Our Gardens of the Galaxy Spring Market is Getting Ready to Blast Off! Spring may not yet have fully sprung but we’re bringing fresh life, warmth, and out of this world local vendors to the Greenpoint Loft on 67 West Street for Greenpointers’ Gardens of the Galaxy Spring Market. We’ll be blasting off on Sunday, April 22 and staying in orbit from 1 to 7pm. Join your fellow space gardeners and RSVP on Facebook. More deets here.
WEDNESDAY 4/11
^Letters in the Dirt @The Brick (579 Metropolitan Avenue), 7pm, $20, This play places its audience face-to-face with the insightful Aiyana Jones— a seven-year-old girl fatally shot by police in 2010 during a botched raid in Detroit, now a symbol within the Movement for Black Lives. Buy Tix ♫ Full Frontal Female Fronted @Our Wicked Lady (153 Morgan Ave) 8pm, $5, Buy Tix ♫ Grand St. Stompers: 20s Jazz @Radegast (113 N 3rd St.), 9pm, FREE, Grab some German food & drink and join the quintet for dancing, listening, and hanging, More Info ☺ Freshly Baked: Cookies and Comedy @ The Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue), 9pm, FREE, rotating lineup, surprise special guests and homemade baked goods, More Info
THURSDAY 4/12
* Economic Development Committee Mtg — Community Board 1 @ CB1 District Office (435 Graham Avenue), 6:30pm, FREE, More Info * Cacao Ceremony & Reiki Experience @Anima Mundi Herbals (35 Noble Street), 7pm, $40, Are you ready to cultivate a deep loving sensation within your heart? Are you ready to deepen your loving relationship with yourself and others? Buy Tix # Pasta Fresca Plate! @Archestratus (160 Huron St.), 7pm, $20,Archestratus is very excited to kick off a new weekly dinner gathering! A relaxed evening of fresh, homemade pasta from a pasta-making Chef + Friend of Archie’s, RSVP ♫ Abraham Brody & Trys Keturiose: Ancestors @National Sawdust (80 N 6th St.), 7pm, $20, Buy tix ♫ PULP FICTION LIVE performed by The Last Nites @ The Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue), 8pm, $12-15, Buy TixContinue reading →
We’ve covered The Takedownsbefore–they’re a really special way for home cooks to feel like they’re on Iron Chef and compete with each other for real actual prizes, while audience members/tasters will leave with their bellies happily full of whatever tasty food item is the star of the takedown. And, our own Greenpointer Jenn de la Vega got her start as a culinary expert and cookbook author by participating in The Takedowns more than five years ago; now she judges the events. There’s still space for folks to enter the competition and you can sign up by emailing [email protected]. We’ll be at this weekend’s Meatball Takedown stuffing our faces with all the balls we can handle.
Looking for a way to donate this holiday season? For this year’s Grand Street Gives Back, nearly a dozen businesses on the East Williamsburg section of Grand Street are hosting collection boxes at their stores for folks to drop off food items (unexpired, un-dented, non-perishables). All of the food collected will be donated to St. John The Evangelist Church‘s Food Pantry (195 Maujer St). The St. John’s programs offer hot meals and grocery assistance to more than 150 families per week. Check the image after the jump for a list of participating locations, or click here: Continue reading →
Thanksgiving is holiday of culinary greatness. A problem if your cooking skills are below par and you’re staying home for the Holidays. Less of a problem since you live so close to the city’s hub of crave-worthy restaurants and bars.
Here’s a list of how to feast and party without the hassle of using your oven.
Come join Chef Jake Eberle at “Wobble Before You Gobble” — a Thanksgiving Eve cocktail party! Cut loose a lil’ before heading out of town. They’ll have $6 aperitif specials, including house recipe Kir Royale and warm mulled wine. Chef Jake Eberle will also being serving some bites to nibble, like country pate and a French onion soup-filled Russian-style pierog. Reservations not necessary. See the Menu here.
Address: 105 Norman Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222
Cost: No cover, Items a la carte
Time: Thanksgiving Eve, 6pm
Highlights: Classy cocktails, Russian pierogi, No reservations
2) Greenpoint Beer and Ale Co. Mixing it up and staying in town this year? Greenpoint Beer and Ale is hosting their 5th Annual Orphans Thanksgiving. Their new kitchen resident, @maizeysundaytacos will be a making a spicy twist on the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. For $65, get fed the unorthodox turkey and wash it down with included beer and wine. Then join your new “Orphan” family as you replace football with a screening of cult favorite “This Is Spinal Tap” directed by Rob Reiner. Click here to buy tickets!
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 →
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!
In its 11th year, The Korean American Film Fest’s Infinite Cinema, headed up by Chung Tsang and Mark Anthony Singh, was held this past Saturday, October 14th in the Wythe Hotel Screening Room (80 Wythe Ave).
A passage on the fest’s website reads, “Embracing the motto of CONNECT. FUSE. REPEAT. KAFFNY Infinite Cinema challenges its audience to discard notions of cultures as separate, discrete and insular, instead exploring the infinite possibilities of contact, fusion, and creation born from the mixing of different backgrounds.”
True to that directive, KAFFNY’s collection of films, which crossed multiple genres and mediums, maintained an impressive cohesiveness in its focus on shared experience, exploring distinct cultural backgrounds within the global context. Cleverly divided into five thematic segments, the fest included 25 short films and two feature length films, as well as moderated panel discussions with many of the filmmakers and actors. Continue reading →
After the Fyre Festival of pizzas, Brooklyn is very close to reaching peak festival—but The Korean American Film Fest, now in its 11th year (so you know it’s legit), is happening this weekend in Williamsburg on Saturday, October 14th and it’s set to be a full day of fascinating and entertaining cultural talks and film screenings. From 1pm till midnight the fest will take over the Wythe Hotel Screening Room (80 Wythe Ave) and is digging into the topic of Infinite Culture through specific lenses: Food, Fashion, Worldwide Korean Connection, Migration, and Crazy, Rich Asian Americans (yes, that’s a real category!). In addition to screening 25 short films and 2 feature length films, the audience will also get the opportunities to engage in meaningful discussions with the filmmakers during moderated panel discussions. Plus free food samples following the food film screening at 1pm! Tickets are only $15 for the entire day, when you use the 50% off code WEB50.
Singer Magos Herrera and the musical ensemble during the third course FIRE, during Elements of Time + Taste at National Sawdust.
Earth, air, fire and water: the vital components that make up our living world were the inspiration for a special night at National Sawdust (80 N 6th St) last Thursday, where musicians collaborated with acclaimed chef Patrick Connolly of neighboring restaurant Rider and mixologist Allen Katz (NY Distilling Company) to compose an immersive performance harmonized with food and drink. The inventive evening included avant-garde music spanning several genres (jazz, electronic, folk, world), eclectic performers, and an exceptional food and cocktail pairing set in an informal salon atmosphere.
Before the show, National Sawdust.
National Sawdust is a beautifully designed black box theatre with acoustics that rival the Sydney Opera House. If you’ve been to NS more than once, you’ve likely experienced a variety of stage setups. The auditorium layout was designed to play a little Tetris, with the stage location and seating arrangement tailored to each performance and always sounding incredible no matter what the scenario. Last week’s show was no different; with tables and chairs arranged cabaret-style to face the stage and corn husks as our plates, the night had a casual vibe nestled in an intimate high-end venue. Continue reading →
Lydia Lunch performs, speaking about misogyny and today’s pessimistic world. Photo: Angelica Hill
Last Thursday, artistMartynka Wawrzyniak hosted “A Night of Experimental Jazz & Lydia Lunch” at the Park Church Co-Op (129 Russell Street) to support her McGolrick Park community art installation, Ziemia. Ziemia, when finished, will consist of a large ceramic orb made from soil from across the globe and placed in a carefully cultivated meadow in McGolrick Park, adjacent to Russell Street between Nassau Ave and Driggs Ave.
The Park Church Co-Op was dimly lit, the stage awash with red and blue light. Meditative electronic new-age music played as the image of Jesus on the crucifix centered on the back wall looked over the scene. It may not seem like the most likely venue for a night of experimental jazz, but Pastor Amy Kienzle remarked that this event was part of the church’s larger event series that supports community art. And with Wawrzyniak being such an enthusiastic member of the church she felt it was important to support. She added that the church “believes in art and it being spiritually beneficial.” Continue reading →
THURSDAY 4/12
Come join Chef Jake Eberle at “Wobble Before You Gobble” — a Thanksgiving Eve cocktail party! Cut loose a lil’ before heading out of town. They’ll have $6 aperitif specials, including house recipe Kir Royale and warm mulled wine. Chef Jake Eberle will also being serving some bites to nibble, like country pate and a French onion soup-filled Russian-style pierog. Reservations not necessary. See the Menu 
Mixing it up and staying in town this year? Greenpoint Beer and Ale is hosting their 5th Annual Orphans Thanksgiving. Their new kitchen resident, @maizeysundaytacos will be a making a spicy twist on the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. For $65, get fed the unorthodox turkey and wash it down with included beer and wine. Then join your new “Orphan” family as you replace football with a screening of cult favorite “This Is Spinal Tap” directed by Rob Reiner. 
