Photo by Lost City

Nino’s Out, Francesco’s In
531 Henry Street, Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill
“I will miss their chicken and jalapeno slices, not to mention their creamy vodka pie. The rumor is that Mazzola bought them out. Don’t fret too much though, I hear the new establishment will still serve pizza. I wonder how much business Lucali has taken from other pizza parlors in the ‘hood.” [Bergen Carroll]

Now Open: Jimmy’s Diner
577 Union Avenue (North 10th Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, (718) 218-7174.
“Josh Cohen, who opened Biscuit in Park Slope, Brooklyn, now has this breakfast-through-dinner place with eggs, sandwiches, burgers and some barbecue.” [NY Times]

Now Open: Barrette
601 Vanderbilt Ave, Prospect Heights.
“The actual bar is a slick black sheet of Lucite studded with tiny candles, and the cozy half-moon booths are lined with dimpled red faux leather and overhung with tasseled, lace-draped, speakeasy-style lamps. It’s sexy in a gritty sort of way, like the saggy stripper of yore who smokes too much.” [The L Magazine]

After the jump: Williamsburg’s finest foods, the Scary Bar Project hits Maxmillian Bels, the Times on Five Guys Famous Burgers, and Gridskipper on the borough’s best grilled cheese…

The Best Bites of Williamsburg
In effort to lure back some friends who’ve recently left Williamsburg, Cakehead offers a list of the most delicious dishes the neighborhood has to offer — from DuMac and cheese at Dumont to zucchini and cheese pupusas at Bahia.

Scary Bar Project: Maxmillian Bels
1146 Nostrand Ave. (between Midwood St. & Rutland Rd.), Flatbush (718) 773-9199
“Red streamers drape rafters. Cockroaches skitter across tiled bathrooms. A Rolls-Royce poster contains the slogan ‘poverty sucks.’ Tables topped with fake flowers sit empty, and several elderly gents are glued to cracking bar stools, self-medicating with liquor.” [NY Press]

Review: Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries
138 Montague Street (Henry Street), Brooklyn Heights (718) 797-9380.
“Five Guys asserts that it cooks its burger ($3.59 to $6.19) to a juicy well done. The reality is drier than that, but the ultimate shortcoming of the patties (regular burgers come with two, stacked atop one another; small burgers are single-patty affairs) isn’t their firmness or near-dryness, but that they are not particularly salty or griddle-charred or beefy. Or particularly anything. Just hamburgers.” [NY Times]

Picket Fences: Home of Brooklyn’s Best Grilled Cheese
1310 Cortelyou Rd.
“Hidden among the other treats on Picket Fences’ brunch menu is the most artery-cloggingly delicious grilled cheese sandwich. The buttery sourdough requires extra napkins for greasy fingers, but it’s satisfyingly crunchy, and the cheddar cheese is plentiful but not too oozy.” [Gridskipper]