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Greenpoint Farmers Market Is Back
The Greenpoint farmers market re-opens Sunday, April 7, in McGolrick Park at the corner of Nassau Avenue and Russell Street. New this season are American Pride Seafood with fish fresh from the Atlantic and Stone & Thistle Farm of East Meredith, N.Y., among others. Stone & Thistle raise and sell pastured cows, goats, sheep and pigs. In late May, they will have chickens. The market is open from 11 am to 4 pm.
Photo by Greenpointers
GMAP
04/05/2013 2:00 PM
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Open and Shut
Midwood
Yesterday Eater announced that the owners of Di Fara were planning on opening an offshoot of their pizza joint just a few doors away from the original location. A small takeout spot will be serving up pasta, heros, salad and more by mid-April. Photo by Aaron Landry.
North Brooklyn
Eater rounds up a lot of Williamsburg food news: Radish is closed on Bedford Avenue, Fatty ‘Cue should reopen after a year of being closed in two to four weeks, a huge new bar and restaurant called Shelter is in the works for North 7th between Wythe and Kent streets, and Kumar’s Classic Artisanal Chutney is setting up shop on the corner of North 3rd and Kent. Gothamist tours the second outpost of East Village ceviche bar Desnuda, now open at 221 South 1st Street. There’s a bar area serving up cocktails and a separate dining area. Bushwick’s Wreck Room was shuttered by the Department of Health due to rodent activity. And in Greenpoint, the No Name Bar at 597 Manhattan Avenue is now serving up Korean food and has expanded with additional seating downstairs.
Elsewhere
In Park Slope, the Manhattan-based wine bar Pierre Loti will open its fourth outpost at the old Canaille Bistro space on 5th between St. Marks and Warren. The bar will also serve cocktails and Mediterranean tapas. Shanghai Spa opened over the weekend at 241 Fifth Avenue at Carroll Street. In Carroll Gardens, Pardon Me For Asking laments the closing of Good Food, an Italian superette at 431 Court Street. It’s been in the neighborhood for 85 years. In Crown Heights, a provisions and cheese shop called Wedge is opening in May right next to Little Zelda on Franklin Avenue. And on Coney Island, Shoot the Freak, evicted by Zamperla in 2010, has been reborn as Shoot the Clown.
04/03/2013 11:30 AM
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Updates on the Mediterranean Restaurant for Gowanus
According to the Facebook page, the huge Mediterranian restuarant planned for Gowanus is really coming along. The two story space, which is called The Bahche, will have a big outdoor courtyard and a full-length glass wall looking down on it. There is no specific opening date yet. The restaurant is located at 191 7th Street, between 3rd and 2nd avenues.
Two-Story Restaurant Planned for Gowanus Warehouse [Brownstoner] GMAP
Photo via Facebook
03/29/2013 2:00 PM
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Open and Shut
Coney Island
Famed pizza joint Totonno’s has reopened on Coney Island after Sandy. Grub Street, rightly so, calls this “great, wonderful, stupendous news.” The Neptune Avenue pizza restaurant was not sure they’d be able to reopen after having trouble with relief loans. We are glad they are back! Photo by roboppy.
North Brooklyn
Eater hears a rumor that Williamsburg BBQ joint BrisketTown may be expanding. Greenpoint party space CoCo666 reopened last Friday after getting shut down by the city. And Cafe Pistachio is open at 114 Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint, serving Turkish snacks and house-made baked goods.
Elsewhere
In Fort Greene, popular neighborhood restaurant Lulu & Po will be adding a 14-seat outdoor cafe this summer. An upscale consignment shop is open and the “street culture” clothing boutique Impeccable Attire is closed, both on 5th Avenue in Park Slope. The Washington Avenue Key Foods on the border of Crown and Prospect Heights is under new management, and is staying relatively clean after failing a number of DOH inspections. In Carroll Gardens, classic French restaurant Pompette Bistro.Bar opened on Court Street at 9th Street. And art space Issue Project Room has reopened in Downtown Brooklyn after a building accident.
03/27/2013 11:30 AM
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Red Hook a Destination for Eating, Exploring
On a nice day, there is nothing more pleasant than poking around Red Hook’s odd corners. A unique mix of seaside village and industrial waterfront, the neighborhood is one we make a point of visiting at least once a year instead of, say, Cape Cod, which is too far away and expensive. New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells likes it too, and recommends checking it out now that almost all of its eating and drinking venues have reopened post-Sandy:
But for variety, charm, oddity and rugged urban beauty, there is nothing in the city like eating and drinking your way across this Brooklyn neighborhood…Instead of destination dining, Red Hook offers an impressive variety of tastes: dizzying lobster bisque, marshmallows you want to hide from your children, crunchy and spicy Korean pancakes, wines and liqueurs that are fascinatingly far from ordinary, and a potato-and-egg sandwich that should be on the curriculum of every Brooklyn public school…Most impressively, Red Hook is a true community in a city where that notion is becoming more abstract all the time…As New York’s dining scene has come to be dominated by empire builders, Red Hook has stitched together a bunch of little ideas that add up to something big, something that’s become hard to find in other places.
He highlights a dozen food and drink places to try, starting with the food vendors at the Red Hook Ball Fields and ending with Defonte’s Sandwich Shop. What are your picks for a day in Red Hook?
Treasures on Every Block of Red Hook [NY Times]
03/27/2013 9:30 AM
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Park Slope Food Co-op: Insane but Cheap
This just in: Members of the Park Slope Food Co-op have to put up with all manner of outrageous and bizarre antics from management and other members but they can score great deals on high-quality food, according to a story in today’s New York Daily News. Unless you’re new to Brooklyn, there isn’t too much here you haven’t heard before. A few choice tidbits: Celebrity members Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard wear giant headphones when shopping. Former member Adrian Grenier switched to the Clinton Hill co-op after being sanctioned for missing a work shift. And, most important of all, a helpful tip on how to shop efficiently: “As long as you’re willing to shop late at night to avoid the lines, you can get some great deals,” said one member.
Park Slope Food Co-op and the Holy Kale [NY Daily News]
Photo by wallyg
03/26/2013 9:30 AM
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Bushwick Community Board Tries Midnight Bar Curfew
Much as it did in Williamsburg before, the explosive growth of bars and nightlife in Bushwick is causing tensions. Community Board 4 has instituted a rule that bars applying for or renewing liquor licenses must shut down alcohol sales at midnight on Sundays, DNAinfo reported. However, it has no power to enforce such a rule, and bar owners say though they might be open all day, most of their sales occur after midnight. The new rule “would affect me significantly since I have a 4 a.m. liquor license,” said Jeff Pan, owner of Skytown cafe and bar on Broadway. ”The majority of our alcohol sales occur after midnight.” At the same time, he said he could understand the board represents ”many residential buildings that don’t want to be living near a bar, especially considering Bushwick’s exponential growth in the bar industry.” Should communities restrict the number of bars allowed in residential areas?
Bushwick Bars Given Midnight Curfew on Sundays by Community Board [DNAinfo]
03/26/2013 9:00 AM
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Le Pain Quotidien Definitely Moving Into Moutarde Space
Confirmation is in, in the form of a Craigslist job post, that Le Pain Quotidien is moving into the old Moutarde space on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Carroll Street. Last week the bakery and lunch chain confirmed they were moving into Park Slope by May but did not disclose exactly where. Here’s Park Slope heard rumors that they were headed for the space last occupied by Moutarde. And the Craigslist post clearly backs up the rumors, stating that the new location will be “239 5th Avenue (at Carroll Street).” The only other Brooklyn location of Le Pain Quotidian is on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights. This corner space seems like a good fit for the cafe, known for its French goodies and communal tables.
Le Pain Quotidien Is Heading to Park Slope! [Craigslist]
Rumor Mill: Is Le Pain Quotidien Coming to Moutarde Space? [Here's Park Slope]
Le Pain Quotidien to Open in Park Slope [Brownstoner]
Photo by Here’s Park Slope
03/21/2013 2:00 PM
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Cafe/Bar Combo Now Open on Washington Avenue
The St. Catherine is now open at 660 Washington Avenue, right on the corner of Bergen Street. It’s a cafe by day and a bar by night. According to this Prospect Heights Patch article, the owners plan to serve pastries, coffee, and sandwiches during the day. They’ll also have WiFi available. At night, they will serve comfort food alongside a full drink menu. The space itself looks very nice; you can check out the owner’s progress over at the Saint Catherine Facebook page. One of the owners here is a co-owner of Fresh Salt, another cafe and bar combination at the South Street Seaport. Did anyone check the place out last night? GMAP
Photo via Facebook
03/20/2013 2:00 PM
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Open and Shut
Park Slope
Fornino‘s Park Slope location is officially closed. The owner will operate a concession stand at Brooklyn Bridge Park this summer, as well as open a location at 849 Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint. (Photo by jmoranmoya.) Here’s Park Slope wonders if Le Pain Quotidien is moving into the old Moutard spot, where paper has been up on the windows since early December. Grub Street checks out the new Franny’s on Flatbush Avenue and the Italian restaurant that’s moving into the old location, called Marco’s. An Indian/Chinese restaurant called Fusion City is moving into 310 9th Street, at 5th Avenue. A bar with a lounge feel will open in six to eight weeks at 223 7th Avenue. Landhaus left its popup shop on Union Avenue; it will be replaced by People’s Pops in April. Landhaus will sell at the Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg this summer.
North Brooklyn
Eater tours OTB, a Williamsburg tavern “with a racetrack theme.” It just opened at 141 Broadway. The fashion boutique Sword-Smith is holding an official opening party this Friday at its shop on South 4th Street. And in Bushwick, Fritzl’s Lunch Box is open and serving soups, salads, fish, pasta, wine and beer.
Elsewhere
Over in Gowanus, a Checkers Burger Chain set up signage at 3rd Avenue between 13th and 14th streets. Brooklyn Flea fave PizzaMoto is seeking donations to open its first brick and mortar restaurant in Red Hook. The Kensington Food Co-Op is set to open by September 2014. It’ll operate as a “buying club,” much like the Flatbush Food Co-Op. The land on which popular Sheepshead Bay diner El Greco sits has been put up for sale, asking $17.5 million. The business is not part of the deal. Finally the fro-yo chain Orange Leaf will open at 345 Adams Street in Downtown Brooklyn. The commercial space in the building is now 100 percent occupied.
03/20/2013 11:30 AM
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Middle Eastern Restaurant Bound for Fulton
A Middle Eastern restaurant named Sahara Ark is coming to Fulton Street between Vanderbilt and Clinton, according to a tipster. It’s going into the vacant storefront at 887 Fulton Street, next to the Country House Diner. Tastecation has the scoop: The owner was a long-time clerk at the Yafa Deli down the street, and the restaurant will specialize in dishes from Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Yemen. They are gut renovating the space now.
Photo below by Tastecation
03/18/2013 2:00 PM
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Le Pain Quotidien to Open in Park Slope
Good news for fans of Le Pain Quotidien: The global bakery and lunch spot plans to open its second Brooklyn location somewhere in Park Slope in the spring, a tipster revealed. The company declined to disclose its new address just yet. The cafe’s other Brooklyn location is on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights, pictured above.
Photo by Vic R. for Yelp
03/13/2013 2:00 PM
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Open and Shut
North Brooklyn
Greenpoint beer hall Tørst is now open and beer lovers should be really excited. There are 21 beers on tap and 200 bottles. A “flux capacitor” on each tap allows bartenders to calibrate nitrogen and carbon dioxide mixes and the compression levels. Grub Street has interior photos, as well as all the details about the selection of beer. (Photo by Melissa Hom via Grub Street.) Fatty Cue aims to reopen in Williamsburg after being out of business for almost a year. Burg record store Sound Fix is closing its doors on April 20th, which is Record Store Day. Umami Burger, a popular burger joint in L.A., aims to open by the end of the year at 156 North 4th Street. And a bar is planned for the 1,300-square-foot Bushwick building at 369 Troutman Street.
Park Slope
A Starbucks is moving into the old Five Guys space on Flatbush Avenue. As Here’s Park Slope notes, “With rents so high that even a national chain like Five Guys couldn’t turn a profit, it’s not surprising that a behemoth like Starbucks ended up taking over the space.” A Mexican taqueria will open in April at Sixth Avenue and Seventh Street, the old Lucky 7 space. Eleven Consignment Boutique, an upscale secondhand store opening at 70 5th Avenue, will be ready for shoppers on March 17.
Elsewhere
An owner of Greek restaurants in Staten Island will take over Bay Ridge staple Hinsch’s. He plans to add some Greek dishes to the menu but mostly keep the diner menu, and interior, the same. Women’s boutique Ruby and Jenna closed its location at 130 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights on Sunday. The Brooklyn Paper checks out new Franklin Avenue/Crown Heights biz Cool Pony, which is a thrift store by day and a music venue by night. Ditmas Park should have a brick oven pizza joint in about three weeks on Marlborough Road, right at Cortelyou. And the nabe will get a crepe cafe sometime in April. After extensive repairs due to Hurricane Sandy, the Bay Station Post Office reopened with limited service in Sheepshead Bay.
03/13/2013 11:30 AM
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Bareburger Is Nearly Open in Cobble Hill
Bareburger looks very close to opening at 145-149 Court Street, on the corner of Pacific, in Cobble Hill. In January, Grub Street reported that the grass-fed mini burger chain would move into the neighborhood. The burger joint is applying for a sidewalk cafe from Community Board Two on March 19; they are requesting 10 tables and 24 seats along both Court and Pacific streets. The only other Bareburger location in Brooklyn is on 7th Avenue in Park Slope and seems pretty popular. Meanwhile, Yemen Cusine remains open in a separate retail space, although the two share the same address. Bareburger replaced a newsstand and clothing store, according to Grub Street.
03/12/2013 2:00 PM
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Lots of Commercial Openings on North Flatbush Avenue
Here’s a comprehensive look at exciting openings happening along North Flatbush Avenue, courtesy of the North Flatbush Avenue BID. It’s already been reported that Franny’s is moving from 295 Flatbush Avenue to a Flatbush location closer to 8th Avenue. They plan to close the original Franny’s in three to four weeks. Eventually the owners will open an Italian eatery in the same space. The much-anticipated Shake Shack planned for Flatbush Avenue will arrive in the fall of 2014. The Red Mango Yogurt space (pictured), with signage up on Flatbush and Prospect, should open in April. The owners of Elbow Room (which is opening on Flatbush between Dean and Bergen) will also open a taqueria on Flatbush Avenue. The working title of the restaurant, which will also have an outdoor cafe, is Cooper Station. A TD Bank will open on the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Bergen Street, and the space at 328 Flatbush Avenue, rumored to be an adult novelty store, is instead becoming a pet and pet supply store. The 4,000 square foot space is currently under construction.
03/08/2013 12:00 PM
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Closing Bell: Dine in Brooklyn Is Coming Next Week
Dine in Brooklyn week starts next Monday, meaning 200 area restaurants will serve guests prix-fixe dinners for $28 and lunches for $20.13. And around 28 establishments will offer up a two-for-one deal. Gothamist highlights a few favorite picks for the week, including Kiwiana and Piramide in Park Slope. (Here’s a list of participating restaurants that are also part of Park Slope’s 5th Avenue BID.) And this year Marty Markowitz has especially emphasized visiting the newly opened restaurants damaged by Hurricane Sandy in Red Hook. The participating restaurants in the neighborhood are Brooklyn Crab and Kevin’s. Check out a full list of establishments right here.
Photo of a dish at Spumoni Gardens by TheGirlsNY
03/07/2013 4:00 PM
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Open and Shut
Red Hook
It was widely reported that last Friday was a big day in Red Hook with the opening of several businesses shuttered by Sandy. Fairway posted a great collection of photos of its grand opening and the new store on its Facebook page. The Village Voice checks out the Red Hook Winery, which also reopened in the neighborhood. And Eater profiles the owners of the Red Hook Lobster Pound, the third business with a triumphant return on Friday.
Park Slope
An artisanal candy shop is coming to 315 4th Avenue and will occupy part of the Two Moon Art House & Cafe space. It should be ready in about a month. A high end consignment store is replacing Get Reel Video on 5th Avenue and St. Marks Place. A restaurant called Mezini is opening soon at 492 5th Avenue after a long period of construction. Rachel’s Tattoo and Hair Salon on 5th Avenue has a for rent sign up in the window. Chagall Bistro opened over the weekend in the old Belleville Bistro space. It’s a different menu but still French kosher. And the small French bistro at 78 5th Avenue, Canaille Bistro, shuttered over the weekend. The rent for the space? Now $4,500 a month. And here’s a roundup of openings and closings along 5th Avenue.
North Brooklyn
Williamsburg institution La Borinquena closed on Marcy Avenue after 40 years in business. A new owner purchased the building and did not renew the family’s lease. The DIY party and music venue XPO 929 closed at the end of February in Bushwick. The biz had just been approved for a liquor licence before the landlord “pulled the plug,” said one of the owners. A French and Vietnamese fusion restaurant is coming to 985 Flushing Avenue in early March.
Elsewhere
Amusing the Zillion goes down Mermaid Avenue to see how Coney Island businesses are fairing after Sandy. Jarro XIV is now open in Cobble Hill, at the old Broken English space. It’s an American restaurant with a seasonal menu. Tapas restaurant La Mujer Gala opened in Prospect Heights at 665 Vanderbilt Avenue. Patagonia is now selling its wares at an in-store boutique, located inside Boerum Hill‘s Something Else clothing store. It’s Brooklyn’s only Patagonia shop. Finally, Colson Patisserie set up shop inside the Bush Terminal Market in Sunset Park. The owner will bake pastries for wholesale operations and also open a cafe for the neighborhood.
03/06/2013 11:30 AM
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Mayo Store Will Become a Sandwich Shop
In a Wall Street Journal article yesterday focusing on Brooklyn’s only artisanal mayo store, there was this note, at the end: “By this time next year… they’ll have converted the storefront to a sandwich shop. And thus will end the saga of the city’s first — and likely last — artisanal mayonnaise store.” The Prospect Heights storefront, located at 564 Vanderbilt Avenue, opened in April of last year. The owners, who called the store “a Portlandia skit,” are currently using the space for mayo production. They’re now looking for a bigger space to expand production, double their output, and supply national retailers. Can’t wait to see how they’ll squeeze a sandwich shop into the 300-square-foot store!
Yes, Artisanal Mayo [Wall Street Jounral]
Mayonnaise Store Now Open in Prospect Heights [Brownstoner]
03/05/2013 2:00 PM
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Open and Shut
Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill
Crain’s reports Brooklyn’s oldest bar, P.J. Hanley’s, has filed for bankruptcy. It’s been in the neighborhood since 1874. The current owner, also the owner of Brooklyn Buschenschank and South Brooklyn Pizza, is seeking to sell the business. Photo by pixonomy. Smith Street’s Persons of Interest expanded its space and added an apothecary. And the home accessories and furniture store called Duman Home is setting up shop at 213 Court Street.
Park Slope
The Elbow Room, now located in the Barclays Center, looks to open a second location on Flatbush Avenue between Dean and Bergen streets. It’ll offer a takeout counter that serves mac and cheese. And next door will be a full-service BBQ restaurant, run by an alum of a popular Austin joint, Franklin BBQ. Popular Italian gelato shop L’Albero Dei Gelati will open in May at the old El Sitio Borinquen space, 341 Fifth Avenue. A bar called Supercollider is under construction at 609 4th Avenue, between 17th and 18th streets. South Slope News predicts it will be open in a month or so. And South Slope cafe Cafe 474 will shutter tomorrow and reopen in Carroll Gardens. Thrift store shop B’nai Tzedukah Thrift and the women’s boutique La Vedette are closing their 5th Avenue locations. La Vedette will be moving elsewhere, although they have not yet announced the new location. Guvnor’s Vintage Store is holding a huge sale before it closes for renovations. Finally the Mexican restaurant on President Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues, El Jalapeno, is closing. The co-owner, also the current owner’s father, passed away, so now they are looking to sell the place.
Elsewhere
Flatbush Avenue fixture Vegetarian Palate is moving to Washington Avenue near Bergen Street in Crown/Prospect Heights. It’ll take four months for the move. Williamsburg‘s Kinfolk Studio, a restaurant/design hybrid on Wythe Avenue, will expand to a 3500-square-foot building at 94 Wythe. A boutique “general store,” live music space, and a bar will join the cocktail bar, restaurant, and bike design office already there. And the Ice Stone Factory, a manufacturing business at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, is ready to open after being badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy.
02/27/2013 11:30 AM
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New Concessions Lined up for Brooklyn Bridge Park
If you aren’t already counting down the days until summer, the news from Brooklyn Bridge Park regarding its upcoming summer concessions will get you ready. This summer, Luke’s Lobster, No. 7 Sub, Ample Hills Creamery and Fornino: The Art & Science of Pizza will open throughout the park. Luke’s Lobster and No. 7 Sub will operate in the Smokestack Building under the Brooklyn Bridge seven days a week. No. 7 Sub will serve sandwiches like Turkey Meatloaf, Zucchini Parm, and Roasted Delicata Squash, as well as juices and breakfast sandwiches. Fornino will be located at Pier Six in the space previously occupied by Bark Hot Dogs. (This isn’t the same owner as the recently shuttered Fornino in Park Slope.) They’ll sell pizza, sandwiches, frozen yogurt, snacks and beverages, as well as serve beer on the rooftop beer garden. Ample Hills Creamery will be at the new concession stand located at Pier Five. They’ll start scooping eight flavors on Memorial Day weekend. These guys will join the previous summer vendors, which include Calexico Carne Asada, Blue Marble Ice Cream, and Brooklyn Bridge Wine Bar. Not to mention that Smorgasburg opens up on April 7th in the Tobacco Warehouse too.
Photo by dumbonyc
02/21/2013 9:30 AM
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mmm
May 16, 2013 | 09:04 AM