Food News!

*I want to thank all of my followers, especially those of you who added Eat It Brooklyn during the time I wasn't positing regularly. That's Awesome!*

So, this Saturday, Mean Red Productions is hosting a South Carolina-style pig roast and sidewalk party in Williamsburg (50 N. 3rd Street, between Kent & Wythe). They're calling it Snout 'N Stout and they'll have craft beers, a whole hog smoker plus DJs and "lazy outdoor lounging". It all takes place from 6pm to 9pm. You can hang out for free, but if you want to eat, a plate of food will set you back $10 - $15. Sounds like an excellent way to spend the last days of summer.

THEN, on Sunday, September 5th, they're hosting their annual Food Truck Festival Parked, this year on Governors Island (I know, not technically Brooklyn, but one of the coolest spots in the city, and just so happens to be where I got married this summer!). The best of NYC's food trucks will be represented (German, Vietnamese, lobster, ice cream and MORE!)! The festival takes place from 12 Noon - 5pm and is free to get to and walk around.

There's also the Salsa Slam on Sunday, Sept. 12th at The Bell House. I believe last year's event sold out fast, so I'm posting now hoping there's still ticket availability. The fun takes place from 4pm - 7pm and costs $12, $15 at the door. This year 5 Burro Cafe is partnering up with Nachos NY to bring you this event. 5 Burro Cafe has been in Forest Hills for 30 years, and recently opened a restaurant on Columbia Street.

Food News!

While not in Brooklyn, there's an amazing event this weekend at the New York Botanical Garden (in the Bronx) as part of their "Get Out and Grill" weekend. On Saturday, June 19th, there will be a talk given by Dan Barber (of Blue Hill fame). Always Order Dessert partnered with the Garden to host this event, which starts at 11:30am in the garden. There will be food to purchase, or you can bring your own lunch.

Back in Brooklyn, on Monday, June 21st, there will be a Pie Crust Workshop, co-hosted by Brooklyn Brainery's and Lauren Cucinotta from Pie in the Park. Four pro crust makers will show you how it's done, with plenty of pie tasting along the way. The workshop will take place at the Gowanus Studio Space (166 7th Street, between 2nd & 3rd Avenues, 347-351-5753), at 7:30pm. No advance registration needed. $15 gets you in, a slice of pie, and helps support the likelihood of more events like these happening in the future.

This weekend's Greenpoint Food Market has been canceled (due to NYC DOH being persnickety about food preparation licenses and paperwork ever since this article came out), but there will be a "Think Tank Potluck" on Saturday, June 26th instead, to answer questions, provide tips and info on finding affordable kitchens to cook small batches of tasty treats, and generally support one-another over this hurdle. Good luck! The GFM is awesome and I hope to see it back soon!

Breakfast at Four and Twenty Blackbirds

PIE! That'll catch my eye pretty quickly, and so I finally made my way to Four and Twenty Blackbirds, (439 3rd Avenue, at 8th Street, 718-499-2917) a new coffee shop, bakery, breakfast place in the Gowanus neighborhood the pretty much specializes in Pie! It's a very positive addition to this slowly getting life back strip of auto repair shops and various industrial businesses. It's gorgeous inside, with lots of windows, pressed-tin walls and ceiling, wood floors and gigantic wooden tables. It's simple and tasteful but cute, and the scent of freshly baked pies greets you as you step inside.

We got two orders of Egg in a Nest for our breakfast. This is something I know as a fried egg in a hole cut out of a piece of toast, but this, this was one-of-a-kind amazing. Part souffle, part savory muffin, part baked egg, it was juicy, fluffy and flavorful - with thyme and cheese to make it strong and tasty. Isn't it gorgeous?

I also got a Chocolate Chip Scone. It was flaky in all the right ways, dense, slightly sweet and wonderful. So pretty too, served on antique-y floral china.

I couldn't leave without getting a slice of pie, for later. Out of the four flavors (Apple, Strawberry Balsamic) I picked the Rhubarb Crumble. It, too, was delicious. Brown sugar and some cinnamon added just the right amount of sweetness to the oats on top. Fat slices of rhubarb throughout were perfectly tart and the crust was flaky and excellent. It was overwhelmingly buttery either, which was a nice change from the usual heavy baked goods found around town.

They do take custom pie orders, but make sure you give them two days notice. I am looking forward to going back for another slice of pie, and maybe a fig scone? Coming soon...Lunch!

Food News!

Happy Cinco de Mayo and Book Giveaway!!!



The Red Hook Mercado coming back May 15th! For over 30 years delicious, traditional Central American food has been cooked and sold at the Red Hook Ballfields, including dishes made by New York Vendy First Prize Award Winner Fernando Martinez of Country Boys and Summer Stage headliner Rafael Soler of Soler Dominican. There will also be new vendors joining the regulars this year, including Erin Norris of the forthcoming and much awaited for sausage parlor Grindhaus. Norris will be serving Spicy Bitches, a kind of corn dog produced for Norris by Brooklyn’s own Meat Hook. FattyCakes NY will also be there! Owner Jennifer Taylor has created a Brooklyn cookie company that will custom bake cookies in any flavor combo you want. She's also got some crazy combos of her own for sale, including the Movie Theater Cookie, a chocolate chip cookie with buttered popcorn and gummy fish ‒ can wait to check it out!

Book Giveaway! One lucky reader has the chance to win one of a these vegan, gluten free or raw food cookbooks. One winner will be chosen, all you need to do is comment on this post and tell me why you want one of these books. A winner will be picked on Monday, May 10th. Good luck!

And don't forget about tonight's Guactacular, taking place at the Bell House. Call to see if tickets are still available.

Food News!

Oooops! I got the date wrong. Notice, the GFM is back on Saturday!

The Greenpoint Food Market (129 Russell Street, between Nassau & Driggs Ave.) will be back this Saturday, April 10th with it's Spring Awakening! From Noon to 5pm you'll be able to sample ice cream, vegan pate, jam, kimchi and much much more. The People's Champs will perform between 2 & 3pm, and you'll also have DJ Cowboy Mark as well. They have a crazy long roster of folks gearing up to sell you some awesome homemade niceness, so check it out and support local crafters!

Then on Sunday, April 11th, there will be a fundraiser for Hot Bread Kitchen, a Brooklyn non-profit 501c3 venture that provides immigrant women training in the art of baking. "Hot Bread Kitchen uses traditional techniques and recipes to produce a range of organic ethnic breads that reflect the diversity of New York City, and they improve standard of living by hiring and training immigrant women in valuable job skills. While the Kitchen is located in the Old Can Factory in 3rd Street and 3rd Avenue, the fundraiser will be hosted by TasteBudsNYC and will taking place at Jimmy's No. 43. For information and tickets contact Heidi at Heidi(at) TasteBudsNYC.com.

AND...also on Sunday, the Carroll Gardens Farmer's Market is back this Sunday, and every Sunday thereafter until December. Yahoo! Grazin' Angus Acres, Consider Bardwell Cheese (check out the pics of baby goats on Facebook!), Bread, fresh fish, milk, veggies and eggs! Yahoo!

Food News!

Saul's (140 Smith Street, between Bergen & Dean Streets, 718-935-9844) is offering a special Easter pre-fixe menu this coming Sunday that looks awesome, for just $50 per person. It includes choice of appetizer, Tagliatelle, Lamb or Salmon, and choice of dessert (the desserts there are excellent!). I'm sure they'll fill up quickly, so call to reserve your spot!

Also offering special Easter goodies is Little Buddy Biscuit Company (635 5th Avenue, between 17th & 18th Streets, 718-369-6355). Hot cross buns, Easter cookies and cupcakes with Spring-colored frosting are yours for the taking, but only for a short while! Plus - coming soon will be homemade ice-cream sandwiches! Awesome!



May might feel like a long way away, especially with all of this rain, but put this on your calendar because it will be here before we know it. The Brooklyn Lyceum (227 4th Ave., between Union & President Streets, 718-857-4816) will be hosting the second annual Food & Craft Fair on Saturday May 1st and Sunday May 2nd! With over 100 vendors selling their wares on two 4000 Sq. Ft. floors, there will be crafts, clothes, jewelery & food galore!

Dinner at Bar Tano

Trudging through the cold wind-whipped rain is worth it once you've arrived at Bar Tano (457 3rd Avenue at 9th Street, 718-499-3400), a warm & cozy respite from the industrial stretch of 3rd Avenue, near the train trestle spanning the Gowanus canal. They've even got a drink (one among many) called Flats Fixed, a nod to the business across the street, in addition to a good selection of wines and beers. We settled into a corner table and soaked up the place. Old tin ceiling and walls, a beautiful wood & etched glass dividing wall between dining area and bar, and low lighting creating a warm amber glow. Since it was so cold outside, we started with some Butternut Squash soup from the Specials Menu.



It was wonderful. So flavorful and unadulterated. Just a few drops of olive oil and a small sprinkle of fresh basil. We also got two Bruschetta to split. One Baccalá Mantecato (whipped salt cod) and one Fichi (goat cheese & fig spread).



The Baccalá was strong and slightly fishy, but grew on me and ended up being a hearty, savory appetizer. The Fichi was delicious. The tart creamy goat cheese complemented the subtle sweetness of the fig spread. We also split a Spinaci e Pinoli salad made with baby spinach, arugula, fennel, dried figs, toasted pine nuts & balsamic reduction. It was lovely with fresh greens, crunchy fennel and chewy fig tossed in a full-bodied dressing cleansed the palate and got us ready for our pasta entree.



We ordered a special Rigatoni with Smoked Mozzarella and Eggplant in a marinara sauce. The intensity of the smoked cheese was tempered by the earthy eggplant and the sauce was good and simple - not sweet nor complicated.



I'm happy to report that Bar Tano lived up to everything good I had heard. I look forward to my next visit there.

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day Everyone! Hope you're enjoying a day off with food, friends and fun! I'll be back Wednesday with more tales of Brooklyn food. Happy Eating!



But, just to give you something to look forward to, here are a few awesome food events coming up in the next few weeks!

Wednesday, September 9th: WORD hosts the debut of Brooklyn-writer Michelle Maisto's book The Gastronomy of Marriage: A Memoir of Food and Love (Random House, $15.00). She will be joined by Ben Sargent, The Brooklyn Chowder Surfer for a discussion about food and family. AND...they'll be hosting a Cream Puff Contest, how cool is that??? The fun starts at 7:30pm.

Saturday, September 12th: At 11am, the Little Buddy Biscuit Company (a handcrafted microbakery) will be having their Grand Opening, complete with ribbon cutting ceremony with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. They've been in soft opening for a while, but I'm so looking forward to this place, as I've heard such good things about their products, especially those extra-large Chocolate Chip Cookies! Check 'em out, and stay tuned for my post about them!

Also on Saturday, September 12th: The launch of the Greenpoint Food Market! I'm so excited about this. It's a place for "Brooklyn food makers" to connect with their supporters and community at large. They're still looking for additional vendors. Check 'em out! The eating will take place from 12 - 6pm at the Church of the Messiah in Greenpoint.

Sunday, September 13th: The Bell House hosts the Brooklyn Cheese Experiment, a cheese cook-off and home-brew throw-down! I have no idea what this is going to be like, but all you need to know is that it's sponsored by Murray's Cheese! The Main Event is at 1pm; the After party starts at 5pm.

AND, for all you long-term planners out there, get ready for the 35th Annual Atlantic Antic! From 10 - 6pm you can wander about two miles worth of Atlantic Avenue in the middle of the street, eating your way through the neighborhoods and soaking up some of the best Brooklyn sights. See you there!

Parked!: Lunch at The Yard

FYI - A number of Park Slope restaurants are offering deals on meals, now through the 30th, in honor of the Brooklyn Half Marathon which is this Saturday, starting in Prospect Park and ending in Coney Island. Check out the New York Road Runners Club website for details on participating restaurants and where you can cheer on the runners. Go Mom!!!

Oh yeah! The Yard, now know as Bklyn Yard (388-400 Carroll Street, by the blue swinging bridge, between Bond St. & Nevins St.) has opened for another season and I'm so excited. There's something about the ramshackle, haphazard spot on the banks of the Gowanus Canal that makes me so happy. Not to mention, the food!!! This Saturday marked the first of many Saturdays where you'll be able to amble down and get some of the tastiest treats in Brooklyn, all at one place! Some weekends there will be special food, like the Pit BBQ coming up on June 6th; others will host various food vendors selling their fare out of trucks.

First, get yourself something to drink 'cuz you're going to be standing in line and waiting for a while before you get to eat anything. There is a bar with beer but I got myself some Hot Pink Lemonade from the Green Pirate instead. Green Pirate is a juice bar on wheels that makes delicious liquid concotions. The lemonade had lemon & lime juice, celery, sweet beets and ginger, which resulted in a cup full of blood red liquid, sweet and tart and very refreshing.



I then stood in line and ordered a couple of personal pizzas from Pizza Moto, a mobile, wood-fired, brick oven pizzeria. One was with Artichoke Hearts (for me), and was delicious, with plenty of chokes and melty cheese. The crust was perfect - thin and bubbly, crisp and not soggy at all.



The other, for the BF, came with Ramps and Bacon and was so good my eyes bulged out of my head when I tried a bite. Seriously. Smoky, chewy bacon, tangy ramps and again, that fresh, melty cheese and wonderful sauce.



We bumped into some friends who stood for an hour to get some Huaraches from a vendor who normally sells in Red Hook on the weekends. It was a ginormous dish, and very messy, so snag a seat at a table if you can. I tried a bite for research sake and found it to be quite good. The tortilla is so fresh, it's unlike any other tortilla wrapped food, and all the flavors migled together to make a very tasty meal indeed!



The Van Leeuwen Artisanal Ice Cream Truck was there when we left, but we were full and the line was ridiculous, so we left. Maybe next time. The truck was pretty and I hear their ice cream is the bomb.

Also, don't forget that on Sundays there are DJs and dance parties. Go to Bklyn Yard!