Levain Bakery Opens a New Location in Manhattan

Levain Bakery, known for its big cookies and bigger lines, will open a new location on April 5 at 2 W. 18th Street, near Fifth Avenue. The Flatiron bakery, which has been in the works since last summer, is the company’s eighth location in New York. Different from the others: the new bakery will serve black and white cookies for the opening. Founders Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald opened the first Levain on the Upper West Side in 1995. There are now 14 bakeries in total, with locations in Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Opening hours are 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

A Mexico City chef comes to Manhattan

The Infatuation once wrote that Elly’s, a Mexico City restaurant, would feel right at home in Brooklyn. I guess we’ll never know — Elly’s has since permanently closed — but its chef and owner, Elly Fraser, is cooking in Manhattan this month. From Thursday to Saturday, the chef will take over the supper club in the Manhattan Freehand hotel. She’ll serve a dinner priced at $150 per person.

How about pappardelle al pastor?

Since opening in 2021, the owners of Taqueria Ramirez have shown us they know how to make more than great tacos. Giovanni Cervantes and Tania Apolinar used their al pastor to make smash burgers and pizza. They’re making pasta now, too. Le Fanfare, an Italian restaurant (1103 Manhattan Avenue, near Clay Street) has added pappardelle al pastor to the menu for the time being, using the taqueria’s pork as ragu.

A dinner series honoring chef Floyd Cardoz

Chef Dan Kluger, a James Beard semifinalist this year, will pay tribute to the late chef and mentor Floyd Cardoz with a dinner series at his Hudson Yards restaurant Greywind (451 10th Avenue, near West 36th Street). From April 17 to 19 and May 15 to 17, the American restaurant will serve a six-course menu ($205 per person) from the counter in its open kitchen with biryani and samosas. Reservations are available on Resy.