Your NYC Guide To A Perfect Summer Picnic

Your guide to a perfect summer picnic

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Tasting Table is here to make all your summer picnicking needs a breeze. Below, our 10 favorite spots for picnic provisions, and the perfect park to match.

PARK PICNIC PLAN
Central Park, West Ring or email (telepan2@verizon.net) the impeccably local Telepan by 5 p.m. the day prior to your picnic, and the restaurant will curate a three-course feast to go ($21 per basket). Choose from fried chicken, farro tabbouleh, spicy coleslaw, red velvet cupcakes, a blueberry pie crescent and more.
Central Park, South West If French daintiness is what you seek, head to Daniel Boulud's emporium, Épicerie Boulud. Visit each of the market's counters to load up on Thai-lime gaufrettes (waffle chips), duck-and-fig terrine in a pastry crust, rotisserie chicken Cobb salad and dulce de leche éclairs.
Prospect Park
Bklyn Larder, the Franny's offshoot, is close enough to Prospect Park that you might successfully lug a pint of the shop's famous chocolate sorbetto to the lawn before it melts. If you don't want to chance it, pick up a chicken salad with almonds and spicy raisins, and thick slabs of buttermilk cake.
McCarren Park Stop in to Urban Rustic for a spread of fresh juices, monster Philly cheesteaks with horseradish mayo and, for dessert, chocolate-walnut fudge brownies. If you've forgotten a crucial element of your feast, Urban Rustic's cart–located at the intersection of Union and Driggs–is stocked with bacon bratwurst, fresh lemonade and iced coffee.
Tompkins Square Park Pack a Southern spread of fried chicken, collard greens, and baked mac and cheese from Bobwhite Lunch & Supper Counter. The secret to the sweet-salty crunch of the chicken here is an overnight brine in sweet tea (which you can also grab as a refreshment). For ultimate ease, place an order online.
Flushing Meadows Corona Park Nothing says "picnic" like cumin-spiced lamb burgers and spicy lamb-face salad–all found at Xi'an Famous Foods. Pick up a to-go order of sour-spicy-zesty goodness, and then head to the sprawling meadows of Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Make sure to visit the Unisphere, a massive globe created for the 1964 World's Fair.
Madison Square Park If braving the lines at Shake Shack's mothership isn't in your future, try your luck at Eataly instead. The counters at Mario Batali's Italian wonderland heave with wispy-thin prosciutto, serious breads, all manner of cheeses and dreamy produce. You can even take home a pack of fresh pasta for later.
Brooklyn Bridge Park Hit Sahadi's, a Middle Eastern grocer, for a mezze spread of epic proportions. Take your tub of hummus, cheese pies and twangy sheep's-milk feta to Brooklyn Bridge Park, where the piers are spacious, and the views of Downtown Manhattan are even better.
Washington Square Park If it's at Murray's Cheese, it's sure to be delicious. Fill your cart with abandon and you'll end up with a bounty of charcuterie, cheese, jam, olives, bread and chocolate. Meander to the park and grab a patch of green, or set up shop on one of the benches ringing the arch.
The High Line The High Line may be dotted with excellent vendors, but Chelsea Market still looms large as a picnic-fare supernova. The fodder for a mishmash meal is choice: Try the exquisite vegetarian rolls at Beyond Sushi, meats from Dickson's, and specialty fruit from Manhattan Fruit Exchange.