traderjoes.jpgTrader Joe’s: Opening Next Friday?
130 Court Street (at Atlantic Avenue)
Lost City snapped some photos of the newly installed signage at Trader Joe’s and describes the scene: “Burly men were busy loading in boxes through the front entrance. Progress has been made, but a lot more must be done in the next two weeks if the store is to open at the end of September as promised.” The Brooklyn Paper says they’re set to open next Friday, September 26.

James Scores One Star
605 Carlton Avenue (St. Marks Avenue), Prospect Heights; (718) 942-4255
“[Chef Bryan] Calvert owns and manages it with his wife, Deborah Williamson. They live in the apartment smack above the space it inhabits, which used to belong to Restaurant Sorrel. When Sorrel went out of business they pounced, recognizing an easy commute when they saw one… It’s an example of how quietly sophisticated the food at restaurants fashioned as affordable neighborhood bistros has become. No bigger, brasher restaurant around town served me an heirloom tomato salad this summer that I enjoyed any more than one at James.” [NY Times]

The Village Voice “Bagel Smackdown!”
The Voice‘s Sarah DiGregorio and Robert Sistema sampled bagels from Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan in hopes of finding the best in the city. They weren’t so impressed with Bagel Boy, which has locations in Bay Ridge and Sheepshead Bay, but Park Slope’s Bagel Hole got high marks — and won the prize for Best Pumpernickel Bagel.

After the jump: More Praise for La Superior, a status report on the Brooklyn Heights Gristedes, early reviews of No. 7, Nigerian in East New York, and more…

More Praise for La Superior
295 Berry Street (near S. 2nd Street), Williamsburg; (718) 388-5988
“[The] highlight of the menu is the stellar selection of delectable corn-masa-based snacks that Mexicans call antojitos, often embellished with chopped onions and cilantro, drizzled with crema, and served with one of two superb house salsas—a lively tomatillo and a spicier chile de árbol… The half-moon-shaped ‘street style’ quesadillas are a world apart from the typical gringoized versions; the masa crescents are small but substantial, stuffed with things like stewed chicken or poblano peppers and cheese.” [New York magazine]

Quick Bites
The Brooklyn Paper reports that the Brooklyn Heights Gristedes, which was gutted by a fire in April with reopen in mid-October and “will carry more organic and healthier foods, and have a larger produce section — but prices will stay low.” … The local paper also shares their favorite brunch spots … Fort Greene newbie No. 7 is getting some love on Chowhound … And ‘Hounds are also discussing Nigerian eats in East New YorkTime Out New York says that Heath Ledger’s restaurant, FiveLeaves, will feature “marble tables etched by Brooklyn tattoo artist Scott Campbell” and some Australian eats, like a grass-fed burger served with beets, pineapple and a fried egg.


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