Man Puzzled to Find a Fresh In-N-Out Burger on the Street in Queens

A discarded In-N-Out burger has captured New Yorkers’ attention

A Queens man is stumped by a fresh-looking In-N-Out burger he found on a street in Jamaica on Saturday at 6:30 a.m. Lincoln Boehm is an In-N-Out superfan, and says the discovery of what he’s certain is a genuine product — recognizable by the correct wrapping, onions between the patties, lettuce at the bottom, and how the buns were toasted — “shook me to my core.” He has tried and failed to bring back burgers from the West Coast, saying that the burger was always “inedible” by the time it reached NYC. He has theories about how it could have gotten there, including “somebody incredibly wealthy who had a private jet” and brought back a bunch and threw them out of their car window, but he’s ruled out a marketing stunt.

Bruno has permanently closed

Divisive East Village pizzeria Bruno will stay permanently closed after a fire forced its shutter last November. Owner Demian Repucci wrote on Instagram that the water damage was “too much to overcome.” The ambitious pizzeria, which milled its own flour, opened in 2015, and it was the rare place that nobody could agree upon. Eater critic Ryan Sutton gave it two stars, but Times critic Pete Wells gave it zero. Repucci later tried to give that zero-star review back, saying that the restaurant had grown. But post-fire, “After several months trying to figure out how to get the restaurant back on its feet, it seems recovery moved beyond my grasp,” Repucci writes.

One of the city’s best al pastor restaurant goes to the LES — and other openings and closings

Popular al pastor spot Taco Mix has opened a location at 156 Delancey St. Eater critic Robert Sietsema has said that the taco spot serves the city’s best version of al pastor, though the burgeoning chain also serves other kinds of meats.

Nolita Pizza has opened at 128 Second Ave. selling pizza by the slice, salads, and Italian entrees like chicken parm and baked ziti. Bar Local 138 has reopened at 181 Orchard St. after a building sale forced its move.

Over in Brooklyn, Mexican taqueria Cena has opened in Windsor Terrace at 601 Greenwood Ave., Park Slope has a new Thai restaurant called Jintana Thai Farmhouse at 344 Seventh Ave., and Prospect-Lefferts Gardens is now home to Edie Jo’s, an American restaurant at 630 Flatbush Ave.

In coming attractions news, Mexican fast-food chain Dos Toros is opening an UWS outpost at 2911 Broadway, and a Sichuan restaurant called Hupo will open at 10-07 50th Ave. in Long Island City. In the East Village, Martina is flipping into a third location of Australian cafe Ruby’s. Local Jamaican chain Footprints will open a new outpost at 588 Nostrand Ave., coffee shop Hungry Ghost is adding a location at 156 Garfield Pl., and ice cream favorite Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory will return to Brooklyn Heights in the parking lot at 14A Old Fulton St.

But over in the East Village, bodega 14th Street Deli & Candy has been closed, and on the Upper West Side, Freshly Bagel has closed, as has Mido Sushi at 612 Amsterdam Ave.

Two anticipated restaurants near opening

After a fire delayed the opening of Llama San, the West Village Nikkei restaurant from the Llama Inn team, the restaurant is finally back on track. It will open in early September, and it’s now taking reservations. Over in Williamsburg, the bakery from the Win Son team is so close to opening that it’s hosting pop-up previews in the space. Every Sunday at 11 a.m., Win Son Bakery sells black sesame mochi doughnuts, and peanut milk soft serve with banana caramel and candied cocoa nibs, espresso drinks, and sarsaparilla rum floats.

Robots have arrived in NYC restaurant kitchens

NYC restaurants are increasingly turning to automated labor, the Wall Street Journal reports. Dalup Modern Indian in Chelsea makes its dosa with a machine, MakiMaki Sushi has invested tens of thousands of dollars into robots that can make sushi rolls, and Social Drink & Food has a device that measures out alcohol for precise drink pours.