Are $23 Omelets the Future of This Iconic Central Park Restaurant?

Central Park’s iconic Loeb Boathouse restaurant could reopen this June after abruptly shuttering due to rising labor and food costs last year. Mayor Eric Adams announced the comeback at a press conference on Thursday, saying the city’s Parks Department hopes to award a 10-year lease on the space to Legends Hospitality — backed by Yankees Global Enterprises; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones; and an investment firm with ties to Airbnb, Spotify, and Credit Suisse — which also oversees concessions at Yankee Stadium. The proposed contract still needs approval, but Legends would oversee the restaurant, snack bar, and rowboat rental venue at the boathouse with menus that list $23 mushroom toast and a $25 burger, according to Gothamist.

The East Village has a new Hong Kong-inspired cafe

Jay Liu, an alum of Dashan Restaurant Group (CheLi, Szechuan Mountain House), and partners Jason Ying and Junye Chi have opened a new coffee shop at 110 E. 7th Street, between Avenue A and First Avenue, in the East Village. Wild Rabbit sources its beans from Brooklyn roaster Sey Coffee, and drinks — coconut milk lattes, jasmine tea-infused espresso — are said to be inspired by Hong Kong cafes. A grand opening is planned for February 22.

New York is searching for a new ‘nightlife mayor’

Mayor Eric Adams, once quoted as saying he would dine out at restaurants every single night of his tenure (and was seen this week at Nobu Fifty Seven at midnight), is searching for a new “nightlife mayor,” Time Out reports. Ariel Palitz will be stepping away from the city’s Office of Nightlife at the end of April after serving as its founding director since 2018. The city has since posted a job listing for the position, tasked with overseeing the department, with a proposed salary of $72,038 to $136,000.

Bon Jovi opens a restaurant in Jersey City

The fourth location of Jersey rocker Jon Bon Jovi’s JBJ’s Soul Kitchen has opened in Jersey City on the campus of New Jersey City University at 2039 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, near 21st Street. (It’s the second campus location following one at Rutgers University Newark that opened last year.) The restaurants are run by Jovi’s nonprofit established in 2006; there are no prices on the menus at any locations. At the Jersey City outpost, visitors are asked to contribute $12 for an appetizer such as cucumber salad or Caribbean corn soup or a main like seared salmon or stewed chicken.