January 19, 2008: Vol. 31, No. 3

There was nothing sweet about the Department of Health’s raid on Fort Greene cake shop Cake Man Raven (708A Fulton St. at Greene Avenue) on the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 9. Two health inspectors came to the shop and began issuing citations for infractions that the Cake Man — who’s also known as Raven Patrick De Sean Dennis III — claimed were trumped up.

The shop reopened on the evening of Friday, Jan. 11.

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GO Brooklyn was crushed when one of our favorite local coffee shops Uncommon Grounds (50 Henry St. at Cranberry Street in Brooklyn Heights) closed for renovations, but just this month it came back to life as The Wine Bar at 50 Henry Street. The space has had a complete makeover and a full bar has been installed along with a matching liquor license, impressive wine list and a chef formerly of Mario Batali’s Babbo behind the stove.

“My focus was that this is a neighborhood — it’s not transient like Midtown — and I really want the focus to be on opening a casual place with really good wine,” manager Amanda Green told GO Brooklyn. “We’re not trying to be a restaurant, just a wine bar with small plates.”

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Sure, it’s the middle of January, but that’s no reason not to enjoy Endless Summer, the new taco truck that’s parked on the corner of Bedford Avenue and North Seventh Street in Williamsburg. Selling tacos, burritos and glass bottles of soda, the truck reminds GO Brooklyn of the trucks that line streets of Los Angeles, but at $2.50 for a chicken, beef or pork taco, and $6 for a burrito — vegetarian types can get seitan — you can get the same taste without the prohibitive cost of airfare.

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Around the corner, the fabled breakfast spot Egg (135A N. Fifth St. at Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg) has started serving dinner from 6 pm to 10 pm Thursday through Sunday. Egg owner George Weld serves deviled eggs, country ham and cheeses, kale and dumpling soup, braised duck leg with veggies, and fried oysters — and he can’t wait to see where the restaurant’s new hours take it.

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Down in Cobble Hill, top-notch chef Charlie Statelman (Wombat, Patois, Cafe on Clinton) is taking another bite out of the borough’s dining scene. Come February, Statelman will open Red Deli, an upscale sundries shop next door to Cafe on Clinton (268 Clinton St. at Warren Street in Cobble Hill).

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In boozier news, on Tuesday, Jan. 22, Bar Great Harry (280 Smith St. at Sackett Street in Carroll Gardens) will be hosting “Extreme Beer and Cheese,” a six-beer-and–cheese tasting sponsored by Stinky Bklyn cheese shop and Dogfish Head Ale.

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And in Downtown Brooklyn, the New York City College of Technology is investing to keep their students plugged in…with coffee.

On Jan. 18, the school was scheduled to hold a ribbon cutting ceremony for the City Tech Bookstore and Cafe (259 Adams St. at Tillary Street), giving students and nearby workers another place to refuel.

“Now there will be a place for students and the general public to relax and unwind right on Adams Street during the day and in the evening,” store manager Melissa White said. “We will do our best to exceed our customer’s expectations.”

©2008 The Brooklyn Paper