Bullet Mouth is Greenpointers’ new advice column, here to answer your questions on life’s many vexing issues.
Raise a glass to living within your means.
Dear Bullet Mouth: I have a group of friends who love to go out to dinner and out to bars all the time, which is great, as I love to socialize and be out on the town too. The problem is, lately I’ve been a little on the broke side and can’t afford the same lifestyle. I want to see people and be involved, but how do I avoid forking over serious cash every night? —Cash-Strapped on Calyer
Dear Cash-Strapped on Calyer: Everyone I know has this problem. Like you, they either can’t afford night-after-night out or, if they can, feel guilty about it because they should be saving more or engaging in healthier activities. You are absolutely not a special snowflake in this regard.
Bourbon Springs is serving some of the best bourbon cocktails in New York
If you haven’t been to vibrant Graham Avenue on the border of Williamsburg and Greenpoint yet, I present to you the perfect reason to explore this part of town. Named after a communal trout fishing lodge that her grandfather founded in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Emily Casey’s Bourbon Springs somehow captures the familiarity of a little restaurant in the south, but with the all the culinary chops necessary to survive New York’s competitive restaurant scene. The Cajun-inspired menu is sure to satisfy and the bar happens to make some of the best craft cocktails in the city. The interior is pleasant and charming; small enough to feel welcoming yet with table spacing optimized for conversation. Bourbon Springs also enjoys a quaint backyard complete with picnic tables surrounded by planters overflowing with herbs, tomatoes, and blueberries. On Sunday evenings, they offer seasonal all-you-can-eat seafood boils, currently featuring crab and shrimp.
Beautiful back courtyard at Baoburg’s new home in Greenpoint
Get excited, Greenpointers— your walk to some seriously delicious Asian fusion just got shorter. Baoburg has moved to our very own stretch of Manhattan Avenue (between Nassau and Driggs). Chef Suchanan Aksornnan (aka Chef Bao Bao) had been delighting patrons in Williamsburg since 2013, but was forced to move her restaurant as a result of Thor Equities’ new mixed-use building. The menu is inspired by a variety of Asian cuisines with some nods to Spanish and French cooking as well. The interior of the new location at is still quite small, but Baoburg gained a beautiful back courtyard in its new home. I recommend walking straight to this oasis to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and brick facades of the outdoor space you wish was your own. Continue reading →
I remember the time that I first noticed Polka Dot. I was walking down Manhattan Avenue, undoubtedly heading toward Peter Pan to satisfy my apple crumb donut addiction. Thankfully, I spotted the happy script across the street that was this little Polish cafe’s new sign. Many of you may not know that Polka Dot is in fact the reimagining of what was once the Polski Meat Market. Opened in 1996 by Marzena Parys and her husband, it’s evolved with the neighborhood into the gem that it is today. Continue reading →
Last week, the owners of the James Beard award-winning cocktail bar Maison Premiere, Joshua Boissy and Krystof Zizka, opened their new restaurant opposite McCarren Park, Sauvage (on the corner of Lorimer Street & Nassau Avenue/Bedford Avenue). With this new project came a full kitchen allowing the restaurateurs to expand their menu offerings in the gorgeously renovated space. The interior evokes a French Art Nouveau cafe with many decor pieces supplied by local artisans and the food thoughtfully balances old and new sensibilities. Continue reading →
Last summer, Greenpointers could be seen peering into the windows of Naked Dog, trying to guess when it would open. The restaurant been serving up delicious pastas to the neighborhood for several months now, but they’ve just started serving brunch, and it’s definitely crave-worthy and a little different from your usual brunch.
Owner Cecilia Di Paola is a wonderful, welcoming host and the kind of person you want to sit at the bar and chat with. Pop in to say hello to our new(ish) neighbor and dine in the beautifully-decorated, light-filled space this weekend.
Lobster Joint’s beer garden (courtesy their Facebook page)
Greenpoint (and pretty much all of NYC) will be experiencing record breaking temps of almost 70 degrees over the next two days. It’s March, people. Are you ready to strip off those coats? Here are some of our favorite outdoor spots in Greenpoint where you can soak up some of that good ol’ Vitamin E.
Lobster Joint – 1073 Manhattan Ave. Open from noon every day, they’ve got a lovely New Englandy open air beer garden in the back of their seafood restaurant. Grub on a lobster roll and chill out with a beer.
When 12 year neighborhood staple The Mark Bar shuttered and signs of construction began, many were sad. But really, there’s no reason to be sad. The former owners of The Mark Bar (also of The Lobster Joint), Bob Levitt and Tommy Chabrowski, are now the owners of a great new restaurant, Whiskey Burger.
Levitt and Chabowski knew they needed to give The Mark Bar an upgrade. After much thinking, they decided to pursue a 12 year dream of opening a whiskey & burger restaurant. The menu is focused on different types of burgers, fries, sides, and salads. Good whiskeys, beer, wine, and an interesting selection of cocktails are on the menu for drinks. Continue reading →
The annual afternoon of tastings will take place on Sunday September 13th in the East River Skate Park and will feature generous appetizer-sized samples from over 40 of the area’s best restaurants, bars, and breweries.
This year Greenpoint is represented by the likes of Anella, Bakeri, Champs, Le Fond, No Name bar and ice cream dream team Phin & Phebes. Meanwhile Williamsburg will have stalls from Maison Premiere, Oddfellows, Pies & Thighs and many more. All these tasty treats will be accompanied by live music and, no doubt, hot hot sunshine, making it the perfect way to eke out summer that little bit longer. Continue reading →
This week, we’re introducing you to a new food series called Drunkpointers, which highlights the after-ten p.m. eats you can get in Greenpoint when you’re drunk and hungry. First stop: Jimmy’s Diner
The thing is, you think you want pizza when you’re drunk, right? And you do. But give your drunk stomach a little variety sometimes. A sandwich will help soak up the (admittedly delicious and seemingly innocuous) lethal tequila-watermelon punch you just gulped down at Broken Land. And maybe what you really need is some protein so you don’t pass out (at least, for an hour). Continue reading →
