Wednesday Food and Drink Round-Up

Photo by Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times

Smoke Joint
87 South Elliott Place (Fulton Street), Fort Greene, (718) 797-1011.
“I’ll call it what it is: uprooted barbecue, barbecue loosened from its moorings in tradition, barbecue that ranges to shores where dry-rubbed pork ribs and peel-and-eat shrimp cocktail and jalapeño sauces frolic together.” [NY Times]

After the jump: Vivir opens in Cobble Hill, Chez Oskar gets a little sister, and Andrea Strong discovers the best paninis ever.

Little Bistro closes; Vivir opens
Court and Amity, Cobble Hill
“Looks like Vivir opened tonight. I walked by and picked up a takeout menu and it looks pretty grim. The menu is riddled with typos, and there’s no food focus at all — just a random assortment of mexican, spanish and italian junk food, from a Beef Quesadella [sic] to Crispy Artichokes Arrugula [sic] to a Graped Pita BLT [no idea].” [oohla on Chowhound]

Chez Lola
387 Myrtle Ave. (betw. Vanderbilt & Clermont Aves.), Fort Greene, (718) 858-1484.
“The grilled pork chop ($16) (not chops, as stated on the menu) came with a delicious glaze of veal stock finished with fennel butter, but the fingerlings were dry, and the pork itself only a little juicier… The exceptional exceptions were the juicy, bone-gnawing good New Zealand rack of lamb ($20) and the lavender bread pudding ($6), a heavenly-scented dessert that comes soaked in a crème anglaise with a hint of white chocolate.” [NY Press]

Boca Lupo
391 Henry Street, corner of Warren, Cobble Hill, 718-243-2522.
“The bruschetta piled with sausage, fennel and caramelized cipollini onions ($2.50) was amazing, and the panini were possibly the best I have had. I am not sure what they do them, but the bread is not smashed down to thin sheets of paper. The sandwiches are toasty and hot, and marked on the grill, and the bread (from Il Forno in the Bronx) stays full and fluffy, which makes them two-handers, stuffed with impressively substantial fillings, nothing skimpy.” [The Strong Buzz]