Hey everyone, it’s Team LWT back with another installment of Lunchtime With Tillie. Sorry we missed you last week: Yours truly was a little slack on getting Baby T out of the house to eat. (Don’t worry; we had food in the house for her!) But since we didn’t get out and about, we decided to make up for that with a trip that brought multiple food places together under one roof, the Brooklyn Flea at 1 Hanson Place.
I’ve been trying to arrange a trip there for the family for weeks now, but I usually do some freelance work on Saturdays a million miles away in Westchester County and by the time I have to start my trip by plane, train and automobile to get to the job, Tillie’s just waking up from her nap. But I was off this past Saturday, and my flea market mission was not to be denied!
So as soon as T woke up from her midmorning nap, I loaded her up in her stroller to go there, where Tillie’s mom was waiting for us. Tillie’s mom had been out all morning looking at wedding dresses (she’s getting married to a really awesome dude, I hear) and beat us to the place. We talked on my way there and she volunteered to hop in the line where they were serving pupusas. Since I had been saying for months—since the outdoor Flea days—that I wanted to try a pupusa, this was greatly appreciated.
After finally arriving there, we were all set to head downstairs, but there was a slight snag. As I mentioned a few sentences ago, I threw Tillie in the stroller to take her to the Flea. We have an Ergo carrier, but I had only worn it once at that point and I had NO idea how to put it on by myself in backpack mode: Parents out there, I’m sure you understand. Anyway, back to the snag; there was no elevator to get down to the food. No worries as I just carried her down, but it was a lot of stairs to deal with and sometimes it could be said I might have a wee bit of a lazy side.
We got down there and quickly found Tillie’s mom standing in line. Tillie was kind of lethargic on our way down to the Flea, but perked up some when she saw mommy! I un-strollered her and off she went into TM’s waiting arms, joining her to get the much-awaited pupusas.
Hey everyone out there, it’s the whole family once again (me, Tillie and Tillie’s mom) with tales of our latest dining adventure. And since it was the whole family, we decided to go to the family-friendliest restaurant of them all, Bubby’s in DUMBO.
None of us had ever been before, but we heard the legends of how this place is supposedly a Mecca for the with-kids set, and I have to say after going, it pretty much was. But I shouldn’t get ahead of myself: Let me add our tale to the story of Bubby’s.
We went on a Sunday, when we had all intentions of getting out of the house and doing something fun for the day, especially as how Tillie started feeling better after suffering from an ear infection for about a week and a half. Tillie’s mom was suffering from a cold over that time, too, but was coming around the bend on her illness as well. So after I added up all the factors – healthier baby and mom, nice but cold day, starving dad who needed to write an LWT for this week on a place he’d never been before – the choice was made to go to Bubby’s.
We decided to take a car service down to the restaurant and bring the stroller along instead of trying to march all the way to DUMBO through the blistering wind. The trip was pretty smooth and we entered the sprawling place ready for a fun time. I looked over to my side while we were at the hostess stand and saw a couple of strollers parked, and thought, “Wow, that’s really cool. You don’t have to bring your stroller over to your table and worry about folding it up.” Then I thought, “Wait, where’s our stroller?” I blurted out “Stroller!” then ran outside because I realized we had left ours in the trunk! I ran to the edge of the block, but the car was nowhere in sight. I called the car service and the driver made a return trip, I got the stroller and headed back in.
Recently, a friend of mine told me about a fundraiser she was working on to benefit the Willie May Rock Camp for Girls, a non-profit music program based in Fort Greene. “Rock Camp? In Fort Greene?” I thought. I chatted with Executive Director Karla Schickele about what they offer and about the upcoming benefit.
1. What exactly is the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls?
Officially, it’s a non-profit music and mentoring program that empowers girls and women through music education and activities that foster self-respect, leadership skills, creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. Unofficially, it’s the funnest summer day camp in New York City… and a brand-new arts education center in Fort Greene/Clinton Hill.
2. Who is the camp open to? What age groups?
The camp is open to girls age 8 to 18. No musical experience necessary, and tuition is sliding scale.
3. How did the camp end up in Fort Greene?
We were looking for a year-round home where we could have our office, store our music gear, and most importantly, have a practice space so we could make music during the year. Two of us on staff have toddlers who go to The Coop School, so we heard the school was looking for tenants in their new building on Irving Place, and the space turned out to be perfect.
4. How many programs are offered?
In addition to the summer camp, we do Music Club, which is a weekly after school program for girls here in Fort Greene/Clinton Hill, a D.J. program at the Urban Assembly School of Music and Art, plus we offer lessons and practice space for youth bands.
5. What about grown-ups? Anything for grown up girls?
Glad you asked! We do Ladies Rock Camp for adult women every summer, which is a long-weekend version of the summer camp — instrument classes, band practice, and a big concert at the end. Wicked fun. And all the money goes to the scholarship fund of the summer camp, so it’s a feel-good experience all around. We also do a weekly Ladies Jam drop-in session at our space that’s open to all women!
6. Tell us about your upcoming fundraiser.
Our annual ROCK N’ ROLL AUCTION is next Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m. at The Knitting Factory. The hilarious Murray Hill will emcee and serve as auctioneer, Kaki King will perform, Erin McKeown will write a love song on the spot for the highest bidder, and camper bands Saffire and The Awkward Turtles will play. We have amazing items to auction off, including local stuff like party space at Still Hip, kid stuff like Big Apple Circus tickets, and grown-up stuff like a beer party for 40 at the Brooklyn Brewery. We’re also doing an ebay auction of hot items like a mic signed by Tori Amos and a guitar signed by Sheryl Crow. For more information, http://williemaerockcamp.org/auction.html
7. How long have you lived in the neighborhood? What brought you here?
I’ve lived in Brooklyn since I was 3, but I moved to Fort Greene in 2005, five minutes after I met my partner Kate. Now we have two kids and we’re still in the same one-bedroom. The neighborhood is powerful like that!
8. If you could change one thing about the neighborhood, what would it be and why?
Now that we have a bookstore? Hmmm….a Westbeth-style living place for artists and (ahem) non-profit leaders, to make it possible for us to remain in the community.
9. What’s your favorite local hangout?
Bittersweet! and Outpost!
10. If you were a flavor of ice cream, what would you be and why?
Well, I don’t know, but my son Emmet and I were playing ice cream stand at playgroup at the Lafayette Church yesterday, and he offered me an imaginary cone with what really sounded like “Sticker Shock Chocolate.” So that’s my new favorite flavor.
***
Who wants to do grown up Rock Camp with me?!
Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls
87 Irving Place
Brooklyn NY 11238
(347) 599-0716
www.williemaerockcamp.org
ROCK N’ ROLL AUCTION
Tuesday, Feb. 9
The Knitting Factory
with Murray Hill and Kaki King
361 Metropolitan Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11211
Hey everyone, it’s Van and Tillie again, and making her first appearance of the new year, it’s Tillie’s mom, too! This time, we went out for a little family dining at Chinese restaurant Kum Kau on Myrtle Avenue.
Tillie and I were a little hard-pressed to make it out somewhere during the week as I picked up some freelance work out in the city for a few days. (LWT doesn’t pay all the bills!) Waiting for the weekend was good, though, as TM was able to come along. We all went out last Sunday afternoon, and as it was raining, we decided to find a place close to the homestead. That was really a necessity because we couldn’t find Tillie’s stroller cover to go traipsing around the neighborhood, so Kum Kau was duly elected!
Tillie’s mom packed up some blueberries and milk for the little one, whom we had to carry around in her backpack, and we were off. Kum Kau seemed to be a good choice as far as Tillie was concerned because greeting us in the entranceway was a huge tank of fish, just like at neighboring Sapolo. With that there we knew our entertainment options were in good hands – or fins, as the case may be!
Anyway, we were shown to the spacious dining room and were told we could sit anywhere as the waiter grabbed a high chair for Tillie.
The menu had more than enough to offer, but Tillie’s mom and I just ordered a few items that weren’t too out of the ordinary: She got the chicken with broccoli with brown rice and I ordered Singapore chow mai fun – rice noodles with curry, shrimp, chicken and pork – and fried chicken wings.
As we were waiting for the food to come out, we took turns walking Tillie around the place, especially as we couldn’t keep her pinned down in her high chair. I’m sure they weren’t made for standing in them! TM had her captivated by the walls with the water running down into what looked like a coin trough, while I took her back to her finny friends.
Now that award season is over, it’s time to get back to business!
Hey everyone and welcome back to your regular Lunchtime With Tillie presentation. This time, yours truly and Lil T went to Thai 101 on Myrtle Avenue.
Now as shown by them receiving the coveted “Best Bang for Your Buck” honor at last week’s LWT Awards, it’s obvious we’re fans of Myrtle Thai at our homestead. As a matter of fact, I had never even tried Thai 101 before. I was always kind of leery about it – with its name and signage, it just reminded me of a place you’d come across in a mall or something. And the eating’s never really that great in a mall.
Anyway, Tillie and I went there last Friday, you know, when there was that wintry mix thing going on throughout the day. That necessitated us finding a place within a two-block radius from home, and as we’ve hit nearly everywhere else around for LWT, Thai 101 was duly elected. I packed her up some shells and cheese, just in case, and we were off.
When we got there, the waiter told us feel free to sit anywhere. The aisle separating the restaurant was kind of narrow and I didn’t want Tillie’s stroller to get in his way. I ended up sitting kind of close to the front door and he suggested that it might be too cold there for the baby with people coming and going. So we ended up getting settled in closer to the back of the place.
The waiter brought Tillie and me glasses of water, and I started going over the menu. I had an idea already of what route I was going to take: red curry with chicken. You see, when I go to a place I hadn’t been before, I like to order a dish that is or is comparable to my favorite at a similar restaurant. I figure if they get your staple dish right, then you can feel free to explore other menu options. What can I say? I’m just a staples-comparing kind of guy!
With my plans mostly set and the lunchtime options so affordable, I decided to delve further into the menu and see if I can sneak something else in for me and T. In addition to the red curry with chicken lunch special, which I got with a bowl of soup, I ordered the chicken curry puffs for an appetizer. Granted, a good amount of food, but as always, Tillie and I were up for the challenge.
As we were waiting for our first courses to come out, Tillie was pretty chill. She was savoring her water, which to you and me might not seem such a great drink option, but to her it was quite refreshing!
Happy New Year everyone! Hope you had a good holiday season. It’s Van and Tillie here and before we embark on a new season of lunchtime escapades, we thought we’d send off ’09 properly with the first LWT Awards!
I started my mealtime mission with Tillie back in June and she has gone from eating Cheerios to becoming a mini-foodie in her own right.
We’ve had some great dining experiences over the past few months, and the LWT Awards recognizes the best of those and all that went into them. And, oh, here’s a disclaimer: The awards just represent the places we’ve visited, so if I list a “best burger,” it’s just from LWT-visited places. Got it? Good! So without further ado, we present the LWT Awards!
The envelopes please …
Best bacon cheeseburger: Why not start off with a personal favorite category? I am doing all the writing, after all! Anyway, if you’ve been following LWT, then you know there were a lot of those eaten by yours truly! It was close, but the winner is Maggie Brown. The cheese smothering the bacon is a technique more places need to take up.
Best bang for your buck: I never realized there were so many lunchtime specials in the neighborhood, until I started frequenting the places more. There are plenty of good deals, but the food might not be up to snuff. This award takes into account food quality and price with the leading contenders being Myrtle Thai, Kinara and Mojito. We’re going to have to give the prize to Myrtle Thai, as Tillie enjoyed the green curry and rice there more. We were both able to eat off the one dish there and walk away full.
Best food but not the best experience: This one has to go to the previously mentioned Mojito. The food was amazing, but in all the places we went, this was the only one that radiated that, “Aw man, a baby’s here” vibe.
Best outdoor setup: Remember back in the old days when it used to be warm? When you could sit outside and enjoy a meal? Ahh, memories! Well, this award recognizes the perfect place to take advantage of that, and after some serious consultation with Tillie, we have to say Anima deserves this one. Its backyard space makes you feel like you’re dining out at a café in Italy.
Hello neighborhood, hope you’re enjoying your holiday season! Welcome back to Lunchtime With Tillie: We missed being around these parts! As Lesterhead mentioned last week, the family was felled by a stomach bug. (Don’t worry, no local restaurants contributed to that!) Tillie and I are back now in fine eating form and would like to thank those who sent along get-well-soon thoughts. For our return, we decided to try and play it simple by going to the recently reopened Chinese and Spanish eatery Sapolo, located on Myrtle Avenue.
I say “play it simple” because of the fact that it’s directly across the street from our house! And this was a good thing because the day we went was that brutally cold and windy one we experienced last week, so a trip with little travel time was definitely appealing.
After all this time in the area, I had never gone to Sapolo, primarily because of the whole “two separate cuisines” thing that I’m always leery about, which I mentioned when Tillie and I went to Mexican and Italian restaurant La Stalla. Why, oh why, can’t these places just do one or the other? Or maybe they could just go all out and do some kind of fusion thing, I don’t know: The separate menus always present a frightening prospect to me.
I put aside my concerns and rationalized Sapolo was our best bet, with the weather and all. We got in and the place had the feel of one of those big, modern-type diners, which I found comforting in a way. Tillie and I were shown to a booth and instead of strapping her into the high chair right away, I walked around with her some. I’m sure it’s just in my head, but whenever she’s all bundled up in her winter gear I think she must feel a little claustrophobic. But what do I know about little kids, winter clothes and what they think? I’m from Alabama!
Hello out there, neighborhood. It’s Van, and I just want to say this about Tillie: She sure is a saucy kind of gal!
I mean, really – ketchup, marinara, spicy mayo, you name it. Now, I can add tahini sauce to the list as I discovered when we went to Middle Eastern restaurant Black Iris on Dekalb and Clermont for our latest lunch date. And it’s a good thing the tahini sauce was there or I don’t know what she would’ve eaten!
Our day had gone like any other dad-and-daughter day: a little playground action, some block stacking, we even made it out to the library for story time.
When we got home, I put her down for a nap and around when I expected her to wake up, I started packing up a bib, towel, little spoon and some food for her to take with us. A couple of times recently, I’ve gone out without any backup food, but having never been to Black Iris, I didn’t know what to expect for myself, much less her. Tillie’s mom and I make dishes for her that we pack up and freeze into little containers, and on the menu this time was some mashed potatoes with a little ground-up hamburger patty and carrots all mixed together. She didn’t eat it the day before, but I thought I’d give it another shot.
So after her nap, we got down to Black Iris and it was a pretty tight fit going in, as they had the tiniest outer door entrances I’ve ever seen. Then when we got in, we were hit by this blast of hot air – like really, really hot. Two tough things to handle and we just walked in the place!
The restaurant had a crowd for a late afternoon, but we were able to get a seat at a table by the window. I set Tillie up in her high chair and the waiter came with a glass of water for me and a cup with a straw for her. Water is still an old Tillie fave, so I took the straw and gave her some sips. Also, she seemed to be in a cheerful mood, which was indicated by her dancing to the music pumping out of the speakers!
If you have kids, you won’t want to miss all of the family friendly fun going on at Still Hip at 283 Grand Ave. There are events for parents, too!
Santa visits the shop this weekend to kick off the holidays.
Here’s all the info from Gabby at Still Hip:
SANTA
Saturday, December 5 | 2-6pm | Sunday, December 6 | noon-4pm | $10 per photo
This is it!!! Santa is coming this weekend!!! I am so excited!!! Can you tell from all the exclamation points??? Not only will Santa be here, but the back drop, created by our very own Cecile Dyer, is going to be incredible. http://www.wooloo.org/ceciledyer. Not only will the back drop be beautiful, but the photos, taken by professional mom-tographer Stephanie Powell will be AMAZING and only $10 a shot!!! Not only that, Santa will be giving away 200 goody bags full of great stuff from the whole neighborhood!
hipBIZ: THE BASICS OF WRITING A BUSINESS PLAN
Thursday, December 17 | 7pm | $10 pp
Learn the fundamentals of writing a business plan from Liliana Blanco of BOC Women’s Business Center. Bring your ideas and bring some friends.
Call the store to reserve your spot 718.398.0008
GINGERBREAD FUN!
Sunday, December 20 | 2-4pm | all ages
How great would it be to have a super fabulous gingerbread house made by you and your little ones without having to mess up your house? Well we have the solution for you! Join us for this fun workshop with professional cake decorator Melanie Levander and go home ready for the big night! More details to come next week.
E-mail to reserve a spot now as there is limited space thedecoratorsclub@earthlink.net
There’s only so much turkey one family can eat …
Good thing there’s Lunchtime With Tillie to break us away from it!
Hey again, everyone, it’s Van and Tillie, wishing you a belated Happy Thanksgiving. And we have a special return guest with us: She lives in Clinton Hill, thinks I need to eat more vegetables and loves Tillie more than anything. Give up? All right, I’ll tell: It’s Tillie’s mom! This time, the three of us went to 67 Burger on Lafayette and Fulton.
You’re all probably thinking, “Geez, Van eats more hamburgers than Wimpy.” (A little Popeye reference for you!) And it’s true, I do eat my fair share. But I want it to be on the record that I was not the guiding force behind us going there — it was all Tillie’s mom!
She wasn’t possessed by the spirit of the Hamburglar or anything: It was a practical decision. We had a big trip to the Prospect Park Zoo planned and we wanted to get something quick to eat on our way to the Q train. Plus, I had mentioned to Tillie’s mom before how a parenting blog in the neighborhood, Mommy for the Win, had made notice of a kids’ menu there, so we were in.
I was actually in only half-heartedly. This may sound blasphemous to some, but I’m not the biggest 67 Burger fan. I don’t know if my expectations are too high — like I want a place that specializes in burgers to make the best possible one imaginable — or what, but the food’s never really worked out for me. And I’ve tried it a few times, too.