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Chef Eric McCree's Manhattan restaurant, the Filé Gumbo Bar, transports guest from the Big Apple to the Big Easy with iconic New Orleans flavors and dishes

If you're looking for some new Black-owned restaurants, bars, and cafes to check out, here are some exciting ones that opened over the past year.

What started out as a warehousing and manufacturing neighborhood little known to those who didn't work there, slid downhill for decades before turning into a district populated with artist's lofts by the '70s and '80s. From thence it eventually became the refuge of the wealthy, who took floor-through former studios and factories and turned them into luxury pieds-a-terre by the '90s.

Start with any series of ingredients along with some form of bread, and it can be assembled into a sandwich, or lots of different sandwiches depending on the length of that list. Some sandwiches, like the spicy chopped cheese below, are subtle variations on pre-existing sandwiches, while other seem plucked form thin air and constitute pure invention. Sometimes a single ingredient can revolutionize a familiar sandwich.

Longer days and warmer weather in New York City bring both a pep in our step and eagerness to get out there and enjoy the city. And as we await the unofficial start of summer with Memorial Day Weekend, the months of May and June are already looking top notch with no shortage of events, music festivals, immersive experiences, and of course, food and drink options galore.

Chef Eric McCree brings a taste of the South to Tribeca, taking diners on a culinary journey, where they can experience the subtleties of Cajun and Creole food, with gumbo as the signature dish. At Filé, he has harnessed a unique style of serving this beloved Southern dish, with eight steam kettles at the bar, where guests can have their gumbo made to order while watching the process. Filé is McCree's homage to the South, and above all, a tribute to his late grandfather, Aubrey 'Tiny' Gaines

If you're looking for some new Black-owned restaurants, bars, and cafes to check out, here are some exciting ones that opened over the past year.