The skinny on Brooklyn’s opening, closing and restaurant rumors:
• It looks like the veritable food desert surrounding Metrotech may soon get an oasis: a new restaurant appears to be coming to Bridgeview Tower at 189 Bridge St. There are tables and chairs set up, though no word on what it will be or when it will open.
• White wine, red ink: Rumor has it that Park Slope eatery Bussaco may be headed for the shutter after the departure of chef Katy Sparks three months back. A tipster told food blog Eater that sales have plummeted in recent months and employee paychecks have bounced. The restaurant did not return a call. (Story has been significantly updated here.)
• Heaven and ‘Hell’: Bearnaise bastard Gordon Ramsay of “Hell’s Kitchen” fame may be a jerk in the kitchen, but after he and his team raked Clinton Hill Cuban eatery Mojito over the coals for his reality show, “Kitchen Nightmares,” which aired last week, the restaurant saw a 30-percent uptick in business, our source said.
• Second ‘Nature’: Bay Ridge health food café Nature’s Grill finally opened the second outpost of its hearty take-out fare on Court Street between Atlantic and Pacific after months of delay. Expect a menu chock full of items like salad, wraps and protein shakes.
• A la ‘Mode’: A new French Bistro called Mode opened shop at 116 N. Berry Street in Williamsburg. Yelpers gave it high praise, calling it the “best French on Bedford,” but given the recent Yelp extortion case, who knows if this is even French food at all?
• Under construction: Lighthouse, a new Mediterranean restaurant in Williamsburg from the Macao and Employees Only team, will feature light fare, an oyster bar and lots of pickles; Golden Pan, a new organic crepe spot on Front Street at Pearl Street in DUMBO, put a sign in the window that said it will open “soon.”
• More brick oven for Brooklyn: The borough will have yet another pizza option when newcomer Il Cuntuccio opens in the old Uncle Louie G’s ice cream store on Smith and Ninth Streets. No word on the opening date as of yet. But Uncle Louie is planning to place its stake Van Brunt and Coffey street in Red Hook this spring.
• Fair trade winds: Guilt-free java is coming to Atlantic Avenue at 139 @tlantic, which will offer “fair trade coffee, live entertainment and interesting furniture,” according to a sign in the window of the Boerum Hill shop.
