NEW LUNCH SPOT Tisserie (857 Broadway at 17th Street, 212-463-0850),a cafe and bakery owned by two Venezuelan brothers and designed by David Rockwell, is open and serving a massive array of pastries, breads, and cakes. It also has a large lunchtime menu, including sandwiches, soups, pizzas, and quiches. Its breakfast and brunch menus are pretty extensive, too. Tisserie also offers eight different granitas.

BREAKING BREAKFAST Arium (31 Little West 12th Street, between Washington Street and 9th Avenue, 212-463-8630),a cafe, exhibition space, and concert venue, expanded its hours today to serve breakfast Wednesday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon, and brunch on weekends from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. New items include a Dutch pancake with apples and maple syrup, a goat cheese and spinach crepe, cheese blintzes with blueberry compote and sour cream, smoked turkey and manchego on rye bread with blood orange relish, chipotle mayonnaise and polenta fries, and a Sante Fe frittata with black beans, heirloom tomatoes, chiles, and cornbread.

TUSCAN BEEF Starting next Tuesday, and for three days only, you can sample chef Cesare Casella’s very own beef at Maremma (228 W. 10th St., between Hudson and Bleecker streets, 212-645-0200). Mr. Casella is a native of Tuscany, and so are Chianina cattle, which are being raised for the chef at Thanksgiving Farm in the Catskills. From July 11 to July 13, he will be serving them up as carpaccio di Chianina, pasta del macellaio, and bistecca alla fiorentina.

NEW LUNCH Parea (36 East 20th St., 212-777-8448) starts serving lunch tomorrow. Light mezze on offer for $7 include roasted eggplant with grilled bread, garlic, and olive oil, and sausage kalamaki with orange peel, lemon yogurt, and chiles. A lamb burger with feta, arugula, and a side of fries also is on the menu. So are a number of dinner items.

BURGERS & BEER In celebration of Independence Day, and lasting until July 9, Riingo (205 E. 45th St., between Second and Third avenues, 212-867-4200) is offering a burger-and-beer special. Chef Johan Svensson’s 8-ounce burger with cheddar cheese and applewood smoked bacon, served with french fries tossed in herbs and garlic, with a pint of Kirin beer, is $20 in the restaurant’s lounge and outdoor cafe. The special is available during lunch and dinner.

CHOCOLATE & COCKTAILS Chocolat Michel Cluizel (888 Broadway at 19th Street, 212-477-7335), the eponymous New York shop of the Parisian chocolatier, is serving ice cream.

Among the flavors are gianduja, or chocolate with hazelnut, and triple dark chocolate; both are enrobed in shells of 72% dark chocolate. Mr. Cluizel is also making use of the fact that his is the only chocolate shop in New York City with a full liquor license and has dreamed up some cocktails. His CocoMojito is made with rum, mint, and dark cocoa. The Mescal Midnight has unsweetened cocoa, mescal, and chile.

Mr. Thorn is food editor of Nation’s Restaurant News. He can be reached at bthorn@nrn.com.