Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up

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Calexico Carne Asada Is Open!
22 Union St. nr. Columbia St.; (718) 488-8226
This long-awaited restaurant from the brothers who run the Calexico street carts opened yesterday afternoon — and we just snapped some photos of the interior. The owners say the menu is still evolving, and Calexico Twitter page says, “We will only be open for lunch for the first few days but by next week or so we will be open for dinner!!”

More Openings and Gossip
Reis 100 Sandwich Factory will open tomorrow at 375-B Fifth Ave. in Park Slope next to Bar Reis, says Grub Street, and its menu will include 100 mini-sandwiches priced from $3.50 to $5… BushwickBK reports that Phorum has opened at 50 Starr Street at the corner of Wilson Avenue in Bushwick and is serving pizzas, pastas, salads, and main courses that feature local, organic ingredients… El Matador is now open and serving Spanish-Latin American BYOB at 795 Grand St., nr. Bushwick Ave. in East Williamsburg, says Grub Street… Time Out says that Brooklyn Bowl is opening this week at 61 Wythe Ave. between North 11th and 12th Streets in Williamsburg… And A Brooklyn Life notes, “The storefront that used to be Chicory looks to be opening soon (at least by the peek through the window). Although the appearance of warming trays has us a bit confused as to what kind of food will be served.”

Barrette Will Close This Weekend
601 Vanderbilt Ave (at Bergen St), Prospect Heights; (718) 230-5170
The Feed reports, “Owner Erica Crawford confirms that our favorite Prospect Heights burlesque-bar-cum-cocktail-den Barrette is closing for good this weekend… Bid the place goodbye this Sunday when Barrette will be bleeding out the last of their kegs—drafts are $1 to the bitter end.”

After the jump: A grocery store with a $70 tasting menu, a new Turkish spot for Coney Island, and a burglary in Greenpoint…

$70 Tasting Dinner at a Grocery Store?
Eater reports that César Ramirez, the chef who has left the Manhattan restaurant scene to work behind the scenes at gourmet grocer Brooklyn Fare, is “now serving five course tasting menus out of the kitchen where he spends most of his days making prepared meals. Bonus No. 1: it’s also set up like a cooking demo so diners can interact with the chef. Bonus No. 2: it’s BYOB. Bummer: It’s $70—but they claim to use ingredients like Kobe beef, Hudson Valley Foie-Gras, and the like.” Has anybody checked this out?

Coming Soon: New Turkish Spot for Coney Island
Grub Street reports: “Orhan Yegen, the spitfire behind Sip Sak and the bygone Sea Salt, tells us that in September he hopes to open a Coney Island restaurant named Cizbiz (the sound of sizzling meat in Turkish). If he can nail down the lease, the 110-seat venue will be going up against the behemoths, Tacis Beyti and Sahara (the latter being very close to his planned location).”

Burglary at Papacitos
999 Manhattan Ave., Greenpoint; (718) 349-7292
Gothamist reports: “Papacitos, the wildly popular Greenpoint Mexican restaurant with the best vegetarian tacos in town, was the victim of a brazen robbery Saturday night… The robbers smashed open the cash register and made off with a safe that had $10,000 inside, as well as the restaurant stereo and some employees’ personal belongings… But there’s also good news for Papacitos fans; Utzman tells us he’s doubling the size of the place by expanding into the adjacent storefront.”