North Brooklyn may not have the vast green destination of Prospect Park, but there are several scattered parks that are perfect for picnics. We’ve put together a list of places that offer take away options to full-service picnic gear that can make a day laying in the grass so much more enjoyable. Whether you plan to lay out a blanket or just sit on your jacket, these bites are quick and easy for a meal in the park. Continue reading
Franz Ferdinand played to a sold-out house last night at Warsaw (261 Driggs Ave) on their first tour since 2014 supporting Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action. The band’s new lineup is comprised of Alex Kapranos (lead vocals and guitar), Bob Hardy (bass guitar), Paul Thomson (drums, percussion and backing vocals) and Dino Bardot (guitar) and Julian Corrie (synth, guitar) replaced founding member Nick McCarthy, who left the band last summer.
After playing Governor’s Ball over the weekend, the band extended their stay in New York City playing the show as part of Governor’s Ball After Dark.The crowd was as electrified as the band, especially when they played dance-beat heavy songs such as “No You Girls”, “The Dark of the Matinee” and “Take Me Out”, dancing, jumping and waving their arms to the music. Franz Ferdinand returned to the stage for an encore performance and ended their show with energy surging, “This Fire” and hand-in-hand the band took a bow. Continue reading
A couple of weekends ago, Diamond Lil quietly opened its doors at 179 Nassau Avenue. The bar takes its name from a risqué Broadway play by former Greenpoint resident, playwright, Hollywood star and sex symbol, Mae West. This is just one of the ways the space pays homage to strong women. The bar is co-owned by John Wright and Tim Murray, who is the same owner of Broken Land (105 Franklin Ave.) which hosted several fundraisers for Planned Parenthood leading up to the Women’s March earlier this year. There will likely be fundraisers in the future focusing on local organizations. Continue reading
Norman (29 Norman Ave) is now officially open as an all-day café, restaurant, and bar serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Though there were a few months of delay, it seems that spring is the perfect time to welcome this sustainable restaurant to the neighborhood. Norman shares a beautiful sun-drenched location with creative space A/D/O, and the cuisine benefits from the bounty of the season. This large and airy cafe is a great casual dining destination in this warehouse sprawled area of Greenpoint. Continue reading
The Brooklyn Barge (3 West Street, at Milton) finally opened yesterday for its third season. This is Greenpoint’s only waterfront bar with unbeatable views of Manhattan. It’s the kind of place you can round up a dozen friends last minute or bring a date to watch the sunset and twinkling skyline after dark. You can enjoy ten beers on tap (half of which are local to NY), sample the shared bites menu or go with their signature Barge Tacos or Burger. There’s something for everyone including veggie and gluten-free options.
The launch of the NYC Ferry service (which had prices drop down to $2.75 one-way) will surely increase traffic from Manhattan to Greenpoint foreshadowing the imminent boom of housing along West Street. As a result, we should probably expect bigger crowds at the Barge this season. Continue reading
Greenhook Ginsmiths (208 Dupont St.) was founded in 2012 in Greenpoint by brothers Steven and Philip DeAngelo. Steven has an infectious passion for gin and is involved in every step of production. His wealth of knowledge of the history and science of gin making is as impressive as their flavorful products—three distinctly different gins. The distillery is available for tours on Saturdays and can be booked on their website.
The triangular East Williamsburg restaurant sits along the BQE (not so picturesque) but once through the wide wood doors of Llama Inn (50 Withers St), the wrap around windows, hanging garden and welcoming bar will make the location escape you. Just named one of the Top New York restaurants of 2016 by The New York Times and honored with Michelin Bib Gourmand status, this just year-old restaurant is making its mark beyond Brooklyn and putting this overlooked corner on the map. Continue reading
Sundays normally bring brunch to mind for any New Yorker. Sunday in Brooklyn (348 Wythe Ave.) is much more than that. Open daily for brunch, lunch and dinner this tri-level restaurant is like a fashion house of food. At “Sunday” there is creative use of fresh ingredients—even the scraps are utilized in new dishes, drinks and marketplace items. The restaurant opened for dinner in November, rolled out brunch shortly after and opened the marketplace in December. So yes, something good did happen in 2016. The marketplace features a takeout menu and pantry items to make any home chef take their game up a notch. Chef Jaime Young is passionate about sustainability at Sunday: “The marketplace gives us the opportunity to utilize everything that we’re buying…it kind goes with our whole ethos of trying to utilize as much as we can in this restaurant.”
Crank up the heat on a cold night with some of these classics. There’s a reason people have turned to these drinks to warm-up for hundreds of winters. Step out from the cold and into one of these inviting bars for a drink that will make you want to curl up in a wool blanket or break our the bubbles to celebrate the end of 2016!
The Topaz
251 Bushwick Ave., East Williamsburg
Hot Toddy $11, $8 at Happy Hour M-S 5-8 p.m., all night Sun.
The “best dressed” hot toddy in Brooklyn. This holiday favorite is mixed to perfection featuring the flavors of the season. Allspice Dram, pimento bitters, lemon and honey accompany Lairds & Co. Five Star Whiskey. This cocktail is sure to warm your heart. Continue reading
Behind the unassuming street front of Tørst bar, is Greenpoint’s most famous culinary secret, Luksus. This is one of North Brooklyn’s highest acclaimed eateries, yet humbly tucked away behind the beer bar, you may not know it is there. For two years running, it has held the only Michelin star status in the neighborhood, an honor it hopes to continue into 2017 after the New York City recipients are announced on November 17th. Even those who have ordered from the Tørst menu may not know that the dishes were created by world-renowned chef Daniel Burns, previously of Momofuku, The Fat Duck in the UK, and Noma in Copenhagen. The understated presence of Luksus in Brooklyn is void of pretension and reflects the persona of Burns and the cuisine. Continue reading
