Last week’s opening of Annicka (544 Manhattan Ave) made New York State history. The restaurant represents the first time one has opened under New York State’s farm brewery license. Officially operated by Greenpoint Beer & Ale, Annicka is a celebration of the North Brooklyn community. They’re working with local chefs, fostering a chill ‘no assholes’ environment, and there’s more than one local artist on the walls. And the vegetable-heavy menu (there is meat!) is a welcome change from all the comfort food spots opening up all over the neighborhood.
The farm brewery license allows a New York State brewery to operate a restaurant in a different location than the actual brewery and to serve beer by the glass at that restaurant sans a separate license. This is why every tap at Annicka is something from Greenpoint Beer i.e. you don’t have to walk all the way over to the brewery to enjoy a few. As for the food, Greenpoint Beer is collaborating with North Brooklyn Farms as well as Christian Perkins, a former Marlow & Daughters butcher, and Emma Jane Gonzalez, a vegan. Continue reading →
With the expansion of the compost program to Greenpoint last year, it became easier than ever to send our food waste to the fertilizer lot, instead of to the landfill.
This was a majorly positive step. But as I collected my scraps each week, I suddenly became acutely aware of just how much of the food I bought ended up as waste in the bin.
Was this actually consciousness, or was I just going through the motions? I set out to find ways to incorporate these misunderstood ingredients into my meals, and subsequently ended up putting together some of my favorite recipes.
This golden beet dish is tangy yet sweet, and is perfect as a both a main or side dish. Best of all, it uses the entire plant, which means no more tragically forsaken greens.
Stew served with a side of blue corn chips for dipping.
Slow cooker veggie stews top my list of minimal effort, maximum nutrient recipes. Not to mention they are extremely delicious.
This one uses seven different vegetables with a focus on the roots, including my personal favorite, rutabaga. Rutabaga is the child of turnip and cabbage, and when cooked, it is sweet and savory with the texture of a potato. (Turnip and cabbage are also in this stew, because who am I to separate a family?) I have found rutabaga at the McCarren Park Greenmarket recently, and it is always available at the Union Square Greenmarket.
I use arrowroot powder to thicken my stews as a healthier alternative to corn starch. It is flavorless and very nutritious.
After a lazy afternoon at the McGolrick Farmers Market, I was considering heading to Little Dokebi and ordering bibimbap, but I decided to see what was around.
Yelp prodded me with its four and a half stars for Vietnamese café Nha Minh, promising “flavorful (and abundant) rice bowls, crisp tasty sandwiches, early breakfast, beer/wine.” Yelp promised both “rotating art shows” and “rotating vegetables.” I’ll never say you never did anything good for me, Yelp. Continue reading →
From 11:30 p.m. until close, Greenpoint Heights, with its spacious, summery backyard, has got you covered for greasy late night bar food snacks. When you’re hungry late at night, drunkenly consult your Google Maps and stumble past McGolrick on your way to this most relaxed of backyards.
Here at Greenpoint Heights, under the light of the full moon, when you are howling for grease and fat, you will find our friend the wing. The wing, which has given sustenance to many a poor sports fan, graduate student and food-is-an-afterthought barfly, is basically required at any neighborhood bar. Greenpoint Heights’ buffalo wings are $6.00 for half a dozen and $12.00 for a dozen. During happy hour, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. every day, wings are half-off, at 50 cents apiece. Continue reading →
Black Flamingo may appear to be all about the vibe, with its splashy seventies-in-Florida décor and stylish downstairs dance club that feels like a Norwegian sauna accidentally fell into a Dan Flavin installation. The space was designed by Hecho Inc., who worked on The Box, Stanton Social, Beauty & Essex, Speedy Romeo, Baby’s All Right, and these dumpster pools.
But the latest from David Shapiro and Etan Fraiman of Battery Harris (another destination restaurant where you can while away your evening hours and dollars in a beautiful tropical environment) is all about the food and the drinks, so far. The hordes of dance mobs have yet to descend.
“Wow,” someone said as I waited in line on opening day. “I’m not even a vegetarian, but there’s definitely way too much bacon in this area. This is a relief.”
Jungle Cafe (996 Manhattan Ave) is certainly a relief for the vegetarians and vegans of North Brooklyn. But fortunately it’s also incredibly delicious and so comes as a welcome addition to the rest of us as well. Continue reading →
Have you been thinking of cutting down on your meat intake but not sure where to start? Been trying to cut out dairy but feel too limited in your options? A great new local event could help set you on the right track.
Eat Green in Greenpoint is a vegan awareness day for Greenpoint hosted by Veg Corp (of the NY Vegetarian Food Festival) and will take place on Saturday 21st June between 9am-8pm. Continue reading →
Whenever we have friends in town, the weekend usually starts with a hearty Greenpoint brunch to show off the neighborhood. And although there’s been endless new places opening up recently, when it comes to wowing visitors we often end up leaning on old classics for great food and reliable service
In this most recent Veggie Burgers Diaries, we visited Jimmy’s Diner on Franklin St. There aren’t a ton of lunch options in the area, so we figured we’d give it a shot and try the Black Bean Burger. Plus Gina and I had some talking to do about moving into a new space – an exciting but mentally draining ordeal for my brain. Continue reading →
