the weekend buzz

“Press Opens, Clinton Street Brunch Expands, Sam Mason at Aldea, Brunch at Kampuchea, Daniel in Blue Jeans”

Friday: Drink at Press

Press, the highly anticipated rooftop lounge at the new Ink48 Hotel, will open this Friday night. The space is truly magnificent—a glass-enclosed rooftop restaurant and lounge complete with outdoor seating and reflecting pool (yes, reflect!) Drinks and a farm-to-table menu by chef Charlie Rodriguez will help the reflecting part.

Ink48 is located at 653 11th Avenue at 48th, 212.757.0088.

Clinton Street Expands Brunch Hours!

For the first time ever, Clinton St. Baking Co. will be extending is brunch hours every Sunday until 7pm, beginning this Sunday the 17th at 9am. Now you’ll have less chance of being turned away, which can be real bummer when you’ve got a hankering for some of their fluffy pancakes and biscuits.

Clinton St. Baking Co. is located at 4 Clinton Street (between East Houston and Stanton), 646-602-6263

All Weekend Long: Kampuchea Introduces Brunch

If you’re a fan of Kampuchea’s num pang sandwiches or other Cambodian street food at lunch and dinner, you’re in luck. Ratha Chaupoly and Scott Burnett are rolling out a brunch menu this Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The new selections will be served in the reconfigured Kampuchea space and The Norry bar next door. You can order a mix of small and large plates, sandwiches and of course, cocktails and beer. The menu includes new dishes such as chicken rillettes ($6; served with pickled ramps and rhubarb on griddle toasts), bacon garlic fried rice ($14; sprinkled with Thai basil and crushed Kampot peppers) and soft-scrambled eggs served with pork meatballs stewed in tomatoes ($11).  The num pang sandwiches ($10-$13) on the menu include house bacon, oxtail, catfish and roasted cauliflower selections. It’s the first Cambodian-influenced brunch in the city.

Kampuchea is located at 78 Rivington St. (at Allen St.), 212-529-3901, http://kampucheanyc.com.

—Bao Ong

Sunday: Sam Mason Cooks at Aldea

Chef George Mendes creates beautiful dishes with Portuguese flavors at Aldea in the Flatiron District every night of the week except Sundays, when the restaurant is usually closed. On Sunday April 18, however, he’s letting another chef take to his stoves. Chef Sam Mason (formerly of Tailor and wd-50) will cook a special dinner at Aldea on this featuring many of Tailor’s signature dishes—pork belly with miso butterscotch and artichokes and foie gras with peanut butter, cocoa and pear. The five-course dinner is a $110 per person (which doesn’t include tax and gratuity) and includes wine pairings. Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and dinner at 7:15 p.m. This is the second time Mendes has opened his kitchen to other chefs and he plans to do it again.

Aldea is located at 31 W. 17th St. (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues), 212-675-7223, http://aldearestaurant.com.

— Bao Ong

Sunday: Blue Jeans, Burgundy, and Bordeaux

Dining at Daniel is a typically a fairly elegant affair. It calls for dressing up, not down. But not on Sunday, when chef Daniel Boulud and guest host chef Heston Blumenthal of England’s famed Fat Duck, will host Burgundy, Bordeaux, Blue Jeans and Blues, the annual benefit and auction in support of Citymeals-on-Wheels.

The night gets kicked off at 5:30 with a Champagne reception  with hors d’oeuvres from Mandarin Oriental’s Asiate and a chance to bid on a silent auction featuring rare wines, luxury gifts and gourmet items. Dinner follows at 6:30 with four-courses prepared by Boulud and Blumenthal, with each course paired with Burgundy and Bordeaux wines.

The best part is that the beneficiary of this event: Citymeals-on-Wheels, which provides over 18,000 homebound and elderly New Yorkers with nutritious meals.

Burgundy, Bordeaux, Blue Jeans and Blues is being held Sunday, April 18th at Daniel, located at 60 East 65th Street between Madison and Park Avenues. Tickets are $1,000 each or $25,000 for a “Gourmand” table. For reservations, visit citymeals.org/ or call Heather Gere at 212-687-1290.

—Jason Caslow

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