Food bites: July 4 at West 14th and new dishes at Max's

Celebrate the Fourth of July at West 14th and try some of the new dishes on the menu at the Filipino restaurant Max's.

July 4 at West 14th

West 14th, the New York-style steak house at Oceania Beach Club, Palm Jumeirah, is holding an "All American Day" on July 4. From 6pm, the chefs will be serving a range of classic American dishes and later on, the house band Donovan and Vilma will team up with the soul singer Kevin Basset to sing some American blues from artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Frank Sinatra. For reservations or more information, call 04 447 7601.

Pompeii special offers

Pompeii, the Italian restaurant in Jumeirah Lake Towers, is running a Friday food promotion which sees it serving platters of food – homemade lasagne and wood-fired pizza, among other items – for Dh65 per person (Dh35 for children under 12). During the week from 11am-3pm, it also offers a 45 in 45 business lunch. Select two dishes from the special menu and Pompeii promises that you'll be paying your Dh45 bill within 45 minutes. For reservations, call 04 453 9390.

New dishes at Max's

Walk past Max's restaurant in Karama, Dubai (next to Spinneys) in the early evening and it teems with people. It serves Filipino fast food and is known for its fried chicken, but a couple of dishes have been added to the menu recently. New additions include beef caldereta (beef cooked in a tomato and vegetable sauce), sweet and spicy chicken and an interesting-sounding gambas con aligue (prawns cooked in garlic, olive oil and crab fat, topped with red chilli).

Holiday Inn ice cream

If you need an ice cream fix, head to the Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi. The hotel is offering a range of different sundaes in all its restaurants, including the classic banana split, a "copa salsa" creation (banana, coconut and vanilla ice cream served with a chocolate fudge brownie, chocolate sauce, whipped cream and coconut chips) and a lighter-sounding "berry nice" concoction made from mixed berry and lemon cheesecake ice cream. Prices start at Dh20. Head to Lemon Tree, Silk Route Cafe, Thirty 1st Bar and Lounge and Hubbly Bubbly.

Irish fare at Raffles

For the first two weeks of July, the food at Fire & Ice at Raffles hotel Dubai is taking on a distinctly Irish slant. You'll find oysters from the west coast of Ireland, traditional steak pie and grass-fed Irish beef from the royal warrant holder Donald Russell on the menu. For reservations, call 04 324 8888 or email [e-mail].