Good Indian Food coming soon to Carroll Gardens.

In a recent blog about a Columbia Waterfront District Beer Garden coming soon, we joked about how the neighborhood could also use a great Indian restaurant.  A friend reminded us that their will be a great Indian restaurant in the hood, and sooner than we thought.  316 Court Street (above) will be the new home to Dosa Royale said to be opening around the end of the month.  You may have already sampled their food at Smorgasburg so you may know what to expect, although we haven't seen an actual menu for the new place. It is expected that they will serve Southern Indian cuisine and, of course, dosas.  Check out updates of their progress on their facebook page.

Hometown BBQ Review.

This review has been a long time coming.  The place has been open for about a month now and as you can see it gets pretty packed.  The line was nearly out the door when we arrived (see below).  How it works, much like most BBQ joints, is that you stand in line to order your food then grab a seat.  The bar is separate so you can get a beer for the line.  really great beer selection! It wasn't too long a wait though (maybe 20 or 30 minutes) and once we had our food a table was no problem.  Our food was amazing! The ribs were lean yet tender so so flavorful.  The beans were smokey, mac and cheese was creamy but not too greasy, and the collards were also really really flavorful.  The BBQ sauce is sweet with a little spice at the end.  We didn't get to see any live music.  I think we were there a little on the early side but we saw the stage area and the atmosphere was a perfect Honky Tonk vibe. Overall impressive! 

Beer Garden!

What does this neighborhood need?  Really good Chinese food? Yes. A delicious Indian restaurant? Sure.  Well, while we're waiting for those two wishes to come true how about a beer garden? Yes, please!  This beer garden and restaurant (pictured above in the early stages) is coming to Summit and Columbia Street.  We'll share more info as it comes our way.

412 Court getting liquor license.

Vinzee's Magic Fountain has been closed for a while now at 412 Court Street in Carroll Gardens.  It wasn't too surprising as it was rarely busy with patrons.  The space is really big and they have an outdoor area as well (not sure if that can be used as Vinzee's never had tables out there) so it really seems like a prime spot for a restaurant.  We noticed this sign above for a liquor license for J and W Restaurant LLC.  We have not been able to find out about what type of place this will be but we'll have updates as we hear them.

The Total Gowanus Immersion.

Check out this event that we're sponsoring! The Total Red Hook Immersion was so much fun we're psyched to meet people out to have the same awesome time in Gowanus.  This neighborhood has so many great bars, shops, restaurants and venues.  If you haven't explored this hood now is your time.  It isn't until October 5th so mark it on your calendar.  You can find out all the info you'll need on BrooklynBased. 

Bergen Hill Menu.

We haven't tried Bergen Hill yet but walked by and saw the menu, above, and it looks wonderful.  They've only been open a few weeks now.  We're definitely going to try it soon and will let everyone know if the menu is as good as it looks.  In the meantime, has anyone been there and would like to share?  We'd love to hear what you thought!  Also, if you'd like to see a pdf of the menu click here.  So many delicious sounding places opening up in the area (such as Hometown BBQ which opened less than two weeks ago), so little time!

Fornino Pics.

Last time we blogged about Fornino in Brooklyn Bridge Park they weren't quite open yet.  They have a window that serves ice cream, ice and popsicles that's been open for a while.  They now have a lunch menu and have been pretty crowded for the last part of the summer.  Here are some pics above and below.  It's great space, as you can see, with indoor and outdoor seating.  This is location number three in Brooklyn, the first two being in Williamsburg and Greenpoint.  If you haven't tried this place you really should while it's still relatively warm out!

Farmer's Market on Pier 6.

There's a newish farmer's market, as you can see in the pics above, at Pier 6 on Sundays.  When we went last week they had picnic tables set up and it looked really nice.  One vendor sells homemade pop tarts and another has great looking breads.  There was also a table with a huge variety of pickles and a fish monger!  There were a few other tables set up but it was pretty small in general.  Delicious array of treats, though!

Fifth Annual Fall Frolic.

This wine and dinner event, presented by Tony Didio Selections and Heights Chateau, will take place on September 23rd, 6:30pm at Frankies 457.  If you love wine, this event should be very special and worth checking out.  The cost is $90, cash or check only, and that is all-inclusive.  For more info or to RSVP email info@heightschateau.com or call 718-330-0963.

New Restaurant on the Block.

The new spot we're talking about is called Bergen Hill, which will highlight seafood and raw fish on their menu, and the block is Court between 1st and 2nd.  It's in the spot formerly, and briefly, occupied by Bourgeois Pig Brooklyn.  There's been a buzz about this place, which is supposed to open tomorrow according to their website.  The buzz mainly comes from the names involved.  Timeout magazine reports that the raw fish trend is coming to Carroll Gardens "thanks to Ravi DeRossi (Death & Company, Proletariat), who banded with Interpol guitarist Daniel Kessler to open this Brooklyn drinkery. The nightlife guru has tapped Top Chef alum Andrew D’Ambrosi (Le Cirque) to helm the menu".  We snapped this picture last week they looked about ready to open. 

A Night at Vekslers.

This bar and restaurant at 521 Hicks just opened up and we decided to give it a try.  The verdict? Yum!  It was a very quiet opening so we weren't surprised that there was no line at the door or people crowding the bar during our visit but we think the more people try it the busier they will get.  We ordered the two entrees pictured.  The burger with house made organic cheez whiz and fries and the Atlantic squid with fingerling potatoes.  Both were delicious.  That cheez whiz is awesome and really adds something to the burger, (maybe nostalgia?).  The squid was tender and packed with so many layers of flavor (warning: not for the spice wuss).  That stuff on top isn't lettuce it's fried onions!  So good.  Definitely give this place a try!

Hometown BBQ Preview Dinner.

Last time we checked there were only 16 tickets remaining for this preview dinner event at Hometown BBQ, which opens later this month.  There may be less by the time this posts so we wanted to get this out and spread the word before they were all gone.  You can buy tickets through Underground Eats.  This sounds awesome.  It's a first time look (and taste of course!) of this long awaited BBQ joint in Red Hook with a small group of folks as well as some BBQ education. 

Fornino at Pier 6!

We spotted this sign a few weeks ago at Pier 6.  For those that don't know, Fornino is a delicious pizzeria located in Williamsburg, Greenpoint and now soon-to-be Brooklyn Bridge Park. It's rated ain several publications as being one of the best in New York.  Last weekend the bottom part was open serving ice cream but the top has yet to be opened.  Coming soon though! Bring it on!

Hometown Bar-B-Que.

454 Van Brunt is slowly but surely transforming into Hometown Bar-B-Que and we are psyched.  With so many delicious barbeque joints popping up all over Brooklyn, such as Fletcher's, Fort Reno and the latest, Dinosaur, we are delighted that Red Hook is joining the club. This place is going to have the food and the atmosphere with a rustic look and live music!  Here is a pic from last week we took of the new outside wall.  Also, we saw them doing some work yesterday but couldn't get a good look of the inside yet.  There's a really good spread with plenty of pics on Underground Eats from a couple of months ago. 

What's the deal with Nectar?

As some of you may have noticed, Nectar Juice bar has had that all too familiar brown paper over it's windows for weeks and weeks now.  This all happened shortly after Tropic Juice opened up right across the street. Nectar fans are very sad.  We originally heard that Nectar was simply renovating but there isn't much work going on in there and now we aren't so sure.  For now, according to their website, they are still serving on weekdays out of 270 Court Street, which is the restaurant Strong Place.  We'll keep an eye on this and share any more info we find about this.

New Sushi on Smith.

There's a new Japanese joint that has taken over 170 Smith, which used to also be a Japanese restaurant, Yoshi.  The new place is called Aji 53.  The name and decor are a bit flashy but they have a location in Bay Shore that gets good reviews.  Good sushi is always welcome! Has anyone tried this place yet? Please share your reviews!

Wine Dinner at Red Gravy.

We received an invite to this wine dinner at Red Gravy, 151 Atlantic Ave, and thought we'd share it with you. It's on July 16th starting at 7pm and will be featuring wines from 5 different regions of Italy.  Wine makers will be present so those interested in learning about these wines will be able to ask plenty of questions we're sure.  It's $125 per person plus tax and gratuity.  If this sounds like fun you can RSVP at 718-855-0051.

Bareburger closes doors temporarily.

After waiting for months for the new Bareburger on Court Street neat Atlantic to open they only opened for a short time before the brown paper went back up on the doors and windows.  The sign outside last week said the "exciting things are happening" and they will re-open with "COOL improvements".  Air conditioning? We can't really guess what could be going on behind that paper but definitely strange that something needs improving after being open for such a short time.  We're growing curiouser and curiouser.

521 Hicks Burger Joint Updates!

Coming soon??!  As you can see from this pic above there was a Pat LaFrieda parked out front recently.  This was taken a couple of days ago.  This gives us a couple clues as to what to expect from this soon to be burger joint at 521 Hicks Street.  One is that they are using quality products!  Two is that if they are getting food delivered already, we say "if" because we didn't actually see any transactions and in fact the man driving knocked on the door and no one answered, this may mean that they are opening very soon!  We'll keep an eye on things.

Here Comes the Mega BBQ Joint!

We passed this sign last weekend on Union between 3rd and 4th Ave.  A big sign for a big restaurant.  This seems like the last step in opening when places start the hiring process, although the hiring is at a portable office near the site (a few buildings down) and not actually at the site so we guess renovations are still in progress.  They were supposed to open in March but damages from Hurricane Sandy, the loss of their roof for a start, have changed those plans.  There have been so many BBQ spots opening in the area over the last year or so and you can add this chain to the list soon.