The folks of Brooklyn Brew Shop and The Double Windsor are teaming up to test your knowledge of craft beer trivia this Sunday, March 14th for the chance to win free beer brewing kits, black and tan pouring spoons, and naturally drinking craft versions of the Black & Tan favorite. St. Patrick’s Day isn’t traditionally a gift-giving holiday, but there’s nothing untraditional about treating yourself to a few libations.

The Brooklyn Brew Shop crew will be stationed at The Double Windsor (210 Prospect Park West, Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn) from 7-9pm hosting beer trivia and giving away free 1-gallon homebrew kits complete with Black & Tan, Grapefruit Honey Ale, and the new juniper and coriander spiced “Bel-Gin” Strong.

Give a man a beer and he will drink for about twelve minutes. Teach him to brew and his taste buds, wallet and friends will thank you.

Brooklyn Brew Shop was created in 2008 by Stephen Valand and Erica Shea to help city dwellers brew better beer in smaller apartments using 1-gallon brewing kits that take up less than 1 square foot of space. Their apartment-sized and 5-gallon kits can be found at The Brooklyn Flea, Whole Foods on the Bowery, Northern Spy Food Co, or online at www.brooklynbrewshop.com.

~Sam

Brooklyn Heights Wine Bar

Wine bars are often thought to be pretentious, stuffy, and expensive.  They’re often cold and employ a staff that thinks they are superior to you because they know about wine, and you’re ordering pinot noir (because you’re a big fan of Paul Giamatti), and you can’t properly pronounce Sangiovese. 

My wife and I happened on the Brooklyn Heights Wine Bar in our search for dinner last night before deciding on Henry’s End.  Ironically enough, the wait at Henry’s End was 45 minutes; a time probably typical for this restaurant – and what better way to solve your waiting and space issues than to open up a wine bar a few doors down from your popular restaurant?  Well, that’s what they did.  So the place we originally passed up was the place where we ended up having a drink and a couple small plates while waiting to sit for our meal.

I have found my death row meal; should I be on death row in Brooklyn; but isn’t the point of a death row meal to have anything you want from anywhere?  But I digress.  Henry’s End is located smack at the end of Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights just north of Cranberry Street, and mere steps from the BQE and the start of DUMBO.  The closest subway stop is at Clark Street making this spot well off the popular strips of Atlantic Ave, Montague Street, or Smith Street.  The area is a little bit quieter despite its proximity to the BQE…and then you step inside.

The restaurants for Dine in Brooklyn were announced yesterday at Borough Hall by our borough’s very own President, Marty-Oy Vey! Mangia! Fughettaboutit- Markowitz. El Presidente’ gave his trademark schtick with the sponsors as American Express welcomed us all to the event, whipping out his Amex ever so non-challantly and gleefully declaring, “See that. Member since 1974.” Oh Marty, Oy Vey. In addition to revealing the participating restaurants, Marty made a point of stressing the importance of supporting business owners and their employees in our community. 

Mangia Marty made a special point of asking patrons to take into account tipping waitstaff in participating establishments when realizing restaurant week’s savings (as a former service industry slave, I had a special warm fuzzy feeling from this inclusion. Yay service industry people).

With sponsors like Brooklyn Brewery, who has always had a big hand in the Slow Food Movement, and Time Out NY who’s Publisher calls Brooklyn home, BK Pride swelled in Borough Hall. That community pride is expanded with a new addition to the event this year. The Share the Table initiative, spearheaded by the NYC Coalition Against Hunger, supplies diners with an envelope and an opportunity, if they wish, to donate to help meet food needs of low-income Brooklyn families.

More than 20 participating restaurants set up shop with their biggest and brightest offerings to the press and local politico gods. In speaking to the many restaurants, a great deal named Dine in Brooklyn their busiest week of the year. Though, with competitions like wing eating contests at Dougie’s, Taco eating contests at Barrio and, in the category of I need to know more, but fear what I will discover…The casually mentioned, Marty Markowitz Gefilte Fish contest at Essex, it surely isn’t for lack of creativity during the other 51 weeks of the year.

As for the tasting, Establishments from all over the borough came out to give some sample love to the press. Counted among the participants, Brooklyn Brewery, Junior’s (pictured), Waterfront Ale House and The Atlantic ChipShop were all in the house. The offerings ranged from a veal porcini meatball on seasoned toast with pesto from Bocca Lupo, to the ever famous Junior’s cheesecake slices, to shredded pork tacos from Palo Santo to duck confit and amazing bread pudding from Petit Oven, to brews from Brooklyn Brewery. As far as work day lunches go… home. run. I may or may not have smuggled out a marbled cupcake from Downtown Atlantic with the fluffiest, creamiest buttercream icing. Which, I might add withstood the subway quite well. Stop judging me. I can feel it.

The prices for restaurant week are $20.10 (cute) for lunch/brunch and $25 for dinner. Including appetizer, entree’ and dessert at both meals, at a number of these restaurants, its a true steal. But wait, select restaurants are offering those same meals for $20.10 and $25 respectively TOTAL for TWO people. WHAAAAT? Thats crazy, you say? How can that be, you wonder? That’s just cooky talk? Well welcome to the BK buddy. It’s just how we do.

For the full list of participating restaurants… click here.

Make reservations early and often as they will be snapped up faster than you can say Mangia! (One too many? I thought so…couldn’t help myself.) I’ve done my part…now go do yours.

Dine in Brooklyn runs from March 15th to March 25th, 2010.

On a rather unassuming stretch, home to many an industrial building, behind a cloaked exterior and curtained doorway in Bushwick, lies Roberta’s. Part Wood burning oven pizza joint, part locavore’s delight, part beer garden, part radio station, part bonfire site, Totally AMAZING.

When you walk in from the cold of miserable New York Winter into the warmth of Roberta’s you are instantly transported. Kitchy decor is seemingly haphazardly applied to the walls, and the heat from the oven instantly makes your body feel toasty, and your senses feel frantic. The oven is a monster of a thing churning out amazing pizza that rivals the best of the best, and is the clear frontrunner so far on my pizza tour. But we will get to that. Once inside, be prepared to wait by the bar. Offering mason jars of local beers and a well edited wine selection, the bar also offers food service if you can snag a seat and don’t want to wait for a table. If the bar is crowded, which it mostly is, head outside where a bonfire in the beer garden keeps you (relatively) warm, offering views of the radio station that broadcasts from Roberta’s, complete with picture window housing what may in fact be, an exact replica of my parents’ living room from the 1970’s. Turn your head just left , and peek upwards to see the wonderous things you can do with a rooftop in Brooklyn. You don’t get much more local than a garden housed on site, and you don’t get much more Brooklyn than it being on a rooftop. Started over last Summer, the garden defied convention and started a trend of weird top of building ventures, like secret beekeeping.

Once you’ve built up an appetite and a decent buzz from your mason jar love, there is a plethora of pizza options to behold. You can also of course, make your own concoction, but where’s the adventure in that?

But for starters, the roasted Hen of the Woods mushrooms are not to be missed. I’m guessing anything made in that oven brings a nice crisp to the table, but these mushrooms are meaty and amazing. A definite pre-pizza pick. The meats are also well chosen, and the aged mixed meat plate which they have had on special during a few visits is a nice mixture; salty with a bit of a kick and a soppresatta that nears the top of my list of lists of things I make lists for.

The pizzas de resitance’ (hehe) are just flat out well done. (In more ways than one. Zing.) The edges are crisp, giving way to a light center of dough that is the perfect base for the Artex; a combination of butternut squash, mozzarella, parmigiano, roasted red pepper and thyme. The hint of sweetness from the squash was a nice contrast to the savory ingredients, and the herbs and cheese were fresh, and the sauce so perfectly balanced that I actually had to take a moment.

The guanciale pie with fried egg is basically my perfect pizza. The addition of the salty guanciale to the already amazing margherita added a bit of salt and texture, and i would pretty much eat a fried egg off the sidewalk, so that was of course a welcome addition. The yolk was situated just so that when you broke it, it oozed seemingly with purpose to the perfect vacant spots throughout the pizza. It was fresh and simple, and I didn’t even feel the need to sprinkle even a touch of parmesan cheese atop this beauty, and I put parmesan on everything. Mmmmm, pad thai parmesan.

Another favorite is a simple mushroom and onion pizza. In contrast to my “Where’s the adventure in that?” attitude about Roberta’s, when you notice ingredients so fresh and so well seasoned that they can stand on their own, as with the mushrooms, you feel they should be spotlighted. So, I have altered my attitude from, “Go big or go home,” to, “Go big or go home… or dont. I don’t really care. I’m eating.”

And finally, the Calzone. Wow. This thing was a beast, enormous, burnt perfectly on the outside edges, and soft and piping hot on the inside. Filled with mozzarella, tomato, basil and prosciutto cotto, this is what all calzones should strive to be. The middle part at its thickest is just a monster, filled to the brim with a balance of sweet sauce, oozy mozzarella and thinly sliced prosciutto. The dough was textured and light and just downright tasty. I would like to spend more quality time with the calzone. Maybe we could become pen pals and see where it leads. Who knows? Stranger things have happened.

As for dessert, they have a meyer lemon cake that, for a person who pretty much thinks if it isn’t chocolate, it isn’t dessert, found it to be light, refreshing, and airy, and a true eye opener. I may even not respond to someone who suggests a non chocolate dessert in the future with the pfffffffft, I had previously reserved for such an event.

What’s that you say? With such a glowing review, you are hard pressed to believe Roberta’s could possibly have more to offer? But, I haven’t even mentioned the widely documented and apparently amazing fried chicken Roberta’s has on their brunch menu. Mmmmhmmm. Fried chicken… and a radio station. What other tricks does fair Roberta have up her sleeve? I will be hitting it up for brunch soon, so stay tuned.

Update: After submitting this post, I did in fact return for fried chicken and egg brunch. And may or may not have went back later that same day for dinner. Details to follow…

Barcade

Barcade, a hidden treasure of Williamsburg, is a must visit for Gen-X and Gen-Y kids that grew up with arcade classics such as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Gauntlet and 1943. I say hidden, as the bar can easily be missed from the street, with only a small, poorly lit sign to advertise its location (a better marker is the sizeable bottle cap mural that decorates the smoking area in front of the converted warehouse). Once inside Barcade, however, there are two features that are impossible to miss: dozens of old-school arcade video games and a great selection of craft beer.

The arcade games change, as the old machines break and are repaired, so there is no guarantee that any specific game will be working at any time, but there is enough selection to make up for that. Some highlights, in addition to the ones mentioned above, are Dig-Dug, Q*bert, Contra, Tetris, Tapper, Crystal Castles and Smash TV. And the best part about all the games, unlike other more modern arcades, is that they’re still only a quarter a play, with a change machine located conveniently at the end of the bar. Another interesting feature, specifically for the competitive King of Kong set, is the chalkboard hanging above the bar listing the names and dates of the high scores for each machine.

The other distinct element of Barcade, which like the games, is also very fluid, is the excellent selection of draft beer. The menu features over twenty draft taps from well known microbrewers such as Allagash, Flying Dog, Rogue, Sixpoint, Smuttynose, and Victory. They also always have a cask beer, which last week was Rogue Chipotle Ale, and is currently Kuhnhenn Double Rice IPA. 

Every night of the week, Barcade has Happy Hour until 8pm and stays open until 4am. It can get crowded on the weekends, but never to the point where it is too packed to move, or that the wait to play a particular game is more than a few minutes. The bar is also dog friendly. Barcade does not serve food, but does sell Damn Good Jerky, and if you are brave, or on a dare, I suggest their “Death By Jerky” flavor. Just make sure you have a fresh pint of beer handy.

After months of delays, Nature’s Grill’s Cobble Hill restaurant is finally open!  They also have a restaurant on 3rd Ave in Bay Ridge.

Nature’s Grill offers a menu of fresh juices, smoothies, protein shakes, wraps, panini, hearty sandwiches, hot entrees, soup, salads, whole wheat pizza, breakfast, desserts, & lunch specials.  From the looks of the menu it will take a few visits to really gauge whether or not it was worth the wait.  Walking past at 4:00 today it looked relatively busy.  I’ll try it first tomorrow for lunch. 

If you live in the Bay Ridge area you can check them out at 7417 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11209, Between Bay Ridge Avenue and 74th Street, 718.680.6900.

~Sam

Walking into Pete’s Waterfront Ale House reminds me, somewhat of walking into an old Ground Round restaurant.  It’s grimy.  The smell of free, hot, salty popcorn permeates the air.  There’s a bar to the right playing Nascar on the TV.  We seated ourselves at a cramped table next to a half-wall with a ledge housing salt, pepper, four kinds of mustard, Worcestershire sauce, house BBQ sauce, & vinegar.  The place may look dirty, but so did Brooklyn for many years.  This is what you would call a remnant of the old republic.  A relic.  And if you can get past this, or even embrace it you’ll be in for a pretty decent meal.

I ordered a Sierra Nevada on tap, a house salad, and a Texas Dip sandwich – slow cooked brisket of beef on French bread with house BBQ sauce.  The wife also got a salad, and a pulled pork sandwich with fries.  We ordered the salads as appetizers, so we were genuinely surprised when the sandwiches arrived after only a short wait.  We were going to make sure the salads didn’t show up on our bill, but then the waitress came back around with them.  The table was now full, and our waitress disappeared for the remainder of the meal.  

The Texas Dip is outstanding.  As is the pulled pork.  The vegetables in the salads were fresh and crunchy.  I would have liked another beer, but our waitress was nowhere to be found.  She finally appeared to remove our salad plates at which point we ordered another round of drinks. 

Normally, between the assumed cleanliness (or lack thereof) and mediocre service I would write a place off, and never return.  However, when it comes to good food – which Pete’s Waterfront Ale House does have, I will make exceptions.  It’s not expensive, and on a Sunday afternoon it’s a great place to kill an hour with some delicious food and cold beer.  It’s places like this that should encourage people to set aside their snobbery for an afternoon and just roll with the punches.  I’m glad I did.

~Sam

Bon Appetit Magazine

Good luck and enjoy!

The Red Show is a crafts show; one of many events held annually at the Brooklyn Historical Society.  Cakes were judged on three criteria: 1) Best Looking Cake – judged by the participating vendors/artists.  2) Best Icing, & 3) Best Overall. 

Deborah and I kick started the judging; trying each cake.  I took slow, deliberate bites; savoring each chew.  My initial thought was that this was going to be nearly impossible to judge.  I love red velvet cake, and couldn’t imagine how different one could really be from another, and how I could call one the best when really all will probably be really good.  We had to narrow it down to three, then Marty would help us pick the winner.

I found that narrowing it down wasn’t as difficult as I’d expected it to be.  Three cakes stood out as superb works of culinary art.  The other eight, while still fantastic, did not strike my fancy the way these three did.  A couple were a bit too fruity, another a bit too dry.  Of the three we chose, one had a luscious cream cheese icing.  Another had a slightly spicy kick.  And the third packed a pecan crunch.

Marty arrived, and we picked our winner.  The award for best looking cake went to Home/Made (pictured).  The crafted (inedible)metal work (created & photographed by Marsha Trattner) gave it an artistic flair.  Best icing went to Ladybird Bakery in Park Slope.  And the one with the nuts, the beautiful cake from Home/Made took the grand prize of best overall.  Rounding out the top three was A Cake Bakes in Brooklyn – not a bakery or restaurant, but a blogger named Susan LaRosa who has started making a name for herself online; baking cakes in her Park Slope apartment and writing about it.  Her review of the event, plus more photos can be found here.

I was happy with our decision, as were the ladies from Home/Made.  It was a thrilling experience to be a part of such an event.  Hopefully, I will get to be involved in more going forward. 

~Sam

Brooklyn Historical Society
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201-2711
718.222.4111
www.brooklynhistory.org

Complete Listing of Red Velvet Cake Contestants:

Abu’s Bakery
1184 Fulton Steet
Brooklyn, NY 11216
abuatiyah2@aol.com
www.abubakery.com

Betsy Nine Cakes
155 Columbia Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231
betsy@ninecakes.com
www.ninecakes.com

Betty Bakery
448 Atlantic Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11217
bettybakery@gmail.com

Brown Sugar Desserts
487 Madison Street, Apt 3
Brooklyn, NY 11221
redchynna@gmail.com

Heavenly Crumbs
355 Franklin Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11238
info@heavenlycrumbs.com
www.heavenlycrumbs.com

Home/Made
Winner: Best Overall, Best Looking
414 Van Brundt Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231
info@homemadebklyn.com
www.homemadebklyn.com

Ladybird
Winner: Best Icing
1112 Eighth Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11215
marylouise@ladybirdbakery.com
www.ladybirdbakery.com

Lords Bakery 
2135 Nostrand Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11210
718 434 9551

Susan LaRosa
A Cake Bakes In Brooklyn blog
Runner Up
ACakeBakesinBrooklyn.blogspot.com
visit.susan@gmail.com

Sweet Melissa
276 Court Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231
yasmine@sweetmelissapatisserie.com
www.sweetmelissapatisserie.com

One Girl Cookies
68 Dean Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
www.onegirlcookies.com
info@onegirlcookies.com