Lobster Joint’s beer garden (courtesy their Facebook page)
Greenpoint (and pretty much all of NYC) will be experiencing record breaking temps of almost 70 degrees over the next two days. It’s March, people. Are you ready to strip off those coats? Here are some of our favorite outdoor spots in Greenpoint where you can soak up some of that good ol’ Vitamin E.
Lobster Joint – 1073 Manhattan Ave. Open from noon every day, they’ve got a lovely New Englandy open air beer garden in the back of their seafood restaurant. Grub on a lobster roll and chill out with a beer.
It’s time to dust off your moleskine notebooks! There’s a new open mic series for fiction writers—The Prose Bowl—starting this Tuesday, August 18 at Pete’s Candy Store, and it’s going to get fierce. “It’s sort of a competition, but a really lighthearted one,” says co-founder Christopher Green. “Slightly American Idol-ish.”
Unlike your regular fiction reading series, The Prose Bowl will have a judging panel and a (hopefully) rowdy audience that will cheer on the four readers. There’s a strict time limit that gives each writer enough space to read about 900 words—flash fiction style. “You read, and then we discuss the story for a few minutes,” says Green. “And at the end, we’ll declare a winner, who will get—I believe—a free drink and perhaps also a small token prize from me and the co-founder.”
We recently caught up with Green to ask the important questions.
There are few pleasures in life greater than rounding off the working day with a well- earned beverage at your favorite bar. And when that beverage costs next to nothing, the pleasure is even greater, which is why happy hour is pretty much always the best time of day.
We’ve rounded up a list of practically every happy hour in Greenpoint for you to work through at your leisure. From $2.50 wine at Boulevard Tavern to ‘bottomless champagne’ at Le Gamin, we reckon we’ve got everyone covered!
Key to happiness:
☺ – Extra Happy Value
★ – Food Deals
♥ – Editor’s Picks
Achilles Heel 180 West Street (At Green St.) Weekdays 4pm-7pm
– $5 drafts
– $8 glass of wine
– $9 cocktail (seasonal classics)
– $12 for 6 oysters
★♥ Alameda 195 Franklin Street (at Green St.) Weekdays & Sundays 5pm-7pm
– $5 prosecco/cortada margarita/draught beer
– $7 tequila shot and 1/2 pint of beer
– $11 Boquerone & tomato toast with a vermouth & club soda
– $12 Burger and 1/2 pint of beer
★♥Adelina’s 159 Greenpoint Avenue (between Leonard St. and Manhattan Ave.) Weekdays 5pm-7pm
– $5 craft beer pints
– $8 quartinos of organic sangiovese, pinot grigio & prosecco
– Glass of organic sangiovese, pinot grigio or prosecco with olive bowl: $9
– Glass of organic sangiovese, pinot grigio or prosecco with cheese plate: $17
– Craft beer pint & “The Original” pizza fritta: $15
Beloved 674 Manhattan Avenue (between Norman Ave. and Nassau Ave.) Daily 5pm-8pm
– $8 house cocktails (+ daily cocktail special is $8 all night) Continue reading →
Black Rabbit's bar menu will see you through into the early hours
2015 hit the ground running and already the year has been busy, the days have been long, and sometimes it gets late before we’ve even entertained the thought of dinner, by which time most locals chefs are hanging up their aprons and going home.
However, lucky for us, there’s a few kitchens who fuel their stoves on midnight oil. After a bit of hungry late-night research, we’ve brought together a roundup of Greenpoint joints where you can still get fed in the wee-hours.
Black Rabbit
This cozy fireside favorite serves up the likes of frito pie and mini cheeseburgers until 1am Friday & Saturday (10pm all other nights)
Bar Matchless
Tuck into a steak sandwich, some bacon mac’n’cheese and hell, why not some key lime pie as well….you’ve got time, the kitchen stays open ’til 3am every night. Continue reading →
Fireside Glow at Black Rabbit (Images by Rosie de Belgeonne)
Just because it’s getting cold out, it doesn’t mean we have to lock ourselves in our apartments like hermits all winter, we just have to pick the right places to hang out. And we could certainly do worse than hitting up some local bars blessed with glorious open fireplaces to keep us cozy. Here’s a few to choose from: Continue reading →
Twenty-something stars and creators of the PSYCHODRAMA web series, Liza Renzulli, Kimmy Foskett, and Luisa Fidalgo, have just launched three more hilarious episodes about life in Brooklyn at this sometimes awkward stage of our lives. Shot around the neighborhood (you’ll recognize Triskelion, the Waterfront, Shayz, Black Rabbit, Milk & Roses), the series is based entirely on true stories from the real lives of Liza, Kimmy, & Luisa. Catch all the episodes here. Read a GPers interview with the women here.
Good neighborhood people Russ Marshalek and Lucy Swope merged their respect for dark post-punk, the occult and trippy imagery to bring us a truly unique vision. Behold, boys and girls: the first-ever music video recorded entirely via Google Glass.
Russ and Lucy’s individual projects—a place both wonderful and strange and GHOST COP, respectively—wove into a witchy macrame for “DNT CM,” shooting on location at Greenpoint staples like Black Rabbit and Transistor Park. Also, there’s a séance.
Shall we? Video and more from the two after the jump.
You may have noticed that the facade of Black Rabbit (91 Greenpoint Ave) was repainted from black to a muddy maroon in order to comply with NYC Landmark Commission. What do you think of the new look?
Recently Improv Everywhere transformed Black Rabbit in Greenpoint into an 1860s bar for the ultimate time travel prank! They “worked with accomplices to invite unsuspecting friends …The bar was completely lit by candles and kerosene lanterns and was filled with actors in period dress. Beer cost pennies, and music was provided by a live band. By the end of the night, our surprised guests found themselves in the middle of an old-fashioned bar fight.
I drank a lot of whiskey last week on my quest to find Greenpoint’s best hot toddy. The booze guzzling was well worth the effort. I’m proud to announce Greenpoint bars are no stranger to the tasty winter treat. I found a few bangin’ toddies in this ‘hood and got a little tipsy along the way.
Before I feign food critic and rate the toddies, how about some history, in case you’ve somehow survived without toddies all winter long? Traditionally, the drink combines whiskey, boiling water and sugar or honey. Cloves, lemon and/or cinnamon may also be added. According to good ol’ Wikipedia, hot toddies were once recommended as a cure for the common cold, but the American Lung Association denounced this because alcoholic beverages cause dehydration. Yeah, whatever.
Though a seemingly simple recipe, concocting the best hot toddy is an art. You’d be surprised how disappointing a toddy can be – especially when you’re paying $8 for what tastes like hot water with lemon. Luckily, the bartenders in this neighborhood know what they’re doing and tend to be plenty generous when it comes to pouring whiskey.
Runner Up:Greenpoint Heights, 278 Nassau Avenue
Toddy: $6
Props to the hidden dive bar on the corner for having hot water ready to go upon my arrival. Also, I’m sending a virtual fist pump to the bartender for pouring half a mug-full of Evan Williams before adding the water, cinnamon stick and lemon with cloves. THIS toddy would cure a common cold. And knock you on your ass. Heights’ hot toddy isn’t trying to be anything special. It needs honey. I did like the holiday teddy bear mug, though. And I hear this place has great tacos.
Runner Up: Black Rabbit, 91 Greenpoint Avenue
Toddy: $8
First, let me point out that Black Rabbit wins for coziest, most perfect toddy ambience. Fireplace? Check. Twinkly lights? Check. This is an ideal place to escape a cold winter night. My biggest problem with their recipe is the use of scotch instead of whiskey. Huh? It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t my favorite. Rabbit’s excessive use of lemon made the toddy too bitter for my liking. Additional ingredients include honey syrup (equal parts honey and water, boiled and cooled), Tetley’s black tea bag, cinnamon stick and a clove-studded lemon slice.
Third Place: Berry Park, 4 Berry Street
Toddy: $8
“Jameson. Fresh lemon. Honey.” That’s what the menu reads. There’s not much else to say about it. Berry Park’s toddy fits the traditional definition best. It’s simple and delicious and not trying to be fancy. It had just the right amount of each ingredient.
Second Place: Spritzenhaus, 33 Nassau Avenue
Toddy: $8
For the record, Spritzenhaus almost came in first. I lucked out with a bartender who is extremely passionate about his hot toddy making. His trick: Coat the bottom of the glass (not a mug) with lots of honey. He used Barton’s whiskey, which sounds worse than it tastes, I promise. The honey disguised it well. You can certainly request better whiskey if you prefer. Spritz’s toddy also included a lemon wedge with cloves in it and a cinnamon stick. Fireplaces and Jenga definitely added to this Greenpoint beer garden’s hot toddy perfection. Bravo, Spritzenhaus. Bravo!
WINNER: Enid’s, 560 Manhattan Avenue
Toddy: $8
Enid’s serves a perfectly whiskeyed and perfectly sweetened toddy that’s easy on the lemon (despite the use of lemon juice and a lemon wedge) and sans both cinnamon and honey. The secret ingredient that makes this toddy so goddamn delightful is…wait for it…maple syrup! In addition to its deliciousness, the hundreds of handmade snowflakes hanging from the ceiling and the still-standing-in-January Christmas tree provided the ultimate winter atmosphere. Enid’s toddy isn’t on the menu, but ask and you shall receive. Congrats, Enid’s!
The Enid’s Magic Recipe:
1 Part Maker’s Mark Bourbon
1 Part Fresh Squeezed Meyer Lemon Juice
1 Part Grade B Maple Syrup
2 Parts Boiling Water
Runner Up: Black Rabbit, 91 Greenpoint Avenue
