Despite the recent restaurant closures around Greenpoint Ave,French Epi at 123 Greenpoint Ave is still supplying excellently executed French cuisine to foodies on this long stretch of street between Manhattan and Franklin Ave. Both Chef Brian and owners Beata and Tomasz (who’ve been in the neighborhood for decades) are known for their perfectionist natures, marrying ridiculous specials alongside their fresh French menu. With Happy Hour specials starting at $4, and their 3-course $15 lunch special; fresh and flavorful seasonal offerings make this a hidden gem within the ‘hood.
On the lunch menu: French Epi’s Epic Veggie Sandwich. Image by Lindsey Johnston.
Guest Chef Hiroki Odo from the Michelin-starred Kajitsu with Salt+Charcoal’s Chef Tadaaki Ishizaki
Al fresco dining, light but filling fare, and a quieter pocket of Williamsburg: Salt+Charcoal offers it all with flare and flavors aplenty. Located on the corner of Bedford and Grand, this Japanese steakhouse is mercifully out of the weeds of the hectic Bedford Ave L Train buzz. (But at a healthy six-blocks distance, you can still feel part of the action.) And don’t let the steakhouse classification deter you: the vibe is smart-casual even as the attentive service uplifts it.
Salt+Charcoal serves Asian “temple” or “monk’s” food, which has recently been gaining notoriety— see the Chef’s Table episode on it — but in actuality, this shojin style is the foundation of all Japanese cuisine, and the purest form of Kaiseki-style dining.
Come Tuesday June 26, the restaurant is offering a one-of-a-kind experience that paradoxically bridges the world of shojin with that of Japanese dry-aged beef in a harmonious nine-course tasting event.
Police are searching for a man in his mid-20s who forced his way into a 37-year-old woman’s apartment by Kingsland and Meeker Avenues yesterday afternoon, June 21st, and tried to rape her.
After knocking on her door, the man forced his way inside the apartment, pushed her into the bedroom, claimed he had a knife in his bag, and demanded sexual favors.
The Greenpoint woman punched her attacker and tried to flee, but he tackled her and attempted to remove her clothes. In the struggle, the woman was struck by the apartment door, and sustained a laceration to the back of her head. The attacker fled, and the victim was taken to Woodhull Hospital.
Police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating the attacker. He is described as a black male 25-30 years old, between 5’11” and 6’2″ tall. Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Christophe Mastoros at 718-230-4421, or Detective Borough Brooklyn South at 718-287-3239.
Newtown Creek Bike Tour Sunday, June 24th 11am – 1:30pm Join NCA for a guided bike tour to see and discuss ecological and industrial activity near and along the Newtown Creek shoreline. Once a vast tidal wetland, the Creek quickly became one of the busiest waterways in the county, leaving a significant legacy of environmental destruction and contamination, leading to the ultimate designation as a federal superfund. However, improvements are underway and the past 2 decades have seen improvements to water quality and with it a returning ecology.
Do want to help make Greenpoint greener and learn how to take care of the trees that line our streets? Greening Greenpoint and Newtown Creek Alliance are teaming up this Sunday, June 24th, to care for street trees on Norman Avenue, and afterwards explore the native wildflower green roof at Kingsland Wildflowers (520 Kingsland Ave). From 10am till noon, volunteers will improve the street tree beds then relax with refreshments and a tour of of the green roof.
Happy Friday, Greenpoint! This week, Greenpoint’s own Polish-language weekly newspaper, Kurier Plus got a profile in the Columbia Journalism Review.Read about how the Polish paper is thriving!
The L Train is closing, this we know. Brooklynites will relocate, biking will increase, businesses may shut down. It’s a great deal of change in an ever-changing borough, and no medium captures this evolution as well as photography.
Enter local artist Tony Falcone, whose portraits of neighbors and commuters will soon be relics of an L Train past. His simple and stirring photos depict people going about their lives — lives that soon will face fierce readjustment and perhaps unwelcome change. We caught up with Tony — a celebrated street photographer — to discuss his experiences and method in capturing his subjects, and a changing neighborhood.
Greenpointers: What inspired you to capture these portraits on the L?
Tony Falcone: It is a current issue that affects lots of people and businesses who had moved to neighborhoods near the L line because of the quick and easy commute to Manhattan. The L Train is a big reason why neighborhoods like Williamsburg grew to what they are now. Continue reading →
(2016) A Poland supporter walks down Nassau Avenue with facepaint and a Polish flag before the Poland-Portugal match. Photo: Erik Keithley
For the next month or so soccer fans in Greenpoint will be in the throes of World Cup mania. Normally placid people will dress head to toe in the uniforms of the nations they support, drape themselves in flags and even paint their faces. They will scream at the top of their lungs and experience either great joy or complete sadness before the final match in Russia brings the madness to a close on July fifteenth. Billions of people around the world watch the match and the thirty-two countries who are in the cup often grind to a halt when the national team plays. Sadly, the American Men’s National Team did not qualify, so American fans will have to support other nations.
One of the teams in the world cup this year is Poland and hundreds of locals will hit local bars decked in red and white, but local Mexicans, Germans, English, Koreans and other nationalities will turn up at local water holes to cheer their teams on. Here are some of the most popular venues to watch the match!
(2016) Poland fans gather in numbers to watch the Poland vs. Portugal game, and to enjoy Keg and Lantern’s tasty handcrafted beers. Photo: Erik Keithley
KEG & LANTERN | 97 Nassau Ave Keg and Lantern on Nassau Avenue has a great vibe. They have many screens and a great selection of beer and snacks. The only problem is that the place might be packed for some of the bigger matches. Continue reading →
Explore some new places and neighborhood favorites this Saturday (6/23) during Total Williamsburg Immersion. $15 gets you 5 FREE Brooklyn Brewery beers at four great local bars, food and retail deals, and chance to be among the first to see the Brewery’s brand-new tasting room. Buy tix here [sponsored]
WEDNESDAY 6/20
♫ Dan English, Harmony Tividad, Curt Oren, Sharleen Chidiac @ The Park Church Co-op (129 Russell St.), 7pm, $10, album release party, Buy Tix * Pleasure Principle: A Summer Solstice Celebration @ Space Ninety 8 (98 North 6th St.), 7pm, $60, custom Haute Chocolate fusing ritual, intention and pleasure + snacks and wine, Buy Tix ♫ Electric Sensei // Waterfall Strainer w/ Lowly Loverboi @ Tender Trap (66 Greenpoint Avenue), 7:30pm, $8, More Info ♦ Outdoor Film Night: Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954) @ Nowadays (56-06 Cooper Ave.), 8pm, FREE, More Info ♫ FULL FLEX with Jyoty (Rinse FM), Darling Chuck, Melizards + more @ Good Room (98 Meserole Avenue), 9pm, FREE, More Info
THURSDAY 6/21
♫ The Soundshop Solstice @ City Reliquary (370 Metropolitan Ave.), 6:30pm, FREE, In collaboration with the Soundshop and Make Music New York, have a relaxing evening of music in the City Reliquary’s garden at a start-of-summer soiree! RSVP # Fish CousCous with Victoria Granof @ Archestratus (160 Huron Street.), 7pm, $30, Join food stylist and cookbook author Victoria Granof for a CusCus Dinner! Buy Tix ♦ Intro to Archiving and Preservation for Film + Video @ UnionDocs (322 Union Ave.), 7:30pm, $10, Come to this panel hosted with New York Women in Film & Television and The Women’s Film Preservation Fund to get a handle on all of the basics of film and video preservation, Buy Tix ♫ Office Culture, twig twig, Maeve Thorne @ Wonders of Nature (131 Grand St.), 8pm, $10, More InfoContinue reading →
On the lunch menu: French Epi’s Epic Veggie Sandwich. Image by Lindsey Johnston.
Heirloom Tomato and Buratta Salad. Image by Lindsey Johnston.
WEDNESDAY 6/20
