Welcome back. 

We trust you had a fine long weekend, full of beer and burgers and other quintessential American-ness.

So keeping in that same vein, here's Harwood on Hudson: a gorgeous new American restaurant to use for al fresco summer dating, among other times, now open in the West Village. On Hudson, yes. Good to see you paying attention.

From the marble bar to the European sconces to the charming patterned wallpaper, this is the sort of place to come with a first date, claim a two-top outside and start with a couple of Aperol spritzes on a balmy June evening. We can picture it now. The charm. The spritzes. The platters of Peconic Bay oysters, arriving on the half-shell. 

The chef here hails from Shelter Island's Vine Street Cafe and East Hampton's Cove Hollow Tavern, so you can trust he's perfected things like Atlantic halibut with seafood nage and crispy calamari salad over watercress and frisée. Should you want to transition out of seafood, there's a crispy duck confit with grapefruit chutney or a killer lamb burger or any number of things you'll find in this slideshow, alongside some views of the space and a promising back garden.