You spend enough time stuck inside reading Gothamist at work; why should you be imprisoned by walls and roofs all over again on your free time? It's summer, and you are entitled to drink and eat outside, with nothing separating you from the stars but a thin layer of gabardine. With that in mind, we've put together this handy guide to some outdoor dining and drinking spots to hit this summer. Some are old standbys, some are new arrivals, and none of them feature any of that B.S. sidewalk seating. They are, in order of appearance, Bohemian Hall, B Bar, Faustina, Ardesia, The Summit, Hot Bird, The Upstairs, Luckydog, Blackout, Traif, Sky Terrace/Private Park, and The Rock Shop. more ›

This week in Eat Cetera: A French feast at midnight at Landmarc, alcoholic St. Patrick's Day cupcakes from CupcakeStop, and dining outside is starting again! more ›

The “Beer Kir” at Marco Moreira’s 15 East is a Japanese beer-based mixed drink: Sapporo is floated on a shot of honeyed sweet potato vinegar, adding a sweet-sour edge to the dry lager. For the purposes of home experimentation, we found Benímosu ($11.35 for 4 oz.), the same artisanal vinegar used in Beer Kir at Katagiri, a Japanese food store on 59th Street. Made in Kyoto from purple potatoes and koji rice, Benímosu has clean, rounded flavor that’s meant to be added to beer in a 1:5 ratio, which means a 4 ounce bottle of the stuff won’t even last a 6 pack. For more budget beer-vinegar drinks, Katagiri has a whole shelf of (mostly) fruit-based vinegar for cocktail mixing. There’s even one made from sake lees, the unfermentable dregs collected from the bottom of sake brewing tanks. more ›

The long-awaited opening of Radegast Hall & Biergarten, Brooklyn’s first old-timey beer hall, is finally upon us, just in time for… winter. The 2,000 square foot establishment is designed to feel like a turn-of-the-century Austro-Hungarian beer hall, with a retractable roof canopy, 32-foot high ceilings, communal tables made from 150-year-old barn wood, a seasonal grill and 13 varieties of beer on tap, as well as a wider array of exotic-sounding bottled beer, such as the... more ›

No news is bad news when it comes to the long-delayed opening of Radegast Hall & Biergarten, the new 2,000 square foot Williamsburg bar owned by the savvy Czechs who run Astoria’s Bohemian Hall. The establishment, designed to feel like a turn-of-the-century Austro-Hungarian beer hall, has been physically ready for business since Oktoberfest, but owners have been hung up on various permits and paperwork. The last hurdle was supposedly the certificate of occupancy, which... more ›

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a commercial robbery on Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn, a suspicious fire on Renwick St. in Manhattan, and an "air-mail incident" at Union St. and Franklin Ave in Brooklyn. We can't wait to hear what that possibly means. Six men were murdered Saturday morning in New York City. Separately! The Times reports that patrons of the Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden don't know what they're enthusiastically drinking to at a... more ›

EVENT: The American Opera Project has taken on...baseball? Tonight they present Baseball Through The Eye of the Artist. You'll catch some scenes from Daniel Sonenberg's opera-under-development The Summer King. And stick around for Bang The Drum Slowly, "the acclaimed 1973 baseball film that marked the beginning of Robert DeNiro's illustrious film career." more ›

“this is GOTHAMist. can't you cite a good NYC brew to spotlight?... how dare you, gothamist!!!” more ›

Last week, Clinton Hill Blog founder Robin Lester posted her findings of a trip taken to the Greenpoint Beer Works, a large brick industrial tucked away on Brooklyn’s Waverly Avenue between Fulton and Atlantic. She and another blog reader met up with operations director and brewer Kelly Taylor, who revealed that in addition to filling Greenpoint’s regular daily work order for Heartland Brewery, he has also been developing his own small batch beer, Kelso of Brooklyn. Currently, Kelso is only available by the keg, in three lager varieties: Nut Brown, Chocolate, and Kelso Hop. Taylor’s web site features a list of local restaurants and pubs that serve Kelso; his ale was also served at last week’s unveiling of the world’s eighth wonder, the new Whole Foods on the Bowery. more ›

We know that all back gardens are not created equal. They are useful for for pretending you aren't still addicted to cigarettes or can keep your hands off your date in front of your friends. Some, like the Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden in Astoria are nearly always packed, others, like Commonwealth in Park Slope are a welcome addition to an established great neighborhood bar and yet others, like the promised back garden area of Sortie don't exist at all. There is an outdoor area in the front on West 51st Street but the steps down from the street don't allow for more privacy or any kind of garden experience involving plants. more ›

When the weather turns warm (finally!) Gothamist heeds the cooling call of tiny bubbles. Champagne? Heck, no! more ›

Jessica Lappin, City Council Candidate more ›

Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden was highlighted in this weekend's NYT Travel section, as a great option for places to visit in the city (other than midtown) during the Republican convention: more ›