Wednesday Food & Drink Round-Up

Photo by Slice

In the current issue of GQ, Alan Richman calls Brooklyn the home of “the most exciting—and most hidden—dining revolution in New York.” Well, that’s not news to us, but it’s still fun to hear him gush about our local eateries in this feature story, “No Eat Till Brooklyn.” To whet your whistle, here’s one of his favorite bites: “The Good Fork’s Pacific oysters, lightly coated in cornmeal, were cooked just long enough to become warm and creamy, and they came with a salad of beets, fennel, grapefruit segments, tomatoes, and reduced grapefruit juice. When my friends finally arrived, I ordered more. You’re unlikely to have a more memorable fried-oyster plate in your life.”

New in Fort Greene: Little Piggy (Market)
64 Lafayette Ave., at S. Elliot Pl.; 718-797-1011\
“Having coined the term ‘Brooklyn style’ to describe their barbecue at the Smoke Joint, Ben Grossman and Craig Samuel have set out to redefine the general store. What does that mean in Brooklyn terms? Kentucky ham (taking a star turn on a Cuban sandwich, perhaps), Anson Mills grits, and penny candy.” [New York Magazine]

New in Park Slope: Brooklyn Pita
301 7th Ave. between 7th and 8th
“The owners are Russian-Israeli, and very friendly and trying to please. It’s most suited to takeout, but there’s a counter with stools… The lamb shawarma was very good, but a bit dry and chopped finer than I prefer. It was almost finished, so that might have had something to do with it. They have tahini & hot sauces out, but also this wonderful mango sauce that one of the guys pointed out–it tasted like a wet version of Indian mango pickle and went great on the lamb.” [Chowhound]

After the jump: Authentic Japanese ramen in Greenpoint, the best coffee in Clinton Hill, a West Coast brew pub in the Slope, and big trouble at the Red Hook ball fields.

Ichiran Ramen Coming to Greenpoint
1013 Manhattan Ave. at George Apen St.
“What we have here is an image from a Greenpoint storefront… To parse, it’s a folky sign announcing that celebrated Japanese ramen maker Ichiran Ramen has fallen in love with the neighborhood and plans an outpost to open there this fall. Genuine ramen in Greenpoint? Set hype meters to high, because this is gonna be big.” [Eater]

New in Clinton Hill: Bittersweet
DeKalb Avenue between Carlton and Cumberland
“I’ve only stopped in once (the day I left for Poland), but damn, the berry scone I had was great. I also saw Keri Russell walk past me on the street that day, as an aside. A friend tells me the iced Americano is THE best coffee in the ‘hood right now.” [Clinton Hill Blog]

Still Delayed on 4th Ave: Pacific Standard
82 Fourth Avenue between St. Marks and Bergen Streets
We’ve been looking forward to checking out this “cozy, relaxed West Coast microbrew pub” for months, but according to bar owners’ blog, these California kids are just hitting one delay after another. They’re hoping to get their liquor license this week.

Trouble in Foodie Paradise
Last weekend, the Department of Health stopped by the Red Hook ball fields– only to discover that they’re lacking hot and cold running water, a refrigerated trucks for food storage, and a bunch of other things the low-budget vendors can’t afford to buy. The Grub Street guys are concerned: “Like so much else good in Red Hook, the vendors seem to be in their twilight, and there’s nothing anyone not named Michael J. Bloomberg can do about it.”