HILLTOP TAVERN OPENS THIS WEEK

 Hilltop Tavern will open to serve the neighborhood this Thursday, December 21st, at 5:00 p.m. 

 

It will also open at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 22nd, and Saturday, December 23rd, be closed on Sunday, December 24th, and Monday, December 25th, and reopen on Tuesday, December 26th, at 5:00  p.m.

And then, starting Wednesday, December 27th, it'll be open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., including New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Hilltop Tavern in Windsor Terrace will be a neighborhood restaurant with a creative American menu, serving seasonal specials, cocktails, draft beers, and organic wines.

 

Brunch will be served all day, every day, and dinner will be served every night.

 

The owners of Hilltop Tavern also own Hamilton's at 2826 Fort Hamilton Parkway in Windsor Terrace and Alchemy Restaurant and Tavern at 56 5th Avenue in Park Slope.

SUPPORT LOCAL 

SMALL BUSINESSES.

 

Location

256 Prospect Park West

corner of Prospect Avenue

Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn

(718) 788-7800

RESTAURANT OPENING SOON ON PROSPECT PARK WEST

 

The soon-to-be-open Hilltop Tavern in Windsor Terrace will be a neighborhood restaurant with a creative American menu, serving seasonal specials, cocktails, draft beers, and organic wines.

 

Brunch will be served all day, every day, and dinner will be served every night.

 

The owners of Hilltop Tavern also own Hamilton's at 2826 Fort Hamilton Parkway in Windsor Terrace and Alchemy Restaurant and Tavern at 56 5th Avenue in Park Slope.

SUPPORT LOCAL 

SMALL BUSINESSES.

 

Location

256 Prospect Park West

corner of Prospect Avenue

Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn

(718) 788-7800

GRAND OPENING AT BROOKLYN COMMUNE

Brooklyn Commune's Grand Opening will be tomorrow, November 20th, from noon to 3:00 p.m. It'll be a low-key event, with tastings and samplings from their menu.

For the time being, the cafe and store are open from noon to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays (Tuesday through Friday) and noon to 8:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

When the cafe is fully operational and ready to serve breakfast, it'll be open from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Tuesdays through Fridays and 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Brooklyn Commune
601 Greenwood Avenue, at the corner of Prospect Avenue
(718) 686-1044
e-mail: feedme [at] brooklyncommune.com

http://brooklyncommune.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brooklyn-Commune/109783589077211?ref=ts&v=wall

BROOKLYN COMMUNE HAS OPENED

Today was the "soft opening" of Brooklyn Commune, a community-focused cafe and specialty market owned and operated by Chris and Eugenie.  The official Grand Opening will be this weekend.

In the cafe, the light fare menu will include soups, salads, side dishes, sandwiches, and some entrees. The specialty market portion of the store sells take-out--local and seasonal products (Stumptown Coffee, Brooklyn cheeses, artisanal olive oils and vinegars, seasonal produce, whole grains, and crusty artisanal breads) and prepared foods (side dishes, salads, entrees, granolas, seasonings, and marinades) made in-house.

A catering menu is also available for special events and holidays. 

Brooklyn Commune
601 Greenwood Avenue, at the corner of Prospect Avenue
(718) 686-1044
e-mail: feedme [at] brooklyncommune.com


http://brooklyncommune.com 
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brooklyn-Commune/109783589077211?ref=ts&v=wall

SITTING IN THE ROAD

It's warm outside. You're enjoying a snack and a cold beverage. You're sitting in the road. But is that allowed? Yes! The Department of Transportation said you can sit there.

Joseph Palmieri, Brooklyn Borough Commissioner for the Department of Transportation (DOT), writes about DOT's new Pop-Up Café Pilot Program:

The New York City Department of Transportation is launching an initiative which might be of interest to restaurants in your communities: the Pop-up Café pilot program. Currently, some restaurants are prohibited from installing outdoor cafés because their sidewalks are too narrow.

Under this program, DOT is seeking applications from restaurants who wish to install seasonal public seating in the parking lane of the street, along the curb.

This past summer one Pop-up Café was piloted on Pearl Street in Lower Manhattan; the sponsoring restaurants are thrilled to report an increase in business, and the new public space has been warmly welcomed by the community.

DOT is eager to expand the program to more locations in 2011. Please visit http://www.nyc.gov/dot/popupcafes for more information on the program, as well as links to the Application, Design Guidelines, and photographs.

DOT asks that Community Boards reach out to restaurant owners in their neighborhoods to alert them to this new program. Also note that each restaurant's application requires a supporting letter from the Community Board, so Boards should be on the lookout for requests for letters of support from restaurants who apply to the Pop-up Café pilot program.

Applications for setting up Pop-up Cafés have to be received by Friday, December 3, 2010. Applications will only be accepted from restaurants that are located where sidewalk cafés aren't allowed.

Thanks to Jessica Turner, Brad Lander's Community Liaison for Kensington, for sending us this information.

IN PRAISE OF CAPONATA

Joe Brancaccio's caponata (made of eggplant, tomato, and more, more, more) is praised on The Village Voice's "Fork in the Road."

Brancaccio's Food Shop
3011 Fort Hamilton Parkway, between E. 2nd and E. 3rd streets
phone: (718) 435-1997
info@brancacciosfoodshop.com

blog: http://brancacciosfoodshop.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brooklyn-NY/BRANCACCIOs-FOOD-SHOP/274075687167?ref=ts&__a=21

PASTA SPECIAL

"Turnover Tuesday"

Call every Tuesday

for Maria's

PASTA SPECIAL

$6.00

The pasta dish will be either one that's listed on the menu or one specially prepared for that Tuesday.

Maria's Pizzeria

3007 Fort Hamilton Parkway, between E. 2nd and E. 3rd streets

(718) 854-7575

A RECIPE FROM JOE BRANCACCIO

Joe Brancaccio contributed his grandmother's recipe for stuffed mushrooms to the magazine spoonful.

Brancaccio's Food Shop
3011 Fort Hamilton Parkway, between E. 2nd and E. 3rd streets
phone: (718) 435-1997
info@brancacciosfoodshop.com

blog: http://brancacciosfoodshop.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brooklyn-NY/BRANCACCIOs-FOOD-SHOP/274075687167?ref=ts&__a=21

TONIGHT'S DINNER

Vegetable quiche and about a quarter pound each of fingerling potatoes and carrots, Italian lentil salad, garlic thyme oven roasted roma tomatoes, and caponata. Joe does dinner right!

Brancaccio's Food Shop
3011 Fort Hamilton Parkway, between E. 2nd and E. 3rd streets
phone: (718) 435-1997

info@brancacciosfoodshop.com

blog: http://brancacciosfoodshop.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brooklyn-NY/BRANCACCIOs-FOOD-SHOP/274075687167?ref=ts&__a=21

EL MIRADOR: DELICIOUS, AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FOOD

Several friends and I ate at El Mirador, and everybody was pleased--from the people who like their food super-spicy to the people who cringe at the sight of a jalapeño. Get your food as hot or as mild as you want it.

El Mirador Mexican Restaurant
59 Church Avenue, between Dahill Road and Story Street
(718) 686-7101

El Mirador is open seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to midnight. Try it!

JAPANESE RESTAURANT ON CHURCH AVE.?

A Japanese restaurant will open at the former location of Fresh Farm, a construction worker told us today. Fresh Farm was the produce and grocery store at 324 Church Avenue (corner of E. 4th Street) that closed recently.

Details will follow as soon as we have them!

SOHO CAFE: SAVE ON YOUR FIRST DELIVERY

Save 10% on your first delivery order
from Soho Cafe & Grill.

215 Church Avenue
between E. 2nd and E. 3rd streets
next to Rich Frog Toys

Phone: (718) 436-8800
Fax: (718) 436-8812

Breakfast lovers: breakfast is served all day!

RESTAURANT INSPECTION SEARCH UPGRADED

The Department of Health has unveiled a new, easy-to-search restaurant inspection website. Find the results of the most recent inspection with a simple search by

• restaurant name or
• neighborhood's zip code

or an advanced search that offers these additional searches:

• alphabetical list of restaurants (restaurant names beginning with A, with B, with C, etc.),
• borough and neighborhood,
• cuisine type (ethnicity or food type), and
• inspection score.

Display the results on a map or as a list. To display them on a map, request a search that returns fewer than 100 restaurants (search by Restaurant Name or by Cuisine). When the results are displayed as a list, they can be sorted by Restaurant Name, Address, Cuisine, Most Recent Inspection Date, and Violation Points.

Since July, restaurants have been required to post a card with a letter grade corresponding to the score (total number of points) they received as a result of a sanitary inspection: 0-13 points=A, 14-27 points=B, 28+ points=C. The cards have to be easily visible to people passing by.

Inspectors check for compliance in food handling, food temperature,personal hygiene,facility and equipment maintenance, and vermin control.

"A public health hazard, such as failing to keep food at the right temperature to prevent the growth of bacteria, triggers a minimum of 7 points. If the violation cannot be corrected before the end of the inspection, the Health Department may close the restaurant until the hazard is corrected.

A critical violation, such as the presence of rodents, carries a minimum of 5 points.

A general violation, such as not properly sanitizing cooking utensils, is assigned at least 2 points."

WHY THE SING-A-LONGS WERE DISCONTINUED

Sasha, co-owner of The Oak and the Iris Cafe with her husband Rodrigo, has responded to people's e-mails asking her why Yoshie's and Miss Katie's sing-a-longs will no longer be held at O&I.

She writes that Yoshie canceled his sing-a-longs because he was too busy to continue holding them.

She says that the decision to cancel Miss Katie's sing-a-longs was an unhappy one for her, and she regrets that parents feel disappointed. Miss Katie's sing-a-longs were Miss Katie's events, for which the cafe provided space. Sasha has contacted a friend of hers--the owner of Kaleidoscope (1519 10th Avenue, at the corner of 16th Street)--and her friend is willing to provide space for Miss Katie's sing-a-longs.

The sing-a-longs, Sasha explains, were attracting twenty-five children, each accompanied by a parent or caregiver and a stroller, making the cafe crowded to the point of being unsafe. At most of the sing-a-longs, the cafe's property suffered damage: in the past month, two chairs were broken, dishes were broken, books were torn, a child opened the drink refrigerator and threw bottled drinks on the floor, and cereal boxes were sent rolling around on the floor.

In addition, the cafe's regular customers weren't going to the cafe on the afternoons of the sing-a-longs. Sales during those afternoons totaled only $15. Out of the $5 per person that Miss Katie charged, the cafe received between $3 and $8. Cleaning up afterward was time-consuming for the cafe's staff. Sasha says that for two years, she tried to think of the sing-a-longs as being similar to charity events for the community, but the sing-a-longs had turned into a financial loss for the business.

For now, the cafe continues to offer a musical story time on Wednesday afternoons that is geared toward babies and one-year-olds. It's possible that a children's art class will be held at O&I, with a limit of ten children, first come first served.

The Oak and the Iris Cafe continues to welcome children. The cafe is built around families, as evidenced by the children's play area and the children's menu.

The Oak and The Iris Cafe
2826 Fort Hamilton Parkway (corner of E. 4th Street)
(718) 208-7713
http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/the-oak-the-iris/menu

SING-A-LONGS DISCONTINUED

The Oak and The Iris Cafe has canceled its Monday sing-a-longs with Yoshie and its Thursday sing-a-longs with Miss Katie. The owners will explain their reason to anyone who e mails and asks. Their e-mail address is whereissasha@nyc.rr.com.

The Oak and The Iris Cafe
2826 Fort Hamilton Parkway (corner of E. 4th Street)
(718) 208-7713

http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/the-oak-the-iris/menu

APPRECIATION FOR KENSINGTON'S RESTAURANTS

Kensington gets its due in "Summer Saturdays: Kensington and Windsor Terrace." The writer highlights Brancaccio's Food Shop ("a menu made with the highest quality ingredients, yet all the dishes are super affordable"), Faro's Restaurant ("for a good restaurant that's light on your wallet"), Am-Thai Chili Basil ("the flavors they deliver are straight off the streets of Bangkok"), Shenanigan's Pub ("a more authentic neighborhood watering hole"), and Denny's Steak House ("which made the list of "real dives" in the Village Voice last year").

SUPPORT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD'S
LOCAL INDEPENDENT BUSINESSES!

SOHO CAFE & GRILL - AGAIN

The Kensington Prospect reports that it could be another three weeks before Soho Cafe & Grill opens because the owner is "still waiting on NYC inspection and approval."

A few days after this blog first reported on the cafe on May 11th, co-owner Roxanna Zosayas said that she and her husband, Jose, were waiting for the paperwork with the city to be completed. Four weeks ago, on June 10th, Jose said that it would take about another two weeks. Now it looks like it could take another three weeks, for a grand total of eleven weeks.

City agencies need to work faster than this to help small businesses open. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn says

In our meetings and conversations with the small business community, one of the issues that we've heard is that many new businesses are facing months-long delays because of the multiple inspections by different agencies that are needed to open. In response to this, we've been working closely with the City to streamline inspections for new businesses, and we're very pleased to report that we recently launched a new initiative to help begin to address this problem: the New Business Acceleration Team (NBAT).

Let's hope that this initiative really provides a solution.

Soho Cafe & Grill
215 Church Avenue, between E. 2nd and E. 3rd streets (next to Rich Frog Toys)
Opening on __________?

AM-THAI CHILI BASIL KITCHEN AMONG 10 BEST VEGETARIAN DISHES

The Village Voice's "Fork in the Road" blog rated Am-Thai Chili Basil Kitchen's Mock Duck Spicy Bamboo as the fifth best vegetarian dish in New York City.

"Mock Duck Spicy Bamboo at Am-Thai Chili Basil Kitchen [vegan] - The mock duck is amazing at this tiny restaurant, a stone's throw from Green-Wood Cemetery. The texture is fibrous, dense, and dark, just like real duck, and stir-fried with green beans and bamboo shoots in a mellow coconut-milk sauce -- You just can't beat it."

Am-Thai Chili Basil Kitchen
59 McDonald Avenue, between Albemarle Road and Caton Avenue
(718) 871-9115
(718) 854-5054
http://www.amthaikitchen.com

SOHO CAFE & GRILL STILL BEING REMODELED

Soho Cafe & Grill (215 Church Avenue, between E. 2nd and E. 3rd streets) should be open for business in about two weeks, once the remodeling is done and all the paperwork required by the city is completed. Jose, the owner, says that the grill will be open mornings for preparing eggs, pancakes, and other breakfast foods. He'll also have a salad bar and desserts and will be serving cappuccino. The cafe will have a few tables for customers who want to eat their meal in the cafe. 

UPDATE, July 7th: A new sign advertises breakfast, lunch, and dinner and free delivery and gives a phone number--(718) 436-8800.

MARIA'S PIZZERIA SUMMER HOURS

Maria's Pizzeria will be closed on Sundays starting this weekend and continuing through the day before Labor Day (June 6th through September 5th). Sunday hours will resume on September 12th. But you can still go there Monday through Saturday, from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., for your Italian food fix!

Maria's Pizzeria
3007 Fort Hamilton Parkway, between E. 2nd and E. 3rd streets
(718) 854-7575

SUPPORT LOCAL INDEPENDENT BUSINESSES!