Verb Cafe (107 Nassau Ave) reopened in Greenpoint last month, a year and a half after the beloved Williamsburg location in the Girdle Factory closed in the summer of 2014 — replaced by, of all things, an artisanal soap shop.
Owner Cisco Rodriguez is committed to keeping the vibe of the old Verb while bringing in new ideas, inspired by both his personal vision and the feedback he gets from regulars in the new neighborhood.
When I walked into Verb Cafe to meet Cisco Rodriguez, the first thing he did was offer me a bowl of quinoa. He’s experimenting with bringing the ingredient to the menu, complete with accompaniments like avocado, grilled onion, hummus, and tomato. The second, third, and fourth things he did were greet each customer who walked in either by name or by noting a previous experience at the café.
Did you lose your wedding band on Nassau Avenue this past weekend? A Greenpointers reader found it and posted this ad on craigslist. We hope that it goes back to its rightful owner in time for Valentine’s Day!
The yellow Wasco car on a McGuiness rooftop has long been a Greenpoint landmark. But during the last two years the space below, previously used as an auto supply and motor works, has undergone an incredible transformation. Just before Christmas it was unveiled as Raizes Churrascaria (139 Nassau Ave), a Portuguese grill run by Lucia Corba.
The newest cafe to open up just east of the Nassau G-train is Cafe Pistachio (114 Nassau Ave). Owned and operated by a trio of food lovers trained in catering and culinary arts, this cafe is warm and its staff is inviting. Pistachio’s menu presents Turkish standards including açma (served best with a side of warm feta cheese), kumpirs and house-made yogurt. Though the savory food alone is worth a stop in, Cafe Pistachio also boasts a large assortment of house-made baked goods including sizable Madeleine cookies, chocolate truffles and a sinful Pistachio Dome. This seemingly modest dark chocolate half-sphere holds a rich pistachio mousse and is served on a gold foiled platter. Though Pistachio’s interior is less candlelight dining and more hey, let’s get a coffee, any Greenpoint gal or guy who brings a Dome—or at least suggests one—on a first date is sure to score points. And so does Pistachio for their charm and tasty treats.
I was 17 in the snow. It was the winter of 2004, new to college, and new to love. Who knew that I would get stuck in a Greenpoint apartment that winter rekindling a high school love? Beginning with a lost cellphone at the Royal Oak, to his bedroom in his loft apartment on Sutton, to Nassau Avenue, a little 1950’s diner we would call B’s on the corner of N Henry, and the swings in McGolrick park.
So to the Greenpointers who have fallin’ in love if once, if ever, if by chance, let’s scribe our loves into a poem.
And remember: we don’t just fall in love with people. Many of us fell in love, are still in love or fell out of love with Greenpoint.
Due February 10th @ 5pm, send us one of your poems, and let’s make this Valentine’s Day a brim to the hat to the nod toward love.
The winner, whose poem will be published on Greenpointers.com on the February 14th, will be a featured reader at Poetry Teachers NYC’s Monthly reading at Milk and Roses in February.
One last thing. Sometimes the best thing about falling in love is the story. Single or together this year, remember the place that landmarked your love.
Scoutmob is hosting my new Subway Wanderings series, a micro-travel guide of sorts, wherein I get on random MTA lines, get off random stops, and create a spontaneous visual itinerary of whatever happens to cross my path. I have to admit, I broke my own rules this week since the G to Nassau Avenue wasn’t exactly a serendipitous trip. But the G needs a ‘lil more lovin’ from the G-phobes and haters.
Good things can happen along the G! (Especially when you get off Greenpoint).
Update 8.4.11: The Brooklyn Paper reports they nabbed the suspect Felix Lagoa.
Studio Jewelry on Nassau Avenue was robbed early this afternoon and the owner, Richard Sanocki shot in the stomach by the thieves. Word is the owner will be ok. The robbers/shooters are still at large.
Today’s Groupon offers $20 for $40 worth of spa services at Jennifer’s Day Spa on 99 Nassau Ave. List of services here.
From the Groupon site: Jennifer’s Day Spa tasks itself with ensuring the comfort of its patrons, pampering them from head to cuticle with a wide array of services. 30-minute massages ($40) can wick away pent-up stress with patented Swedish techniques or delve into musculature with a sure-handed deep tissue massage, a modality designed to realign subdermal layers of muscular and connective tissue. A body scrub with sea salts accompanies each massage, further relaxing customers and earning them the olfactory love of mariners everywhere. Other spa services include 40-minute foot reflexology sessions with Chinese herbs ($40), waxing sessions for areas such as the lower leg ($20) or underarm ($10), and detail-oriented manicures ($10) and pedicures ($15).
I walk by this store front all the time but I’ve never gone for spa services in Brooklyn so I think I’ll try this one! Clicked ‘Buy’.
Back in January a reader emailed me about the closure of Manhattan Deli & Grocery and wondered what was to become of it. My darling pal Michelle texted me the answer – it appears that the place has re-opened and is being run by the folks behind Rachel’s Garden just down the street.
Featuring a fruit stand out front and a more gourmet spin with European brands and a deli counter.
Manhattan Deli & Grocery (to be renamed?)
82 Nassau Avenue
BIG props to local shop Fanaberie for having their dress (so cute!) and necklace featured on the cover of the latest issue of Time Out New York! Fanaberie was also designated runner-up in the Best New Indie Shop category.
Check them out now for yourself and mention TONY to get 20% off until May 1st.
Update: Another local shop, Vintage Modern, also took honors as winner in the Best For Home Goods category! Plus, they’re offering a 15% off discount through next weekend if you mention their TONY win.
Fanaberie
102A Nassau Ave between Eckford and Leonard Sts
From the Groupon site: Jennifer’s Day Spa tasks itself with ensuring the comfort of its patrons, pampering them from head to cuticle with a wide array of services. 30-minute massages ($40) can wick away pent-up stress with patented Swedish techniques or delve into musculature with a sure-handed deep tissue massage, a modality designed to realign subdermal layers of muscular and connective tissue. A body scrub with sea salts accompanies each massage, further relaxing customers and earning them the olfactory love of mariners everywhere. Other spa services include 40-minute foot reflexology sessions with Chinese herbs ($40), waxing sessions for areas such as the lower leg ($20) or underarm ($10), and detail-oriented manicures ($10) and pedicures ($15).
