Charlie Palmer Oversees a Prosecco Parade in Times Square

Charlie Palmer’s Aperibar, is now open in Luma Hotel Times Square at 120 W. 41st Street, near 6th Avenue. The food menu lists pizza and Italian small plates (cheese, salumi, antipasti, and vegetables with a handful of mains) while drinks highlight apertivi and over 20 selections of prosecco and Italian sparkling wines. Last year, Palmer changed his NYC stalwart Aureole into Charlie Palmer Steak and has converted Aureole to Aureole at Home, which offers “boutique-style takeout and catering as well as wine and cocktails,” according to a spokesperson. It was his first restaurant, having opened in 1988 and moving to Midtown in 2009. Today, in addition to running the Conde Nast dining room, he has seven restaurants in New York.

The Central Park Boathouse ownership saga continues

The city reportedly turned down a $6 million offer by billionaire investor Andrew Murstein to take over the iconic boathouse and hand the management keys back to former owner Dean Poll, according to the New York Post. Poll had previously announced that he was shutting down the boathouse in October because of unsustainable operating costs. The offer was allegedly turned down because the city’s Office of Management and Budget wanted more money for the hot-ticket space.

A Brooklyn barbecue standby to reopen after devastating fire

Popular Prospect Heights spot Morgan’s Barbecue is gearing up to reopen after a fire gutted the building nearly two years ago. There’s no exact date set yet for the reopening, a representative tells Eater, but it appears to be eyeing a re-debut sometime in September.

Meanwhile, Harlem gains a new barbecue joint

The Porch, a Cajun-inflected barbecue restaurant and live music venue from a pair of music and restaurant industry veterans, has opened in Harlem’s Sugar Hill area at 750A St Nicholas Avenue, between West 147th and 148th streets, according to a press release. Lead chef Matt Fisher is a barbecue veteran who previously did stints at well-known NYC spots including Dinosaur Barbecue and the now-closed Rub BBQ and Fletcher’s Brooklyn Barbecue. Expect baby back ribs, shrimp beignets, and a roast beef po boy “with debris,” i.e., all the flavorful meat drippings and trimmings.