Chick-fil-A Plots Yet Another NYC Location in Midtown

Chick-fil-A’s NYC expansion continues

Controversial and wildly popular fried chicken sandwich chain Chick-fil-A is still growing in New York, with plans to open a 12,000-square-foot space in Midtown East. The new location at 711 Lexington Ave., between East 57th and 58th streets, has three floors total. The Atlanta-based chain already has four locations in NYC, including a massive FiDi one that’s the biggest one in the country. The company’s conservative owners have donated millions to anti-LGBTQ causes, but despite NYC’s largely liberal population, people still wait in long lines at lunch hour everyday at the local locations. In 2016, Chick-fil-A announced plans to open more than a dozen outposts in the New York area.

Daniel Humm has his ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ moment in India

Indian publication Hindustan Times follows Eleven Madison Park chef Daniel Humm on his first trip to India, which was apparently so revelatory for Humm that he wants to “come back for two weeks and do yoga every day.” The chef — who’s known for elegant but fairly mild fare and lives in an international dining capital of the world — had the revelation that “spices” are good for food while on his trip to India. “Spice has been the ingredient for me in India,” he tells the publication. “The spice is the star of the dish and that’s been eye-opening for me.”

23-year-old wing restaurant opens a new LES location, and other openings and a closing

Murray Hill fast food shop Best Wingers, open since 1995, now has a new location on the Lower East Side at 174 Delancey, between Clinton and Attorney streets. It serves buffalo wings, chicken tenders, fried chicken, and chicken sandwiches. Salad chain Fresh & Co has two new locations at Chelsea Piers, one open to the public and one just for members of the Chelsea Piers Fitness Club. The uber-hip Freehand Hotel has a final restaurant in the building: a Smile To Go cafe with 50 seats. It’s open for breakfast and lunch, with egg sandwiches, salads, and pastries. But East Village’s Cafe Zaiya has closed. The Japanese cafe and bakery shut down late last month following health department violations, and it is now gone for good.

Pete Wells reviews nature

The Times food section went hard on the beginning of summer this week, and as part of it, critic Pete Wells decided to review fruit. Watermelon is apparently the best because it’s a social fruit, and blueberries are good for tossing into anything for “tiny explosions of flavor and color.” Honeydew is a no-no, though. Elsewhere, staffers rank french fries, sausages, and road trip snacks.