Wednesday Food & Drink Round-Up

Closing Today: Pies & Thighs
351 Kent Avenue (South Fifth Street), Wiliamsburg
“I can’t figure out a cute way to sugarcoat the despondency with which I report this next bit of news, so I’ll give it to you straight: Pies ‘n’ Thighs, home to the finest pulled pork sandwich in New York City and an estimable bastion of down home dessert goodness, is closing… The ladies of Pies ‘n’ Thighs hope to reopen the restaurant soon, in a space where they can sell beer and be a little more restaurant-y about things, or, as their website puts it ‘to build a bigger, better, more miraculous hole in the wall.'” [NYT Diners Journal]

Cheese Wars: BGH vs. Pacific Standard
Two new-ish Brooklyn bars, both known for their solid beer selections, have recently announced upcoming cheese tastings. Bar Great Harry (280 Smith Street at Sackett Street) will host theirs on Thursday, January 22nd and is already selling advance tickets for $50 a pop. That doesn’t seem like a terribly steep price for good times, 6 Dogfish Head brews, and 6 perfectly paired cheeses from Stinky… until you read that Pacific Standard (82 Fourth Avenue at St. Marks) is pushing a “very modest $5 buy-in for the cheese tasting” for their beer-and-cheese night on Tuesday, February 5th.

Openings: Greene Grape Provisions and Dram Shop
“At their Fort Greene wineshop Greene Grape, partners Amy Bennett and Jason Richelson specialize in small producers and ‘handcrafted’ wine. This week, in a canny attempt to fulfill the rest of your dinner-table needs, they’ll open Greene Grape Provisions, a gourmet grocery up the block (753 Fulton St., at S. Portland Ave., Fort Greene; 718-233-2700)… ‘Angry Wade’ Hagenbart has opened his second Brooklyn bar, Dram Shop, with an emphasis on bourbon and Scotch, a shuffleboard table, and a Mexican-accented pub-grub menu (339 9th St., nr. Fifth Ave., Park Slope; 718-788-1444).” [New York Magazine]

After the jump: Chowhounders discuss which foods make Brooklyn better than LA, Union Market expands, and the Times shares a fun fact about fortune cookies.

Food Wars: Brooklyn vs. LA
“Aside from hot dogs, pizza and Americanized Chinese food, what excellent, cheap food (say $8 or under per person) does Brooklyn do well that is not commonly found in Los Angeles? (This criteria would eliminate virtually all Asian cuisines, as well as Mexican/central american, which is commonly regarded as being both cheaper and better in Los Angeles.)” [Chowhound]

Expanding: Union Market
“A second one will open today: 402-404 Seventh Avenue (12th Street), Park Slope, Brooklyn, (718) 499-4026.” [NY Times]

Fun Food Fact
According to today’s Times, Brooklyn is home to “the largest fortune cookie manufacturer in the world.” Wonton Food is located at 220-222 Moore Street.

Photo by I EAT NY