Deals in Long Branch

An Art-Packed Bike Trip to Long Island City | Kasia Mychajlowycz Follow our 50-minute itinerary to skyline views and Noguchi sculptures as you breeze from the UES to Queens. At FIKA, Chocolate is a Work of Art | Amy L. Hayden Take a peek inside the café's Tribeca factory, where Håkan Mårtensson creates chocolate sculptures inspired by toadstools and Star Wars. Cheap Eats Before a Free Concert in Prospect Park | Kasia Mychajlowycz From vegetarian Chinese food to fat, juicy cheeseburgers, the cuisine at these four restaurants is ideal for fueling up before a show. The Donut Pub: A New Fad at an Old New York Institution | Amy L. Hayden A peek inside a donut shop that's been serving ring-shaped pastry 24 hours a day, 7 days a week since the '60s. Tasting Menu: Porsena Chef Sara Jenkins Picks Her Favorite NYC Restaurants | Halley Lawrence She’s been called “one of the few chefs in America who understands Italy and how Italians eat.” So where does she dine when she’s not in the kitchen? The Other Madison Avenue: Five Vintage Finds on the Upper East Side | Kasia Mychajlowycz Tucked in among expensive salons and groceries, these resale and consignment shops offer the best designer-clothing deals in the city. Six Overlooked But Awesome Exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History | Mel Kassel You’ve seen the dinosaurs, but what about the dragons? Or the sapphire that was stolen in a 1960s jewel heist? An Art-Filled Beach Day at PS1's Rockaway! | Kasia Mychajlowycz From photography by Patti Smith to cheap beachside beer, here's what to look out for at PS1's latest offsite exhibit.

For a company that only arrived in Manhattan eight years ago, FIKA is doing a pretty good job of showing the coffee world how it’s done. It’s already the largest privately owned coffee company in New York and the fastest-growing coffee company in New York City history. In 2015, FIKA will open its flagship store in one of downtown’s most coveted locations: on the ground floor of Tower 4 in the new World Trade Center. Overlooking the memorial, the new location is expected to draw more than 55 million visitors a year—a far cry from the one-location company founded in 2006 by Swedish native Lars Åkerlund, whose sole goal was to bring to New York the Swedish concept of “a daily FIKA” (a coffee break, often accompanied by a sweet or savory snack). Åkerlund’s coffee shop—FIKA 58th Street—remains in its original location at 41 W. 58th St., but the company has added eight more locations since 2006. It’s also added two more partners: Åkerlund’s wife, Lena Khoury, whose background includes five years with Hermés, and chocolatier Håkan Mårtensson, a Culinary Olympics Gold Medal winner. Mårtensson joined the FIKA family in 2009; today, you’ll find him behind glass windows that offer a view of the chocolate production process inside FIKA Tribeca & Chocolate Factory (450 Washington St.), where he supervises one full-time staff member and six interns while retaining his well-deserved status as a chocolate artist. Mårtensson, born and raised in Sweden, knew from an early age that he “didn’t want to be sitting behind a computer all day,” and that he “liked to eat.” When it came time to pick a vocational training path, his creativity and facility with his hands led him to a pastry and baking-design course, which he took from ages 15–18. After graduation, he worked with leading Swedish pastry chefs (cue Muppets theme) and developed a love of all things chocolate, particularly chocolate carving and design. That remains his specialty today. At FIKA Tribeca & Chocolate Factory on a Thursday morning, Mårtensson took me on a tour of the various sculptures in progress in the factory. There was the chocolate Yoda that my co-worker had urged me to steal when he discovered I’d be taking the tour (alas, it would have been too obvious); a giant chocolate dinosaur Mårtensson has been working on for weeks; and a dragon that Mårtensson considers his favorite kind of figure to carve. “Whatever you do, no one can ever say it’s wrong,” he says. “I can use my imagination completely.” When asked if he’s bothered that his name isn’t on the door (like other chocolatiers around the city), Mårtensson doesn’t skip a beat. “FIKA is a much stronger word than my name,” he says, referring to the Swedish concept. (Mårtensson, Åkerlund, and Khoury are all Swedish, and all three deeply identify with the idea of “taking a FIKA.”) And when I asked him what he thought of the pastry chefs and dessert shops that have a habit of making a name for themselves by coming up with quirky, trendy products (cough, cough, cronut), he was similarly nonplussed (perhaps a Swedish trait). “I have things people have never tried before, but it’s all part of a consistency of being innovative and creative, not to be different,” he says. “I could do a smoked-salmon truffle and make it taste good, but do I want to be known as the smoked-salmon truffle guy? No.” As for the future, there are big plans for FIKA—even bigger than the flagship store at the World Trade Center. Next month, the company will open FIKA Tower, its largest location yet, at 55th Street and 10th Avenue. The three-story building will house a catering kitchen, a bakery and pastry factory, and an event space. They hope to open 5–10 more stores in Manhattan, then branch out to Brooklyn, New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Seattle. No small dreamer, Mårtensson says the ultimate goal is 50 stores in the US within the next five years, and then to set their sights on the global market. “Chocolate is one of those things that knows no boundaries across the world,” he says. But in the here and now, Mårtensson is simply doing what he does—though in a spectacular fashion that makes it quite obvious that he loves every second of it. Tall and quiet, his usual presentation is anything but showy. But watching him prepare chocolate and then finish truffles by hand in the factory, it’s impossible to miss the almost imperceptible smile on his face. FIKA Tribeca & Chocolate Factory is located at 450 Washington St., New York, NY 10013. They are open Mon–Fri from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sat. from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sun. from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. In addition to a full range of chocolate products, FIKA serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus a full wine list. Visit http://www.fikanyc.com/ for more information. Check Groupon for deals at more New York City coffee shops.

School may be back in full swing, but this week brings plenty of chances to enrich your mind outside of a classroom too. You can take in Pulitzer-winning images at Photoville, learn to make lanterns at the Morningside Lights festival, or have a revelatory theatrical experience at the much-discussed play “This Is Our Youth.” As always, don’t forget to check Groupon for more things to do in New York City. This Is Our Youth Midtown West | Ongoing Kenneth Lonergan’s caustic coming-of-age comedy—about a teen deciding what to do with the $15,000 he’s stolen from his abusive father—has plenty of complex emotional terrain to explore. Luckily the cast is up for the job: Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin, and Tavi Gevinson have all received raves for their performances. (Cort Theatre, 138 W. 48th St.; $89–$96 on GrouponLive; buy tickets here) Morningside Lights Morningside Heights | Saturday, September 20, to Saturday, September 27 This weeklong art event has quite the payoff: participants in its daily workshops will produce more than 100 lanterns, which will then be displayed during a grand procession on the final day. The process is collaborative and takes the entire week, meaning you may start a lantern someone else will finish or pick up where someone else left off. (Morningside Park; free) Photoville Brooklyn | Thursday, September 18, to Sunday, September 28 Repurposed shipping containers serve as the display space for this large-scale photo exhibition, which will show off such works as Jeff Bauman’s acclaimed Boston Marathon photo essay “Beyond the Finish Line.” When you’re not browsing the exhibits or attending the hands-on workshops, you can grab a bite at the Smorgasburg Beer Garden. (Pier 5, Brooklyn Bridge Park; $3 suggested donation) Rock of Ages Midtown West | Ongoing One-time American Idol semifinalist Constantine Maroulis recently returned to the jukebox musical that earned him a Tony nomination in 2009, but he won’t be back long. If you want to catch him in character singing “I Wanna Rock,” “Don’t Stop Believin’,” and other ‘80s hits, you’ll have to do it by October 26. (Helen Hayes Theatre, 240 W. 44th St.; $49–$99 on GrouponLive; buy tickets here) The Haunted Pumpkin Garden Bronx | Saturday, September 20, to Friday, October 31 Kids in costumes populate the daily parade during this family-friendly festival, which features some of the most intricate gourd-based sculpture you’re likely to encounter this fall. Certain weekends promise special events, such as a live-bat animal program and a display of gigantic pumpkins from all over North America. (New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd.; $8–$25; buy tickets here)