Another bar, another woman’s name. Can it live up to its beloved predecessor? Madeline’s (113 Franklin St.), will open tomorrow, Friday, November 3, in the space that used to be home to local favorite Ramona, which closed at the end of 2022 after ten years in the neighborhood.
Brooklyn native Brenton Land told Greenpointers that he “found out Ramona was closing and couldn’t help but jump on it.” Land and his team then began the difficult task of deciding what would stay and what would go, knowing how special Ramona’s was to the neighborhood. “As beautiful as the space always was, it’s in an old factory and needed substantial repairs and upgrades,” Land said, noting structural, electrical, plumbing, and acoustic repairs.
The Madeline’s team also added a kitchen and two framed televisions “for when it’s time to watch the Oscars or World Cup.” Plus, a private room upstairs for about 60-70 guests is almost completed.
Madeline’s food program will be primarily run by a Greenpoint local, Chef Steve Bean. When the newcomer first opens, there will be a limited selection of food. Options will include pepperoni pizza popcorn, smoked salmon dip served with black radish and kettle chips, and the Ploughman’s Platter featuring house-made charcuterie, jams, and a variety of cheeses.
Over the course of the next month, the team at Madeline’s plans to roll out more food options like a stuffed cuttlefish dish with fennel lemon stuffing, saffron bouillabaisse, and rosemary oil; a petit cassoulet, which is a flageolet bean stew with confit duck, provençal sausage, and braised pork; and a house smash burger with bacon, egg, cheddar, and cherry pepper aioli on an English muffin.
Land, himself, will be behind the bar every day, mixing cocktails like the Madeline, which is a twist on an espresso martini with notes of vanilla, angostura, and green chiles. Other cocktails include the Tuxedo Mask, a clarified punch with gin, pomegranate and sherry, and the Trade Route, a whiskey sour with cachaça, spiced saffron, and coconut water.
Named after a good friend’s daughter, Land set out to make Madeline’s a neighborhood bar “that celebrates the mixture of cultures… reflected in our art, music, drinks and food.”
“I was raised in Brooklyn and my partner in Ireland, yet here we are working together to open my first bar. Everyone’s life experiences mold them into who they are, and we’d like our options to have something for everyone,” Land explained.
Madeline’s will be open Wednesday through Sunday. Hours are Wednesday 5 p.m. – midnight, Thursday through Saturday 5 p.m. – 4 a.m., and Sunday 2 p.m. – midnight.