Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up

Kicking It Old School at the Red Rose
315 Smith Street, Carroll Gardens; (718) 625-0963
Who Goes There?, our favorite Eater feature, takes Lost City’s Brooks of Sheffield to the Red Rose on Smith Street, where he shares a glimpse of the friends-and-family clientele: “Men with ponderous guts perch at the bar and watch the tube, keeping up a running conversation with Santo and showing no sign of leaving anytime soon. Friends—in running suits; in t-shirts; in suit and tie—mill about casually, standing, then sitting, then getting up again, ordering drinks (‘Here’s to bow-legged women’) and plates, asking who exactly among the staff mixed their cocktail.” Anyone else feeling hungry for a rice ball?

Lobstah Feast Fridays!
34 Van Dyke Street (Dwight Street), Red Hook; (718) 246-8050
Red Hook Lobster Pound has been running this sweet $25 deal at Rocky Sullivan’s since late-August, and “Now they’re steaming lobsters out in Rocky’s courtyard, fat, hard-shelled fellows deep with the flavor that only fall ocean brings,” writes Sam Sifton for the New York Times, “Served with corn, coleslaw or greens from another neighborhood outfit, Added Value farm… (and Key lime pie from the neighborhood tough-guy Steve Tarpin of Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pies on Pier 41 for dessert), it’s money well spent for a kind of neighborhood feeling that generally doesn’t take in New York City.” Lobstah Feast Fridays are first-come first served, but parties of 6 or more are can email redhooklobster@gmail.com for a reservation.

This Week’s Bar and Restaurant Openings
As we reported last week, The Pulp and The Bean is now open at 805 Franklin, and the NY Daily News says that this family-owned, family-run shop sources “everything from coffee and pastries to cups and stirrers” from Brooklyn businesses… We already mentioned that the Black Horse Pub opened last week, and now Time Out New York shares a few more details about what they’re serving up: “Sixteen taps, dispensing international brews like Radeberger and Monty Python’s Holy Grail Ale, plus a menu of pub grub, including a traditional Sunday-night roast.” …And Chowhound Bookistan comments on Park Slope’s new Mexican joint, El Jalepeno (641 President Street, between 4th Ave & 5th Ave), “This is in the old Delicious on the Slope space – an odd space not made better by the new owner’s kitschy Mexican decorations. But the food is surprisingly good! …The owner is incredibly friendly, and gave us a plate of flan gratis to top off the meal.”

After the jump: An early review of The Vanderbilt, must-eat spherical pancakes in Cobble Hill, the Wild Game Festival in Brooklyn Heights, and big news for Brooklyn Brewery…

Early Word on The Vanderbilt
570 Vanderbilt Avenue, Prospect Heights; (718) 623-0570
AlwaysEating visited this new spot on opening night and is already a fan of the place: “The Vanderbilt’s menu is all about sharing… My favorite dish was the rilletes ($12). Arriving in a jar, the portion is rather large and is accompanied by a deep purple fig jam and more toast. After scooping off the fat, we found ourselves eating the duck straight from the jar, it was just that good.” We’re interested in hearing more about the cocktails, like the King Edward (rye, Cherry Heering, vanilla, and a subtle spritz of smoky Islay scotch, $9), and the desserts, like the ice cream sundae made with “coffee cardamom, halvah & pistachio ice cream, apricot sauce, and aniseed cream” (also $9). Has anyone else been to the Vanderbilt yet?

Quick Bites
New York magazine recommends the “spherical Danish pancakes,” which are called Wilkinsons at the new Cobble Hill spot, Henry Public: “the hollow-centered treat… is served warm with a rum-caramel dipping sauce for dessert and jam for brunch, and is a fine, airy alternative to the more prevalent doughnut hole or beignet.” …The Wild Game Festival is on at Henry’s End. Chowhound Fleur raves, “Roasted Pear Salad and Wild Game Pate were delicious. The Turtle Soup was divine… Quail stuffed with Smoked Bacon with Pumpkin Risotto was so delicious, I could go right back for more. Wild Boar Stew with Polenta, excellent.” … And the New York Post reports on some good news for local brews: “The state government last week awarded $800,000 to the Brooklyn Brewery to jump-start their $6.5 million expansion in Williamsburg. The company… is converting 13,500 square feet of vacant distribution space into a beer fermentation facility, and increasing brewing capacity from 8,000 to 50,000 barrels per year.”