The Cortelyou Library Friends Group is having a fundraiser at Sycamore on Sunday, February 12 to celebrate the library’s reopening in March. Stop by for a book-themed drink, and get in on a great raffle. More raffle items are coming in, but so far they’ve got:
This afternoon, Ben noticed this scene at Catskill Bagel–seems the Cortelyou Road shop has been closed by the Department of Health, almost exactly seven months after being shut down for violations last summer. The DOH website (you’ll have to search by name) shows that they were inspected yesterday, February 3, and had 45 violation points (they had 69 at the July closure), for violations including these “critical” ones:
1) Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
2) Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
3) Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies.
According to the violations, they also seem to have a problem with the plumbing, which is what the owner blamed the last closure on, at the time denying that they’d been closed by the DOH at all.
We’ll let you know when they’re back open, and what their explanation is this time around.
It’s a big weekend at Ox Cart Tavern, with brunch specials–including new deals on brunch cocktails–and several OxTailgate Specials as they welcome the neighborhood to come in to watch the Super Bowl.
Brunch starts at 11am on Saturday and Sunday, and here are this week’s specials:
Brunch cocktail specials: Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas are $4.50
Organic Eggs In a Hole, $11
2 organic eggs cooked in a bread basket and covered with cheddar cheese served with salad and Chipotle Aioli
Pineapple Stuffed French Toast, $11
served with whipped cream, butter and Vermont maple syrup
Eggs Benedict Classic, $13
2 poached eggs, Canadian bacon, English muffin, with hollandaise sauce, served with fries and salad
Breakfast Skillet, $13
2 organic eggs any style, with green peppers, scallion, tomatoes, mushrooms and ham, covered with melted pepper jack cheese (Hippie Skillet features tofu instead of ham)
Corn Beef Hash with 2 Organic Poached Eggs, $13
served with salad (eggs are poached unless otherwise requested)
2 Organic Eggs or Thick Cut Bacon or Fresh Breakfast Sausage, $4
Buttermilk Biscuits with Honey Butter and Raspberry Jam $4
Biscuits as above, plus Sausage Gravy $5
Then on Super Bowl Sunday, enjoy:
EVIL OX WINGS
Hotter than hell!
The newest of its now legendary hot wing selections.
Watch the Super Bowl on big screens with the sound on. OxTailgate Specials served all day long. See complete list of specials here.
The clock is running down on your Super Bowl party food options, so if you’re still looking for a place to buy a gigantic sandwich for your party, be sure to put an order in right away. Here are a couple of options nearby:
John’s Bakery 1322 Cortelyou Rd at Rugby, 718-287-6799
They can do a variety of sandwiches in a variety of sizes, but you have to order in advance. Call ahead or stop in, and they can help you pick a sandwich for your party.
Brancaccio’s Food Shop 3011 Fort Hamilton Pkwy, 718-435-1997
Get a four-foot version of any sandwich on the regular menu. Imagine four feet of roasted pork shoulder with Fontina cheese, ham, and pickles…now stop drooling, and call ahead.
You know of someplace else that’s offering a big hero/sub/sandwich/whatever? Let us know in the comments.
The Farm on Adderley knows that the way to anyone’s heart is through the stomach, so they’re offering a three-course prix fixe dinner for those celebrating love this Valentine’s Day. Plus, guests will receive a little treat from Sycamore.
The Tuesday, February 14 event will feature two seatings, one at 6:30pm and one at 8:30pm, and parties of any size can reserve a table for the prix fixe. It’s $45 per person (beverages, tax, and gratuity not included). Also, there will be a beverage pairing available for $22 per person.
The restaurant will be open for regular dinner service as well. The regular reservation policy (reservations only for parties of 5-10 people) applies to those who wish to order from the dinner menu. Valentine’s reservations are for the prix fixe dinner only.
To reserve a table, email farmreservations@gmail.com with your desired seating time and number of guests in your party.
The new sign in Cafe Madeline’s window, spotted by neighbor Danny Hairston. With all the focus on the former owner’s comments, don’t forget to give the new guys a try.
Qathra just got boxes of Tumbador chocolates in stock for Valentine’s Day. From Max:
They are available in 3 different size boxes: 3 piece heart bonbons, 6 piece heart bonbons, and “7 deadly sins”-12 heart shaped bonbons + one chocolate covered “goodie.”
It’s opening day for Am Thai Bistro, the new restaurant on Church Avenue at Stratford, and if you’re not there right now, you should head over. What began this morning with a blessing from three monks from a monastery in Queens continues this evening, and the women behind the operation–Boonnum “Num” Thongngoen and Karnchana “Amy” Sasook–hope you will all stop by tonight to meet them, and taste samples from the menu.
“We’re doing more traditional Thai dishes here,” said Num, explaining that Am Thai Kitchen on McDonald Avenue in Kensington will continue to focus on a more Americanized Thai menu. Though there is an extensive menu already printed (see it HERE and HERE), she told us that they’ll continue to work on it for the first few months, to see what works and adjust what doesn’t.
Amy explained they’ll also have daily specials, such as the curried lobster that was one of many dishes shared this morning during a ceremony that not only involved monks blessing the restaurant, but also a wedding ceremony.
“Two for one,” as one of the monks happily explained.
Somsak Sakdanuphap, a chef at Am Thai Kitchen, and Hathaichanok Chamnarnkong had a twin crown called a “mongkhon faet” placed on their heads for good luck, with a thread connecting the two. The monks led several rituals and chants, and the ceremony, which Num explained would bring luck to the couple and to the restaurant, ended with a monk splashing holy water on all the guests and the restaurant, inside and out.
If there’s luck to be had, then really we’re the lucky ones. What they’ve done with the space, which was formerly the roti place In Between, is really nice, and this should give a good boost to an otherwise quiet stretch of Church Ave. Welcome to the neighborhood!
Ox Cart Tavern’s new brunch service starts at 11 am every Saturday and Sunday. Here are this weekend’s specials (which are available in addition to the regular menu).
Organic Eggs In a Hole, $11
2 organic eggs cooked in a bread basket and covered with cheddar cheese served with salad and Chipotle Sauce
Pineapple Stuffed French Toast, $11
served with whipped cream, butter and Vermont maple syrup
Argentinean Blood Sausage with 2 Organic Eggs, $12
served with fries and salad
Country Skillet or Veggie Country Skillet, $12
2 organic eggs any style, served over a casserole of red potatoes, scallion, sausage, peppers, sage, and ancho-guajillo chili powder (veggie option features tofu instead of sausage)
Corn Beef Hash with 2 Organic Poached Eggs, $13
served with salad (eggs are poached unless otherwise requested)
2 Organic Eggs or Thick Cut Bacon or Fresh Breakfast Sausage, $4
Buttermilk Biscuits with Honey Butter and Raspberry Jam, $4
Biscuits as above, plus Sausage Gravy, $5
Then next weekend, remember you can watch the Giants in the Super Bowl at Ox Cart:
GO GIANTS! Kick-off with Kick-Ass OxTailgate Specials on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5th. Introducing EVIL OX WINGS — hotter than hell! — the newest of its now legendary hot wing selections. Watch the Superbowl on big screens with the sound on while enjoying specials, served all day long.
When you have a craving for some comforting noodles, where do you go? We have some diverse options on Cortelyou, but I’d love to hear if you’ve got a favorite that’s not included here.
Kumo Sushi (1406 Cortelyou Rd) has more than just California rolls. The veggie yaki udon (pictured above) is packed with vegetables like broccoli, baby corn, and asparagus, and though a little overpriced at $9, you get a lot of noodles, and they’ll fill you up.
Purple Yam (1314 Cortelyou Rd) has the Philippine chicken soup for the soul with its pancit bihon. Lots of rice noodles and a little broth, it’s got both chicken and pork, and adds crunch and green with baby bok choy. It will cure what ails you for $12.
Cafe Tibet (1510 Cortelyou Rd) has a lot of things I want to try, but I always end up with the beef Thukpa, a soup packed with egg-based noodles and topped with vegetables and slices of beef. Add their ubiquitous spicy sauce, and it’s a warm winter bargain at $7.75.
Church Avenue’s new Thai restaurant, Am Thai Bistro, is having its grand opening celebration this Friday, January 27. Stop by 1003 Church Ave near East 10th Street to give alms to the monks at 10:30am, and then head back between 6pm and midnight for an evening celebration.
If you’ve passed by the space recently, you can see how fast it’s coming along, as you can see in the photo to the left that neighbor Meema took over the weekend. You can also sneak a peek at the interior in a series of photos on their Facebook page.
As you know, this is the second location from the same people at Am Thai Kitchen on McDonald Ave in Kensington, so you can expect much of the same menu, though the Bistro will feature some Caribbean fusion dishes, such as “roti massaman,” or grilled roti served with chicken in massasman curry.
Nummy and Amy from Am Thai (pictured to the right with me and Melissa Skolnick from the Church Ave BID) have been popping up everywhere to announce the opening, so if you haven’t met them yet, you will soon. Most recently they visited the Uncover Church Avenue art show opening at the Flatbush Library (the show, by the way, runs through February 24), supplying guests with a spread of appetizers. They’re very excited to be a part of the community, so be sure to stop by and give them a warm welcome.
Many people have been asking about the new awning and sign in the window that says “Ditmas Park Coffee” at Café Madeline. The cafe, which was opened in October 2010, was sold this past August and the new owners took over in October. New awning or no, official word on the street, straight from the barista’s mouth: “Café Madeline is keeping its name and same great food. The only change is that it will be getting a facelift over the next couple of months.” Oh, and they have plans to become a bar. No timeline on that development.
Who is the new owner, we asked? The same barista responded, “He is local. He owns a health food store—I think it’s on Cortelyou, but it could be somewhere else—but he owns a health food store.”
The owner of Natural Frontier, the health food store on Cortelyou, was not around when we tried to contact him, but the staff said it’s not him.
We caught up with the former owner, Alexander Hall–who also owns Milk Bar in Prospect Heights and Bluebird Coffee on the Lower East Side–to find out why he decided to give up on Cortelyou Road.
I have very mixed feelings regarding Cortelyou rd. It was nowhere near as good a neighborhood to do business as Prospect Heights or the LES. Of course we had some great customers but way too many treated the cafe as their lounge rooms, sitting for hours in the air conditioning, using the internet and sipping on 1 coffee. Many customers would bring in their own food and try to eat it without us seeing. This became increasingly frustrating.
As for Jack. Well that’s a whole other frustration. Still to this day I don’t know why this guy’s disgusting behavior is tolerated. He vandalized our store, threatened my staff, stood at the front of the store and yelled at the customers. Many of the business owners in my block would tell me to leave him alone, he is part of the community, as would some of the local residents. I often called the police to come to get him away from the store only to have them not arrive. Even at my store in the Lower East Side we do not have idiots like this making a nuisance of themselves, he was one of the reasons we wanted out of Ditmas Park.
My 2 other cafes are trading well. Our bakery at Bluebird is now starting to supply other cafes in Manhattan and we have started a retail line.
We are about to sign a lease on a new larger store which will be called Milk Bar like our store in Prospect Heights.
I don’t think it was unfriendly or disrespectful, I just don’t think that the customers were aware of what it takes to run a profitable cafe. Don’t get me wrong, Cafe Madeline always made profit and I made money in selling the business, I was just frustrated as it seemed everyone that lives in Ditmas Park thinks it the best neighborhood in Brooklyn and its just not.
I’m sure there will be negative comments, people love to hide behind their words, I know exactly what they will be saying.
When asked if we could post his emails, Alexander responded, “It’s about time something interesting was put on that blog!”
We may not have great Chinese restaurants in the area, but we do have Purple Yam, which will be celebrating the Year of the Dragon all week with a special dinner menu. They’ve created dishes around symbolic foods that are traditionally served in China during the Lunar New Year–but of course, it will all be with a Purple Yam spin. You can stop in for a taste starting tonight, and they’ll be serving the specials through Sunday, January 29.
Water Dragon Lunar New Year Menu
• Duk Guk, Korean Lunar New Year soup with brisket, $8
• Manila clams, leeks & oyster mushroom in black bean sauce, $12
• Salt cod, potato & kimchi dumplings, $8
• Minced pork, dried oyster & chinese sausage, lettuce wrap, $9
• Cua Pao, steamed buns with red pork belly, $9
• Stir fried lotus root with chinese bacon, $8
• 5-spice duck leg with dragon eyes (longan), $15
• Sweet & sour pork with pineapple, $18
• Brown rice noodle with scallops & black moss, $25
• Crispy sea bass with tangerine & ginger sauce, market price
• Grilled squab, beijing style, $28
• Yu Sheng: raw tuna & jellyfish with daikon, kaffir lime, pomelo, wintermelon, papaya, peanuts, sesame seed, $25 for 2
Desserts, $8
• Chocolate cake with gen mai cha ice cream
• 8 precious sweet rice with persimmon ice cream
• Clementine sorbet with pomelo gratin
Attention all you chicken fiesta wrap fiends: Salud, the fresh and healthy Mexican spot on Avenue H, will be closed through February 6 while they take a vacation. I hope it doesn’t snow again before they’re back, because their Mexican hot chocolate tastes even better when there’s snow (and that’s when I crave it most).
A lot of people have been asking the folks at Ox Cart what will be available for brunch, which starts tomorrow at 11am and continues every Saturday and Sunday. Well here you go–the very first brunch specials, which will be served alongside the regular menu:
Corn Beef Hash with 2 Eggs Any Style served with salad $12
French Toast with Vermont Maple Syrup and Butter $11
Argentine Blood Sausage, served with fries and salad $11
Buttermilk Biscuits with Honey Butter $5
Thick Cut Bacon or Fresh Breakfast Sausage $4
Sounds like it will be worth braving the snow to try–if you stop by, let us know how it is.
Educator and historic food specialist Sarah Lohman is joining Tom Kearney at The Farm on Adderley on Wednesday for a Pre-Industrial Dinner, which will present a menu that takes inspiration from what the neighborhood was like in the 1800s. But what does that mean, exactly?
Nona Brooklyn spoke with Sarah and Tom about what food was like in the city at that time, and it’s really fascinating–be sure to give it a read to learn about ice harvesting, the Lefferts family, Delmonico’s, and more. As for how that all works into next week’s dinner, Tom explains:
When you do a dinner like this, some people assume you’re going to try to faithfully duplicate dishes from a specific time. We’re not exactly taking that approach – we’re going to be doing food that’s more inspired by food preparation techniques that were popular at the time, like curing meats, salt curing fish, corning meats, combining meats and that sort of thing. Soups were a big thing. One-pot dishes were a big thing. Pies were big. Stews and braised meats were common.
All you can eat AND drink for $30 at 773 Lounge on Super Bowl Sunday, which is coming up on February 5. And if you’re willing to show a little faith, you can currently find all kinds of Giants paraphernalia at the Modell’s on Church Avenue.
Calling all homebrew masters! The Brooklyn Wort, presented by Brooklyn Homebrew and Sycamore, has a new format for the next event, taking place on Saturday, April 28. Though the judging at the competition will be the same, getting into the competition will be done differently to make it more fair. Previously, brewers were picked at random, but for this event, brewers must submit a bottle for a preliminary qualifying round.
Brewers will have to drop off an unmarked bottle of homebrewed beer at Sycamore between February 1 and February 8 for the preliminary round, then the top 25 brewers will be picked to attend and compete in the Brooklyn Wort. The beer submitted in this round doesn’t need to be the one served during the Brooklyn Wort.
For more information on how to submit an entry, visit the Brooklyn Wort site.
If you’re not a brewer but you enjoy drinking beer, we’ll let you know when tickets for the event go on sale.
This delicious soup special I had at Mimi’s the other afternoon was pretty satisfying for a cold winter day: chickpeas, rice, and lentils in a lemony, tomato-based broth.
What’s the best thing you ate in the neighborhood this week?
Warm up this winter with a few new drinks at Sycamore. A four-part winter tasting series kicks off on Monday, January 23 at 8pm with Eau de Vie: Brandy & Cognac:
Chris Hiatt of Park Slope Cellars takes you on a journey through a special tasting of the mysterious and wonderful genre of brandies and eau de vie. Cheeses to accompany these spirits will be provided from our friends at the Market & Mimi’s.
$30 per person. Limited availability, sign up here.
The best way to learn about wine is to drink it, and you’ll have two opportunities to do so for free at T.B. Ackerson this week. There is a tasting tonight, and another on Sunday. Some snippets from Cole’s excellent e-newsletter, which you can subscribe to when you stop by the shop:
Economically & Environmentally Friendly Red & White from California Thursday, January 12, 6-8pm
The Climber “Bags” of wine, $16.99 (1.5L = 2 bottles): Seriously, how in good conscience can we plan on spending the springtime frolicking in mud while getting flirtatious with fig leaves and asparagus spears if we didn’t at least give environmentally friendly packaging a try this winter??? Would it help if I told you the wine tastes good, too?
Exuberance vs Elegance. Come taste reds from the south of France Sunday, January 15, 4-6pm
Both of the wines you’ll be tasting on Sunday (Natural Selection Minervois, $17.99 and Domaine L’Ostal Cazes Minervois, $24.99) will come from Syrah grapes grown in the Minervois region near France’s southern coast, and will still taste stunningly different. One wine will be all black cherry pepper jam stuffed into Roman candles caught in the background of a snapshot from Last Night’s Party, and the other wine will be all black cherries grilled over an open flame by a man who wears his tuxedo so well he could swim the English Channel in it without getting wet.
At long last, Ox Cart Tavern will be serving brunch! Beginning Saturday, January 21 at 11am, the restaurant will open one hour earlier on the weekend to feature new breakfast and brunch specials in addition to the regular menu.
On top of that, they’ve got big Superbowl plans:
Then Kick-off with Kick-Ass OxTailgate Specials on Superbowl Sunday, Feb. 5th. Ox Cart introduces EVIL OX WINGS — hotter than hell! — the newest of its now legendary hot wing selections. Watch the Superbowl on big screens with the sound on while enjoying these specials, served all day long. Here’s the line-up:
Kick-Off with Kick-Ass OxTailgate Specials
ALL DAY SUPERBOWL SUNDAY FEB. 5TH
DRAFT BEER: 1/2 OFF EVERY 2ND PITCHER
CHILI NACHO BOWL Loaded with cheese, sour cream, onions & tortilla chips
God bless Robert Sietsema for being the adventurous soul he is. While eating at Kavkaz, a restaurant on CIA between Ditmas and Newkirk that serves food from the Caucasus, he saw “mutton eggs w/ potatoes,” and promptly ordered it:
Pale, ovoid, and spongy, the “eggs” really did resemble eggs, and the flavor was appropriately bland, too. They made a wonderful combination with the fried potatoes and onions, the whole thing glistening with grease.
Be sure to visit the Village Voice blog for pics, and to leave your guess to what “mutton eggs” really are.
If you’ve eaten here, could you tell more about what it’s like? As he notes, it seems pretty inviting from the outside, but it’s hard to tell how hopping it is when you pass by, because of the mirrored glass windows. Never having experienced cuisine from the Caucasus, though, this seems like one to try this winter…though I may skip the mutton eggs.
When a sign for Dollar Burger popped up on a Coney Island Avenue storefront this fall, several questions came to mind. Top of the list: How good would a $1 burger be, and if it’s halal, what would it be?
The compact restaurant, part of a small chain that includes spots in Manhattan and New Jersey known as Kashmir Grill, finally opened just before Christmas on CIA between Cortelyou and Dorchester. Turns out the burger is chicken, and it tastes pretty much like what you’d think a $1 burger would taste like.
So that begs a new question: Where can you find beef-alternative burgers in the area?
Cheap Dollar Burger (816 Coney Island Ave) has exactly what they advertise. For $1, you get a chicken patty on a bun, with ketchup and mayo. Toppings–including lettuce and tomato, but also more interesting items like turkey bacon and jalapenos–will run you an additional 45 cents each. They won’t blow your mind, but they’re a dollar. The menu also includes more interesting Pakistani/Indian fare.
Comfort Food Picket Fence (1310 Cortelyou Road) knows comfort food, and their turkey burger fits the bill. If you’re looking for a lighter alternative to a beef burger, this one is the way to go, and it’s a plus that you can get a side salad instead of fries, as well.
Most Choices Ox Cart Tavern (1301 Newkirk Ave) has become the go-to burger joint in the neighborhood, and with that comes a good selection of specialty patties. Their veggie burger might be the best I’ve ever had, and their tuna burger was so popular as a special, they added it to the permanent menu.
Anyplace I missed? Please share other options, or any of your favorite burgers, in the comments.
This year’s Newport Folk Festival is just two months out. Today, tickets for an amazing Deer Tick hosted after party on Friday, Saturday and Sunday went on sale…and already sold out. Deer Tick will be curating three Newport Folk Fest after parties at the Newport Blues Cafe on July 27-29. According to the band’s publicist, […]
Festival season is officially kicking into high gear. This afternoon, Bonnaroo’s lineup schedule for the 4-day music and arts fest in Manchester, Tenn. was announced. In case you need a lineup refresher, one of the most notable acts *is (*IMHO) Fruit Bats – the band fronted by Eric D. Johnson that fell off the radar […]
Want to lose weight but not seeing results? You could be making one of these 3 biggest diet mistakes. In this video, licensed nutritionist Lisa Jubilee of Living Proof Nutrition/Fitness explains the 3 most common mistakes people make when trying to lose weight. Interested in trying our kickboxing program? Get 3 kickboxing classes and a … […]
Powerful Words is the name of our character development curriculum here at Urban Martial Arts. It’s designed by one of the nation’s leading childhood development experts, Dr. Robyn Silverman. Every month, we’ll focus on a different Powerful Word, or concept around character development. This month’s Powerful Word is TRUSTWORTHINESS. Here’s a video from Dr. R […]
Echinacea pallida, Pale Coneflower, growing in my urban backyard native plant garden. I was appalled to see the National Wildlife Federation publish on their Web site, without qualification or counter-point, a press piece by the "Brand Manager... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] […]
We wanted to make sure you knew about a Groupon of ours that just went live this morning. For $30, you get 4 kickboxing classes with a 40-minute personal training session, and a pair of free boxing gloves. or… For $50, you get 10 kickboxing classes with a 40-minute personal training session, and a pair … […]
Not only are there a few handfuls of awesome shows happening around the five boroughs this week, there’s a helluva lot goin’ on this weekend in the way of festivals. Basically, it’s going to be like Mardi Gras … minus the beads … and a lot of other things. First, it’s the 4th Annual Brooklyn […]
Now that THE LILY MAID is safely off to my agent, I’ve begun work on another project: relaunching this website. It’s a major project, frankly, and one which is overdue. The last time I redesigned the site was for the launch of DOOMED QUEENS. Since then, I’ve moved onto writing fiction, creating iPhone apps and […]
So many good shows this week, so little time. Justin Townes Earle is back in town, up-and-comers The Whiskey Collection hit Rockwood again, Jonathan Wilson and Jenny O do their thing, and the list goes on. Keepin’ it short and sweet, folks — check out the packed lineup below, and plan wisely! Monday, May 14 […]
