Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up

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4 New Restaurants
Pardon Me For Asking contributor Manny Simone hit the new vegetarian-friendly Carroll Gardens spot, Olga’s on Smith, on opening night and shares the highlights: “The Asian cucumber salad with mint was refreshing (and I don’t even like cucumbers), and the cous cous with garbanzo beans and tomatoes were delicious (my personal favorite).” …Reader Ashok B tips us off about Grandma Rose’s, an Italian-American spot that’s opening at 457 Graham Avenue, near the BQE… Shop Downtown Brooklyn notes: “Sea Asian, has moved to 125 Livingston Street (between Boerum Place and Smith Street) in Downtown Brooklyn from its former location at 78 Clark Street in Brooklyn Heights,” and they’re offering a 20%-off grand opening deal… “Former Momofuku partner Joaquin Baca hopes to make it on his own starting this month with the opening of Brooklyn Star in Williamsburg,” says Grub Street‘s Alexandra Vallis, who is particularly excited about trying Baca’s Dr. Pepper Ribs.

Get Sloshed with the PS 58 PTA
It ain’t as crazy as the upcoming Gene Ween show at PS 29 in Cobble Hill, but the PS 58 PTA in Carroll Gardens is hosting A Taste of May, a wine bar crawl, this coming Tuesday, May 19. Advance tickets cost $50 and will buy you a glass of wine and a small plate at 3 of our favorite neighborhood spots — Jake Walk, Chestnut, and Black Mountain Wine House. If this link doesn’t work, you can pick up your ticket at one of the venues.

Food Trucks Park at The Yard
388400 Carroll St., nr. Bond St., Gowanus
Grub Street reports that BKLYN Yard (the Gowanus venue formerly known as, simply, The Yard) is getting ready to reopen on May 23: “This year, it launches with an event called Parked, which will bring food trucks such as Pizza Moto, the Community Juice Truck, Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream, and more. As for the rest of the season, Red Hook vendor Margarita will be back with her huaraches (get there early, before they’re devoured).”

After the jump: Brooklyn’s take on California cuisine, why you should avoid Lucali’s this week, and a gas station where you can fill up on gefilte fish…

Get Fresh: Brooklyn’s Own Chez Panisse?
370 Fifth Avenue (Fifth Street), Park Slope; (718) 360-8469
This Park Slope restaurant may compare itself to the French Laundry, but Betsy Andrews for the New York Times says, “Its best dishes — a rustic but complex salad of greens, herbs and citrus ($7), creamy lentil dal ($8), radishes with Mr. Simmons’s own butter ($5), Mr. Avila’s tacos de cabeza ($8) — are more Alice Waters than Mr. Keller.”

Lucali‘s Temporary Closing
575 Henry Street, Carroll Gardens; (718) 858-4086
Grub Street reports: “Lucali’s outgoing message says it’s on vacation until May 17. It’ll reopen on May 18, when Alan Richman will unveil (to an audience of invited food media) a GQ article on the best pizzerias in America. It’s safe to say Lucali’s made the list.”

Gefilte Fish and Gas in Borough Park
“A gas station in one of Brooklyn’s Orthodox Jewish communities is offering up more than just candy and soda — it’s also peddling hearty stews, bagels with lox, challah and homemade gefilte fish for commuters hankering for an old-country nosh,” says the New York Post. The station, Rio, is on 14th Avenue and 38th Street in Borough Park, convenient to the BQE.