Back in 2008, an Australian-American restaurant/bar opened on Bedford with its primary claim to fame being that Heath Ledger (RIP) had been involved in its conception. Now, Five Leaves is closing in on nine years in the neighborhood and is still one of the most popular spots around. It’s burger and pancakes are institutions on the New York dining scene and that weekend brunch wait hasn’t gotten any shorter. This doesn’t mean that they want to rest on their laurels though. If you’ve stopped by this year, you may have noticed both the food and cocktail menus changing ever so slightly towards a little more seasonality. They’re definitely giving the locals a good reason to stop by for dinner.
Five Leaves did always have a seasonal and organic angle to their menu, but when Chef Warren Baird took the helm in the kitchen towards the end of 2015, he knew it was time to step up their game a little bit. The local and sustainable movement has grown a lot in the past few years. Now, producers and consumers are more aware of our food systems’ environmental impact. But, luckily, consumers are also more willing to trust a chef when presented with unique dishes, like blue catfish done up Szechuan-style. Continue reading →
Miss Subways 1968 contestants (Frank Hurley/New York Daily News)
Local cultural ephemera museum The City Reliquary (370 Metropolitan Ave) is seeking contestants for its 2017 Miss Subways Pageant, happening in September. “In a night of performances spanning the classy, the trashy, the weird, and the whimsical, contestants will demonstrate their love, frustration, and ultimate devotion to their subway line of choice. But only one will take home the transit tiara!”
Via The City Reliquary:
We’re seeking Miss Subways 2017!
On Thursday, September 28 at 7 PM, The City Reliquary Museum will host The 2017 Miss Subways Pageant. You might remember that the Reliquary celebrated NYC’s most maligned line with its 2009 “Miss G Train” competition. How things have changed! The G is now one of the most reliable lines in the system. Clearly, something must be done.
The “Summer of Hell” is upon us. These days straphangers are filled with dread over a stalled train, signal failure, or sick passenger leaving them trapped in a dark, sweltering transit nightmare. Between its deteriorating equipment and the massive crowds cramming into its cars each day, our 112-year-old system, though still a marvel of public transportation, is showing some wear and tear. Governor Cuomo’s “MTA Genius Grant Challenge” suggests we’re on our own in this mess, so it’s time for the people to take matters into their own hands. Continue reading →
New(ish) art gallery Point Green (260 Java Street) is hosting a multidisciplinary groupart show opening tonight (8/17), called TREMORS, in response to recent political and social upheaval, with a portion of proceeds going to charities nominated by the artists (including the ACLU and Planned Parenthood among others). Tonight’s opening (6-9pm) will include performances by Nyssa Frank and DeDeeDame. On Saturday from 7-11pm they’ll host a night of music and dance, with performances by Ninjasonik, Howardian, Jocko Weyland, Cathy de la Cruz, and DM Kinch. Scott Sternbach and violinist Andrei Matorin will host an artist talk & performance on August 30th from 6 – 10 PM. Continue reading →
Kate McQuillen greets me from the driveway of her charming and noteworthy Greenpoint house, directing me into the garage where her fluorescent printmaking studio is set up. Her companion Kassie, a sterling herding dog, is attentively surveying the area and happy to have another to look after. The inherent New York City ankle weights have already slipped away, leaving us to speak candidly in Kate’s kaleidoscopic space. While we talk, the garage door remains open and Kate periodically greets her neighbors passing by. I feel as if I have crossed a portal into an alternate dimension, or at least am no longer in the city.
Kate and her dog Kassie in her Greenpoint garage studio. Photo: Ian Hartsoe
Greenpointers: When were you first exposed to art as a child?
Kate McQuillen: My dad studied painting in graduate school, and during my childhood worked as a graphic designer in Boston. We always had an art studio in the house, which allowed me the opportunity to experiment with literal cut and paste tools like transfer paper. I’d imagine this is what initially pushed me into printmaking. I think of printmaking processes as the perfect place between design tools and fine art tools. I always had a lot of interest in drawing, but was never super into oil paint. I think my new work is taking on a form reminiscent of paintings, but I can still use the printmaking tools I’ve grown to know and love.Continue reading →
Budin’s Secret Licorice Latte Photo by Lucie Levine
New York has run on coffee since at least 1668, when the first written reference to the drink in America noted that New Yorkers were imbibing a brew made of roasted beans flavored with sugar, or honey and cinnamon. Following the Civil War, our beloved borough became the center of the national coffee trade. By the turn of the 20th century, 86% of the nation’s coffee docked in New York Harbor, and John Arbuckle’s plant on John Street in DUMBO roasted more coffee than any other building in the world.
Today, Brooklynites are pioneering the “third wave” specialty coffee craze, and our local roasters are flavoring their drinks with a lot more than sugar or honey and cinnamon. In the name of investigative journalism, I set out to sample some of that local flavor. In Greenpoint alone, that means turmeric, lavender, licorice and other assorted delights. These are not your average pours and they’ll run you more than a regular coffee, but if you’re looking to splurge on something special, read on for Greenpoint’s most exciting coffee concoctions. Continue reading →
WEDNESDAY 8/16 ♦ SummerScreen: I Know What You Did Last Summer @ McCarren Park, 6pm, FREE, Let’s toast … to us, to our last summer of immature, adolescent decadence, and to the final SummerScreen of the season, More info ♫ Big Huge, Velveteen Rabbit, Barbed Wire, Navy Gangs @ Brooklyn Bazaar (150 Greenpoint Ave), 8pm, $10, Buy tix
THURSDAY 8/17 # Burmese Food Fest @ Rangoon NoodleLab (24 St. Nicholas Ave), 5pm, FREE, More info ♦ The Russians Are Coming: Red Dawn @ Videology (308 Bedford Ave), 9pm, $12,Watch the classic tale of how teenagers save the world from evil Soviet forces. Because we all need a little Patrick Swayze right about now, Buy tix ♫ DJ Bone, Analog Soul, Sofia Kourtesis, M Parent @ Good Room (98 Meserole Ave), 10pm, $15, DJ Bone is steeped in Detroit history and is amongst the most technically accomplished techno DJs in the world, Buy tix Continue reading →
The infamous Insane Clown Posse and presumably, their posse of clown-faced juggalos, are bound for Brooklyn with a show at Villain (303 Kent Ave) in Williamsburg on October 23rd where they will perform their classic hiphop album The Great Milenko in its entirety. Why should you be afraid? Well, according to Wikipedia, these are some of the identifying characteristics of juggalos: Continue reading →
What: FREE Family movie night – Ghostbusters! When:Tuesday, August 15th | arrive around 7:30pm to get your spot, movie starts at 8pm Where: McGolrick Park lawn near Monitor St and Driggs Ave
Design and architecture buffs abound here in Brooklyn, and Greenpoint has even been called the home design capital of the borough, but Talking Tropics, a new series of discussions at A/D/O, the creative design hub at 29 Norman Avenue, is putting Tropical cities like Shenzhen, Rio and Chennai at the center of “a conversation about climate change and the future of design, architecture and construction in island and waterfront cities.”
