A new coffee and sandwich shop is about to wash up near the banks of the Gowanus. The Crooked Tail Café, on Third Avenue and President Street (next to Canal Bar and across the street from G-town’s hotel row), is going to serve breakfast food, paninis, coffee and espresso drinks. The area needs a place like this, one Crooked Tail’s owners told us. It’s tough to even find a decent sandwich around here. They also said that they intend to serve high-quality food and coffee, but not at Starbucks prices. The business is opening in a storefront that used to house the Italian American Grocery, which was in operation for decades and closed a few months ago. Crooked Tail should be up and running by the end of February, and the owners hope to eventually have sidewalk tables and performances in the back room. GMAP