Brooklyn’s Family-Friendly Restaurants Are Upping Their Cocktail Game

A handful of family-friendly restaurants are upping their cocktail menus, offering a glimpse of what a night out for drinks — with kids — might look like this summer. According to Vine Pair, Patti Ann’s, that blooming onion restaurant in Prospect Heights, has turned to Andrew Zerrip — who does the drinks at Olmsted and Maison Yaki, two higher-end spots from the same team — to create its drinks menu. In Park Slope, kid-friendly Italian restaurant Pasta Louise has brought on Tim Miner, a veteran of cocktail hot spots Death & Co. and Long Island Bar, to oversee the drinks program at its newest outpost. Vine Pair reports that both spots are going for a sophisticated but pared-down cocktail list designed for parents splitting their attention between the menu and their children begging to watch another episode of “Bluey” on the iPad.

Mayor takes first stab at street vending reform

Mayor Eric Adams has announced a list of 16 recommendations targeted at cutting red tape around street vending, including removing criminal liability from vendors and directing the Department of Transportation to consider expanded opportunities for vendors to operate. The Street Vendor Project, a group that represents hundreds of local vendors, referred to the decision as a “strong first step” in a statement, adding that “bolder steps” are needed for vendors to “earn a living without being treated as a criminal.” The announcement comes less than a month after Adams defended the controversial arrest of a street vendor accused of illegally selling fruit from a Brooklyn subway station.

Jean-Georges to open first Connecticut restaurant

Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten will open his first restaurant in Connecticut this spring through a partnership with Aurify Brands, the company behind Le Pain Quotidien, Little Beet, Melt Shop, and other chains. The Greenwich restaurant, called Happy Monkey, will infuse “Latin cuisine with a Jean-Georges flair,” according to a spokesperson for the chef.

Habana Outpost to reopen at long last

Sean Meenan, the owner of Mexican-Cuban restaurants Cafe Habana in Nolita and Habana Outpost in Fort Greene, tells FAB Fulton that the latter business will reopen “in a couple weeks” following a prolonged temporary closure during the pandemic.