With summer heating up, it’s been a busy fortnight for Brooklyn’s foodie scene. Here are our tastiest tidbits of restaurant openings, closings, and of course, gossip:
• Uncooked in Park Slope: Not digging the lines at the Park Slope Food Co-op? Instead, now you can head across the street to Lucas Fine Foods, a new prepared foods spot peddling seasonal meals, boxed lunches for kids and Balthazar pastries, among other things. Just think, you could never cook dinner again.
• Caribbean for the Slope: Two islands merge at the newly opened El Sitio Boriquen on Fifth Avenue and Fourth Street, where the flavors of the Caribbean come with a New York twist. Head to the casual eatery to sample edibles like a guava cheesecake and sofrito marinated fried chicken.
• North Brooklyn rising: It’s been an eventful few weeks in North Brooklyn. Night of Joy opened, bringing to Meeker Avenue botanical cocktails and a soon-to-come roof patio. Williamsburg slice joint Carmines opened its second outpost, Carmines II, on Union Avenue in Greenpoint. Meanwhile, over in Williamsburg, East Village hot dog phenomenon Crif Dogs will be crossing the water, and the folks behind the Anytime Café are set to open a new café called House of Small Wonder on Skillman.
• On the Hill: Over in Boerum Hill, the five-year-old New Orleans-style Stan’s Place on Atlantic and Bond is reopening as Rothschild’s, but if you loved the menu, fret not. The restaurant will be under the same ownership with many of the same items. Just down the street, a new diner called Danny’s has replaced the short-lived F. Martinella on Court Street, though early diners are not exactly gushing about the place.
• The Java Revolution: It appears the next chapter in Brooklyn’s gourmet coffee revolution is mobile, bicycle-powered coffee stands. Earlier this month, Kickstand debuted at McCarren Park, bringing Williamsburg it’s first collapsible coffee stall, wheeled around every weekend on a pair of salvaged bikes. The stall even features a pour over coffee bar, where drip coffee from purveyors like Cafe Grumpy and Stumptown is made one cup at time, which is huge in San Francisco.
• Holy Smoke: Next month, Brooklyn Smoke House will bring barbecue under the open sky to the Aviator Sports Complex at Floyd Bennett Field. Look for ’cue classics such as Texas-style brisket and beer-can chicken.
• Egyptian for Ditmas Park: Walk like an Egyptian over to Cortelyou Road, where Qathra, an espresso bar serving Egyptian food alongside Crop to Cup coffee, is set to open shortly in the old Super Deli space. We hear there will even be a Hario pour-over coffee bar.
