Korean Chain Paris Baguette Is Going On an NYC Expansion Spree

Paris Baguette is adding six more NYC locations, and other openings and coming attractions

South Korea’s massive bakery chain Paris Baguette is opening six new locations in NYC — including on the Upper East Side (1270 Lexington Ave.); Times Square (1450 Broadway); Flatiron District (700 Sixth Ave.); Chelsea (371 Seventh Ave.); Bryant Park (988 Avenue of the Americas); and Hell’s Kitchen (888 10th Ave.). The chain — which has over 3,000 locations around the world — serves croissants, cakes, pastries, salads, and sandwiches. At least a dozen locations already exist in NYC.

Over in Park Slope, vegan/vegetarian cafe-and-bodega called Cinnamon Girl has opened at 80 Sixth Ave., on St. Marks Avenue. Meanwhile, a new bar called the Headless Widow is bringing pub fare to the East Village, opening on the northwest corner of First Avenue at Sixth Street. On the Lower East Side, infamous party bar Epstein’s has rebranded to 82 Stanton Bar, less than a year after it reopened with new owners and a chef who previously worked at Daniel.

All hail the Aperol Spritz

The Springs in Greenpoint is hosting a “Rally for Aperol” in support of Aperol Spritz, after an incendiary article in the Times declared it “not a good drink.” The article went viral and was blasted all over the internet by defenders of the darling summer drink, and now, the Springs wants to give those people a place to relish in their orange-tinted refreshment of choice. From 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. today, the bar at 224 Franklin St. will sell Spritz slushies for $10, and if drinkers wear orange, they’ll get a $2 discount.

Critic finds hearty soups and more Nigerian classics at this Bushwick newcomer

Times critic Marian Bull stops by new Nigerian restaurant Hills Kitchen in Bushwick, where she finds goat stew “think like a blanket in February” and soups “laden with leafy greens.” She dives into those soups, like the “lightly tangy” okra and another made with pumpkin leaf and spinach, which gets a “nutty funk” from the ground and dried crayfish thrown in. The restaurant opened in February at 252 Knickerbocker Ave.; it’s a family business run by Hillary Uduh and his cousin Promise Edoro.

Smorgasburg expands to D.C. next month

Smorgasburg is heading to D.C. next month: Starting Saturday, June 15, the NYC-born food festival will set up at the Tingey Plaza in Navy Yard with big-name D.C. vendors slinging yakitori skewers, wood-fired pizzas, Japanese-Hawaiian rice balls, and much more. The festival has grown considerably in recent years, expanding all over the city as well as to L.A. in 2016. It also has a presence in Japan and plans to open in Sao Paulo, Brazil this year, too.

Critic has a promising meal at Van Đa

East Village newcomer Van Đa serves the “perfect appetizers” — bite-size snacks similar to Chinese dim sum, a style of eating that hails from Hue, Vietnam, writes New Yorker critic Hannah Goldfield. Of those apps, she praises the rice-flour pancakes has the consistency of “creamy porridge” and dumplings made of “chewy” tapioca are filled with “crunchy” shrimp and “tender” pork. Over on the “street food” section of the menu, more gimmicky foods are present — but they’re still good. The “pho short rib grilled cheese,” for instance, is stuffed with “juicy shreds of meat” and cheese, served with “hot, fragrant” beef broth.

Little Big Town will perform at the Greenwich Wine & Food Festival

Greenwich Wine & Food Festival — going down on September 20 to 21 — has announced its headlining musician for this year’s event: country music group Little Big Town. The two-day event will involve eating, drinking, chef demos, and book signings alongside big names in the food industry. Chefs include Food Network stars like Valerie Bertinelli, Marc Murphy, Jessica Tom, David Rose, as well as Geoffrey Zakarian, Margaret Zakarian, David Burtka, and Mary Giuliani. The festival will be held at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Stars show up at the Red Rooster

A star-studded dinner was held at Red Rooster this week for Harlem EatUp!, the food and music festival founded by chef Marcus Samuelsson and Herb Karlitz. The benefit dinner — co-hosted by co-hosted by chef Massimo Bottura and designer Dapper Dan — attracted names like Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri, musician Jon Batiste, restaurateur Melba Wilson, and quite the fashion crowd, including Bethann Hardison, June Ambrose, and Bevy Smith. The event started on May 13 and runs until Sunday.