Wednesday Food & Drink Round-Up

Coming Soon: Barrio
7th Avenue at 3rd Street, Park Slope
An OTBKB reader snapped this photo of the new Mexican restaurant’s colorful interiror, and according to Gowanus Lounge, it should be opening “around April 16.”

Now Open: Eurotrip
667 Fifth Ave between 19th and 20th Streets; (718) 285-9425
“This Central European spot from Czech owners Otto and Maria Zizak is a far cry from the youth hostels its name evokes. The pair promises a refined menu that includes duck Wien (duck confit with buckwheat stuffing and riesling sauce) and mussels steamed in tocai. Thanks to a strong selection of Czech spirits and beers, you don’t need to hit Williamsburg’s Radegast for your becherovka fix.” [Time Out NY]

Celebrity Spotting at Lucali
575 Henry Street, Carroll Gardens; (718) 858-4086
“These days, it’s not unusual to encounter a wait of well over an hour for one of the ten tables [at Lucali]. So it was hardly surprising, last week, when a Presidential-calibre motorcade pulled up out front. Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z emerged, and were quickly ushered to a table near the chef. Their bodyguard, a man roughly the size of the three-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar Maybach sedan idling at the curb, settled into a chair on the sidewalk, where he enjoyed rounds of gratis espresso and pizza delivered by a giddy waitress.” [The New Yorker]

After the jump: Expanded hours at Franny’s, top “artisanal” cocktails, and Brooklyn’s own rent-able commercial kitchen…

Franny’s Expands Hours
295 Flatbush Avenue, Prospect Heights; (718) 230-0221
“Franny’s will be open Monday nights, beginning May 5th!! Our new hours will be as follows: Monday-Thursdays 5:30pm-11:00pm, Fridays 5:30pm-11:30pm, Saturdays Noon-11:30pm Sundays Noon-10:00pm.” [EaterWire]

Fancy Shmancy Cocktails
The New York Sun shares their drinks of choice at a few of Brooklyn’s new cocktail dens—the Negroni at the Hideout in Fort Green, the stiff amaretto-cognac-lemon juice signature cocktail at Weather Up in Prospect Heights, and the pre-Prohibition-era Star (an apple brandy, sweet vermouth and Angostura bitters concoction) at Jake Walk in Carroll Gardens.

Need to Rent a Commercial Kitchen?
Kitchen For Hire is located at 766 Washington Avenue
“Maddox was toying with launching a cookie line after retiring from her 36-year hospital care job, but was overwhelmed by the vanilla smell in her apartment. When she couldn’t find a kitchen to rent, she started a rent-a-kitchen that has become a small-business incubator for everyone from a fudge maker to a twosome baking gourmet dog food… Maddox and [partner] Reid spent $60,000 of their own savings to open their business, which is also open to families who want to cook for events such as weddings or family reunions, along with fledgling entrepreneurs.” [NY Times]