Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up

Now Open: Vinnie’s of Greenpoint
Bedford Avenue’s Vinnie’s (pictured above) has opened a second location at 253 Nassau Avenue, near Kingsland. Greenpointers writes: “You’ll find all the unique and familiar toppings you order at their original spot: bbq chicken, mac n cheese, vegan meat galore, black beans, olives and artichokes, the list goes on… I am relieved the restaurant scene on this side of the point is improving and it’s only a matter of time before we start seeing all types of organic, locally produced hipster friendly bistro joints on Nassau.”

Coming Soon: Mile End, Pies ‘N’ Thighs, More Waterfront Dining
In case you missed it, we took a sneak peak inside Mile End yesterday. The Montreal-style deli is scheduled to open next Monday at 97 Hoyt Street… Eater notes that Pies ‘N’ Thighs on South 4th and Driggs passed its first Dept. of Health inspection and now has chairs inside… Plus, the NY Post says, “The city’s Parks Department is seeking a restaurateur to operate an eatery overlooking the New York Harbor on Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6… While details of the restaurant specifications are not available yet, it would probably be similar to the River Cafe, 1 Water Street at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO.”

Now Closed: Socrates
Greenpointers shares a eulogy for Socrates, which recently closed its doors at 651 Manhattan Avenue: “Socrates might have been too good of a secret. You would’ve never known passing by that behind its unassuming dining room was the most amazing deck looking out over the garden’s of Greenpoint. On warm weekend mornings, I would laugh at brunch lines and head straight to Socrates for an ice coffee, a breakfast sandwich and peacefully enjoy the views of the Brooklyn backyard.”

After the jump: Visit LeNell at her boozy Mexican B&B, Anella gets a new chef, a landlord-tenant brawl in Boerum Hill, wifi at Arby’s, and alleged mobsters at the new Lucali…

LeNell’s Boozy B&B
Red Hook ain’t quite the same without LeNell’s liquor store, but fans of the shop will be pleased to know that LeNell Smothers is livin’ the dream in La Paz, Mexico, where she’s opened Casa Cóctel. Off The Presses says: “The house is five blocks from the beach in Baja California Sur, and can accommodate six guests (with one bedroom done up in ‘brothel red’). Just so one of the prime focuses of the retreat isn’t mistaken, the arched gateway proudly states ‘Bartenders live here’ and the garbage can out front is shaped like a cocktail glass (designed by a local iron shop).”

New Chef at Anella
According to a press release, Anella — located at 222 Franklin Street, the old Queen’s Hideaway space — will have a new chef on board next month. 27-year-old Joseph Ogrodnek cut his teeth at Union Square Café, Alain Ducasse at the Essex House, Gramercy Tavern and Jean Georges at the Mark, and the new menu promises his “unique take on seasonal, contemporary American cuisine with Mediterranean accents.”

Quick Bites
Eater reports that restaurant and coffee shop Victory Cafe in Boerum Hill “has been operating month-to-month, without the protection of a lease for the last three years. The situation was fine for the restaurant, that is, of course, until the owners learned that the landlord was (shocker!) shopping around for a new tenant. Now, they say, it’s war.” … Grub Street notes that the Fulton Mall Arby’s will be equipped with free wifi… ” Colombo crime-family slacker Dominick ‘Black Dom’ Dionisio — who was accused by his probation officer of socializing instead of working at his Brooklyn pizza-parlor job… has requested that he be allowed to help his current employer, Lucali’s Pizza in Carroll Gardens, open a new eatery,” says the NY Post. The new restaurant, of course, is the slow-going Giuseppina’s in Greenwood Heights.