Buschenschank Brooklyn

The corner of Sackett and Court has been boarded up for a while now. The space used to be an Area Yoga and there had been a sign saying that it would remain at that space. We assumed a renovation was going on but it did seem like it was taking quite a while. Waling by recently, though, we noticed a new sign. This sign was very hard to see since it was above the wood panels attached to the second floor of the building. The sign says Buschenschank Brooklyn. We did a little research and found out that the new tenant, James McGown (owner of South Brooklyn Pizza), will be opening a northern Italian tavern at this spot very soon. They will serve Italian and German wine and beer as well as a mixture of snacks, including cured meats and sausages. As you can tell from the name, although it is a traditional nothern Italian wine tavern it is heavily influenced by German culture. This doesn't stop with the live music they'll be featuring, which will focus mainly on German pop and rock bands. Can't wait to check it out. We'll get pics of the inside as soon as we can sneak a peek!

Soup's On!

A very unlikely thing to have a festival for it would seem, but with the weather getting chilly, soup is on our minds and will be in our bellies tomorrow, October 23rd, for the Smith Street Soup Festival. The fest, on Smith St between Atlantic and Carroll, begins at 1pm and ends and 4pm. For $5, or $10 per family unit, you can get a ticket to sample 20 different soups given out along Smith. Proceeds go to benefit the South Brooklyn LDC and the High School for International Studies’ Culinary Arts Program. So why soup? As read in the Brooklyn Paper the director of the South Brooklyn Local Development Corporation, Bette Stoltz, was inspired by similar soup festivals that take place in the French countryside and had this to say. “Why not do it here? It’s the season for soup and its something that everybody likes, but for some reason it doesn’t get the respect it deserves. This is just making soup the star of show.” That's true. When we first heard about this festival we were like "soup festival" but after thinking about it for a moment we got excited to walk around in the chilly fall air and sample all the different soups restaurants, like Seersucker, Lunetta, and Bar Tabac, have to offer. Bring on the soup!

New Boutique on Court

Formerly N.C.H. Studio, the space at 201 Court Street has reopened as Pink Pepper, a woman's clothing and accessory boutique. It's very nicely designed both inside and out. The inside is fairly simple aside from elegant chandeliers that adorn the store. It's classic and feminine, which is a a good way to describe the merchandise. As described by shop owner, Nicky, the high quality European and American-made clothing is for the working woman and the casual woman but it all has just a touch of sexy in it. In other words Pink is for sweet and Pepper is for spice. Along with the casual wear and work wear they have a dressier selection and a small section of accessories and shoes. We did notice a few candles and house ware-type items as well. If you'd like to see more photos of the inside, Becoming Brooklyn has posted some great pics!

Wine Tasting this Friday.

Dry Dock wine and spirits, 424 Van Brunt Street, has been offering free wine tastings on Fridays (between 5:30 and 8:30pm) and Saturdays (between 4pm and 7pm). They have an especially interesting tasting going on this Friday. Wine in a box. Great for parties but does it taste good? Find out by partaking in this tasting of two Italian wines (duca pinot noir/merlot blend and chardonnay/durello blend) both come in 3 litre boxes. The Saturday tasting will be more traditional. According to their website you can "taste some gorgeous, gutsy and classic French provincial beauties. Claire will be sharing some of France’s best from Ibanez Pleven’s offerings today". For upcoming tastings click here.

Cider Week

It's cider week here in New York and several bars and restaurants throughout Brooklyn are participating. Here's a quick tutorial. The type of cider we're talking about here is not plain old spiced up apple juice, like the stuff you get when you go apple picking. And it's not beer. Cider actually means "fermented apple juice". There are lots of different varieties and flavors just like wine can be so different from one glass to the next. So try them all! For more info click here. Here are some cider week events in the neighborhood.

October 18th 6:30 - 8:00PM

Ice Cider Tasting

Brooklyn Brainery

515 Court Street

Oct 18th 7:00PM

Cider Tasting with Eve's Cidery

Bierkraft

191 5th Ave

Oct 19th 7:00PM

Cider Pairing Dinner

Iris Cafe

20 Columbia Place

Oct 20th 7:30PM

Harvest Dinner with Farnum Hill Ciders

Fort Defiance

365 Van Brunt Street

Meeting Tonight!

A very interesting meeting presented by the Cobble Hill Association will take place tonight. The subject is finding out the history of your home. This is a fascinating topic for home owners and history buffs alike. Plus it's free and everyone is welcome! The meeting is tonight at 7:30 PM at the Long Island College Hospital Conference Room A (enter at main entrance 339 Hicks and Atlantic). Professional historian Francis Morrone will head this discussion and talk you through the steps you need to take for basic building research. She will talk about the changes that have occurred by adding the internet into the mix as well as the importance of consulting physical archives in addition to web-based research. So, whether you own your apartment or home, or are just curious about the history of Brooklyn buildings, this meeting should be fun and informative and if you haven't got anything planned for tonight you should head down there!

It's My Park is Back!

The friends of Red Hook Recreation Center are encouraging residents of the community to come support their local parks tomorrow, October 15th between 10Am and 2Pm. It's My Park Day has proven successful in the past, the last clean-up effort took place on October 7th, but there's still plenty to do and they'd love to have all hands on deck. Painting, cleaning, and gardening are just a few things they need help with. It's really fulfilling to be able to help out and beautify your local parks by putting your hands in the earth or picking up a paint brush, and to sweeten the deal the weather is looking pretty good so far. So come on out and pitch in. While you are there, 155 Bay Street, you are encouraged to check out the Rec Center facilities and programs!

Try Something New Saturday!

There are so many classes and activities in the neighborhood for both adults and children it's hard to know which ones to try out. Wouldn't it be nice to have a sampling of some of your options and then you can pick and choose which ones best fit? Well, the Carroll Gardens Library, 396 Clinton Street, is hosting just that event this Saturday. It's called "Try Something New". With mini lessons and demonstrations you should have no trouble finding a class or activity you or your kids would want to continue. From yoga to acting workshops to language studies there will be a variety of choices, over a dozen. Come early, at 10:30AM if you'd like to watch a storytime prior to the event, which will begin at 11:30AM. Events at the library are free, as usual, so all you need to bring is yourself and an open mind!

Red Hook Film Fest This Weekend

The 5th annual Red Hook Film Festival will be happening this Saturday and Sunday October 15th and 16th at the BWAC screening room, 499 Van Brunt. Get there between 1pm and 6pm to enjoy this free event! They'll be showing shorts, most around 5 or 6 minutes long, with a mixture of documentary, experimental, narrative and fictional films. They seem to have more documentaries than the other genres. But you can check it out for yourself, for a complete film schedule click here.

If the line-up isn't enough to draw you to this awesome event they've upped the anty by offering free popcorn and free Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pies! Free pies, popcorn and movies? What more could you ask for? We'll see you there.

Peek Brooklyn

This new online hosiery store has some really cool and unique stockings, leggings and tights. We are partial to the polka dots! Super cute. As is the name, Peek Brooklyn. Hosiery can be a hard-to-find item sometimes, especially if you're looking for something specific. So, it's great to have such a variety and even better that you can peruse the inventory with just a few clicks. And it's a local business! Owner, Cristina Casciano King, launched her business from Carroll Gardens less than a month ago. Check out their website here, and show your support for this new local business.