Brooklyn: Prospect Heights Archives
Eater Inside: James
Krieger, 6/23/08
Opening up in the old Sorrel space tonight, we present James, a little Prospect Heights stunner from Bryan Calvert (former chef at Union Pacific and Bouley) and his wife Deborah Williamson. As seems to be de rigueur with any halfway ambitious new restaurant these days, James has pressed tin ceilings, exposed brickwork, a sleek dark wooden bar, and some designer chandeliers. As for the food, the owners say it will be a "a seasonal-American restaurant with old-world European influences," and of course they're offering an gussied up cocktail list. We're not expecting any critics to trek out here just yet (though remember Richman hearts Brooklyn), but it will most likely be an immediate hit in the neighborhood. Further reading here and on the official site.
Seasonal, American, Cocktails
605 Carlton Ave., Prospect Heights; 718.942.4255
Open Tues - Sun 5 p.m. - midnight
Monday Opening Report: James, Alloro, and Indian Road Cafe Opening Tomorrow
This is the Monday Opening Report, a regular feature that provides the precise status of venues. As per standard operating procedure around here, your contributions are so very welcome.
Melissa Horn
1) Prospect Heights: The Strongbuzz reports that James, a seasonal American restaurant and plywood vet is set to open tomorrow in an old Prospect Heights brownstone. Here’s some menu info: “Main courses run the gamut from a juicy grass fed beef burger with Cotswald cheese on brioche with herb fries ($14), to herb crusted east coast halibut with spring vegetables and horseradish cream ($26), poached breast of chicken with roasted thigh, roasted treviso and lemon thyme jus ($20), fava bean ravioli with morels broth and ramps greens ($20), and pine nut and rosemary-crusted rack of lamb with summer bean stew ($22).” Status: Not Open. Opening tomorrow. 605 Carlton Avenue, Prospect Heights; 718-942-4255. [Strongbuzz]
2) Upper East Side: Italian restaurant Alloro, brought to you by Salvatore Corea (Spiga, Bocca, and Cacio e Pepe) is set to open tomorrow as well according to the press release. Details are as follows: “The welcoming and fresh setting - the shiny black bar and tables, with pearly white walls- mirror the creative menu selections. Salvatore has taken classic Italian specialties and transformed them into gastronomical creations that surprise and delight. The menu offers a selection of cheeses and cured meats, alongside pasta, meat and fish dishes; as well as Chef Salvatore's renowned dessert selections.” Status: Grand Opening tonight. Opening for business tomorrow. 307 East 77th Street, 212-535-2866. [Eater Inbox]
Indian Road Cafe, next>>The Plywood Mega Report (now with map!): Williamsburgh Cafe, Frankies, JoeDoe, Sweetie Pie, and More!
Neighborhood Watch: New Restaurant Row in Prospect Park
According to today's Observer, there's a restaurant renaissance going on over in Prospect Park. BK borough pres Marty Markowitz thinks it probably has something to do with the upcoming Nets arena, but it could just be that more well-to-do residents are moving into the area. And as any gentrification student knows, after bars and coffee shops, restaurants are major indicators of a changing neighborhood. The Obsever documents the newcomers:
"Washington Avenue has become the restaurant row. New orange signs hang from lamp posts proclaiming 'Washington Avenue, Eat, Drink, Shop.' Gen, a Japanese spot; Udom, excellent Thai; and now Rawstar, a Caribbean restaurant catering to the raw dairy-free lifestyle have all opened between St. Marks Avenue and Prospect Place. A new cafe began renovating a spot on Grand Avenue and Prospect Place, and my landlord told me of potential plans for yet another cafe...Up the street...a new wine bar called Abigails--by the owners of Camaje in the West Village--has opened."Six restaurants may not sound groundbreaking to Manhattanites, but in some neighborhoods, you take what you can get.
· Brooklyn, The Borough: A Tree Salad Grows in Brooklyn [NYO]
—photo
Thursday Opening Report: Plan B, Body Restaurant Certified Open, Fish Market and Ten Bells
This is the Thursday Opening Report, a regular feature that provides the precise status of venues . As per standard operating procedure around here, your contributions are so very welcome.
1) Prospect Heights: TONY reported on Monday that after a 10.5 month wait for a liquor license, new Prospect Heights bar Plan B had opened on Friday. A tipster checked in the other day confirming the opening: “Plan B on Vanderbilt between Prospect Place and Park Place in Prospect Heights is now opened. Limited menu this week (buffalo chicken fingers, guacamole, etc.), full menu this week.” Status: Certified Open. 626 Vanderbilt Ave, Prospect Heights; no phone listed. [TONY]
2) Harlem: Flo Fab does some minor reporting on the opening of Body Restaurant and Lounge in West Harlem this week. Details were sparse but we found the following info on their website: “BODY is located in the newly penned “Harlem Meat Packing District”, just a few blocks north of the Gourmet Mega Market, FAIRWAY. BODY occupies a 9,000 square foot three-story space in a brick historic building. Chef Robert Russo will provide international / world fusion with flair. Our menu is design to encompass the globe with North, South, East, & West influences.” Phone calls confirm it open. Status: Certified Open. 701 W. 135th Street; 212-694-1416. [NYT]
South Street Seaport and LES right this way>>EaterWire: Snitch Closing, Franny's Open Mondays, Free Dunkin' Donuts
CHELSEA— Good Night Mr. Lewis interviews the owner of Chelsea rock club Snitch and finds out it will be closing this fall and taken over by a swanky lounge: "The new space is gonna be a unique space from the perspective that it will be an upscale lounge that will cater to the upscale social scenes of Manhattan, but I would say that customer service and operations and management will be probably greater then any place in New York. It won’t just be the talk...we’re gonna do it." [Good Night Mr. Lewis]
PROSPECT HEIGHTS— Oh boy, breaking news from Franny's in Brooklyn. From their email newsletter: After four years, franny's is pleased to announce that we are now open Monday evenings! Our garden will open for dining beginning Saturday, May 10th. Please join us this spring and summer!" [EaterWire]
Free Dunkin' Donuts coffee, ahead.>>EaterWire: Beyonce and Jay-Z love Lucali, Marchetto Signs Lease on 10 Downing, Franny's Open Mondays, Barber Gets a Book Deal
CARROLL GARDENS—Where do Beyonce and Jay-Z go when they want a romantic night out? Why, Lucali of course: "So it was hardly surprising, last week, when a Presidential-calibre motorcade pulled up out front. Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z emerged, and were quickly ushered to a table near the chef. Their bodyguard, a man roughly the size of the three-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar Maybach sedan idling at the curb, settled into a chair on the sidewalk...Four civilians enduring a long wait on the bench out front...Iacono left his station and came over to the foursome’s table to apologize for the hubbub. 'They didn’t even tell me they were coming!' he said. 'Usually they tell me first.'" [New Yorker]
WEST VILLAGE—Though it's been reported before that Da Silvano's Silvano Marchetto would be buying the space at 10 Downing, it was just least week that he finally signed the lease: "Italian restaurateur Silvano Marchetto signed a 15-year lease last week for 2,500 square feet at 10 Downing Street, said the building's owner, Ofer Yardeni, a managing partner at Stonehenge Partners. The rent for the space on the building's south end is $150 per square foot. The new restaurant is slated to open in four or five months, Yardeni said...the new restaurant will also serve Italian food, but will have a new name." [The Real Deal]
Franny's news and Dan Barber's book deal, ahead.>>Eater Inside: Weather Up
Krieger, 3/28/08
What you see here is Weather Up, the Prospect Heights high-end cocktail bar owned by Kathryn Weatherup, an original partner in East Side Company Bar, with Sasha Petraske of Milk & Honey fame as a consultant. It's pretty, it's pricey, and it's not a place for a vodka tonic. Designed in a 'speak easy' style but functioning as a normal cocktail bar (you don't need to wait or call a special number to get in), the place has a tiled ceiling, an eight-seater bar, and a number of dimly lit corners. It also packs the people in, especially on weekends where early adopters have complained of long waits.
Reviews on the place so far from the regulars over at Yelp and Brooklynian are giving the place a mixed bag. On the one hand, regulars love having high-end cocktails in the nabe. On the other hand, there have been reports of long waits for drinks and an inconsistent product. Yet in the end, the posters seem in a agreement that it's a welcome addition to the neighborhood whether it will attract the cocktail hounds from the rest of the city or not. Further reading here and here.
Cocktail Bar, $11 Cocktails, Sasha Petraske
589 Vanderbilt Ave., Prospect Heights
Open Tues-Sun., 7 p.m.-3 a.m.
The Gatekeepers: Sarah Gaskins & Nekisia Davis, Franny's
This is The Gatekeepers, in which Eater roams the city meeting the fine ladies and gentlemen that stand between you and some of your favorite impossible-to-get tables.
Kalina, 3/11/08
Franny's, the two-starred locally-sourced pizza joint in Prospect Heights, has a bit of a rabid following. They don't take reservations, the wait on the weekend can span hours, and though it is ultimately a neighborhood joint, Manhattanites will often brave the trek to the Heights for a slice of Franny's pie. If you go on most weeknights and all weekend nights, you have a long wait ahead of you and Sarah Gaskins and Nekisia Davis are what separate you from your dinner.
Nekisia Davis, Assistant Manager: We have 40 seats in the dining room, 10 at the bar and 4 at the counter. We both love dining at the bar or at table 13, which is adjacent to the kitchen. Sarah Gaskins, General Manager: The bar can be crowded but there is a nice view of the whole restaurant and also an opportunity for conversation with some of our local bar clientèle. Table 13 looks directly into our open kitchen with a beautiful brick oven (the chefs make for a pleasant view, as well!). 8 PM on a Saturday night. What's the wait for a table? ND: Because we seat on a walk-in basis, the wait varies. Generally, though, on Saturday night at 8pm, you'll wait somewhere around an hour. Is there anything I can say to make my wait shorter?
Pizza, Local Sourcing, Walk-in Only
295 Flatbush Avenue, Prospect Heights; (718) 230 0221
Open Tues - Fri for dinner, Sat - Sun for lunch & dinner, Closed on Mon
Dealing with Pizza Tours and "Picking out the lavender", next>>
Thursday Opening Report: Olana, Weather Up Certified Open, NY Steak and Burger on Monday
This is the Thursday Opening Report, a new regular feature that will provide the precise status of venues reported as open elsewhere. As per standard operating procedure around here, your contributions are so very welcome.
1) Tribeca: Potential trademark infringement notwithstanding, spanking new meatery NY Steak and Burger plans to open in Tribeca "next week" according to Bottomless Dish. Menu details are scarce but a full bar will accompany the obvious array of steer-driven specialties. Status: As of now, opening Monday. 369 Greenwich Street; 212-625-1010. [Bottomless Dish]
2) Prospect Heights: Cutty has it that Weather Up, the eagerly anticipated schmancy Brooklyn cocktail bar is open for business. The pedigree here, with a partner from East Side Company Bar and bartenders trained by cocktail king Sasha Petraske, is reason enough for all the pre-opening buzz. An accidental Yelp walk by confirms the open. Status: Certified Open. 589 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn; no phone. [Cutlets]
And to review Tuesday's listings:
3) Murray Hill: The much delayed opening of Olana finally went down on Tuesday night. Bottomless Dish checks in with a preview: "The lowdown: vast cherry-wood accented space with red-shaded chandeliers and an intriguing menu with the likes of burnt orange and goose ravioli; monkfish osso buco; and rabbit stuffed with dried apricots and foie gras." Status: Certified Open. 72 Madison Avenue; 212-725-4900. [Bottomless Dish]
4) Cobble Hill: TONY had the scoop on the new Red Deli: "This casual delicatessen from chef and restaurateur Charlie Statelman (Wombat, Patois) and partner Matthew Murphy opens next door to their recently revamped Café on Clinton." Status: Remains unconfirmed, no phone yet. 264 Clinton St, Cobble Hill; No Phone Yet. [TONY]
Brownstoner scores the first look inside Weather Up, the new Prospect Heights cocktail lounge where the bartenders are being trained by none other than Milk and Honey's Sasha Petraske. The lineage of the owner's connection to East Side Company is also evident in the design (click through for the exterior reveal, too); all in all, this looks to be a very good show. [Brownstoner, previous]
Here's the real deal with the new 'secret' Prospect Heights speakeasy we spoke of yesterday, then misattributed to Fort Greene today. Per Brownstoner, it's going to be called Weatherup & Co, and involves someone from the Lower East Side's excellent East Side Company Bar (likely not Sasha Petraske). N.B. folks on the Brooklynian forums are taking this one really seriously. [Brownstoner/Brooklynian]
CRUCIAL UPDATE: From the Petraske camp, comes this: "Sasha does not own Weather Up (spelled as two words). But he is consulting for the bar, instructing the bartenders and staff how to mix cocktails properly, what ingredients to use, that sort of thing." Boom, people. Boom. [EaterWire]
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