A Brooklyn Life

The last time Carroll Garden’s Brooklyn Social, which opened in 2004, had a patio was 2006. That was when the Department of Buildings revoked Brooklyn Social’s permit. As owner Matt Dawson explained in an email announcing the patio’s opening today,

“It turned out that though most of Smith Street was zoned for commercial use, a small stretch (where we are located) was zoned residential. It didn’t make any sense–all the buildings had had commercial use on the ground floors for a hundred years, but for some reason unknown even to the Dept of City Planning this wasn’t reflected on the zoning map. Our commercial use was “grandfathered” (allowed to continue), but had to be limited to “within a fully enclosed building”–so no back yard. But in recent years in Carroll Gardens real estate developers and local residents have clashed over the size of developments (large buildings out of context with the character of the neighborhood). Local politicians and residents called for a comprehensive re-zoning of the neighborhood. The re-zoning passed, and one of the effects was a commercial overlay on all of Smith Street. So we are now allowed to open every evening till 11 pm, midnight on Friday & Saturday.”

So the good news is that on weekends, Brooklyn Social’s inside may have a tiny bit more breathing room as the crowds decamp to the cute backyard shown above.

Tags: brooklyn, Carroll Gardens, Neighborhood, smith street

Perhaps you remember my post about Boerum Hill’s Mile End Deli for breakfast (hint: great bacon, bagels flown in from Montreal)? Here’s a shot from an ABL fan of her brisket sandwich just before it was consumed. Yum!

Tags: bacon, Boerum Hill, camera phone photo, sandwich

When I want a nice “home cooked” lunch but I don’t want to cook it myself or eat at a restaurant, I head to Cobblestone Foods, which has a very nice short list of hearty, hot sandwiches you can buy for $7.50, and that price includes a rather delicious side. BUT on Monday, “Sandwich Day,” you get the same yummy sandwiches (personal favorite: Buffalo chicken) and any side of your choosing (generously proportioned, I might add) for just $6. That, my Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill friends, is a deal.

Tags: Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, cobblestone, sandwich

Went to Coney Island this morning for a walk around the New York Aquarium and caught the end of the night’s fog obscuring Deno’s  Wonder Wheel. One of the many reasons New York (and Brooklyn) makes me happy.

Tags: brooklyn, Coney Island, new york aquarium, wonder wheel

Tags: gowanus yacht club

The corner of Smith and Union is about to pick up some spring steam as the Brooklyn Indie Market reopens this weekend for the season.  Among the designers showing off their stuff are Kudulah, where you’ll find  critter art that’s not as child-friendly as that description would have you think (see photo), and HaKNIk, a line of jewelry and accessories made from vintage materials.

Tags: brooklyn, designers, indie, jewelry, vintage materials

Stop by Lowlands Bar in the south Slope on Saturday, April 3, to help them–and the nightspot-poor neighborhood–celebrate its grand opening. The spacious bar has a lot of conversation nooks tastefully sprinkled with yesteryear’s wall art and knicknacks. It also has a long, gorgeous wooden bar that dispenses 12 draft beers (everything from Peak’s Organic Pale Ale to Miller Light) and is low-lit by the same wacky tube lighting that grace its sister Carroll Gardens bar, Abilene. Most importantly, at least for the next six or so months, it has a very generous back patio that’s set up with picnic benches and a lot of room for outdoor drunken revelry. Expect the same great weekend pint-sized bloody marys and the same affable barkeeps.

Check out what Time Out New York, Blackbook, Yelp and Metromix have to say, and don’t forget to peek into the bathroom!

Tags: bloody marys, Carroll Gardens, draft beers, drunken revelry, grand opening, pale ale, south slope, time out new york

DPH Mustache-Net Crackdown from Chow>>

The artisanal cocktail movement suffered heavy casualties last night, when New York City Department of Health officials cited several restaurants in the Cobble Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn for old-timey facial hair code violations. For people preparing food and drink, state law requires that beards, sideburns, and mustaches be protected by a “mustache net.”

Tags: beards, brooklyn, Cobble Hill, crackdown, department of health, facial hair, Food and Drink, mustache, new york city, restaurants, sideburns

Good news, neighbors. The Carroll Gardens Greenmarket (on Carroll Street between Court and Smith streets) starts on Sunday,  April 11. It’s open from 8am to 4pm and includes my personal favorites Grazin’ Angus meats, Milk Thistle dairy, Consider Bardwell goat cheese, plus the grizzly fish guys from Seatuck Fish Company, and the absolutely beautiful maitake (and other mushrooms) from Madura Farms. I could go on, but the basic point is that fresh local produce, meats, cheeses, fish, flowers and other goodies will be back in one short week and a half and my sad pantry will be all the better for it.

Tags: Carroll Gardens, goat cheese, greenmarket, local produce, milk thistle, mushrooms

From the people who brought you Abilene in Carroll Gardens comes Lowlands Bar in the South Slope. Located at 543 Third Avenue between 13th and 14th streets (347-463-9458), it’s a diamond in the rough. Yes, it is located near a Pizza Hut, a Taco Bell, a combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. But step inside and it’s a real beauty. An impressively long, regal wood bar, painted wood floors and a lot of kitschy touches–crazy roped lamps, wall art you wish you’d found at a stoop sale and the same funky light fixtures as at Abilene. Oh, and a gigantic outdoor space with basic wooden picnic benches. As for drinking, there’s a nice draft beer list and plenty of liquor. Tonight, happy hour runs from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. It’s all in preview until April 3, when you can stop in for the grand opening. Check back at ABL soon for photos!

Tags: Carroll Gardens, happy hour, liquor, lowlands, outdoor space, south slope, wall art