It seems that bakers everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief as some pressure has eased up from the gluten-free fad and turn to a much more filling trend in bread—the locally sourced, freshly milled, whole grain loaf.
Rugbrød from Meyers Bageri. Photo via Grubstreet Instagram
Luckily, Brooklyn has a lot of great bread options but recently we’ve been gifted with two more exciting projects within reach of Greenpoint. Although only available on the weekends, pop-ups from Meyers Bageri and Brooklyn Bread Lab are slinging rockin’ loaves of naturally leavened, whole grain breads that are worth waiting for.
Greenpoint has seen a whole host of new restaurants open over the past year or so. One of the interesting things about this is that we get to witness their growth and development as they evolve to meet local tastes and demands.
The Bounty (131 Greenpoint Ave) is a great example of this. The restaurant opened gently last spring as an evening spot with simple, good food, and has recently extended its offerings to include weekend brunch, a daily oyster happy hour, and a gorgeous outdoor space. Continue reading →
Charlotte Patisserie (596 Manhattan Avenue) is like a little piece of France in Greenpoint. Although it’s been open since 2011, recent renovations and the addition of a dining room have given new life to the pastry shop, which also boasts a wonderful back yard surrounded by ivy- covered brick walls.
They have also expanded their menu to offer brunch and a casual but elegant dinner. Menu options include French classics like a croque monsieur, ratatouille, omelette, crepes, Niçoise salad and croquettes. Continue reading →
Picnic season is here! And, just in the nick of time, brand new store Greenpoint Cheese + Meat (192 Driggs Ave) has flung open its doors to provide us with a dazzling array of treats perfect for enjoying in the park on a lazy summer afternoon.
The store is run by friends and business partners Ursula O’Hara and Jessica Mark and, as the name suggests, they’re focusing mainly on specialist cheeses and cured meats (along with some exceptionally lovely Italian olives). Continue reading →
Before moving in with my boyfriend, I lived on the second floor of a house on Huron Street with a group of amazing Norwegian roommates. I have a lot of happy memories from that time, but one of the vividest was at a dinner that two of us made together out on our large terrace in July with our guys. It was a relaxed, wine-filled night of funny stories, delicious food, and good company – the things that perfect summer nights in Brooklyn are made of. After the meal, my roommate presented a box to everyone from a Scandinavian bakery in Williamsburg called Bakeri. She lifted the lid to reveal a couple of perfect skolebrød or “school bread,” which she obtained earlier in the day during a morning pilgrimage there (Bakeri sells out of skolebrød well before noon). One bite and I was smitten – skolebrød is like a dream Danish, except instead of a cheese filling, the pastry has a heart of custard and coconut. It was like nothing I had ever eaten before. Continue reading →
As a nation, America is consuming more than ever before. And with greater consumption comes a greater amount of waste.
Around 40% of all food produced in the US is wasted every year. In NYC alone we throw away 6.5 million pounds of food EACH DAY, that’s the equivalent of 24 subway cars filled to the brim. When so much of the global population is starving, this statistic is extremely alarming. Continue reading →
Have you heard about this big sports game thingy tomorrow? As you can see by my drawing, I’m not much of a football fan. I thought a bronco was a bull. It’s actually a HORSE! Oops. I still don’t know what the activity of tailgating involves, but, as I’ve mentioned before, I am a definite fan of sporty snacks. Buffalo wings, nachos, queso, tater skins, fiery hot Cheetos, the obligatory platter of baby carrots and onion dip– I welcome it all. But Greenpointer’s own Jen G recently introduced me to a new addition to the world of finger foods. Do you remember the Bloomin’ Onion, made famous by Outback Steakhouse? Well its time you meet its distant cousin: Bloomin’ Bread. No deep-fryer required, it’s essentially a loaf of bread sliced so that it opens up like a chrysanthemum made of carbohydrates and cheese. You might say it’s a real game changer, a tasty touch down, perhaps even this years snack MVP? Enough already…let’s do this!
With so many new restaurants opening in Greenpoint, it’s becoming hard to think of a cuisine that hasn’t already been covered. But modern Spanish is, surprisingly, something we’re lacking, and something which El Born (651 Manhattan Ave) looks set to do very well. Continue reading →
There has been a glut of interesting new enterprises springing up on Driggs recently.
One of the most delicious is Bread for the Eater (168, Driggs Ave). This bakery and restaurant opened its doors in September and is the most recent venture from Din Yates, the man behind the extremely popular Cheeky Sandwiches in LES.
Din describes wanting to create ‘a place where warmth exudes’, and this is certainly something he’s achieved. They bake their own bread right there in the restaurant, so the smell that greets you as you enter is nothing short of heavenly. Especially on a windswept fall night. Continue reading →
I think I learned this sandwich from a German person. It seems like something German people would eat. Maybe it’s the pumpernickel bread. Either way it is the most delicious (and vegetarian) sandwich ever!
The first time I had it, it was with your standard grade european radish, but here I used daikon slices, which I find every week at the Greenmarket.
Simply butter pumpernickel bread, top it with cheddar cheese and any type of radish. It’s fresh, crunchy, buttery & cheesy. (Note: the fresh oregano is just a green garnish to pretty up the otherwise uncolorful photograph, but it might be delicious on there, too!)
If you have any great recipes to share, please send them to greenpointers (at) gmail.com. The goal is to make a Greenpointers Community Cookbook, the spiral bound kind your Mom has, but with illustrations from local artists.
