Happy Friday, Greenpoint! This week, Greenpoint’s own Polish-language weekly newspaper, Kurier Plus got a profile in the Columbia Journalism Review.Read about how the Polish paper is thriving!
Ramen, once associated with the easy-to-cook dorm room staple Cup Noodles is now synonymous with hip Japanese food culture and can be found in cities across the globe. The ramen-only restaurant is now a viable business, and ramen can even launch empires (Momofuku, anyone?). If you haven’t tried ramen in a restaurant yet, the variety, not to mention the size, will blow away that old styrofoam cup.
So where’s the ramen in Greenpoint? If you look far and wide, you’ll see ramen is on the menu and more ramen-focused shops are a-coming. Find out all the places you can sit or stand and slurp that soothing soup after the jump. Continue reading →
Daniel Birnbaum of Ramen Railroad, serving up ramen at Budin (114 Greenpoint Ave) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon till 10pm. Photo by Melissa Loseby.
The Greenpoint restaurant scene offers a wealth of wonderfully diverse and exciting dining options, but for some reason, finding a soul-warming bowl of ramen has remained elusive. While the American ramen obsession has often been credited to chef David Chang and the bowls he started serving at Momofuku Noodle Bar, Japan has been riding a rollercoaster of emotion over ramen since it was brought to them by Chinese tradesmen in the nineteenth century. Over the last few decades, Japan has created museums to ramen, ramen-themed video games and has even established ramen dating services to pair you with a partner who shares your passion for the dish.
Greenpoint is long overdue for its ramen moment.
While many would lament this culinary gap and continue to accept their fate of having to venture further afield for their broth, Greenpoint resident Daniel Birnbaum decided to take matters into his own hands. His passion for the hearty warming soup has lead him on a nourishing adventure which ultimately meant changing career paths in order to bring ramen to the neighborhood. Continue reading →
The Brooklyn Wine Fest returns to Greenpoint this Saturday, October 28th in the Brooklyn Expo (72 Noble St) with unlimited samples of over 100 styles of wine from around the world, paired with live entertainment, food and interactive games!
**Looking for all the Halloween parties? Check out our roundup.
Looking for anything non-Halloween? Keep on scrolling!**
WEDNESDAY 10/25
♫ Maryla Rodowicz @ PSFCU (100 McGuinness Blvd), 5pm, FREE, Legenda polskiej muzyki rozrywkowej spotka się ze swoimi fanami/The legendary Polish singer & actress is stopping by Greenpoint to meet her fans, More info # White Wine + Cheese @ Bedford Cheese Shop (265 Bedford Ave), 6pm, $60, An educational adventure into the practice of pairing – and an introduction into how milk makes cheese, how grapes make wine, and how to make the most of the pairing possibilities, Buy tix ♫ Cocomo Presents: Noia / Elsz / Evan Ønly @ North Brooklyn Farms (320 Kent Ave), 7pm, $5-$10 suggested, More info ♫ Willie Watson and Colter Wall @ Rough Trade (64 N 9th St), 8pm, $20, Buy tix * Alotta Trivia & a Movie – Hocus Pocus @ Metropolitan Bar (559 Lorimer St), 9pm, FREE, Watch a screening of Hocus Pocus with trivia right after with Alotta McGriddles!!! Win Pitchers or Wells for every round and Free Pizza!!!, More info
THURSDAY 10/26
♦ PAFF x Alexi Lubomirski Present: Young Poland @ A/D/O (29 Norman Ave), 6pm, FREE, Curated by Alexi Lubomirski, Young Poland will serve as an insight to the next generation of accomplished photographers born in Poland in the 1980s and ’90s, More info ☺ Sad, Sad 🙂 – Talking Comedy and Depression @ Muchmore’s (2 Havemeyer St), 6:30pm, FREE, Gregory Uzelac moderates an inciteful and darkly funny discussion with fellow NY comedians to talk about their own experiences with mental illness and how that translates into humor on stage, More info * Medicinal Mushrooms: Healing Body, Soul, & World @ Root Mamma (236 Richardson St), 7:30pm, $20, Fungi are the web that weaves us all together! Join us to learn about the amazing, multi-faceted healing aspects of mushrooms and fungi, considered by many to be our most intimate allies, Buy tix ♫ Stefan Zeniuk and Green Mambo @ Threes Franklin + Kent (113 Franklin St), 8pm, FREE, A steamy, goofy, and fun night of old-school mambos, with the occassional cha cha cha, rumba, and psychedelic jungle trance, More info ♦ Independent Women: The Babadook @ Videology (308 Bedford Ave), 9:30pm, $12, A widowed mother (Essie Davis), plagued by the violent death of her husband, battles with her son’s fear of a monster lurking in the house, but soon discovers a sinister presence all around her. Costumes are strongly encouraged, Buy tix Continue reading →
Whether you’re jogging down Franklin Street or getting an early morning spin class in at the Greenpoint YMCA (99 Meserole Ave), or even perhaps flowing through a peaceful sweat at Usha Veda Yoga (1006 Manhattan Ave), the best part of any workout, really, is when you’re done.
As you catch your breath and dab away the sweat you get to focus on the next best thing—and no we aren’t talking about an ab sequence to follow or even an extra sprint-mile here—we’re talking post-workout eats! It is time to fuel up, because you deserve it! Lucky for us, Greenpoint has almost as many healthy grab n’ go spots as it does dark-lit bars and Polish bakeries. Whether you are getting your sweat on in the early morning or grinding it out after work in the evening, here are the best spots to fuel back up—and not feel bad about being completely sweaty and out of breath.
Brooklyn Standard – 188 Nassau Ave Don’t get your sports bra in a tangle, the Brooklyn Standard is nothing like The Standard Hotel. This natural foods deli/coffee shop/bakery/enhanced-Bodega is perfect for anyone who needs something healthy at 7 a.m. and on. The neighborhood spot is open from 7-11 p.m. daily and offers breakfast all day along with an impressive selection of fresh squeezed juices and protein-packed smoothies. Enjoying your run around McGolrick park and need a kale, apple, lemon juice before you officially start your day? Brooklyn Standard is your spot. Continue reading →
What better way to cure a case of the Mondays than to tap into the wisdom of tarot over a glass of wine? You can find this calming and enlightening experience at Budin (114 Greenpoint Avenue) every Monday from 5-10pm courtesy of Eva Jane Peck, who has been studying the language of tarot and astrology for more than ten years. (And, if you sit for a fifteen minute “mini reading” with Eva, you can get $2 off wine at Budin). Eva, of Electric Lamassu Tarot and Astrology, has been collaborating with Budin to offer readings since May, and I stopped in last week to see what my cards would reveal. For the the reading, Eva used the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, “the traditional Victorian deck,” and her her kind, thoughtful and insightful reading was a joy. I particularly appreciated how she solicited my questions and interpretations, and made me feel a part of the process.
Monday Night Tarot. Photo courtesy of Eva Jane Peck
Helping others learn though tarot is a big part of what Eva does. She says, “I think of Tarot as a language to sort of figure out life. It was kind of an objective way to understand myself…It helped me get grounded and just sort of accept myself and who I am.” Since she has found tarot so helpful in her own life, she hopes that continued study of the cards and the imagery, coupled with continued readings, can help her help other people “come to an understanding for themselves.” She notes that people often get their Tarot cards read when they’re feeling nervous about something, “so it’s about trying to work through that.” Continue reading →
Oh, yes, winter is coming, but Mister Dips, Nitehawk, and Ample Hills are all ready to help you forget all about that and enjoy these last few weeks of sunshine and warm breezes! Mister Dips debuted a few new menu items last week, Nitehawk wants you to savor boozy slushies to your heart’s content, and Ample Hills can now be delivered to your door.
First, the savory. Mister Dips, the Airstream burger shack in Vale Park at The William Vale (111 N. 12th St), is quite possibly serving up some of the best burgers in North Brooklyn. If you’ve never been, they’re of the griddle-top variety made famous by McDonald’s and vastly improved upon by Shake Shack. They’ve teamed up with Red Hook’s Hometown BBQ to bring us a fancy bacon burger. Instead of crispy bacon, the burger has thick slices of succulent pork belly topped with a spicy green chili sauce. You can wash that all down with their new float, Orange Cloud, a mix of that classic vanilla ice cream and orange soda. If you prefer your sweets at the end of dinner, try the new cone, Aunt Edna! Made specifically for autumnal enthusiasts, the cone consists of spicy cinnamon soft serve dipped in green apple shell before being topped with creme fraiche, crumbles, and caramel. You’ll want to get in on this sooner rather than later! Continue reading →
Budin’s Secret Licorice Latte Photo by Lucie Levine
New York has run on coffee since at least 1668, when the first written reference to the drink in America noted that New Yorkers were imbibing a brew made of roasted beans flavored with sugar, or honey and cinnamon. Following the Civil War, our beloved borough became the center of the national coffee trade. By the turn of the 20th century, 86% of the nation’s coffee docked in New York Harbor, and John Arbuckle’s plant on John Street in DUMBO roasted more coffee than any other building in the world.
Today, Brooklynites are pioneering the “third wave” specialty coffee craze, and our local roasters are flavoring their drinks with a lot more than sugar or honey and cinnamon. In the name of investigative journalism, I set out to sample some of that local flavor. In Greenpoint alone, that means turmeric, lavender, licorice and other assorted delights. These are not your average pours and they’ll run you more than a regular coffee, but if you’re looking to splurge on something special, read on for Greenpoint’s most exciting coffee concoctions. Continue reading →
I don’t know about you, but my favorite part of spring is being able to finally emerge from the dark and the cold to sit outside in the sun, preferably sipping on a nice saison and surrounded by greenery. I don’t ask for much. Luckily, Greenpoint is chock-full of great places to eat and drink outdoors, either in magical green gardens or on rooftops with stellar views. Here are a few places worth the trip.
Northern Territory
12 Franklin Street
Good for: Gorgeous semi-panoramic rooftop views and large groups.
This Australian-themed bar features an expansive rooftop with its own bar and wooden bench tables that channel something of a summer beach vibe. Gaze across the East River to watch the sunset over the city or to ponder the Empire State Building’s color of the day. Add a Beer & Shot into the mix for $10 during happy hour, grab an Aussie burger, and you’re set. Continue reading →
North BK Farms is trying to keep us healthy at Budin lately. Image: NBK_Farms Instagram
If you stopped by Greenpoint Avenue’s Nordic café, Budin (pronounced “Boo-th-in”), any time lately, you might have seen that they’re doing more than coffee and beer these days. Budin has become home to a few regular weekly food pop-ups for lunch, brunch, and dinner. The first is run by two neighborhood chefs needing something to do over the winter, while the other is bringing us all the winter comfort we need.
Chefs Kenny Monroe and Emma Jane Gonzalez are often found cooking up a storm during North Brooklyn Farms’ summer dining series. But, obviously, it’s winter. With the farm closed for the season, the two met up at Budin to brainstorm some pop-up plans. As it happens, Budin itself was looking to bring in someone for food. Now, Kenny and Emma are serving up delicious, healthy dishes every Tuesday and Wednesday at least until April. They start serving at 1pm, perfect for those of you missing lunch at Cassette and Brooklyn Label and keep going until close (10pm). Of course, as with most pop-ups, the menu changes slightly from week to week due to what’s available. Recent menu items included a tasty white bean hummus and charred broccoli on rye toast with the bread coming from Bakeri, a winter vegetable soup, and heirloom grains with mung beans, winter kale and shaved turnip. With the most expensive dishes being about $10-12 plus Budin offering $1 off draft beer & wine, NBK Farms’ pop-up is the perfect inexpensive option.
Of course, it’s easier to stay on the healthy side at the beginning of the week, but really, by Thursday night lately, the state of the world makes me want something to feed my soul. Something like a gooey grilled cheese. And The Blue Light Speak Cheesy is here to help! They’ve been setting up shop at Budin Thursday through Saturdays for dinner and are also there for Sunday brunch. The Blue Light Speak Cheesy has done events at The Diamond a few times, so it’s super exciting for them to be around on the regular. Yes, they have your classic grilled cheese with a little tomato soup, but you can also find them serving up sandwiches like Freaks & Geeks (dill Havarti, herbed feta, sautéed spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and olive tapenade), The Forager (taleggio, crispy wild mushrooms, thyme, on brioche), and the Posh Spice (smoked mozzarella, roasted butternut squash, and fried sage). They even have an option for the vegan outlaws among us with smoky cashew “cheese,” harissa, pickled baby heirloom tomatoes, and avocado. And at least once, there’s been a secret menu breakfast taco.
Bonus Budin news: They’re included in this year’s Brokelyn North Brooklyn beer book along with a few other neighborhood gems. Get ‘em while you can.
Budin is located at 114 Greenpoint Avenue. North Brooklyn Farms Pop-up should run every Tuesday and Wednesday until April. They begin serving at 1PM and go until close (10PM). The Blue Light Speak Cheesy Pop-up is Thursday through Saturday, 4:30PM to close; Sunday, 11AM to 4PM.
First, the savory. 
