DUANE PARK PATISSERIE IS BACK OPEN
Duane Park Patisserie has reopened after a seven-week renovation to redesign the classic shop on Duane Park, adding more tables to the front and creating an all-day brunch menu and evening hours to go with it. More soon when I can get in there.

SLATE CAFE AT LAUGHING MAN
Slate Cafe, a local chain started in 2015 in Nomad and owned by a married couple, is now exclusively operating at the kitchen at Laughing Man, so there is a new food menu. The official name is Slate Cafe at Laughing Man, and the menu includes sandwiches, salads, small plates and substantial breakfast items: bacon and mushroom scrambles, breakfast pizza, walnut granola. More soon when I can run in. See the menu here.

TRIBECA PARK COLLAB WITH THE HORT
Tribeca Park is working with the Horticultural Society of New York (The Hort) on plans for major planting improvements. Tribeca Park was reconfigured into a “garden park” 20 years ago. This collaboration, so far, has included the cleaning and preparation of the soil for new plantings. The Friends of Tribeca Park is seeking neighbors who care about plants and the park to join their hearty band of volunteers. Reach out to friendsoftribecapark@gmail.com.

SERAFINA EXPANDING WITH NEW CONCEPTS
Serafina, the local chain with a Tribeca location at Reade and West Broadway, is expanding: Serafina Vino e Cucina at 30 Broad opened earlier this year; Tokugawa, the second location of the company’s sushi concept opened in Gramercy; and they opened Pizza FunHouse, a retro-inspired diner serving New York-style slices, in the East Village. The Serafina Restaurant Group was founded in the mid-90s by Vittorio Assaf & Fabio Granato with one small location on the Upper East Side; they now have 40 locations on the East Coast and another eight across the globe, including Serafina Vino e Cucina, Brasserie Cognac, Tokugawa, Farinella Bakery and now Pizza FunHouse.