Bar Bruno

There are new window decals on the door of 520 Henry St. (see pics above) and also on the windows (below). This new restaurant/bar, called Bar Bruno, has been in the works for a while now. Apparently the space needed a lot of work. They replaced the step up to the door with a ramp, so they'll be wheelchair and stroller friendly. As you can see from the windows this place sounds like it will be a little bit of everything. A lunch spot with sandwiches, a place to get your morning coffee, as well as a restaurant and bar by night. There have been comments made on other neighborhood blogs concerned with the vagueness of the concept. We think that offering lots of different options is a good thing though and as do most restaurants they will probably and find their niche and stand out for whatever they do best. We wish them well and can't wait to see what evolves.

What's to become of Marius?

Marius Cafe, at 520 Henry between Union and Sackett, has been shut down for a while now. Word was it was supposed to be closed for the summer and was set to reopen last September. It doesn't seem like there have been any renovations going on behind the brown paper covering the windows and last we heard the owner of the building was trying to decide whether he was going to open a place up himself at this space or lease it out again. We'll definitely keep you updated if we hear anything new and if anyone has info to share we'd love to hear it.

The scoop on Karloff, new coffee bar and eatery

254 Court St, which used to be the Tea Lounge, is soon to be a coffee/juice bar and eatery called Karloff. We spoke with the owner, Artur, and got a rough idea of what to expect. The focus seems to be on affordable foods and beverages of excellent quality, utilizing local products. They'll have ice cream from Jane's Homemade ice cream of Kingston, NY and Dallis Bros. Coffee (http://www.dalliscoffee.com), who's roastery is located in Queens and has been serving fair trade coffee to New Yorkers for nearly one hundred years. The food will have an Eastern European influence and in the future, after they have settled in, they hope to offer delivery service as well as family style portions.

Although we have no shots of the inside, the owner preferred we wait until the place was more presentable, it's looking very close to being ready and the decor is homey with an eclectic mixed of furniture. The wooden chairs were acquired from different homes in upstate are very reminiscent of "grandma's house". There is a beautiful long wooden table that was built by the owner himself.

An expected opening date isn't yet set. Artur said hopefully next week or the week after but wants everything to be perfect before inviting the public in. We all know that first impressions are important.