Brownstoner alerted us to a brand new cafe at 395 Classon, that seems to occasionally be hiding behind papered windows.
One of my favorite photobloggers, Brandon King, has been inside and took some awesome shots:
See them all on his blog, word BK.
I finally made it over to Greenlight Bookstore, the indie Fort Greene bookstore venture that’s been in the works since early 2008. While I was excited, I kept it in check. I’ve seen a lot of indie bookstores that end up being hyper-specific to one subject I’m not interested in (new age, self-help, children – the list goes on and on).
I’m happy to say I am delighted with our new local shop! The space is beautifully designed, and full of all sorts of books. I was happy to see a healthy selection of best selling fiction and literature, and even a display of those gorgeous new clothbound Penguin classics.
Greenlight Bookstore
686 Fulton Street
It’s pretty obvious that Roman’s is just doing a soft opening, but that didn’t stop the husband and I from hustling right over last weekend to check it out. I’m calling this post a “preview” as opposed to a “review,” since it’s really just first impressions.
First of all, it was awfully strange to get a table immediately on a Saturday night in this small and formerly bustling space. Obviously there’s no signage up yet, but I’m used to sitting on the window ledge drinking margaritas for awhile.
A few small interior changes have been made – the wall behind the bar has been been completely redesigned and restocked, new light fixtures have been added and a decorative wall was erected between the dining room and kitchen.
The menu, for now, is pretty bare bones. It’s small plates, and it needs explanation / guidance from the wait staff.
It’s a small-plates setup, which often ends up in a trial-and-error ordering experiment. (How many plates do we need? Are we going to be stuffed or left hungry?). We started with the “heirloom radish,” which consisted of a chopped radish and a few other radish-like roots, salted and served with creme fraiche. It was light and fresh, though a few bites were oversalted and others were not salted enough.
For second courses, we split the sauerkraut soup and the panette. Both were delicious. The soup was well-favored without being sour, and included a delicious bite of some sort of meat (pork?) and an egg. The panette, small penne pasta, was served with a delicious sauce and toasted pine nuts.
Our third course was a stuffed meatball. Delicious, but small.
For dessert we went with the dark chocolate, assuming it would be some sort of torte. But in actuality, it was a pile of dark chocolate with some almonds. For $6. I looked at Will and said, “This is good chocolate, but it’s… a pile of chocolate.”
I’m really interested to see how Roman’s develops. I was unable to get a good grasp of the vibe they were going for. Partly, it seemed to be trying to mimic the trendy 1920s thing that’s been pervading popular culture these past few years. But the cuisine suggests otherwise. The bill was fairly pricey for the quantity, but I’m game to go back once they have a regular, full menu (and they are already taking credit cards).
If you’re wondering about the name, it’s clearly a reference to Rome, Italy. Not only is the food described by the waitstaff as being Italian-influenced, but the outside of the menus feature an illustration of two infants being suckled by a wolf. My renaissance-literature-professor husband informed me that it was a depiction of Romulus and Remus. (Romulus was, according to Roman mythology, the first King of Rome).
Fulton Street in Clinton Hill has a new boutique! Located next to Cure BK, Grady’s Collective Market BK had their soft opening last weekend. For now, the shop features clothes, shoes and a few home items. They’ll be ramping up before their grand opening in early December.
The new shop has a brand new blog featuring store products. They’re planning on e-commerce functionality in the future.
Staff was friendly and welcoming, and it looks like it’ll be a chill place to browse and shop. Check back for an interview with the shop’s owners.
Go Fulton!
GRADYS
COLLECTIVE
MARKET
BK*
923 FULTON ST.
BROOKLYN NY,11238
GRADYSBK@GMAIL.COM
TUES. – FRI. 12PM TO 7PM
SAT. 11AM TO 7PM
SUN. 12PM TO 6PM
Regular BK Flea Vendor Brooklyn Junior has opened their very own shop on Clinton Ave, just north of Myrtle. They celebrated their grand opening on October 31. Read more from their inaugural press release:
What happened when a couple of artists had kids and then found that the children’s wear market was hopelessly lacking in the clothes they really wanted their children to wear? They let the DIY spirit move them and turned into entrepreneurs – and Brooklyn Junior was born. This Halloween, owner Nadia Georgiou opens the doors of Brooklyn Junior’s new Clinton Hill shop, located at 150 Clinton Ave (corner or Myrtle), for the first time.
Since 2008 Brooklyn Junior has been selling colorful, chic and unique clothing for babies and kids on the web at brooklynjunior.com as well as at the Brooklyn Flea in Ft. Greene and Dumbo. Nadia’s popular designs include bright kimonos, super soft silkscreened tees featuring drills, fire hydrants, and headphones, baby onesies in adorable colors and patterns, and lots more to please all kids from newborns to six-year-olds. And now, for the first time, they’re under one roof on Clinton Avenue – along with colorful toys and accessories.
But Brooklyn Junior’s Clinton Avenue space isn’t just a store – it’s Nadia’s workshop, too. Half the space displays the designs in a shop setting, and half houses the actual place where Brooklyn Junior designs happen. It’s a rare and fascinating glimpse into the process behind the designs – and it takes a true artist to be willing to display the materials.
See our interview with Nadia here!
Essential Cakes, on Fulton near Waverly (near the skinny condo) has been open for a few weeks now. Have you been? How does it rate?
It has been closed the last few times I have walked by (early in the morning), but I’m going to try to get there some weekend or evening to check it out soon.
Over on the new CHB Forum, there’s been a discussion of a brand new flea market beginning on Sept 13. Some commenters were welcoming, while some asked, “Do we need another flea market in the neighborhood?”
Here’s the info, in case you want more info or to rent a table. I’m curious to hear from vendors how it differs from the very successful Brooklyn Flea. I think it might be more beneficial further east on Fulton, but I suppose TriLaFu will have to do 
The Brooklyn Plaza Medical Center, in an effort to engage in positive community outreach, and to promote good partnership and enhanced visibility, is making their private parking lots available through our group on Sundays starting in mid-September, in order to support the “Fulton Flea” as described below:
The “Fulton Flea” is envisioned as an extension of the dynamic and vibrant activity taking place in the Fort Greene / Clinton Hill scene. Through its location at the hub where Fulton and Lafayette intersect, it can serve as an additional community space where people can meet and engage in the sharing of goods, services and information. Equally, as we align our “values with value” and make sense of the changing economic world, the “Fulton Flea” offers another adaptive opportunity to further the creative spirit of home-based artisan entrepreneurs while blending into the existing commercial merchant infrastructure of our community. Our hope is to stay community-rooted and be diverse and inclusive.
The details: We will be located at 650 Fulton Street in the parking lots of the Brooklyn Plaza Medical Center. We will be called the “Fulton Flea at Brooklyn Plaza” or the “Fulton Flea” for short. We expect to open on Sunday September 13, 2009 and run every Sunday through December 20, 2009. (We will have a bad weather policy in case of extremely inclement conditions.)
We are looking for vendors. We expect our opening prices for non-food vendors will be $75 per week for a 2 week commitment for a 10 x 10 spot (you can sub-divide), $70 per week for a 4 week commitment, and $65 per week for a 6-8 week commitment. We expect to offer some 5 x 10 spots at $40 per week. Tables / chairs will be available on a pre-ordered basis – likely about $10 for a table and $2 for a chair.
Neighborhood Food vendor spots will cost $75 for a 10 x 10 space based on an 8 + week commitment.
Contact kagetter@yahoo.com or call 917 364 5648 after 6 pm for more info.
About the Brooklyn Plaza Medical Center (BPMC): BPMC is a 25 year community rooted non-profit organization dedicated to improving the physical, spiritual, and psychological well being of the residents of north central Brooklyn by providing the highest quality comprehensive family health services. BPMC wants the community to know that they offer quality health care for all residents – and that they care about the well being of the community in a holistic way, inclusive of community economic development, arts and culture.
The space formerly occupied by Fish and Crustaceans at 901 Fulton is currently being renovated. In its place, Just Taste It, a fried foods establishment will open in its place.
At least that’s what I think the owner said when I poked my head in. She said they were on Twitter, and I couldn’t find a user named Just Taste It, so maybe I misheard (was taking the dog for a walk). Have additional info? They’re slated to open in the next two weeks.
Finally! Fresh Fanatic, an organic grocery store, will open in the long-empty retail space inside the Chocolate Factory building in Wallabout.
CHB got a sneak preview of the space on Wednesday morning as the groceries were being arranged on the shelves.
Owner Andrew Goldin lives in the building and has a degree in hospitality management. That experience, combined with world travel to many of the globe’s best markets, led to the unique experience that is to be Fresh Fanatic. Goldin says that the store will eventually boast an impressive range of international foods – Thai, Japanese and even Russian. They’ve already ordered bread from Germany.
Fresh and organic it will be, but Goldin promises it will be much less expensive than Whole Foods. He also promises the most reasonable prices on prepared foods in the tri-state region.
Goldin’s hospitality background has certainly influenced the store’s features. Already planned are a fresh pasta counter, sushi bar and an on-site nutritionist. A seafood counter will feature a tank of live fish that can be killed and cleaned on-site by staff (lobster, crab and possibly tuna is planned for now). Digital menu boards will display food facts throughout the store, and fresh produce, meat and a gigantic cheese dept round out the offerings.
I saw a little bit of everything going onto the shelves: organic, vegan, gluten-free and regular run-of-the-mill products as well.
The store will also sell garden plants and offer a 24-hour coffee window.
I am really excited to see how this place turns out. Will it really be affordable? Will the prepared food really be the best in the tri-state area? If you live in Wallabout, you are in for a treat. (Or at the very least, a very unique shopping experience!)
As for me, I will probably stick to my little Associated on Waverly for my day-to-day grocery needs. (A coworker and neighbor wondered aloud this morning if FF would be able to beat the 15-limes-for-a-dollar Associated special.) But if this place is a mini-Fairway with great service, I will be making regular stops.
Soft Opening: today or tomorrow
Grand Opening: Tuesday, August 18
Fresh Fanatic
275 Park Ave @ Washington
www.freshfanatic.com
Fort Greene’s beer garden is open, on Fulton at South Oxford. I checked it out last night.
On the summer’s first true steamy day, Der Schwarze Kolner was perhaps even hotter on the inside than on the outside, despite large, open windows. It was also loud — we wondered if the bad acoustics were attributed to the lack of wall decor. But the prices were not too bad- I had a fancy filtered wheat beer for… $5?… and a kielbasa on a toasted roll for $4. Both were delicious.
Not bad for being open for just a few days (dude! cash only, again!). But before I’d go back, a ceiling fan would be nice — that is, if summer is here to stay,
Der Schwarze Kolner
710 Fulton St (nr Greene)