The New Yorker spilled Greenpoint’s secret recently with its profile on Franklin Street’s The Diamond. The bar is definitely one of the best low-key spots in the neighborhood for good wine, great beer, shuffleboard, slot-car racing, and nibbles. Their eats are usually limited to Dub Pies and charcuterie, the easy stuff you don’t need a kitchen for. To switch things up food-wise, they’d periodically host pop-ups for an afternoon or evening, but nothing regular. Until now. Continue reading →
If you’re in need of dinner or lunch plans, here’s some news you can use. Grand Street Restaurant Week, a project of the Grand Street Business Improvement District, is happening now until Sunday the 12th. This year, twelve Grand Street restaurants are offering two-course lunch specials for $15 or less, and three-course dinner specials for $30 or less. Notable participants include The Sandwich Shop, The Starlight, and Ryujin Ramen (that’ll be really good during the snowstorm). Menus can be found here.
Another one to check out is Pie Smith, a build-your-own pie and panini shop started by a long-time Brooklyn family. Also, if you Instagram your restaurant week prix-fixe meal with #DineOnGrand and @GrandStreetBID, there’s a chance to win a $25 gift card to your favorite Grand Street spot!
One way to lift your spirits during the gray days of winter—which have been disgustingly rainy, not beautiful snow-filled wonderlands—is by simply snuggling up to your honey with a nice hot toddy in hand, in front of a fire. And yet, most of us live in apartments where fires are decidedly not encouraged. Those silly building codes. Luckily, some of our favorite neighborhood bars are here for the nights where you have to fill that primordial need to get out of the cold and warm up by the fire.
Achilles Heel (180 West St) – If the staff of Achilles Heel loves one thing, it’s fire. Their fireplace keeps everything toasty through the night, but if you there in the evening, don’t be surprised if it’s being used for actual cooking.
Battery Harris (64 Frost St) – The cold can’t stop the beach vibes outside Battery Harris so they have a big fire pit to help keep you warm. It’s almost like a late summer beach bonfire. Almost.
Black Rabbit (91 Greenpoint Ave) – All the way at the back of the bar is Black Rabbit’s perfect make-out spot: on the bench in front of the fire. It’s preferred by 3 out of 4 couples.
Brouwerij Lane (78 Greenpoint Ave) – Though your drink options are limited to what Brouwerij Lane’s is carrying beer/cider-wise, the fireplace and friendly company more than make up for the lack of hot toddies.
Greenpoint Beer & Ale (7 N 15th St) – To make up for all the drafty cold seeping through Greenpoint Beer & Ale’s huge glass garage doors is a substantial fireplace. Pro tip: you’ll want to sit at the bar, it can get a bit hot right in front.
Spritzenhaus (33 Nassau Ave) – Our very own beer hall has one of the most impressive fireplaces. Open on three sides, you can usually get an adjacent table, but if not, you can also enjoy from a spot at the bar.
Union Pool (484 Union Ave) – The magical backyard of Union Pool is kept warm through the winter by their fire pit, so you won’t catch a chill while waiting for your tacos.
Sunday in Brooklyn’s Grain Bowl $12, Charred Avocado Toast $9, Spicy Roast beef Sandwich $12 Photo by Graham E. Burns
Sundays normally bring brunch to mind for any New Yorker. Sunday in Brooklyn (348 Wythe Ave.) is much more than that. Open daily for brunch, lunch and dinner this tri-level restaurant is like a fashion house of food. At “Sunday” there is creative use of fresh ingredients—even the scraps are utilized in new dishes, drinks and marketplace items. The restaurant opened for dinner in November, rolled out brunch shortly after and opened the marketplace in December. So yes, something good did happen in 2016. The marketplace features a takeout menu and pantry items to make any home chef take their game up a notch. Chef Jaime Young is passionate about sustainability at Sunday: “The marketplace gives us the opportunity to utilize everything that we’re buying…it kind goes with our whole ethos of trying to utilize as much as we can in this restaurant.”
Behind the unassuming street front of Tørst bar, is Greenpoint’s most famous culinary secret, Luksus. This is one of North Brooklyn’s highest acclaimed eateries, yet humbly tucked away behind the beer bar, you may not know it is there. For two years running, it has held the only Michelin star status in the neighborhood, an honor it hopes to continue into 2017 after the New York City recipients are announced on November 17th. Even those who have ordered from the Tørst menu may not know that the dishes were created by world-renowned chef Daniel Burns, previously of Momofuku, The Fat Duck in the UK, and Noma in Copenhagen. The understated presence of Luksus in Brooklyn is void of pretension and reflects the persona of Burns and the cuisine. Continue reading →
Yesterday, residents at the north end of Greenpoint had their unbelievable patience greatly rewarded. Last August, the neighborhood lost one of its most beloved establishments, Champion Coffee, when the 1108 Manhattan Avenue shop closed its doors due to “unforeseen circumstances.” Luckily, the paperwork had already been signed on the space directly across the street in a former artists’ studio at 1107, and at their smaller café at 142 Nassau Avenue. The Nassau Avenue spot opened last November and now the new Manhattan Avenue flagship spot has opened its doors. And it is without a doubt one of the best additions to our coffee shop scene.Continue reading →
Sunday will be the one-year anniversary of Archestratus, Greenpoint’s very own cookbook shop/cafe/place of food-related treats and events at 160 Huron Street. Archestratus will be celebrating by having a day of comfort: they will be making and giving out spaghetti for free from 11am-6pm. Oh, and better yet: they’ll be playing spaghetti westerns (another source of comfort for owner Paige Lipari and her employees).
“It will be a day to say thank you to everyone who’s supported us this past year,” said Paige. “Sunday will be all about coziness and gratitude.”
Cheeseboat brings Contemporary Georgian cooking to Williamsburg.
Walking into Cheeseboat, the new family-run Georgian restaurant at 80 Berry Street in Williamsburg, my aesthete’s heart is overjoyed. I am immediately put at ease by the soft, romantic lighting. The boldly-patterned table coverings are ornamented with tea lights that provide a lovely glow. A stunning piece of woodwork surrounds a table tucked into the wall, reminiscent of a hobbit hole and designed by the incredibly talented Charlie Baker of Baker Structures. We are warmly greeted by Shako, one of the family members who will be our server for the evening. I ordered the house red, which is a surprisingly good Malbec bursting with fruit. We start our meal with the vegetarian dip trio, which includes a smoky eggplant paste, a spinach and herb pesto, and a chargrilled onion hummus served with delicious bread. We enjoy our dips but are anxious to move onto the star of the show– the cheeseboat. Continue reading →
Though they’ve only been open two years, Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Co. (114 Nassau Ave) has become a vital part of our neighborhood. Their front cold case is one of the few places around for sustainably-sourced fish, the back bar serves up some our most delectable dishes, and it’s all done with the kind of friendly, welcoming vibe that turns random customers into regulars. The fishmongers know off the top of their heads where all of the incredibly fresh fish is from and are more than willing to help you figure out what to buy. And over Labor Day weekend, our neighbors to the north got their own Long Island City outpost with a full fish case, fun products, and ready-to-eat items, with lobster rolls and chowdah coming soon enough. Continue reading →
In this second installment of the Gastronaut series, we go behind the scenes of Acme Smoked Fish to demystify Fish Fridays.
In the heart of industrial Greenpoint, on an unremarkable street, behind an unmarked door, lies the largest smoked fish processor in the country: Acme Smoked Fish (30 Gem Street). And every Friday, and only Friday, from 8am until 1pm, you can take advantage of one of the neighborhood’s best (and worst kept) secrets when Acme opens its doors to the public for “Fish Friday.” Continue reading →
