New Restaurants on the Radar: The Southwest Porch at Bryant Park, Calexico, Pod Cafe

To promote their new service in and out of LaGuardia Airport (beginning June 28th), Southwest Airlines has enlisted celebrity chef Tom Colicchio to open a new al fresco lounge in the southwest corner of Bryant Park. The Porch (designed by Nancy Thiel Architecture + Design) comes complete with wicker swings, rocking chairs and Adirondack chairs, and power outlets for those who wish to take advantage of Bryant Park's free Wi-Fi. The porch is open to the general public, not just paying customers, though it's a safe bet that if you sit down long enough you'll eventually succumb to a pint of specially brewed Southwest Summer Ale, one of the local brews, or something off the summer cocktail menu. Colicchio's small-plates menu includes items like a New York Meatball Sandwich, Southwestern Pork Sandwich and Baltimore Crab Sandwich. The Porch is open in Bryant Park Mondays through Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Fridays from 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.