Brooklyn Whiskers Bakery(1008 Manhattan Ave) is a sweet little place chock full of delicious goods with a creative menu, located at the north end of Greenpoint. This cafe/bakery serves up pastries and delectable desserts but also has a good-sized menu with all-day breakfast, sandwiches, bagels, and bites. Plus everything is vegan, with lots of gluten-free options as well. Fear not, however, because you won’t be missing a thing — the food here is fantastic.
This is the second location to recently open with the first one being located in Bushwick. They are also a retail and wholesale bakery in addition to having these shops. The two very friendly owners, Preesa Adeline Bullington and Michael Minahan, are frequently around and easy to chat with. The Greenpoint cafe is small but quite charming with a couple of vintage-looking mismatched chairs, wooden tables, and holiday decor this time of year. It’s also eco-friendly with bamboo products and recycling well-marked. There’s a warm, homey, personalized feel in the cafe and also fun for cat lovers with a little bit of a cat theme in the mix. Continue reading →
Does the thought of stacks on stacks of pancakes with butter and syrup sexily dripping off the sides make you salivate? Does the aroma of bacon make your tummy tingle? If so, you NEED to make it to The Breakfast Takedown this Sunday at Brooklyn Bazaar (150 Greenpoint Ave) from 1-3pm! You will receive total deliciousness from dozens of home chefs, all battling for the ultimate prize—Best Breakfast. There’ll be an audience vote, and a judges vote by a panel of certified foodies (including myself). Plus, a portion of the event’s proceeds will be donated to Unidos Por Puerto Rico. Esteemed host of The Takedowns Matt Timms is excited to see what people will come up with. He says, “Breakfast is a fast and loose category—I eat BBQ for breakfast, when I’m feelin’ fancy, so whatever grabs the public’s collective heart from 1 to 3 on a Sunday is what’s going to win!” And, he insists, “Breakfast Tacos! That alone is a reason to come!”
Tickets are $20, and your belly full o’ bacon n’ biscuits will thank you. Get thee to the takedown!
Earlier this year, Matt Timms brought the OG food competition, The Takedowns, back to its proper home in Greenpoint. The competition came into existence 15 years ago at Bar Matchless, when 100 people paid to eat various chilis made by amateur chefs. Now, when in the neighborhood, Matt holds the Takedowns at Brooklyn Bazaar where you can eat all you want, grab a drink, and hang all afternoon. This month, the Takedown is all about our favorite meal, breakfast. Except Matt needs one thing: chefs!
For this Breakfast Takedown at Brooklyn Bazaar on the 29th, you can go crazy. Breakfast tacos? Yes. Chilaquiles? Sì. Doughnuts? Of course. BEAR CLAWS?! We’re all about it. Hand pies? That’s basically what Pop-Tarts wish they were. Homemade granola? Sure, okay. Whatever it takes to Make Breakfast Great Again! Like with every Takedown, there will be prizes from Cuisinart, Anolon, Microplane, and Wüsthof for the People’s Choice & the Judges’ Choice. Greenpointer Jenn de la Vega and a special secret judge from the breakfast-centric website Extra Crispy will be tasting each and every bite before laying down the law. The best part is it’s all a fundraiser for United for Puerto Rico. Can’t cook but want to eat all the breakfasts? $20 tickets are still available.
Meyers Bageri’s (667 Driggs Avenue) first stateside bakery began as a Saturday pop-up, in the space they now occupy full-time—the former home of Margo Patisserie. Back in February, word began to spread of Saturday’s pop-up and the lines quickly followed. In late July, Meyers Bageri took over the space completely and has subsequently been introducing North Brooklyn to Claus Meyer’s brand of New Nordic Cuisine. Continue reading →
Samantha Hew and Anthony Piliaskas believe in evolving spaces and snacks. From Bembe to 3 Roots, both have successfully sustained businesses while layering the neighborhood with innovative adaptations. Their newest collaboration, Vittles Cafe (94 Franklin St), is a vibrant testament to 9 years of friendship and belief that food should be positive and rooted in love and community.
Nestled at Oak and Franklin, the treats – vittles – deliver scrumptious aromas and flavor. Vegans, omnivores, health nuts, and meat-ers will want to indulge in the mouthwatering menu and caffeine addicts will be delighted by the drinks list. Highlights include Toby’s Estate espresso, egg & cheese on a biscuit, Australian hot milo, cornmeal rolls, Thai vegan banh mi, Barista’s specialty, kaya butter toast and potato curry puffs. Continue reading →
Maman’s original SoHo cafe opened in early Fall 2014 without much fanfare. That is, until people tasted their Nutty Chocolate Chunk Cookie and that cookie alone should make you want to stop at their newest location at 80 Kent Street (between Franklin and West). Luckily, the southern-France-chic bakery has plenty of attention-worthy treats beyond the cookie to make it a welcome addition to our neighborhood! Continue reading →
If you hadn’t heard, Bike The Branches is this Saturday, and offers bike lovers a two-wheeled tour of Brooklyn via our public libraries. Stop at as many branches as you can, get your event passport stamped at each spot and then head to Central Library where there’ll be a block party with awards, live music, food, beer, and activities for adults and kids alike.
In conjunction with this fun event, The Greenpoint Library (107 Norman Ave.) is going to be poppin’ all day, and they’ve got a robust schedule of events planned. Continue reading →
‘Tis the season for new restaurant openings, and last week Greenpoint had three*. One of the tastiest additions to our burgeoning dining scene is a delightful French Catalonian eatery called Cassette, whose name roughly translates as ‘little box’. Don’t let the name mislead you though, as the space is anything but small. Positioned on the corner of Kent and Franklin streets, the front of the restaurant takes up at least a quarter of the block, which it comfortably shares with Ramona, Kennaland and the former Lulu’s.
Cassette is adjacent to the Kickstarter HQ on Kent, which is somewhat convenient since one of the partners is Kickstarter founder Perry Chen. In creating the new restaurant, Perry teamed up with Henry Rich, owner of Boerum Hill’s popular neighborhood Italian Rucola. Also hailing from Rucola is head chef Joe Pasqualetto whose passion for good, simple food means that Cassette’s veg-focused menu is primed for success from the word go. Continue reading →
The corner of Franklin and Kent streets- where there will soon be a new French-Catalonian restaurant
A lot of local places describe themselves as ‘neighborhood restaurants’. But, aside from location, what does this actually mean? That a place is affordable? Has good food? Friendly service? Lots of regulars? Staying power?
Recently I met with some of the team behind the soon-to-open restaurant on the corner of Franklin and Kent streets. They told me all about their plans to create their own take on the ‘neighborhood restaurant’ in Greenpoint and it sounds as though they could be on track to get the formula just right.
The restaurant, which currently goes by the working title of ‘Clouet’, is headed up by Henry Rich, owner of Italian restaurants Rucola in Boerum Hill and Fitzcarraldo in East Williamsburg. Henry is teaming up with Perry Chen, the founder of Kickstarter, with the pair having become friends after meeting at a barbecue. Continue reading →
There’s no shortage of top-notch coffee in Greenpoint, but it’s always fun to have options and, as of last week, we just got one more, courtesy of a new cafe with the suitably caffeine-related name of ‘Early’.
Early Coffee & Sandwich Shop (967 Manhattan Avenue), held its official grand opening on Saturday, where the neighborhood was warmly welcomed in from the cold with free-flowing coffee and canapé-sized tasters of their yummy sandwich menu. Owner Radek Kucharski was cheerily doing the rounds with prosecco and hot cider, whilst cafe manager Peter Chrostowski was doling out espressos, mimosas, and sweet treats by Vegan Divas. Radek told us he’s always dreamed of opening a cafe in the area and, now that the stars have finally aligned in his favor, he’s super excited about the new venture. Continue reading →
If you hadn’t heard, 
