Got gossip? We’re talking pizza and pastrami, chocolate and croquetas, and a Fort Greene menu with Brooklyn attitude to spare.
Here comes the pie: Bushwick pizza haven, Roberta’s, may be expanding — and we’re not talking about pop-ups in Manhattan. The wood-burning resto has applied for an alteration to the property right next door to its Moore Street space — and although reps are remaining mum on specifics for now, we hear that the extra footage will most likely be used for special events and weddings. Who wouldn’t want a Purple Rain, Banana Hammock or Axl Rosenburg pizza on his or her Big Day — and in the heart of industrial Bushwick, no less?
Raising the bar: In other pedigreed pizza news, Paulie Gee’s alum Jon Greenberg is taking his own stab at thin-crust infamy with Barboncino, a new rustic Italian spot in Crown Heights. According to Time Out NY, his partner in pie is indie filmmaker Ron Brown (“Consent,” “A Perfect Fit”), who apprenticed with the famed Stefano Ferrara family in Naples to prepare for his delicious new gig.
Death by chocolate: Chiles & Chocolate — an Oaxacan restaurant on Seventh Avenue in Park Slope — has been all over our gossip column in the last few months, and it’s had nothing to do with food. First, it traded spaces with the Indian eatery, Amin. Then, it announced plans to open an additional outpost in Manhattan. Now comes word from Here’s Park Slope that the Brooklyn location has closed due to the restaurant’s inability to pay $15,000 a month in rent. It’s not too bitter a (chocolate) pill to swallow — mole negro still flows freely at the new Chelsea spot.
Baguetteaboidit! That’s more than just a catchy gossip caption, it’s the honest-to-goodness name of a Paris-by-way-of Brooklyn bakery and café on Vanderbilt Avenue in Fort Greene. Phun with phonics continues on the exhaustive menu, with fresh baked goodz, “deez, doze, and dat,” (soups and salads, naturally), “bruchetta-boudit,” and, of course, a special “ba-kid-abboudit” section for the tykes. Hey, Baguetteaboidit, Marty Markowitz called — he wants his shtick back!
Up on the roof: You can’t walk down Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint without noticing the car parked atop the roof of the old Wasko garage — but soon there will actually be a reason to go inside. The space is about to be converted into a casual seafood restaurant — and although we shudder to think how it fits in with the new concept — the eye-catching car isn’t going anywhere.
Logan’s run: The recently opened Logan’s Restaurant and Lounge in Bay Ridge has finally brought a little flavor to the 70th Street and Third Avenue space last occupied by the underwhelming eatery, Water Grill. Better yet, it’s Latin food — which is otherwise unrepresented on the neighborhood’s restaurant row. Better yet, the chef is Ralpheal Abrahante, last seen at Thalassa, an esteemed Mediterranean fine-dining spot in Tribeca. Viva la vida Logan!
Off the hook: No need for Red Hook residents to travel miles for a great corned beef sandwich — Grub Street reports that the meat mavens at Mile End are moving their production facility from Gowanus into a 7,000-square-foot waterfront space on the Red Hook pier. Best of all, plans include a small retail shop that will peddle pickles, breads, and of course, Mile End meat by the pound. Owner Noah Bernamoff aims to be up and running by the “holiday season,” although time will tell whether that means Hanukah, Passover, or Tu B’Shevat.
