Cafe on Clinton chef Charlie Statelman may have changed his mind about opening a deli, but he came up with a better idea, instead. Statelman, who also runs Aussie-themed Williamsburg eatery Wombat, had previously planned to open “The Red Deli,” a specialty sundries shop, in a space next to his Clinton Street eatery, but GO Brooklyn has learned that the restaurateur has nixed the idea.
Additionally, Statelman has nabbed former Elote chef Marc Elliot to handle Cafe on Clinton’s lunch service. Elliot will be serving sandwiches and salads; what he called “fun lunch stuff.” Additionally, he will dish out “Mommy and Me” lunchboxes, to-go lunches with options for kids and adults that the crowd at nearby Cobble Hill Park will surely enjoy.
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In DUMBO, ReBar is revamping! Starting last month, the bi-level bar and coffee shop began offering a new dinner service headed by chef Lori D’Agostino, formerly of Park Slope’s Cocotte and Loulou in Fort Greene.
“We can give you the opportunity to have a beautiful meal that’s paired with a beautiful drink,” said owner Jason Stevens. “It’s the entire experience.”
The most popular menu item so far is the hanger steak, served with spinach and roasted potatoes, but Stevens’ personal favorite is the “crepes de mer,” filled with salmon, shrimp and mussels, and served in a white wine cream sauce.
ReBar will also introduce a lunch menu on June 16, which will be a pared-down version of the dinner menu.
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An Italian restaurant known for its lasagna might not be the first place you’d look for light summer fare, but at Fort Greene’s Epoca, the warm weather has inspired a new menu.
“For me, summer is fresh. It’s the beach. It’s drinking beer. It’s eating light, not too heavy,” said owner Rudy Accornero. Those tastes are reflected in Epoca’s new lineup, which features dishes that emphasize fruit and seafood and go light on the fat.
To make the summer even fresher, Accornero has added two tables to his outside patio, as well as free Wi-Fi for customers and a TV that he promises will be playing the European soccer cup later this month. Who needs a trip to Italy when you’ve got Epoca?
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Want a concert with that coffee?
Every Friday this summer, Red Hook patisserie Baked is hosting a live acoustic music show from 7 pm to 9 pm.
The series started on May 30, with Craig Snyder and North English, and will feature Little Million, from upstate New York, on June 13.
The atmosphere is “very laid back, very casual,” according to Baked manager Elizabeth Reitz. “We want people to stop by after [dinner] and listen to some good music and have a slice of cake and a coffee.”
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Earlier this week, gourmet Williamsburg pizzeria Baci & Abbracci launched its new summer cocktail menu, a perfect compliment to the restaurant’s summer patio, which just opened for the season. The cocktails are built around flavor-infused vodkas and feature drinks like rosemary vodka with tangerine juice, simple sugar syrup and freshly squeezed limejuice. But don’t forget about those pies! On Monday nights, the eatery is offering any one of its 20 Neapolitan pizzas for $9, and on Thursdays, it offers a four-course, $25 prix-fixe menu.
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The Brooklyn Hospital Founders Ball, to be held held on June 11 at Steiner Studios, will do more than raise money for a good cause, it will roll out some exciting food as well. The 23rd annual fundraiser will begin with a salad of roasted beets and oranges, move on to an entree of herb-crusted beef tenderloin with frizzled onions and a crisp chard-ricotta dumpling, and end with a divine-sounding ice cream sundae: chocolate and banana ice cream with a peanut praline terrine coated in chocolate-caramel ganache and served with warm banana compote.
We’re no fans of going to the hospital, but that sure sounds like it would cure anything that ails us.
Tickets start at $500. For information, call (718) 250-6514 or visit www.tbh.org.
