Bánh, an Upper West Side Vietnamese restaurant that opened to much anticipation in 2021, is opening a successor near Union Square: Bánh Anh Em, set to open this winter, is at 99 Third Avenue, near East 13th Street. Owners Nhu Ton and John Nguyen tell Eater they wanted a downtown location for their customers. The much larger dining room will put an emphasis on making its banh mi and rice noodles from scratch. When the duo opened Bánh, they were already known for Cơm Tấm Ninh Kiều, their Vietnamese restaurant in the Bronx, which was reviewed by The New York Times – but in early 2024 they sold their ownership rights and focused on expanding the Bánh name.

Andrew Tarlow’s first restaurant in Manhattan

In January, Eater reported that restaurateur Andrew Tarlow, known exclusively for his Brooklyn buildings — Diner and Marlow & Sons, etc. — had signed a lease in Manhattan at 124 E. 27th Street near Lexington Avenue. Next month, he’ll open Borgo. A spokesperson shares that Tarlow jumped on the space because he was a fan of the previous tenant, Italian restaurant I Trulli, which closed in 2022 and later reopened elsewhere under a new name.

A sign museum for that time in Brooklyn

It’s not your imagination: New York’s most charming store signs are becoming increasingly rare, replaced by uniform, modern fonts. David Barnett of Noble Signs has designed the signs for everything from Fini Pizza to Georgian restaurant Cheeseboat, transforming his Atlantic Avenue studio in Brooklyn into the New York Sign Museum and rescuing signs from store closures, Gothamist reports.

Lanternfly honey really exists (yes)

You’ve heard of cicada-infused malört. Now, we’re not happy to report that people are dealing with the invasion of the spotted lanternfly by turning the insects into honey.