Popular Nolita taqueria Santo Taco is already quickly opening its second restaurant this month. The Greenwich Village location at 94 University Place, at East 12th Street, is opening on Saturday, October 18. Its menu of corn tortilla tacos will include that steak trompo, where the meat is sliced from the spit, as well as new ones, such as a shrimp with salsa macha. Later on, the Union Square restaurant will have margaritas and micheladas and the ability to add mezcal to aguas frescas. The 1,400 square foot space is larger than its older sibling, with a communal table, counter seats, and banquettes. Founder Santiago Perez, who had been a founder of NYC restaurant Cosme, opened Santo in May within the same building as La Esquina.
The city’s first cheese conveyor belt restaurant has a name
Back in April, Eater reported that a cheese conveyor belt restaurant would be opening in the upcoming Shaver Hall, housed in what had been the Lord & Taylor department store until 2019, at 424-434 Fifth Avenue, between West 38th and 39th streets. Turns out, it’s Pick & Cheese, the first U.S. location of the London spot that’s on track to open in early 2026, according to a spokesperson. Developed by Mathew Carver of the Cheese Bar, who started in 2014 with a cheese truck, according to the website.
The cheese conveyor belt is set up so customers choose among primarily American cheeses from the Northeast, which are paired with accompaniments; a U.K. location lists pairings on its website, with Dazel Ash atop a rosemary honey shortbread, or a St. Ella goat cheese adjacent to a square of Turkish Delight. This is the fourth location, with two others in London and a third in Berlin.
The name of the food hall stems from Lord & Taylor’s longtime president, Dorothy Shaver. Amazon took over the address in 2020 and renamed it the Hank Building. The food hall will function as a lunch spot for workers in the building. The 35,000-square-foot ground floor space with two restaurants, 11 food stalls, and two bars. The food hall branch also runs Plano’s Legacy Hall and Nashville’s Assembly Food Hall.
Explore the cuisines of the African diaspora with a fun dinner
Ticket proceeds will go towards the nonprofit’s Free Food program. It’s a packed event: Nduvo Salaam and Joe Hayes prepare the feast. Journalist Lori Stokes will interview the author about his newest book, and at some point in the programming, mezzo soprano Lucia Bradford and conductor and New York Philharmonic chorus director Malcom J. Merriweather will play songs from jazz musician Mary Lou Williams. There are three ticket options: VIP at $295; dinner $235; and a service team ticket for which attendees work front or back of the house for $125. It takes place on Monday, October 20, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at 39 119th Street, inside Emanuel A.M.E. Church.