Lots of news and gossip to share, so grab a bib and get reading:
Moonshiners no longer: Kings County Distillery, which clocks in as the city’s oldest operating whiskey distillery thanks to its whopping eight-month-old license, is moving up a grade. Though the company has been offering Moonshine for a while, the booze maker is about to release its first batch of two-year-old bourbon. Stay tuned!
Dinner with the band, minus the band: Looks like the creators of ultra-hip IFC cooking show, “Dinner With the Band,” will soon be bringing the dinner, sans band, to you. Finger on the Pulse is partnering with the show’s tattooed chef himself, Sam Mason, for a more personalized dinner party in a private loft in Brooklyn. At $150 a head, tickets to this dinner are significantly more expensive than sitting at home and watching the show on TV. But on the plus side, at this dinner you’ll actually get to taste the food.
Artichoke gets Smartie-choke: Fans of the ultra-decadent pizza spot Artichoke will have to travel one less stop on the L train to get their fix. Eater suggests that the gourmet pizzeria is scouting out locations in a number of new locations for an expansion, including one in Williamsburg.
Good food, good cause: This summer, Conuco Farm and Evolutionary Organics, a staple at the Fort Greene farmer’s market, was hit by a devastating fire. The farm is now asking Brooklynites to help it rebuild, in exchange for dinner, of course. The company will hold two fundraisers this month, one at Park Slope’s Palo Santo Restaurant, and another at Fort Greene’s Ici. Who knew great food could do so much good?
Eastward bound: This week, we’re welcoming newbie store Eastern District to Greenpoint. The store features all local and regional cheeses, beers, and other specialty goods. Run by fourth-generation Greenpointer Beth Lewand and her husband Chris Gray, this store isn’t just a home-grown goods purveyor, but a full-on home-grown business.
More pizza for Slope? It looks like the new Pete’s Pizzeria Bar is about to open on Fifth Avenue between First and Second streets, joining a number of other pizzerias in the area. Here in Park Slope reports that Pete’s will sport a wood-burning oven and dark wood bar. Classy!
Soi-what?: For those Park Slopers wondering what was happening with the spot on Sixth Avenue that used to house Magnolia, wonder no more. The folks behind catering company Soinge will soon be opening a full restaurant in the shuttered, cursed space. Expect seasonal, American fare and prices higher than Magnolia’s.
Mix-and-match mac: Ever wished you could eat nothing but macaroni and cheese? Greenpointers will get to consider that tantalizing question, thanks to Brooklyn Mac, the new takeout spot on Norman Avenue, which will not only be serving all mac all the time, but even lets customers mix and match ingredients to make their own combinations. And just in case all that cheesy goodness leaves you feeling too unhealthy, never fear: Brooklyn Mac will also be serving take-out salads, according to our friends at Greenpoint News.
Winning ’wiches: Sydney Wayman, winner of the Brooklyn Public Library’s PowerUP! business plan competition in 2005, is finally opening his “Syd’s Serious Sandwich Shop” on Dec. 15 on Nostrand Avenue. This shop sounds like it’ll be seriously delicious, serving Philly cheesesteaks and other sandwiches that Syd ate during childhood. We even hear that the borough president — call him Marty Markowich for the day — will be at the shop’s ribbon-cutting!
Saved by the rotisserie?: The doomed former home to restaurants F. Martinella and Danny’s on Court Street just may have met its saviour — in the form of rotisserie chicken! An outpost of the Downtown Peruvian chicken joint Tio Pio will open at the corner of State Street. We hope it lasts — the two restaurants that formerly held that space each lasted for less than a year.
Broken English, breaking records?: Looks like Broken English, the new Italian spot on Bergen Street between Court and Smith streets in Cobble Hill, might be breaking more than just a language. We hear the spot was packed for brunch this weekend, and that patrons could barely get a seat.
