Brooklyn: Red Hook Archives
EaterWire: A Water Taxi Beach in Red Hook, the New York Yankees Steakhouse
RED HOOK— Some major news coming our way from the folks behind Water Taxi Beach— there will be a new WTB-like construction in Red Hook at the new Cheyene Diner space. The official word: "New York Water Taxi will be working with Red Hook developer Michael O'Connell to relocate the Cheyenne Diner to Red Hook and develop an attraction similar to Water Taxi Beach but different! The diner will have a beer garden outside and a will be one block from the water taxi dock at Fairway." [EaterWire]
THE BRONX— The Yankees are teaming up with the people behind Hard Rock Cafe to develop a "NYY Steak concept": "The prototype will be a 6,300-square-foot, year-round restaurant in the new Yankee Stadium, which is under construction in the Bronx." And because thar obviously isn't enough they also plan to open a 7,000 square foot Hard Rock Cafe in the stadium, yet neither restaurant will have a view of the field. [NRN]
— photo credit
First Word: Fresh Ground Sausage and a Ssam-Trained FOH Coming to Red Hook
Last week a little upcoming Red Hook restaurant called Grindhaus made it into the plywood report, much to the delight of its owner, the first time restaurateur Erin Norris. She emails us to let in on a few more details: it will be a "boisterous sausage parlor", the meat will be freshly ground from "quality sources", the projected opening is in late October, and Norris came up with the idea when she was a manager at the bar Bait and Tackle and decided she needed a new direction in her life. Here's one strange tidbit, and naturally our favorite part: while Norris waits for approval from the Dept. of Buildings to begin construction, she is working at Momofuku Ssam for a "FOH boot camp" experience. Because apparently no one trains you how serve customers like Mr. D. Chang. For those of you in Red Hook salivating for a new addition (other than the Swedish meatballs of course), don't get too worked up. You can never rely on a swift DOB and Norris will probably be serving up pork buns well into the fall.
· Plywood Report: Grindhaus [~E~]
Red Hook Ikea Grand Opening: Who Wants Meatballs?
Ikea Red Hook opened today at 9:00 AM today, and to celebrate huge plates of Swedish meatballs and mega slices of cake were offered to VIPs and those at the front of the line. Because lord knows you can't buy three Stenstorp bookcases on an empty stomach. Click on over to Racked for full coverage of the grand opening.
· Ikea Red Hook Opens [Racked]
Plywood Report: Hummus Place, Wondee Siam, Grindhaus
1) West Village: A correspondent got a photo of the new Hummus Place going into the old Yummy Shawarmy spot on 7th Ave South. They've just started construction but already have their signature signs in the window. We doubt it will take them long to turn the space around. [PLYWOOD]
2) Red Hook: NewYorkology brings word of Grindhaus, a new "beer & sausage house with outdoor garden" at 275 Van Brunt. [PLYWOOD]
3) Hell's Kitchen: Life with Food and Drink reports on a new outpost of Wondee Siam opening up in HK: "The tables are in, and the funky light fixtures are up. One of the owners was inside and smiled at me as I peeked in. It's sort of weird I haven't noticed this place before (it definitely takes more than a couple days to get a restaurant to this stage), but Wondee looks truly ready to go." [PLYWOOD]
EaterWire: Lotus' $40k Fine, A DUMBO Ice Cream War, Mario's Westchester Venture, and some Pizza for Red Hook
Bastianich and Fallon at Babbo “Deccenale” Block Party
MEATPACKING DISTRICT— The closing of Lotus may not be as cut and dry and we all thought. Take it away Mr. Cutlets: "Earlier this month, the State Liquor Authority leveled a staggering $40,000 in fines against the club and suspended its liquor license for 21 days...the club was charged with a couple dozen violations from August of 2003 (operating as a cabaret without a license) to March 2007 (failing to conform with governmental regulations regarding security guards)...Other charges include allowing the premises to become disorderly, selling to minors, harboring a robbery, and operating under the name Lotus without permission." [Cutlets]
DUMBO— DUMBO is in the middle of a regular summer ice cream truck war: "Seen for the first time in Dumbo were at least 5 different ice cream/slush trucks (not pictured is a flavored ice cart on Washington and York Street). So what you say? Not if you consider that they were stationed within a six block radius at once. And that doesn’t include Almondine’s sorbets, Jacques Torres ice cream sandwiches, and the delis with ice cream in the neighborhood." [Dumbo NYC via Curbed]
Red Hook pizza and some Batali for Westchester.>>Eater Sneak Peek: Red Hook's IKEA Restaurant, Now with Food
Whether you think the new Red Hook IKEA is a blight on the neighborhood or the second coming, baby's here to stay. While the shopping obsessives over at our sister site Racked are counting down the seconds and planning to camp out in the parking lot, we have the most recent look at the now furnished and functional IKEA restaurant and the Swedish fare they intend to serve there. It looks more ambitious than their Elizabeth, NJ cafe but less appetizing than the Fairway cafeteria nearby.
· Ikea Red Hook: Arrival of the Porta Potties [Racked]
· BREAKING: Ikea Red Hook Freebies Announced! [Racked]
Week in Reviews: Ago Gets the Goose Egg
It's been awhile since Frankie Two-Stars has taken down a restaurant, awarding it the big old goose egg. And it's been almost three years since he's actually rated said restaurant as "Poor" instead of the usual "Satisfactory" (see Ninja). But today the Brunz gives the bloodthirsty mobs what they want: a through and through take down of the mecca for bad food and even worse service, Ago:
"This restaurant isn’t in the hospitality business. It’s in the attitude business, projecting an aloofness that permeated all of my meals there, nights of wine and poses for swingers on the make, cougars on the prowl and anyone else who values a sort of facile fabulousness over competent service or a breaded veal Milanese with any discernible meat.This may in fact be Bruni's best work to date. He references Shelley Winters (twice!), calls his waiter the bucatini Houdini, and seeks deliverance from a misguided server who calls one of the B-man's dishes a "special rack-of-lamb veal chop." That is going to leave a mark De Niro. [NYT]The one I had one night was pounded so thin that the breading on top met the breading on the bottom without pausing for much of anything in between. A vegan could have made peace with it...
...It has stabs of ill-advised invention, like a starter of gummy juniper-smoked swordfish with misshapen, oddly frayed wedges of orange and other citrus. It has usual suspects, like spaghetti (overcooked) with clams (slightly gritty), or grilled branzino (moist, though bland)....And no pig should perish for a pork chop as dry as one at Ago."
Scarpetta, The Elsewhere, the Blogs.>>
EaterWire AM Edition: Red Hook LeNell's Taking Its Last Breath?
RED HOOK—In a desperate email sent out to patrons and friends, Tonya Smothers, owner of Red Hook's favorite liquor store LeNell's reveals that her lease is up this month (as in Saturday) and the store's deal on a new bi-level space across the street fell though at the last minute. They expect to stay open until the landlord can successfully evict them, but after that, they could be doneski. Smothers writes: "A boss of mine told me years ago, 'If you can survive in New York, you can survive anywhere.' Well, I think I've proved myself long enough. Maybe it's time to head back South." Start the candlelit vigils, oh, about now. But first let's take a look at the whole letter:
Our lease is officially up this month. I know it will take months for a formal eviction should it come to that. Sad to say that the space that we had a draft lease for fell through this week. It was for the vacant lot across the street next to the Good Fork. This lot is co-owned by Jimmy Buscariello and Greg O'Connell (who owns quite a bit of Red Hook including the Fairway building). We had architectural drawings, had agreed on basic lease points, and I've been thinking all along that we were just finalizing details...Everything I've worked so hard for is hanging in the gallows.>>
SchnackWire: Owners Still Owe $11k in back Rent
RED HOOK— It looks like the story of Red Hook hot dog and burger favorite Schnack didn't end with its shutter last month. According to some new signage, owner Jim Mamary (also owner of a vast number of establishments throughout the BK including Pomme de Terre, the Farm on Adderley, and the new Oyster Bar) and his co-owners owe the landlord upwards of $11,000 in back rent. Could Mamary have run out of funds because he was sinking so much capital into his new places? His team has until Friday to pay up.
· EaterWire: Schnack's Strange Signage [~E~]
For all Red Hook residents still mourning the loss of Pioneer Bar and 360, here's some news about Pioneer's newest iteration, Brooklyn Ice House, from the comments: "Brooklyn Ice House is now open for drinks (not food), with a full liquor license - they opened their doors yesterday evening and a bunch of red hookers piled in and tried it out." From what we hear, food is coming soon. [EaterWire]
Eater Sneak Peek: Red Hook's IKEA Restaurant
The good people over at the Red Hook Ikea took time away from their day prepping the behemoth for its opening next month to give our friends over at Racked a sneak preview. They've got all the dirt on the space, but the above gallery shows how the restaurant is shaping up. The main dining area will have 450 seats, the above views of the Statue of Liberty, the skyline, and a couple parking lots, and will serve all the usual Ikea items—Swedish meatballs with lingonberries, salmon plates, etc. They also plan on adding some unspecified "New York" specialties, to be finalized later. The other dining area you see here is the "Bistro", which will serve snacky things like hot dogs and soft serve ice cream. Since it takes about a day and a half to get out to Red Hook from Manhattan, you'll be needing the sustenance.
· Progress Report: Hook Ikea Preps for June Reveal [Racked]
Plywood Special: The Brooklyn Ice House
Red Hook: Finally, some good news coming from the restaurant and nightlife Siberia that is modern day Red Hook: there will be life again at the Pioneer Bar-B-Q space. From the inbox: "Someone finally bought the space that used to 'pioneer bar (bbq)' on van brunt street next to red hook bait and tackle, in red hook. the proprietor's name, I believe, is Trevor (Australian, perhaps) and intends to reopen it as 'Brooklyn Ice House' and had at least a half dozen people inside working on it yesterday afternoon...Trevor said it would be basically the same, a bar with burgers and bbq (hopefully of the same quality and price as pioneer -- red hook really does need more affordable good food." There you have it Red Hook. A new burger, bbq, and beer bar, opening 'soon'. [PLYWOOD]
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