The 234 Apartment

By Jean Cherni, Special to the Register Published 4:08 pm, Friday, August 18, 2017 This has been, and continues to be, one of the most pleasant summers in my memory. Because I am now living in an apartment building without the previously accustomed instant access to the outdoors via a porch or patio, I make a special effort on weekends to spend as much time as possible outside in the fresh air. Since I am no longer able to take long walks, ride a bike or spend hours at the beach, I have searched out and enjoy restaurants offering dinning that is “ en plein air ” as the French would call it. We are fortunate to have quite a few local places that offer outdoor dining during the summer months, and I would encourage you to enjoy some of them before this fast-moving month is over. • BRANFORD: One of the oldest and best-known outdoor venues is Lenny’s. Clam chowder and franks with an outdoor deck; reasonable but noisy and crowded. A more-extensive menu with well-priced specials for senio...

The best restaurant cookbooks are like time capsules, preserving a moment, a feeling. That’s what this year’s stack of restaurant- focused books achieves — with variable levels of success. Don’t miss chef Wylie Dufresne ’s look back at wd~50 or the new two-volume set from NYC’s highly lauded experiential dining room Eleven Madison Park . Casual restaurants, from the Publican in Chicago to Juhu Beach Club in Oakland, also got the book treatment this year. Each collection stands alone as a testament to the hard work of a team pushing for one pristine goal. Cheers to the Publican: Recipes and Ramblings from an American Beer Hall Paul Kahan, Cosmo Goss, Rachel Holtzman Lorena Jones Books, September 19 Starting with the first time I ate at there, shortly after its opening in 2008, the Publican has been my favorite restaurant. It was an instantaneous love — the room, the food, a swirling feeling of commensality and broad-shouldered abundance. So for me, the promise of this book, Cheers t...