirement? They are “looking for talent burning with desire to flare it up.” The chef already has locations around the world, and the first U.S. outpost will open further south in Miami.

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The Lobster Club Unleashes Its Colorful ‘See and Be Seen’ Midtown Space This Week

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The final restaurant from Major Food Group in the Seagram Building opens this weekend — and in classic fashion for the group, everything about The Lobster Club is over-the-top and more than a little bit outrageous, with a nod to the past.

The Japanese cuisine-inspired restaurant from the Jeff ZalaznickRich Torrisi, and Mario Carbone team, run by the former chef of Michelin-starred sushi restaurant Sushi Azabu, Tasuku Murakami, swings open on Friday with more of a lounge and bar feel than either of its siblings.

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