Rihanna steps out for dinner at celeb-friendly Emilio’s Ballato in NYC

She has been nearly inseparable from her beau A$AP Rocky since seemingly going public with their romance in recent months.

But Rihanna leaned on her independent side on Tuesday evening as she grabbed dinner without the 32-year-old rapper in New York City.

The Barbadian beauty, 32, chose to dine at celeb-friendly Emilio’s Ballato, where actress Katie Holmes’ boyfriend Emilio Ballato Jr. happens to be head chef.

Despite the city’s chilly temperatures, Rihanna still managed to turn heads as she approached the Italian eatery in a striking ensemble.

She left her chartreuse blouse almost entirely unbuttoned in order to expose her ample cleavage and stylish mesh pushup bra. 

The Only Girl hitmaker’s silky button-up top matched perfectly with the stylish snakeskin windbreaker she donned over it.

To add an extra layer of warmth, the star threw on a stunning fur coat that stopped just above her ankles.

Rihanna, born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, completed her fashion forward fit by slipping her curvaceous legs into some distressed denim jeans and her feet into a pair of whit stiletto heels.

She kept her raven toned mullet concealed beneath a black baseball cap and she had a slew of jade toned jewels in her ears.

Rihanna also had a slew of chains around her neck and she carried her cellphone in her hand as she walked. 

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Disturbia songstress made sure to don a face mask for the duration of her dinnertime outing.

Just prior to grabbing dinner at Emilio’s Ballato, Rihanna took to Instagram to share photos from a trip to Memphis, Tennessee that she took over the summer.

Specifically, she ventured to Memphis to pay a historical visit to the Lorraine Hotel, where Martin Luther King Jr. was fatally shot on April 4, 1968. 

James Earl Ray was convicted of assassinating the acclaimed Civil Rights leader who was just 39 at the time of his death.

‘finally found em’…. got cabin fever last summer and took a road trip to Memphis. MAN… I can’t describe the feeling that came over me, you gotta go to experience it for yourself!’ captioned Rihanna, followed by the hashtag #MLK. 

In the throwback photos, Rihanna can be seen posing outside of the historical landmark, as well as reading the plaque outside of it. 

Rihanna’s post was an homage to the recent Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, which occurs on the third Monday of January each year.

The singer has found herself in the press in recent weeks due to her blossoming romance with longtime pal and fellow musician A$AP Rocky, as well as her cover story for the February issue of Essence magazine.

For the cover, the Grammy Award-winner was seen in a massive black headpiece with a matching bra and mini skirt as she walked on a bridge.

Rihanna worked on the shoot with conceptual photographer Lorna Simpson who is known for her collages.  

Rihanna called Lorna ‘a legend’ and told Essence she initially hesitated to ask to work with her as ‘honestly, I just didn’t think I could get her.’ 

Huge crystal cubes that almost look like ice are set on the headdress, which complements her dazzling diamond Necklace by Michelle Ong from Siegelson. 

Rihanna’s stylist and right-hand man Jahleel Weaver also worked with her on the cover shoot where she could be seen modeling her own Fenty makeup.

The S&M singer, who along with Jahleel came up with the idea of going to Lorna, explained: ‘But I like reaching for the stars and I like challenging myself.’

Lorna was just as effusive about her colleague, gushing that working ‘with Rihanna and Essence magazine is quite incredible.’

She shared: ‘As an artist, I’m able to deliver these unusual images of someone who is so well-known and so recognizable….It’s an amazing opportunity.’ 

As for her love life, Rihanna was seen putting on a loved-up display with Rocky as they holidayed in her native Barbados just before New Year’s.

‘They’ve been inseparable the past few weeks. It’s a new relationship, but they both seem very into it,’ said a People source early in December.

Meanwhile an Us Weekly insider dished that ‘A$AP has been very into Rihanna for years,’ claiming that romantically he ‘was always the instigator’ but that she ‘would brush off his advances and kept him in the friend zone’ in days past.