Step out onto Franklin Street on a Monday at noon, and Greenpoint is a world away from its bustling Saturday afternoon self. Local business owners, freelancers, dog walkers and babysitters are out buying a loaf of bread, taking a stroll, and often, looking for a delicious new lunch spot to break up the work day.
North Greenpoint offers an exciting range of options for lunching, laptopping and loafing. In our three-part series, The Lunch Counter, we’ll guide you through the lunch options for the north, south and east sides of our rather large neighborhood.
Whether you’re looking for a creative sandwich, a quick slice, a seafood special or a comfortable spot to linger over coffee, you can truly eat (or drink) your heart out at midday in northern Greenpoint. Continue reading →
Even our gondoliers have hats and facial hair. (Image courtesy of The Diamond)
Valentine’s Day is on a Sunday this year. Sunday is so much more relaxed than Saturday — no one is pregaming for anything, rushing to get to the theatre, or frantically texting friends to finalize their plans for “the best night of our lives.”
If you’re like most of the Greenpoint population, you’re so over the #WeekendWarrior. So why not apply that laidback Sunday philosophy to this year’s Valentine’s Day or Galentine’s Day, and keep it in the neighborhood?
Here are some of the spots offering Valentine’s specials in Greenpoint and Williamsburg this year. Some specials run all weekend and some prix fixes are only on V-day. Continue reading →
There are few pleasures in life greater than rounding off the working day with a well- earned beverage at your favorite bar. And when that beverage costs next to nothing, the pleasure is even greater, which is why happy hour is pretty much always the best time of day.
We’ve rounded up a list of practically every happy hour in Greenpoint for you to work through at your leisure. From $2.50 wine at Boulevard Tavern to ‘bottomless champagne’ at Le Gamin, we reckon we’ve got everyone covered!
Key to happiness:
☺ – Extra Happy Value
★ – Food Deals
♥ – Editor’s Picks
Achilles Heel 180 West Street (At Green St.) Weekdays 4pm-7pm
– $5 drafts
– $8 glass of wine
– $9 cocktail (seasonal classics)
– $12 for 6 oysters
★♥ Alameda 195 Franklin Street (at Green St.) Weekdays & Sundays 5pm-7pm
– $5 prosecco/cortada margarita/draught beer
– $7 tequila shot and 1/2 pint of beer
– $11 Boquerone & tomato toast with a vermouth & club soda
– $12 Burger and 1/2 pint of beer
★♥Adelina’s 159 Greenpoint Avenue (between Leonard St. and Manhattan Ave.) Weekdays 5pm-7pm
– $5 craft beer pints
– $8 quartinos of organic sangiovese, pinot grigio & prosecco
– Glass of organic sangiovese, pinot grigio or prosecco with olive bowl: $9
– Glass of organic sangiovese, pinot grigio or prosecco with cheese plate: $17
– Craft beer pint & “The Original” pizza fritta: $15
Beloved 674 Manhattan Avenue (between Norman Ave. and Nassau Ave.) Daily 5pm-8pm
– $8 house cocktails (+ daily cocktail special is $8 all night) Continue reading →
If you came to our fabulous Valentine’s Market yesterday you’ll be well aware that the annual celebration of love etc. is fast approaching. And the fact that it falls on a Saturday this year means that it’s even harder than usual to opt out by ‘working late’.
In case you’re in line for a romantic dinner à deux (or trois, or dix), here’s a run down on some of Greenpoint’s finest who’re laying on special menus for the occasion (as well as their usual fare):
Adelina’s (159 Greenpoint Ave)
Greenpoint’s coziest Italian is offering a four-course prix-fixe for $60 with seatings at 7pm and 9pm. Highlights include:
-Burrata, prosciutto, balsamic fig jam and mint
-Pollo al limone: Free range chicken breast with lemon & red onion puree
-Chocolate hazelnut mousse
Reservations:info@adelinasbk.com / 347-763-0152
*** They also have some very beautiful, affordable flower arrangements available for pre- order ($25-$60)***
Esme(999 Manhattan Avenue)
Esme are marking their first V-day celebrations with a three-course modern American menu for $55 (+ $25 wine pairing) Highlights include:
-Beef carpaccio, mustard greens, purple mustard, pecorino
-Red snapper, lobster, celery root, lemon
-Dark chocolate, pistachio, cherries Reservations: hello@esmebk.com Continue reading →
Halloween Bash NEW VENUE! @ A.K.A. Bar (759 Grand St) Friday, October 31st , 10pm, $10–$20, Buy tix For two nights, party with no rules. No club dress code. No small, packed space. Just GOOD vibes (and even better music). Costume contest, music from DJ X5Rob and DJ Danny, plus half price on selected draft beers from 9–10pm. Get your tickets now!
WEDNESDAY 10/29 * Bon Voyage Party @ Sunview Luncheonette (221 Nassau Ave) 7pm, FREE, An evening to honor Colette Lumiére and experience a mise-en-sceéne inspired by her incomparable installations, More info
* Obscura Society Presents New York City Bodysnatchers @ Acme Studio (63 North 3rd) 8pm, $20, Author Bess Lovejoy discusses the city’s early medical industry, cadavers, and a controversial past, Buy tix ♫ Ho_sacalypse @ The Ho_se (28 Lawton St) 8pm, FREE, With O’ Great North / Kneeling Bus / BRAT PIT / Florida / lots more, RSVP
Lady & West is a duo of Greenpointers Jennifer Billiot and Kirk Garrett. It is a beautiful artistic union that has produced a very good debut album called Bright Soul. I enjoy it and I enjoyed even more the chance to hear about the synergy of love and shared creative passion that led Jennifer and Kirk to make the album. Their story is an inspiration on many levels and they are yet another example of the interesting, kind people that call our wonderful neighborhood home. Continue reading →
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin Welcomes you to dine at Le Gamin
There lived a certain man in Russia long ago He was big and strong, in his eyes a flaming glow.
In tribute to Russia’s greatest love machine, this Monday 4/7 Greenpoint’s Le Gamin will be hosting a splendid three course buffet-style dinner complete with vodka toasts for $30 per person. Continue reading →
Wining and dining in a romantic french cafe, is every girl’s fantasy. Guys, whisk your lady off to a lovely dinner at Greenpoint’s Le Gamin and let the authentic casual French ambiance make this the best Valentine’s dinner she has ever had (until you can actually take her to France!).
Valentine’s Day Prix Fixe Menu $49/person
Appetizers
Pan-seared Duck Foie Gras with port wine & black truffle lentil stew
Smoked Ahi Tuna Carpaccio with mache & cucumber salad and bourbon barrel-aged sauce
An excellent espresso is a cafe’s best business card. On Sunday October 2, 2011, Rebecca from I love Greenpoint, Mike & Charlie from Brooklynauts and I tasted a total of 19 espressos from every cafe* in Greenpoint in order to determine the champion of the Greenpointers 2011 Espresso Tour. The density of outstanding espressos in this neighborhood was impressive and made the tour difficult to judge, but we have a winner!
Each cafe was notified and generously donated 3 espressos. We judged using the following score sheet adapted from the World Barista Championship:
TASTE EVALUATION OF ESPRESSO:
• COLOR OF CREMA (hazelnut, dark brown, reddish reflection) 0/10 ___
• CONSISTENCY & PERSISTENCE OF CREMA* 0/10 ___
• TASTE BALANCE (harmonious balance of sweet/acidic/bitter) 0/10 ___
• TACTILE BALANCE (full bodied, round, smooth) 0/10 ___
• TEMPERATURE** (hot but not too hot to drink) 0/10 ___
0/50 ___
BEVERAGE PRESENTATION:
• CORRECT ESPRESSO CUPS USED (60-90mL w/handle) YES/NO
• SERVED WITH ACCESSORIES (spoon, napkin & water) YES/NO
/2 ___
After judges’ individual scores were added, the highest possible score was 156. Results ranged between 97-142. (Only the top 3 scores are revealed.)
*We were unable to contact Ashbox and the cafe was closed on Sunday.
A month after their “super soft opening“, Le Gamin is in full function mode with giant printed menus, sun-lit dining area, beautifully blooming flowers, a chalkboard with drinks and a most friendly staff. I briefly met with Robert, owner of Le Gamin in all its past and present existences. The handful of times I’ve dined at this casual breezy french creperie I was consistently greeted with an awesome friendly staff and some savory deliciousness. If you try only one crepe in your life I highly recommend ordering the merguez and goat cheese crepe. The chewy, slightly spicy saltiness of the sausage combined with the creamy, tarty smoothness of the cheese wrapped in slightly crisped crepe is phenomenal. And considering I’ve be life-long obsessed with nutella, the sweet crepe with strawberries and bananas topped with whip cream is straight up off the hook.
I blame Le Gamin for my fascination with merguez, a spicy lamb sausage, and pictured above is the sandwich with dijon mustard and ratatouille with a side of salad. I’ll admit it was a bit too mustardy, especially as the salad too, was lathered in a mustard dressing. But the baguette was fresh and the meat oh so fulfilling.
I happily look forward to going back there over and over again, seeing how they’ll decorate their empty lemony walls and check out their full dinner menu.
