Jewel of Red Hook

Of the thousands of jewelry stores in NYC, there are a handful that I've walked into and been equally blown away by the vibe as well as the wares displayed. It doesn't happen very often, since I could really give a damn about jewelry (now, personal electronics...that's another matter). But Metal and Thread, in Red Hook, managed to fully pierce my crusty, myopic exterior. The shop is exquisitely designed, the proprietors are the cutest couple (at least, they SEEM like a couple) I've seen since Quebec in July, and the combination of jewelry and antique tools for sale has obviously been curated with a lot of care. Simply, a special, special place to buy something for your loved one. Or something for the person you're hot for. Or both.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Shopping • BoCoCa / Red Hook

Brooklyn Skillshare: October 10th

Thank god for Gowanus. Just when you're afraid that every last abandoned industrial space is doomed to be condo-raped and half-filled with suited drones keen to flash their cash in poorer nabes, you remember that there are parts of Brooklyn that will be forever uninhabitable. For those people who would rather revel in industrial wreckage and find ways to use the refuse to make something useful, Brooklyn Skillshare at Gowanus Studio Space will be your bag. On October 10th, a savvy group of fixers, makers, artists, and all-around good people will hold workshops to share their specialty skills with anyone who wants to learn. Inspired by similar projects in Austin and Boston, the founders of the all-day event believe in reciprocal community learning and helping others to do for themselves. The B.S. crew just had a fundraiser concert and will hopefully have more before the big day, so check their website. And if you go to the Skillshare, give generously: this is the kind of growth Brooklyn desperately needs.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Landmarks • BoCoCa / Red Hook

Pizza: Red Hook Edition

The story of Red Hook retail reads like a Russian novel. Just when a brilliant place finally starts to get some mojo going--say, 360 or LeNell's--it's gone, to be replaced by an empty storefront for 6+ months. A few folks seem to have weathered the economic storms (Hope & Anchor, Good Fork, Bait & Tackle), and we can only hope Anselmo's is another. Both the white pizza and the margarita were brilliant, and while lovably doofus Yelpers complain that it's hit-or-miss, chances are I'm betting that when you go, it'll be a hit. It's top 20 NYC pizza, folks--go while you can still get in (or while it's still there!). And bring some Tolstoy while you're pizza is cooking.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Restaurants • BoCoCa / Red Hook

Designerless Pizza

Do not go to South Brooklyn Pizza if you have any type of preconceived notions about what a restaurant is supposed to be. As far as I can tell, it's been open for 8 months or so (?) and they still don't even have menus ("next week!" the server said). Not that it matters; there were only two choices the night I went, a margarita pizza and a pizza with spinach, chopped onions, and tomatoes. The layout of the restaurant does not really make sense; it's mostly a bar in the front, a few high tables in the back, one regular table, and then another bar that surrounds the massive coal oven pizza. Then some construction going on near the open door to PJ Hanley's (remember, this place has been open for almost a year). The service was friendly if a bit take-it-or-leave-it. So basically it all boils down to whether the pizza was good. And it was good. Both were actually very, very good. Fresh, charred, good crust, yum. If the interior actually gets redesigned by someone who knows about interior design (maybe an interior designer?), if they add a few more menu items and perhaps print menus, and if they open during the day on weekends (you're selling pizza--why the hell not?), then we may have a serious contender here. In the meantime, just go and eat good pizza and soak in the weirdness of everything else that is South Brooklyn Pizza.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  1 comment

• More Info & Map

Restaurants • BoCoCa / Red Hook

The Gong of Gowanus

With The Bell House now hosting live music several nights a week, you could do a lot worse than spend a good portion of your time hanging out in what is likely to be officially rebranded "Gowanus" at some point: namely, the area east of Carroll Gardens and west of Park Slope, between Hoyt Street and 5th Avenue. Besides its huge performance space, The Bell House bosts a killer front bar, complete with plenty of seating (including a few perfect make-out couches). Then there is also Issue Project Room not too far away, Australian and Ethiopian cuisine on 4th Avenue, more bars on both 4th and 3rd Avenues, excellent subway access, and, of course, free birth defects for your children if you're planning to procreate. Ah well, who said life is perfect, anyway?

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  1 comment

• More Info & Map

Nightlife • BoCoCa / Red Hook

More than Swedish Meatballs

The Red Hook Waterfront Arts Festival, June 5-6
Red Hook is home to an almost embarrassing number of businesses and services that are unique to the neighborhood, whether you're looking for fresh Maine lobster or a vegetable farm growing in Brooklyn (or, yes, a piece of un-assembled furniture whose name has more vowels than consonants). See the waterfront community come together for its annual summer kick-off at Dance Theatre Etcetera's 16th Annual Red Hook Waterfront Arts Festival in Valentino Park, June 5-6, 2009. Chow down on the best food from the area (think Jamaican jerk and Mexican tacos), take a free kayak ride in New York Harbor to take in the breathtaking views of Lady Liberty, and enjoy the Mainstage entertainment from a lineup jam-packed with enough of Brooklyn's best dance, music, and spoken word artists to fill a month of Sundays at Celebrate! Brooklyn's outdoor concert series. Progressive community building combined with an outdoor dance party? Of course it's in Red Hook.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Landmarks • BoCoCa / Red Hook

J. Slab is Never Wrong

As always, I fear to tread where the fabulous J. Slab hath tread before. But since J. Slab is primarily a sandwich guy, I'll take the other end of the spectrum here and mention that Frankie's is now my official destination for French Toast in NYC. Given the fact that it's made with bread from none other than Grandaisy Bakery, that should be enough to tell you it's going to be pretty special. And it is crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside, with a little cup of maple syrup that you can just dunk bits of the French Toast into...ah, what goodness. Also good on the brunch menu: the BLT. And the Shaved Brussel Sprouts. And the Ricotta Crostini. And the Side of Thick-Cut Bacon. And the Beets. And...

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  1 comment

• More Info & Map

Restaurants • BoCoCa / Red Hook

Pig Out on the Cheap

As much as I hate to plow already-trampled ground (since Famous Fat Dave already reviewed Ferdinando's back in 2006), I feel the need in these recessive times to again make sure that all NFT-ers know that you can absolutely stuff yourself silly on ridiculously fabulous food at Ferdinando's Focacceria on Union Street in Carroll Gardens for, like, $10. Simple: order the fabulous potato croquettes (around $4) and either the panelle sandwich or the veal cutlet parm sandwich, of course with the ricotta and cheese on top ($6). The veal sandwich is pictured. I'm still digesting it. The panelle (a Sicilian fritter made of chick-pea flour) is equally good. For you rice fanatics/vegetarians, the arancina special (rice ball with ricotta and cheese) will fill you up equally well. But you probably don't eat cheese, do you? Ah well, thank god I'm married to a carnivore from Texas.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Restaurants • BoCoCa / Red Hook

Liquor Stays Afloat

Boat is a secret bar patronized by secretive sorts who stare seething into their drinkin' bowls, chortle, cough and then castigate their fellows violently, intelligibly and with much ado. Boat is the kind of bar that bears no sign; its location is a mystery. Its primary wall-bedecked color is red. Its je ne sais quoi is messy, not dirty (dust, not dirt). I've been drinkin' in the front, I've been drinkin' in the back. I've been appreciative of the moderately-priced well liquor, but less appreciative of the sassy barmaids. But aren't they always sassy, those life-impoverished barmaids with their bars and their power and their dirndls? I have had enough of those wenches, but I have not had enough of Boat. It will not sink, so long as I am in it. For my patronage is airy and free.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Nightlife • BoCoCa / Red Hook

Welcome To The Jungle/Circus

A circus... why a circus? "If you think about it, Brooklyn is kinda a circus." Thus spake BKC's resident DJ and man-of-many-trades, Kohey, and he had a point: the borough of Kings is pretty wild. Hence the clientele, a mix from around the way and the world both. You can spot their graphic tees on everyone from kids in the Wyckoff Houses to Japanese tourists, hipsters in Nike SBs to real lovely ladies. Their steady growth in the crowded field of young high-end streetwear is a tribute to founder and head designer Ouigi's hard work and unique vision. Since launch, he has steadily developed a clothing and accessories line that is equal parts fresh and eclectic: they fit whether you're on the corner or at a gallery opening. So if you've ever thought about joining up with a circus, start here; the experience, as they say, is everything.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Shopping • BoCoCa / Red Hook

3 Sheets to the Wind

Some places fail miserably in their attempts to create the cluttered kitschy charm of too many knickknacks and tchotchkes (I'm looking at you TGIF), some succeed (kudos to you Bait & Tackle) and then there's the real deal--Montero's. Over the past sixty years Montero's has perfected this look as only the old school dive bar can. Being just a few blocks from the water on Atlantic Ave they've gone nuts for all things nautical. I hope I'm lucky enough to be drinking there if Brooklyn ever gets flooded, then I can grab a bottle of rum, one of the life savers from the rafters, and set sail for black-out island.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Nightlife • BoCoCa / Red Hook

Hop On In!

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a... performance space! Art gallery! Banjo store! Classroom! It's Jalopy, and it's about as cool a place as there is on this planet Earth. And until today, it wasn't in our database, which shows you that we're not as cool as you think we are, but…well, we do the best we can. Just caught a show last month with a bunch of avant-jazzers, will be going back for the standing Thursday night Country Blues Jam shortly, I'm sure. It's got a similar feel to the dearly-departed Tonic on the Lower East Side, but, since it's in Brooklyn, in the "Carroll Gardens West Waterfront District," it's got a more laid-back feel and even better seating than Tonic. Plus, banjos (pictured). Oh yes, they serve beer, and lattes. It really doesn't get any better than this, folks. Check it out.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Nightlife , Theaters-Performing Arts Centers • BoCoCa / Red Hook

Crowded and Excellent

Like any place in NYC worth its salt, the Fairway Market on Van Brunt Street in Red Hook can get hellishly crowded. And while it's in an absolutely beautiful old warehouse building, the Fairway space itself on the first floor has low ceilings and not too many architectural details of note. However, who cares? The prices are great, and the selection of, well, everything IS AN ACTUAL SELECTION OF EVERYTHING. Almost all other grocery stores in New York--your C-Towns, your Met Foods, your Pioneers, even your Gristede's--are a pale shadow of what a grocery store could actually be (the king of all kings in this category is of course the brilliant Upstate New York chain Wegman's). But Fairway, by a large margin, wins hands-down, at least in Brooklyn--large organic selection, great cheese counter, good fish counter, excellent aged meat selection, a little cafe, outdoor tables on the water with a view of the Statue of Liberty, and, of course, more olive oil than you can possibly consume in one lifetime (pictured). The only (real) downside: it's about fourteen miles as the crow flies from a subway stop. But that's Red Hook...

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Supermarkets • BoCoCa / Red Hook

Cobble Cookies

Despite the Sex and the City-associated hype that surrounds Magnolia Bakery, no fully-functioning adult should ever have to line up and wait for a cupcake--essentially the type of basic baked and frosted fare a kid eats at school. Which is the way it is at Cobble Hill's One Girl Cookies, nestled next to the chattering masses outside Bar Tabac genuflecting at the very idea of alfresco dining in Brooklyn, where the cupcakes--and whoopie-pies and cookies and cakes and chocolates--are plentiful and perfectly presented, and the service comes quick and with a suitably delightful smile. And now they've expanded, knocking down the unused garage next door and creating a pretty cool corridor to sit in and chat and relax. If you ask nicely the girls behind the counter will even let you use the back bathroom, which appears to also contain a shower and bathtub--beat that, Magnolia chumps.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Shopping • BoCoCa / Red Hook

Best Bar in Brooklyn?

Well, if it fucking isn't, it's fucking close. It's got the coolest fucking decor, a great fucking soundtrack, the most laid-back bartenders (who would never kick out any patron, no matter how fucking drunk, apparently, like the guy who was so bombed out of his gourd a few weeks ago at 6:30 pm on a Saturday and used the word "fuck" more than I can possible hope to do in the space of this review), stiff fucking drinks, fucking pinball, and will (hopefully) be a survivor of the Great Red Hook Post-Gentrification Crash, 2007. If it can hang around, it will no doubt be packed with hipster shitheads for Red Hook Gentrification II, 2009, so now's your window, gentlefolk of New York Fucking City. Sweet.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Nightlife • BoCoCa / Red Hook

Good as Gone

The remarkable thing about the Rainbow Giftshop is not that it contains a fantabulous array of suspiciously bootleg-looking toys cluttering up the windows, nor that said toys seem to have one foot firmly planted in the 80s (Rubik's Cubes and Care Bears ahoy!). It's not that the teaser printed on the awning tempts you in with promises of a "happy discount," or that such an eclectically ramshackle place is still hanging in there on Smith Street's prime retail strip. No, the remarkable thing about the Rainbow Giftshop is the notice plastered on to the bottom of the door warning anyone who enters that they will be under video surveillance, presumably to ward off a rampant stream of 80s pop culture fetishists taking the afternoon off from updating their 80s pop culture blogs. It's great that mom and pop stores take pride in the wares they're peddling, but if anyone at the 84th Precinct has a record of shop-lifting at the Rainbow Giftshop in the last five years then they deserve a prize. Like a Pogo Ball.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Shopping • BoCoCa / Red Hook

Mysterious Plates

There's an anomaly in the sizeology of plates at intimate New American eatery Chestnut on Smith Street. To wit: Size of plate presented at the start of the meal: suitably small. Size of plate brought over filled with focaccia bread and olive oil: nicely large enough to facilitate sharing across the table. Size of plate for appetizer: a perfectly snug fit for an artichoke and ricotta salad. Size of plate for entree: usual size for a main dish, though the halibut portion takes up barely a sixth of the porcelain. Size of plate for 'small plate' section of the menu: exactly the same size as the main entree plates, and packed with food like grilled sunchoke-stuffed squid and two soft-shell crab tacos that fill up most of the plate for half the price of an entree. Spot the discrepancy? Not that the food at Chestnut isn't fresh, seasonal, locally-sourced and tasty, it's just that someone needs to convince them to start charging by the inch.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Restaurants • BoCoCa / Red Hook

Drink or Die!

I remember this place! It was dark. Or so I was led to believe. By day, I have witnessed several bespectacled men in corners with laptops or books. By night, I have angrily purchased a pint of something vaguely alcoholic that cost some amount of money over $5, which saddened and confused me. I guess this place is good, right? There's an elegant something or other about the place; heavy wood and quiet beer-sippers. No loud, overly buoyant Angry Wade's, BGH is... very Belgian in terms of its beers. I think this is also good, and if I do like this place, it's because of the Revolutionary (Join or Die!) typeface of the logo. Very archaic. But I've heard so much of the old Smith Street days and I realize BGH is by no means a holdover or symptomatic of a previous time, but still I long to be part of the great neighborhood chronology! From Italian thoroughfare to potholed squalor to Restaurant Row to me walking around. Alas. Archaic typeface and heavy wooden interior, you are nothing but evidences of a world I've never known!

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Nightlife • BoCoCa / Red Hook

Cold Feet... For The Truth

"Eat Healthy. Dial Hot Bird. No Oil. No Fat." As an advert, painted on the side of a residential building on Court Street, it's brilliantly intriguing. What exactly is the Hot Bird? Is it roasted? Broiled? It definitely sounds more rustic than simply fried. Is it just an inadvertently quirky restaurant name or a whole new and exciting food that has been bafflingly kept off the mainstream culinary radar? And the instruction to dial Hot Bird; does that mean 718-468-2473, numerically? Whatever the elusive Hot Bird may be, you can't stop thinking about it. So you do some research, but nothing comes up (and as it's in Boerum Hill, you see if it's ever been mentioned in a Jonathan Lethem novel). Still in wonder at the Hot Bird, you tell a friend about it. A spark of recognition lights up in their eyes. They tell you it's the place over in Prospect Heights, right? The chicken spot? You both laugh at the name again--Hot Bird!--but the suggestion that it actually exists somewhere beyond a blurb painted on a wall--whether it's a thriving local secret or long since abandoned shack--taints the idea. The Hot Bird works better abstract.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  1 comment

• More Info & Map

Landmarks • BoCoCa / Red Hook

Landlord-Approved Public Art

They're really not much to say about this mural on DeGraw in Carroll Gardens West except that it's freakin' cool. The artist, Damon Ginandes has recently put up his website, so check there for more cool photos and other examples of his fine work. A brief web search also reveals a cool "Fading Ad" website with more photos of this and other great Brooklyn murals--including the great anti-smoking mural on the corner of Bedford and South 4th Streets in Williamsburg. Definitely check out the Ginandes mural though, either before or after some of NYC's best Mexican at Alma. Believe it or not, the landlord actually commissioned this piece, so there. And yes, New York is still cool. But thanks for asking.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Landmarks • BoCoCa / Red Hook