The sun finally came out (and with a vengeance) just as summer's drawing to a close. This recap of August's best stories will help you stretch out the final hot days and take you tastefully into the fall.
• Most multicourse tasting menus are offered in the city's swankiest dining rooms, but those in the know reserve a coveted seat in César Ramirez's demo kitchen at Brooklyn Fare.
• The best meatless meal we've had this year is at the East Village restaurant Kajitsu, where local vegetables take center stage.
• Pizza missionary Roberto Caporuscio is setting a new standard for Neapolitan pie at his outstanding West Village restaurant, Kesté.
• We can't wait for the Breslin restaurant (from The Spotted Pig team) to open in the new Ace Hotel, but for now we're happy drinking in its under-the-radar lobby bar, where classic cocktails have gotten a new life.
• Rick Fields of Rick's Picks tapped into the NYC zeitgeist to create his new Greenmarket favorite, the People's Pickle. Sandwich lovers everywhere rejoice.
