Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
A Solid Review for Prime Meats & Carroll Gardens New York Times restaurant critic Sam Sifton gives Prime Meats two stars and also offers a description of its neighborhood scene through the eyes of an outsider: “You can see these people standing on Court Street nightly, staring through the plate-glass windows at a dining room…
A Solid Review for Prime Meats & Carroll Gardens
New York Times restaurant critic Sam Sifton gives Prime Meats two stars and also offers a description of its neighborhood scene through the eyes of an outsider: “You can see these people standing on Court Street nightly, staring through the plate-glass windows at a dining room packed with brownstone bohemians, third novelists, people with Web sites, with good art at home. They look slightly pained, these visitors from afar wondering about the life choices they made that put them in Chelsea or Park Slope or Montclair, and not down here in Carroll Gardens, this little Italian village off New York Harbor where life is obviously perfect.” (Photo by urbanblitz)
New Brooklyn Openings
The Aviator Sports and Events Center at Floyd Bennett Field is getting a new food vendor, says Grub Street: “The Brooklyn Smoke House, as the set of outdoor tents outside of Hangar 5 will be dubbed, will start by serving pulled pork, Texas-style brisket, Memphis-style ribs, and beer-can chicken.” … Catskill Bagel is supposed to open on Cortelyou sometime in June, says Ditmas Park Blog… Free Williamsburg‘s favorite coffee shop, Second Stop, is opening a juice bar called Get Juiced next door to the cafe on Ainslie Street, and it “will feature organic juices and smoothies made from fresh greens from the rooftop of The Brooklyn Grange.” … And the New York Times notes that Choice Kitchens & Bakery is open at 198 Jay Street (at York Street) in Dumbo: “This sleek buffet-style place, with servers, has a Mediterranean-accented menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
After the jump: New taco stand in Kensington, the word on Traif and Fornino Park Slope, Bay Ridge hookah hoopla, Marlow & Sons new cowhide menu, and Spike Lee’s Brooklyn vodka…
Chowhound Buzz
Kensington has a new taco stand in front of Walgreens on Church at McDonald. Chowhound noisejoke says, “They’re open Tuesday – Sunday, 2 – 9pm… Tortillas were nicely grilled, plenty of onion and cilantro, with lime and cucumber on the side. Tasty red and green salsa on hand. Brought home three good tamales too ($1.25 each).” … Fellow ‘Hound sir chowalot describes his dinner at Traif in Williamsburg as his “best meal in a long time.” … And Marion Morgenthal gives Fornino Park Slope a big thumbs up: “We started with the Pizza Vinny Scotto to share (bel paese, pecorino, fior di latte, cacciatorini al diavolo, roast pepper aioli, ricotta), and loved it… For main courses, winners were arancini, braised short rib ravioli, and chicken sausage.”
Quick Bites
Bay Ridge Community Board members are looking to shut down local hookah bars, says the Brooklyn Paper… The Cut shares a photo of “Marlow & Sons‘ first non-culinary products: plush leather bags and pouches made, in the use-everything spirit, from the skins of house-butchered cows and pigs.” … And, finally, Grub Street reports: “In what might be his weirdest marketing appearance since those Fresh Direct ads (and Absolut’s hippest campaign since they teamed up with Tim & Eric), Spike Lee is collaborating on Absolut Brooklyn, a $24.99 blend of ginger and red apple (after the Big Apple).”
That’s how they finally put Capone in jail, tybur6.
I don’t want to go to a nice restaurant with high-end food and decide I can’t have a $200-400 bottle of wine just because I don’t have enough cash in my pocket.
These guys need to grow up and understand what the term “service” actually means.
“Sifton also has family in Brooklyn and speaks first hand of life here.”
Sweet – It definitely seems like he is more apt to review something good in Brooklyn than Bruni was. I was getting tired of Bruni re-reviewing the same tired ass Manhattan places (did we really need him to tell us that Spice Market sucks now?)
It has nothing to do with the “modern age of convenience.” They are basically above the price-point where cash would be even thought of. If they allowed credit cards, probably 95% of their transactions would be put on a card.
What does that mean?!
It means that *both* the business and the waitstaff would have to pay taxes on ALL of their income. The way it is, they can easily hide a “reasonable” amount… say, 30% or more never sees the light of day.
I hope they have a shredder next to the line and don’t write down any drink orders — cuz if the IRS decided to they could easily match up the receipts with the orders and see the gap.
Oh, what am I saying, I’m very cynical. OF COURSE they don’t accept credit cards because of the 2-1/2% fee and the “paperwork.” Of course they aren’t hiding any of their revenue. Jaysus.
I hope they get audited… good old fashioned style with 10 G-men in black suits raiding the place.
“…wondering about the life choices they made that put them in Chelsea or Park Slope or Montclair…”
Chelsea and Montclair: fine.
Park Slope: OUCH! Because it’s true, no point denying it. Carroll Gardens gets Prime Meats, Boerum Hill gets Mile End, and we get some lame new sushi place on 5th.
It’s a trend. Unless you’re within a two block radius of Flatbush & Bergen, it’s like the f*cking Upper West Side.
Why? Rents? Don’t think Smith/Court/Clinton are cheap. Demographics? Sure, many in PSers are middle-aged schlubs, but plenty aren’t.
Anyone have a better explanation, other than just viral lameness effect?
Sifton also has family in Brooklyn and speaks first hand of life here.
Re: Catskill Bagel down in my neck of the woods. I’m not convinced it will ever open. I’ve sort of given up hope. They started renovations in August.
“Sifton is a helluva writer. His columns have been quite enjoyable thus far.”
Agreed, I like Sifton much more than Bruni
Sifton is a helluva writer. His columns have been quite enjoyable thus far.
From the NY Times review…
The second problem with the restaurant is that it accepts no credit cards. This seems slightly ridiculous in 2010. An argument can be made, perhaps, for a restaurant not taking reservations, particularly for locals, who come to Prime Meats early and late, but rarely at peak hours. They use the restaurant for breakfast (oatmeal! French toast!) or for a terrific house-smoked pastrami sandwich at lunch. Learn the rhythms and you can avoid the crowds.
Cash only, though? At a restaurant where a dinner for four might run a considerate host more than $400?
But forget to line your pockets in the manner of a Biggie Smalls impersonator and you’re going to need to leave your guests before the end of it all, and walk to a bodega A.T.M. to rustle up enough cash to pay your bill. This is a grim feeling for a grown person to experience, right up there with walking around all day with a large knot of $20 bills in your pocket only because you’re going to dinner someplace that doesn’t take credit cards.
Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli, who own and run Prime Meats along with the fantastic Frankies Spuntino up the street and another Frankies in Manhattan, are two smart fellows. They are in the highest tier of Kings County restaurateurs. It is time for them to deal with the presumably horrible paperwork that accepting credit entails, to eat the service charges the companies extract, and to join the modern age of convenience.”
Yes, join the modern age of convenience. This is just asinine, no matter how good the food.