Posts Tagged ‘Brooklyn’

Arts Festivals in Brooklyn – September 27-29



This is a big weekend for the arts in Brooklyn, with two major events happening in exciting, lively DUMBO.  DUMBO, the District under the Manhattan Bridge, is recognizable from many TV shows and films (especailly Woody Allen films).    From here, you’ll get an astonishing view of Manhattan across the river, a chance to walk on cobblestones that hearken back to the city’s glorious past, and areas to wander among the warehouses which have now been converted to restaurants and boutiques.  In addition, the area’s wonderful, new Brooklyn Bridge Park is a delight, with its hills, promenades, and play areas.  The Park is bordered by Atlantic Avenue to the south and Jay Street to the north and runs along the Brooklyn waterfront.  brooklynbridgeparknyc.org

Two free events at the park warrant your attendance:

Photoville – Photoville is a Brooklyn-based photo destination, a pop-up village of freight containers transformed into temporary exhibition spaces, which runs through September 29 on the Uplands of Pier 5. The event includes a mix of exhibitions, lectures, hands-on workshops, night-time projections, a photo dog-run, a camera-flower greenhouse, and a summer beer-garden with food trucks.  The containers themselves offer up great photographic possibilities. The site covers more than 60,000 square feet in the heart of Brooklyn Bridge Park.  A full schedule of events can be found at http://photovillenyc.org/schedule/www.photovillenyc.com.  Weekend hours are Friday 4pm to 10pm; Saturday noon to 10pm; and Sunday noon to- 8pm.

Dumbo Arts Festival – also through September 29, the Dumbo Arts Festival, http://dumboartsfestival.com/

The DUMBO Arts Festival is a non-commercial, welcoming presentation of local, national and international art set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline. More than 400 artists from a variety of disciplines will be showcased.  Traditional to avant-garde pieces are highlights, and outdoor projections are on view through midnight each night. Festival hours are Friday 6pm to 9pm, Saturday noon to 9pm, Sunday noon to 6pm. Art revelers can enjoy outdoor and indoor visual art installations and exhibitions, digital art and large-scale projections, visiting artists in their studios or making murals on the street, dancers, poets as well as performers throughout the neighborhood, on street corners, and in the park.  Plan to spend a few hours!

The DUMBO Arts Festival spans the neighborhood of DUMBO, Brooklyn, between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, including the waterfront.

Food Festivals Continue All Summer (into October)

The food truck craze continues all summer long in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Mad Sq. Eats may be over, but celebrated chefs from around the world are still serving up signature dishes with a twist through October. This batch of food truck festivals includes events every day of the week. The lines can be long, so it’s best to arrive early (or bring a lot of patience).

Hester Street Fair

The marketplace at the Hester Street Fair in Manhattan’s Lower East Side will keep you busy with its vintage clothing, jewelry, crafts and home goods, but you have to eat, right? Artisanal is the mode here as you create your own s’more from S’amore or indulge in a local fave, the cuppie, a cupcake with cookie dough baked into the middle from It’s a Cuppie . Sticking around for dinner? Get adventurous with Jambalaya Balls topped with dirty gravy at Exchange Alley, paired with a thirst-quenching sweet tea or cayenne lemonade. Check out the full list of this year’s participating vendors here: http://www.hesterstreetfair.com.

When/Where:

Saturdays through October 26 from 10am-6pm; corner of Hester St. and Essex St.

SmorgasBar

The creators of Smorgasburg have set up shop in South Street Seaport with SmorgasBar, a pop-up aimed at revitalizing the area post-Sandy. SmorgasBar adds two full bars serving up local and other beers, wines and spirits so you’ll have something to wash down one of Milk Truck’s (http://milktrucknyc.com/) weekly grilled cheese specials, or fresh oysters from Brooklyn Oyster Party (http://brooklynoysterparty.com/). If you’re looking to beat the summer heat, try a slushie from Kelvin Natural Slush Co.

When/Where:

Sunday-Thursday from 11am-10pm, Friday and Saturday from 11am-11pm; Front St. and Fulton St.

Participating Smorgasburg vendors:

Asia Dog

Blue Marble Ice Cream

Brooklyn Oyster Party

Brooklyn Soda Works

Fonda

Kelvin Natural Slush Co.

Landhaus

Milk Truck Grilled Cheese

Pizza Moto

Red Hook Lobster Pound

Rice & Miso Everyday

Food Truck Rally

After sightseeing in Prospect Park, grab a bite at the Food Truck Rally in Brooklyn’s historic Grand Army Plaza. Several Manhattan food truck staples, including Van Leeuwen and Wafels & Dinges , are in this year’s lineup, so you can finally try all the treats you’ve hurried past on your way to work while you have the chance to relax.

When/Where:

First and third Sundays through October 20, from 11am-5pm; Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn (note: event will take place September 8 instead of September 1)

Participating Vendors:

Andy’s Italian Ices

Big D’s Grub Truck

Chinese Mirch

COOLHAUS

Eddies pizza

Gorilla Cheese nyc

Green Pirate Juice Truck

Kelvin Slush

Kimchi Taco Truck

Mexicue

Miami Food Machine

Mike n willies

Milk Truck

Morris Grilled Cheese

Mud Truck

Nuchas

Palenque

Phil’s Steaks

Red Hook Lobster Pound

Rickshaw

Souvlaki Gr

TAIM MOBILE

The Treats Truck

Toum

Valduccis Pizza

Van Leeuwen

Wafels & Dinges

It’s Time to Reserve for NYC Summer Restaurant Week – July 22-August 16

The city’s exodus to the beaches is a boon for diners who remain in the city.  Lasting almost a month from July 22 through August 16, the 21st year of New York City’s restaurant week is ready for booking.  This is the time to score a prized table of some of the city’s most desirable restaurants.  The 300 participating restaurants feature $25 three-course prix fixe lunches $38 prix fixe dinners. Most time slots are during the week for lunch and dinner, with a few left for Sunday lunch and  dinner.  This year, there are restaurants from Queens and Brooklyn making an appearance. We say, bravo! Here’s to eating with panache and change in your pocket. The full list of restaurants including menus is available online.  Call now so you don’t lose out.
http://www.nycgo.com/restaurantweek

If you’re an American Express Cardmember, you get even more savings.  Sign up to register your card and use it when you dine at any restaurant participating in Restaurant Week. You’ll get an additional $5 off of any meal of $25 or more. https://enroll.amexnetwork.com/US/en/nycrestaurantweek2013/

A sampling of the restaurants on the list, with many of my favorites includes :

Brooklyn

Benchmark Restaurant (Park Slope) –  lunch and dinner (Monday-Friday); lunch and dinner (Sunday)

Queens

The Greenhouse Café (Bay Ridge) – lunch and dinner (Monday-Friday); lunch and dinner (Sunday)

Water’s Edge Restaurant (Long Island City) – lunch and dinner ( Monday-Friday)

Manhattan

A Voce Columbus – lunch (Monday-Friday)

Boulud Sud – lunch and dinner (Monday-Friday)

Circo – lunch and dinner (Monday – Friday); dinner (Sunday)

Delmonico’s – lunch and dinner (Monday-Friday)

The Dutch – lunch (Monday-Friday)

Il Mulino – lunch (Monday-Friday)

Lincoln Ristorante – lunch (Monday-Friday)

Maialino – lunch (Monday-Friday)

Le Perigord – lunch (Monday-Friday); dinner (Sunday-Friday)

Red Rooster Harlem – lunch (Monday-Friday)

Riverpark – lunch and dinner (Monday-Friday); dinner (Sunday)

Spice Market – lunch and dinner (Monday-Friday); dinner (Sunday)

Thalassa – lunch and dinner (Monday-Friday)

Tulsi – lunch and dinner (Monday-Friday); dinner (Sunday)

It’s the Beginning of Summertimes Food Events: Happy Memorial Day

You know summer’s just around the corner in New York when deciding what to eat for lunch becomes your toughest decision all day. Food trucks are all the rage, and for good reason, since they take all the work out of finding good food around the city. With such a wide variety of vendors popping up at events around NYC, you’re guaranteed a mouth-watering meal, so forget run-of-the-mill and grab some grub at one of these food truck festivals! Go early and bring friends so you can try several dishes:

Mad Sq. Eats

Food truck vendors at Mad. Sq. Eats, presented by UrbanSpace and the Madison Square Park Conservancy, (http://urbanspacenyc.com/mad-sq-eats/) have been serving up dishes made from local produce and fresh ingredients since early May, and there’s still one more week to catch this pop-up shop before it hits the road until next year. Try new dishes created by some of NYC’s most celebrated chefs as you stroll through Worth Square, located near Manhattan’s iconic Madison Square Park.

Feeling hungry and adventurous, but not sure what to eat? Sample one of ilili’s contemporary Lebanese and Mediterranean dishes, or try arancini – deep fried rice balls served with various toppings – a traditional Sicilian street food from Arancini Bros. And there are plenty of sweets to go around at Mad. Sq. Eats, too: cool off with an ice cream sandwich from Melt Bakery, home to New York’s first ice cream sandwich store, or grab an ice pop made with fresh, local fruits from People’s Pops.

Mad. Sq. Eats is open daily from 11am-9pm until May 31, at Worth Square (located directly adjacent to Madison Square Park on the intersection of Broadway, 5th Ave. and 25th St). Here’s the full list of vendors:

New:

Third Rail Coffee

Dreamscoops Ice Cream

Sunday Gravy NYC

SEOUL LEE KOREAN BAR B CUE

Eleni’s New York

Mason Jar NYC

Mrs. Dorsey’s Kitchen

MMM ENFES

Returning:

Arancini Bros.

ASIADOG

Bar Suzette

CALEXICO

Charlito’s Cocina

Graffiti / Mehtaphor

Hong Kong Street Cart

ilili

La Sonrisa Empanadas

Macaron Parlour

Mayhem & Stout

Melt Bakery

Mexicue

Mighty Balls

Mimi and Coco NY

Momofuku Milk Bar

Nunu Chocolates

Red Hook Lobster Pound

Roberta’s

Stuffed Artisan Cannoli

The Cannibal

people’s pops

Smorgasburg

100 to 115 food truck vendors from NYC and around the world are gathering every Saturday and Sunday this summer for Smorgasburg, a Brooklyn Flea Food Market (http://www.smorgasburg.com/). Both the locations (Williamsburg and DUMBO) andthe cuisine ensure a trendy experience.

New vendors in this year’s lineup include Scharf & Zoyer, famous for their noodle-kugel sandwiches, and Deji, where you can nosh on Korean pub food favorites and foie gras beignets. Looking for the ultimate indulgence? A plate of nachos at El Gato Nacho should do the trick. Satisfy your sweet tooth with peach cobbler crumb cheesecake from BITEME Cheesecake or some decadent cake truffles from CakeBites .

The Smorgasburg lineup changes throughout the season, so this one’s worth checking out more than once! Here’s the full list of vendors that will make an appearance this summer: http://www.smorgasburg.com/vendors.

When/Where:

Saturdays from 11am-6pm at East River State Park (Kent Ave. and N. 7 St.) on the Williamsburg waterfront;

Sundays from 11am-6pm on the DUMBO waterfront at the historic Tobacco Warehouse in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Where to Sled, Cross-Country Ski, and Tube in New York City

Did you know that 2006 had the most snow ever recorded in New York City?  We’ve been waiting since then for some serious sledding or tubing weather, and it looks like it’s finally here.  So, dust off those Flexible Flyers, sand down the toboggans, and grab your snow tube and head to the hills. If we get enough snow, cross-country skiing in both the parks and down the avenues is entirely possible, too.

Here’s where to find some snow sports action in New York City:

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Valentine’s Day 2013 — Brooklyn Dining Choices

Valentine’s Day dining is a tradition in New York City.  Most restaurants offer something special, be it a special menu, complimentary flowers or chocolates, or red and pink cocktails.  Sometimes a burst of creativity spawns other distinctive romantic twists.

We begin our 2013 picks with four fun and romantic choices in Brooklyn, evenings that are designed to further ignite your inner Cupid.  Don’t wait long to book – space is limited on this prime “date night.”

La Gringa Taqueria, Williamsburg

Movie evenings are a key part of the dining experience at this Cali-style Mexican.  Valentine’s Day is no different, and the February 14 screening will be Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo + Juliet,” shown under the Army tent in the restaurant’s backyard.  A wood-burning stove heats the space which is kitted out with comfortable seating.  Just bring your gloves if you’re prone to chills.  Movie tickets and hot chocolate are free; nachos, tacos. quesadillas and burritos are available for purchase, all made with sustainable ingredients.  The movie starts at 7:30pm and reservations are strongly suggested.

www.gringataqueria.com, 800 Grand Street, Brooklyn, 718.388.0055
 

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