Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up

Cocktails Al Fresco in Carroll Gardens
A Brooklyn Life posted this photo of the newly opened backyard patio at Brooklyn Social (335 Smith Street, near Carroll Street). The blog shares an email from the bar which explains that the neighborhood was recently rezoned, and “one of the effects was a commercial overlay on all of Smith Street. So we are now allowed to open [the back patio] every evening till 11 pm, midnight on Friday & Saturday.

Branded Cattle Saloon Coming to Vanderbilt
Last week, the owner of Prospect Heights tapas bar Beast got a liquor license approved for 603 Vanderbilt Avenue, the space across the street. Fork in the Road reports that when she applied for the license back in 2007, she envisioned “a country-and-western bar serving up brown liquors, craft beers, and fried Dixieland treats. A recent walk by the storefront revealed that construction is underway.”

Craft Beers and Burgers for Bed-Stuy
Grub Street catches a glimpse of the rustic elegance of Black Swan (1048 Bedford Avenue, near Lafayette Avenue), Bed-Stuy’s new gastropub: “The menu, created by former Brown Betty Café chef Cynthia Walker, includes burgers, steak, fried oysters, chicken wings, and charcuterie. Starting this Saturday, there’ll be brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (dishes range from $8 to $17). There are sixteen beers on tap, a handful of bottles, one cask-conditioned beer, and local and organic spirits.”

After the jump: Roberta’s bread bakery and banquet hall, Sam Mason’s new bar, Williamsburg wine deals and taco tours, and Prime Meats‘ new space…

A Bakery and Banquet Hall from Roberta’s
According to Brooklyn Based, Roberta’s baker has been peddling his “chewy levain-style loaves” for the Bushwick farmer’s market and at The Brooklyn Kitchen, and in a few weeks they’ll be completing a “shipping container bread oven” which will be able to produce 1,000 loaves per night. One of the owners also mentions that they’re planning to open “a banquet hall next door for up to 200” — sounds like a haven for hipster-foodie wedding receptions…

New Beer, Whiskey, and Billiards Joint for the Burg
Sam Mason, the Brooklyn chef who premiered the second season of his IFC show Dinner with the Band this week, has a hand in a new bar, says Grub Street: “He’s an investor in an as-yet-unnamed place on the corner of Grand and Leonard Streets in Williamsburg that’s aiming for a May 1 opening. Those looking for a drinking experience similar to that of his former restaurant, Tailor, will be out of luck: ‘There’s no food,’ Mason says. ‘Just whiskey, beer, and a pool table.'”

Quick Bites
“Williamsburg’s new subterranean cocktail lounge-cum-wine bar over on 44 Berry, The Counting Room, pulls a Bar Henry and offers all of the wines on their 60-bottle list (save the bubbly) by the half bottle,” Eater says… The Brooklyn Paper leads you through a Williamsburg taco crawl… And Eater says that Prime Meats is getting bigger: “Below ground, a new basement will connect all of the restaurant spaces, while a new dining room with a double high ceiling and vaulted skylights will be built over top to house more diners. It should be complete by this summer.”