Streetlevel: Breukelen Opening Soon
[nggallery id=”47832″ template=galleryview] Rumors have been swirling about the opening date of Breukelen, the new restaurant in the old Cafe on Clinton space. We heard that it had opened last Monday (it didn’t) and also that it would be opening September 3, or perhaps September 5 — so we talked to the folks at the…
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Rumors have been swirling about the opening date of Breukelen, the new restaurant in the old Cafe on Clinton space. We heard that it had opened last Monday (it didn’t) and also that it would be opening September 3, or perhaps September 5 — so we talked to the folks at the restaurant in hopes of setting the record straight. Turns out, they’re still working on permits but are hoping for a soft-opening this Friday the 3rd. If all goes well, they’ll be opening for reals on Friday, September 10, with the menu pictured above.
As you can see, we got a sneak peak at the space. With soft lighting, brick-exposed walls, and a tiny garden out back, the place is warm and inviting. Chef Andrew Karasz, a longtime neighborhood resident who has frequented the space throughout all its incarnations during the past 20 years, is pushing a super-seasonal menu. When we stopped by for a press event, he was passing out simple yet elegant snacks, like bright breakfast radishes topped with sweet, creamy butter, basil, and sea salt — summer in a single bite. Breuckelen will open with dinner service and will start lunch service in the coming weeks. GMAP Photos by Carrie Felix.
Locavore Restaurant to Replace Cafe on Clinton [Brownstoner]
New Signage for Cafe on Clinton Space [Brownstoner]
Mike, I must have been right behind you because there was this hulking fellow at the door saying precisely that to me and my friend – I’m afraid they may not know that a-less-than-neighborly attitude will doom this place in Cobble Hill, especially given how low-key Clinton Cafe was. I will try the place, but that kind of thing, in addition to the pretentious name and “locavore” aspirations, has got me half a step away from shunning it – losing them a couple grand a year out of my wallet. We’ll see.
I dropped by tonight and walked in and was quickly informed it was only friends and family for dinner. I kinda of wish they would have had a sign on the door so we didn’t walk in only to be turned away. The place was only half filled, maybe it’s just me, but I think it would have been a great opportunity to make new “friends and family” and have us in for dinner – they could have given me a check. Just a thought and it would have been a great gesture to people that clearly wanted to try the place. Instead, we were shown the door – of course I’ll try it once it opens, but it seems like a missed opportunity to be neighborly.
I haven’t been in yet, but a look through the window this morning revealed that, well, it looks almost the same as it was in Clinton Cafe days, except for the smaller, more numerous tables, squeezed together east village style.
Wow. “Brick-exposed walls” in the same sentence as “warm and inviting” on BROWNSTONER? Shock. 😉
Btw, does anyone know the story behind the ‘Breukelen’? Are they Dutch? Is a historic bone being thrown for some reason?
lame. overplayed.
effing expensive!!!