"I learned that Al Badawi, a Palestinian sit-down restaurant that first opened in Brooklyn Heights and is a sibling to the fast-casual Ayat, is expanding to New Jersey and the Upper East Side. The New Jersey location is a 232-seat space with a 50-plus-seat private dining room at 190 W. Main Street near North Doughty Avenue in Somerville and is expected to open in early fall; an Upper East Side location at 1727 Second Avenue at East 89th Street is expected around the same time. Abdul Elenani, founder of Ayat, is on an expansion tear with his partners, which provides context for these openings." - Eater Staff