Spaghetti and Mama’s Meatballs. Photo by Molly Tavoletti.
Echoes of the Cozy Royale catering hall can still be heard in the warm dining room in the back of the bar at Humboldt & Jackson (434 Humboldt Street). The Royale’s former owner, Joanne Perrotta, had turned down many other offers when she was looking to retire. For years, families and neighbors gathered for dinners there, and Perrotta wished to pass on that sense of community along with the space. Perrotta cared more about who was going to take the place over rather than what it was going to be.
The first time I set foot in Humboldt & Jackson was the very day it opened. I followed the renovation of the Cozy Royale into this place, a newly-titled “American Tasting Room,” step-by-step on my daily walk to the Graham Avenue L train and was thrilled to have a prospective place to call my own—my Cheers, if you will. I would cement my status by getting in right at the beginning. Over the three years since their opening I realized that the feeling of ownership and comfort that I felt is exactly what Bill Reed, the bar’s charismatic owner, wants for all his guests.Continue reading →
What’s your plan for watching tonight’s live broadcast-American-political-reality show trainwreck? Hopefully it includes drinking. A lot. Here’s some local joints where you can do just that. Greenpoint Beer & Ale (7 N. 15th Street) Sip some delicious local and house brews, while grubbing on their tasty brewpub fare. Happy hour from 5-7, $5 beers and $10 for a share plate and a beer. Continue reading →
One of the most delicious dishes in Polish cuisine is Bigos, or as it is sometimes called in English, Hunter’s Stew. For many Polish Greenpointers it’s a staple, but many locals still do not know about this fantastic cold weather dish. Extremely hearty and filling, it’s a stew that is perfect for a cold day. No one is entirely sure how the word bigos entered the Polish language, but some say that it comes from German begossen, meaning “doused” or “basted.” Another explanation is that it comes from Italian bigutta, or “pot for cooking soup.” But wherever it comes from, bigos is a delicious stew that is worth the wait in cooking it. Continue reading →
Just when you thought that Greenpoint eating could not get any more exotic and there was no room left for another local ethnic place, along comes a great Venezuelan place called Avila (685 Manhattan Avenue) that is causing a stir amongst local foodies.
The two Venezuelan Arellano brothers, Allan and Frank, started the place just a few months ago. Greenpoint is now a very competitive market for a new restaurant, but they seem to have a growing following. Avila has a modest décor, but the food is so good it doesn’t need a splendid ambience. Continue reading →
It’s that lovely time of year when it stops being deathmetal-hot, but it’s still warm enough to enjoy a cold glass of rose or white wine and some delicious oysters as a pre-dinner aperitif. Here’s where we found the best oyster happy hours in Greenpoint! Shuck ’em up! Continue reading →
New bar openings in the Greenpoint neighborhood are always exciting for us. Being the men-about-town that we are, we’ve hit up nearly all the hottest and hippest spots from Driggs to Ash. Yet ever since the closing of our perpetual ride-or-die watering hole, Greenpoint Heights, we have been searching for that “everybody knows your name” kind of place.
At long last, we may have found our home away from home once again.
Nestled in what should be called “The Little Steak-Shop That Could,” Delilah’s Steaks (55 McGuinness Boulevard), sits the delightful new seven seater bar with the unbearably appropriate name: Samson’s. Yet unlike the Biblical frenemies, Samson’s is the perfect complement to owner Tommy Ferrick’s cheesesteak mecca—the first step in his risky but ever-so-admirable master plan to battle the lumbering titans that are Seamless and other services like it. Continue reading →
It’s a swampass summer Saturday in the city, and everyone else got out of bed at the crack of dawn to make it to Rockaway or the Hamptons, but you ain’t got nowhere to go. You might need to recharge with an exotic staycation at Black Flamingo. If you’ve never cruised by its off-the-main-drag corner in Williamsburg (168 Borinquen Pl.), Black Flamingo is one drink, dinner and disco destination that’s not yet been overexposed via Instagram. The cocktails satiate tropical tastebuds without being too sweet, the Mexican-slanted vegetarian offerings are tasty and hearty, and the Friday and Saturday night basement parties have become something of a dance lover’s dirty underground legend.
Editors’ Note: This is the first in a series of posts about the art of dining for one. FIRST UP: Comfort staples The Bounty and Anella.
I’m not sure where my penchant for solo dining originated, but it’s brought me many good meals and, perhaps paradoxically, much good conversation. One fateful dinner alone at the bar of my favorite restaurant in my then home of Denver actually landed me my second full-time job. Leaving Copenhagen a day after my friends departed enabled me to drop in for what still stands out as one of the best meals I’ve ever had, complete with a tour of the kitchen thanks to rapport struck up with bartenders and servers over the course of the meal.
Now a New Yorker, my solo dining game seems even more in play whether enjoying solitude amidst the city’s hustle and bustle, finding camaraderie in spite of anonymity, or bypassing the line out the door. One of the things I love most about Greenpoint is the sense of community, so it’s no surprise that so much of the quality local restaurant scene greets the individual diner with open arms. My “locals” are a significant part of what I love about the neighborhood. If I’m not at a concert I’m likely perched at the bar at Anella or The Bounty, my favorite spots for a solo meal. Continue reading →
Sometimes art doesn’t imitate life and it’s too bad because the winter wonderland we brought this year’s Greenpointers Holiday Marketwas so beautiful! Miss V put down her Mehndi tools for a few hours, picked up a can of blue spray paint, and revived her street art skills to create a dope backdrop decked out with hanging snowflakes, sprites, and a wintery landscape. The weather outside felt more like a brisk spring day but inside the gorgeous Greenpoint Loft, it was bustling with the holiday spirit and the smell of spices from our mulled wine wafted throughout. Continue reading →
If there’s one thing all Greenpointers have in common it’s that we’re reaaallly struggling with the heat right now. As I sit writing this in my sweatbox railroad apartment, I’m silently cursing the giant AC unit I dragged off the street with ‘Free…Works!!’ written across it. Yep, it works, but not well enough. I’m slowly melting, and so are all of my worldly possessions.
Fortunately there’s plenty of freshly-chilled local hideouts to escape to, some of which offer that ingenious invention: the frozen cocktail. We’ve rounded up a few our faves, and it just so happens that each of our picks has outdoor space…so it’s really up to you to choose between icy AC and scorchio sunshine!
Frozen Harrison – Enid’s
Enid’s Frozen Harrison combines tequila and grapefruit with a healthy slosh of cranberry to give us the definitive Greenpoint summer drink. It’s large and refreshing, and during happy hour costs only $5…the best deal of them all! (Happy hour is daily 4-7pm and all night on Mondays.) At other times the Harrison is $9.
