Food News!

Big news from the Hattie Carthan Garden in Bedford-Stuyvesant! First up is the 6th Annual Food Heritage Festival on Saturday, June 12th. From 12 noon until 9pm there will be tons of homemade dishes like Stewed Oxtail, Fried Okra, Rice & Beans and other dishes native to African, Latin & Caribbean cuisines. There will also be home-brewed beverages and live Blues music!

Also from the Hattie Carthan Community Farmer's Market is a different take on the CSA. Instead of shelling out all the big bucks in the beginning of the season for your weekly veggie deliveries, you can pay a pretty low monthly fee for a Single Basket ($12/week) or a Family Basket ($20/week) that will be full of seasonal fruits, veggies, herbs and eggs. Check out the flyer below for more info or go to the Hattie Carthan website for info on how to sign up.



Art Walk 2010 will take place this weekend along Atlantic Avenue on both Saturday & Sunday, with a block party on Saturday night and a Beer Garden set up at Atlantic Assets. Restaurants in the area will be offering special deals from 10% off to Happy House specials. There will be live music and other special events throughout the weekend. For a full line-up, go here!

And for your long-range planners, it's the Fundraiser BBQ for PortSide, produced by Brooklyn Based and sponsored (so far) by Brooklyn Brewery and Realty Collective. The event will take place on Saturday, July 3rd and the funds will go toward supporting summer programming (which includes free shows on the piers!). Food will be provided by the Red Hook Lobster Pound, Uncle Louie G's, and The Good Fork. Yum! For more information and to learn about PortSide, check their website.

Food News!

Another restaurant focusing on pasture-fed meat and local produce opened in Park Slope! Benchmark is located at 339-A 2nd St., just off of 5th Avenue, and it's American-fare menu looks heavy on the steak and chops. It's co-owned by the owner of Loki Lounge, so there are fairly deep roots in the neighborhood. They're closed Mondays and will be launching a brunch menu soon, plus they have a garden space that fits more people than the inside space! Anyone been yet?

There are a few events scheduled in the coming months at the Hattie Carthan Community Garden in Bedford-Stuyvesant. First there's an Earth Day Celebration and Seed Giveaway on April 24th - maybe they'll have herb seeds? Then on June12th there's the 6th Annual Food Heritage Festival, focusing on foods of the African diaspora. All the dishes will be home-made, some with ingredients grown in the garden! Sounds delicious! Here's more info if you're curious: 718-638-3566 or hattiecarthangarden@yahoo.com.


Photo from the gorgeous mural courtesy of Alix Sorrell.

Let me remind you that Dine in Brooklyn is still going on, through March 25th. Plus, the NYC Coalition Against Hunger teamed up with Dine in Brooklyn and created Share the Table, so if you eat at one of the participating restaurants, you'll have an opportunity to contribute to the cause. Your money will go toward supporting Brooklyn food pantries & soup kitchens serving low-income families living in Brooklyn.