There’s a full menu of treats this week, so let’s get cracking:
Secret meating: Grub Street reports that the Meat Hook, Williamsburg’s celebrity butcher shop, has been secretly feeding a lucky few an all-you-can-eat Saturday brunch for $50. The unofficial meal arrangement has no set menu, but instead can meander between four and 12 courses. The arrangement is reservation-only, and good luck getting one. The last time we checked the next opening was in late May.
Squirrelly programming: Steven Rinella is from Brooklyn, but he’s famous for catching squirrels and sparrows in the urban wild and pairing them with fine wines. That skill earned him his own Travel Channel show that bows on Jan. 9 — and this show isn’t only about the exotic stuff. Sure, the first episode has him going after Alaskan black-tailed deer and Hawaiian wild octopus, but Rinella is smart enough to give viewers a real treat: the delicacy of delicacies, New York City pigeons.
Brooklyn Flea flees: The Brooklyn Flea’s Sunday location just got a whole lot Edgier. Though the venerable market will keep its Fort Greene location on Saturdays, it will make its Sunday home at the yet-to-be-developed third Edge condominium in Williamsburg.
Spicing up Smith: Just when you thought it was too chilly for chilies, Lost City reports that another Mexican joint is coming to town. The spot on the corner of Smith and Union streets that once housed Union Smith Cafe will reopen soon as contemporary Mexican restaurant, Diego. Here’s hoping they’ll be able to heat us out of this snow storm.
Out of Mode: Much lauded Williamsburg eatery Mode may have finally fallen out of fashion. Eater reports that the New York Commercial Real Estate Services has listed the location as for-sale on its website. What do we think might pop up? My vote is for another sushi restaurant, although some sources say it stick with its French/New American cuisine.
Waterfallen: We hear via Chowhound that the venerable Middle Eastern restaurant Waterfalls on Atlantic Avenue is under new management, and that the results have been, shall we say, sub-par?
Negreetings from Manhattan: You can make it there, but can you make it in Brooklyn? Our friends on Myrtle Avenue tell us that the owners of the popular Caribbean restaurant Negril are about to find out — they’ve signed the lease for a space near Ryerson Street in Clinton Hill. Let’s hope this Manhattan-to-Brooklyn trend continues — we just might never have to take the subway to visit a restaurant again!
Casking in the sunlight: Hopefully, the construction fences surrounding at the corner of Myrtle and Clinton avenues in Fort Greene don’t look too prohibiting, because they’re masking a soon-to-be Prohibition-era-style bar and restaurant, another tip from our Myrtle Avenue pals. The spot will feature fine beer and wines as well as special cask ales. We hear they’ve stripped the place down to its bare bones, exposing the original wallpaper (which they’ll hopefully clean before opening).
Happy at last: What’s better than bringing a much-needed happy hour to Fort Greene? How about adding on movie screenings, a pool league, and delicious drinks that feature root beer floats and pickled tomatillos? That’s just what the brand new Emerson, on Myrtle Avenue between Emerson Place and Classon Avenue in Clinton Hill, will be doing. With drinks such as “Sir Walter Scott” and the “Emerson,” it’s confirmed: this place just might be good enough to write poetry about.
Do-goodies: Sustainable Flatbush, the organization taxed making sure neighborhood residents have access to good and healthy food, is holding an all-day potluck on Jan. 16. Come for the delicious goodies, and who knows, if you stick around you just may end up doing some good.
