Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up

Coming Soon: Piccolo Cafe
221 Columbia Street; (718) 522-5821
"For more than a year, there have been indications that a cafe was opening in a storefront on Columbia Street in Brooklyn, near Sackett Street. A sign in the window said 'Piccolo Cafe Coming Soon.' But when I talked to people who came in or out of the space, they said the sign was kind of a joke: there was no cafe opening in the space. OK. Weird, but OK," writes Lost City. But now, the blog reports, Piccolo Cafe has an awning and a counter and stools inside. The Word on Columbia Street says it's no joke after all: Piccolo Cafe is finally set to open on January 2nd, serving $3 cheeseburgers — a cheap lunch for a frugal new year.

Smith Street: The Best Dining Destination of '08?
In a recent end-of-year survey, Eater asked "friends, industry types, bloggers, and readers" from all over the city, "What was the best dining neighborhood in 2008?" The East Village racked up the most votes, but Kate Krader of Food & Wine and Restaurant Girl Danyelle Freeman both called out Smith Street. And Matt Rodbard of Metromix said, "Carroll Gardens raised the bar with openings JakeWalk, Eton, Char No. 4 and Buttermilk Channel." Char isn't technically in Carroll Gardens, but would you agree the CG/Cobble Hill/Boerum Hill restaurant scene has taken a turn for the better this year?

Margaret Palca Bakes Calls Court Street a "Has-Been"
Court Street at Warren Street, Cobble Hill
"A much-loved, but short-lived, Court Street bakery will close at the end of the month because the ingredients for success just never came together — and its famous rugalach-baking owner is left with a bitter taste in her mouth... 'I had such a wrong impression [about Court Street],' said Palca. 'It’s just such a "has-been" kind of street. I hoped it would be more popular and more busy [than the Columbia Street store], but it just hasn’t been.'" [The Brooklyn Paper]

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the east village got #1 in votes for best dining neighborhood? :-/ were they only polling NYU fratboys and stuytown female ninjas who live 6 to a one bedroom!!?! im not even a foodie in the slightest but that wounds awefully weird.

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at December 30, 2008 11:33 AM

"Margaret Palca Bakes Calls Court Street a "Has-Been"

I take offense to this. And I would hardly call it 'much-loved' as I was much-bored by the place.

MP might have more seriously taken into consideration that Sweet Melissa and Marquet and Court Pastry/near Degraw were already very well-established prior to her opening and within two blocks of her place.

Also, the presentation of the food in her place was not always very attractive. It seemed messy or like a bit of leftovers on a dish. It was often lack-luster and disappointing to me. I used to go in to see if I could pick up something to augment a dinner or to make up a little solo dinner if my other half was busy that night. And there seemed to be precious little in the way of baked goods displayed - which I found kind of antithetical to the mission of a places with 'Bakes' in the name. Especially when you compare her place to Sweet Melissa or Marquet which both have really nice engaging displays. I should say that the staff was very nice the few times that I shopped there. The Rugelach was good, too. I think she really only has herself to blame not Court Street.I worked in retail food for quite awhile when I was younger. MP needed to step-it-up and she missed the mark.

Posted by: cobblehiller at December 30, 2008 11:51 AM

I agree 100% with cobblehiller. The place was a big disappointment -- neither a bakery nor a good take-out. And for take-out there are so many other options -- Tullers (or whatever it is called now) practically across the street...

Posted by: BH76 at December 30, 2008 12:25 PM

I think "Tuller's" now called "Cobblestone", not sure. The odd thing about that is that I think MP had better prices than Cobblestone, but Cs can get it due to better presentation, again, not sure but that's how it seemed to me.

I re-read what I wrote and it seems a tad harsh but it's honest. Everyone has cut back on everything right now, and I'm sure that has effected her.

Posted by: cobblehiller at December 30, 2008 12:37 PM

Hey Rob, how was your Christmas? Maybe East Village got points for all the wierd foodie places New York Mag loves, like Momofuko Noodles & spinoffs, all the new Japanese-inspired dessert places, and a pulled-pork sandwich place that is always closed whenever I am there. Full of name chefs opening little tiny jammed places that serve things that aren't really dinner.

Posted by: mopar at December 30, 2008 1:04 PM

Totally agree. I'm a minor foodie I pick up food on Court Street several times a week, but I never once had the urge to go into this place.

Posted by: NsPx at December 30, 2008 1:46 PM

Yeah, she really should not be trashing Court Street, as Sweet Melissa, Osaka, Tea Lounge, etc. etc. do well there. Also weird is that most of the prepared food remained exactly the same from when the place was an outpost of the "French Deli" on Clinton. The hot food bar and the sandwiches stayed the same and she just added her baked goods. I like some of those recipes, but it's not like she actually re-thought the menu at all or put much effort into the place. Her rugulach are great, though!

Posted by: Carol Gardens at December 30, 2008 7:40 PM

Seconding lots of the above comments, MP Bakes always seemed like a half-hearted effort. Also, that corner space must have (relatively) high rents, as it has cycled through numerous food establishments in the last several years.

Posted by: very bored at work at December 31, 2008 10:04 AM

Smith Street has some fantastic places to dine... but with Manhattan prices. I prefer the central to north section of Park Slope's 5th Ave. No good whiskey bars there, sadly, but plenty of reasonably-priced excellent restaurants.

Posted by: dwarbi at December 31, 2008 10:56 AM

The one time I stopped in, I wasn't impressed. The Court St. bakery I miss is the old College Bakery, which seemed frozen back in a time when layer cakes cost $10 instead of $35+ (as at Sweet Melissa, where I strictly window-shop to get inspired to go home and bake).

Posted by: Brenda from Flatbush at December 31, 2008 11:29 AM

Oh Brenda...your a woman after my heart...I loved/grew up with College Bakery.

"... Also, that corner space must have (relatively) high rents, as it has cycled through numerous food establishments in the last several years. "

I really wonder what Carmine charges, they have owned the building for a long time, so the mortgage - if there even is one - can't be very big. And he doesn't strike me as gouger.

Posted by: cobblehiller at December 31, 2008 12:56 PM

I guess it is easy to hate on Court Street when the real reason = competition.

Posted by: offthegrid at December 31, 2008 2:09 PM

Just wanted to inform you that Piccolo cafe will not open on 1/2/09 as planned. It should be open with in a month, according to Arturo, the owner.

http://wordoncolumbiastreet.blogspot.com

Posted by: Knomad at January 1, 2009 3:42 PM

« Going for the Gold on 9th Street Condos of the Day: 542 St. Mark's Avenue »

December 30, 2008

Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up

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