Rasberry Limoncello baked alaska: A Kitchen in Brooklyn

Bloggers take pictures of their food: NY Times

Brooklyn restaurant gossip and news: Brooklyn Paper

Fornino Park Slope? All About Fifth

Lowlands Bar on Third Avenue: Brownstoner

Easter bunny brought waffles: A Cake Bakes in Brooklyn

Talking to the co-owner of Bogota: All About Fifth

Passover food update: All About Fifth

Dine in Brooklyn 2010 follow-up: All About Fifth

Fornino Pizzeria opening in Park Slope: Slice

Best hot dogs in NY: Manhattan Style

Boston Cream Pie: A Cake Bakes in Brooklyn

Scenes from Grillin’ on the Bay: Serious Eats

The vegetarian option at Al Di La: Serious Eats

The Brooklyn brunch experiment at the Bell House: Serious Eats

Bark has great hamburgers (see pix): A Hamburger Today

by Paula Bernstein

“Yay! Mommy doesn’t have to make any more kugel!” Ruby cheered yesterday when we arrived home from our “early bird seder” weekend adventure.

Both of my girls were clearly tired of hearing about my kugel conundrum — not to mention the sound of the food processor chopping all of those carrots, potatoes, and onions!

I can’t say I blame them. Quite frankly, I was relieved to finally be done with the whole production myself.

Do you want to know how the kugel turned out? In short, it was a hit — all my hard work paid off — and there was more than enough to go around. I ended up making about four batches of the recipe so we had enough for leftovers. My best friend Dori will be pleased to hear that the “muffin kugels” she suggested were the most popular. She was right — making the kugel in muffin tins kept it crispy.

The rest of the family pitched in to make it a lovely seder meal.

My cousin Marla made matzoh ball soup that was better than the one they serve at The Second Avenue Deli; Claudia made homemade gefilte fish and mouth-watering brisket; My brother made carrot kugel (he vowed next year, he’d add garlic to spice things up a bit); and cousin Tina baked desserts that were so outrageously delicious, you’d swear they were made with flour (she swears they weren’t!)

When I bought the matzoh meal for the kugel, I noticed Streit’s slogan is “The Taste of a Memory…” Isn’t holiday cooking all about revisiting old memories and creating new ones? Maybe my girls will one day aspire to recreate their mom’s kugel.

I can just picture Ruby asking her sister, “Remember when mom nearly went crazy making all that kugel one year?”

How could they forget?

Meanwhile, I promise not to write anymore about kugel…until next year.

Michel and the kids like Brooklyn pizza says the Brooklyn Paper:

First Lady Michelle Obama and the First Kids downed three pies at DUMBO’s legendary Grimaldi’s Pizzeria today — and impressed even their jaded waiter.

“It was great! It is an honor,” said Rafal Harajda, who served the fitness-obsessed Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha one pie with pepperoni and sausage, one classic Margherita, and one with mushrooms, peppers and onions.

Brooklyn City Guide: Design Sponge

Pineapple sheath cake: A Cake Bakes in Brooklyn

Spicy mussels with herbs and feta cheese: The Spiral Staircase

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): Ditmas Park Blog

Best Brooklyn eateries you’ve never heard of: Brokelyn

Food news: Eat It: The Brooklyn Food Blog

I just got a press release about Benchmark, a new restaurant in Park Slope on Second Street just off Fifth Avenue.

I walk by there all the time. How’d I miss it?

Oh! Benchmark is on 2nd Street not Fifth Avenue. But still. I can’t quite picture the space. The press releases says that Benchmark is accessed through a spacious 52-seat garden patio entrance. Huh? I think it must be around the corner from the Loki Lounge or maybe in their back space?

And what is it?

The press release explains that Benchmark, a restaurant featuring New American cuisine prepared by executive Chef-Partner Ryan Jaronik, is serving a menu that emphasizes pasture-raised meats and locally-grown produce. “Chef Jaronik melds seasonal American cooking and global influences with an emphasis on steaks and chops.”

It’s beginning to sound ultra cool: “Between the 1920s and 1940s, the space was once used as an icehouse and a major way station for goods that that arrived on the banks of the Gowanas Canal. Building upon the location’s history, the 45-seat dining room embraces the naturally rustic interior and features exposed brick, arched windows, banquette seating, warm pendant lighting and radiant heat floors.”

And the name. Why the name?

More coolness: The name “benchmark” refers to a surveyor’s mark used as a reference point in tidal elevations and surveys. During the excavation of the site and viewing old blueprints, several of these marks were found, along with surveyors’ and architects’ tools, some of which are displayed on the restaurant’s walls. Nice.

The menu draws inspiration from Chef Jaronik’s childhood and past experiences. Growing up in rural, Northwest Indiana, he learned the importance of the small farmer and the role they play in the food community. Ryan grasped this knowledge and moved to Chicago, where he spent the next ten years working in a variety of different cuisines, including Gibson’s Steakhouse, TRU Restaurant, Mas and Hugo’s Frog Bar. From Chicago, he moved to Boston where he was the Executive Chef of the three star restaurant, Masa. Just prior to opening Benchmark, Chef Jaronik was the Executive Chef of Monkey Town in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn for the past three years.

So what’s on the menu?

Starters include Trio of Beef Short Ribs: Corned, Braised + Broiled and Chorizo Stuffed Chicken Wings with Hot Celery Giardiniera; entrée highlights include Seared Long Island Duck Breast with Leg Confit and Sweet Potato Hash and Shrimp Crusted Atlantic Halibut with Shiso Yuzu Broth, Tomato Confit and Cranberry Beans. Chef Jaronik complements his new American cuisine with the several years of experience he has cooking in the bustling kitchens of Chicago steakhouses. He has a high regard for the straightforward steak dinner and gives it a prominent place on his menu. A featured section of à la carte pasture-raised steaks and chops offers up to five different cuts, including a 24 oz Bone-in Ribeye and an 11 oz Filet Mignon.  In the coming months, a meat aging room will be constructed for dry-aged beef and cured sausages.

Benchmark is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday and reservations are available for parties of all sizes by calling 718-965-7040. Walk-ins are welcome. Brunch service will be added in the Spring.
Dinner  |  Sun-Th, 5 – 11 PM  |  F + Sat, 5 PM – 12 AM  |  Closed Mondays

Moutarde, a popular French bistro on Fifth Avenue and President Street, is shuttered,  presumably for renovations. In the movie Julie & Julia, the restaurant played a real 1940’s Parisian bistro. Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci ate a fabulous meal in there in a wonderful early scene.

So why did they shoot the scene in Brooklyn and not Paris. Well, it could have been budgetary issues. But I’ve also heard that Nora Ephron’s location team could find no restaurant in Paris that looked so convincingly like a restaurant of that time period.

Funny that the restaurant is renovating now that it has been immortalized on film. You’d think they’d want to keep it the same for its film history value.

Or maybe it’s time to make a change.

Remember that bright yellow and orange Korean market that went in on Seventh Avenue between Union and President right near Aersoles?

It was called Park Slope Farm and it closed rather quickly. The space at 106 7th Avenue stayed vacant for quite a few months.

That was then this is now. According to Brownstoner, a bagel cafe is going in.

My first time and the morning after: A Cakes Bakes in Brooklyn

Asparagus & basil pesto sushi rolls: A Kitchen in Brooklyn

Meatball with provolone at Bklyn Larder: Serious Eats

Mimi’s hummus is best hummus in NYC: Ditmas Park Blog

Dine in Brooklyn: McBrooklyn

Dine in Brooklyn details: All About Fifth

Dine in Brooklyn: Gerritsen Beach

Bring hungry carnivores to VInegar Hill House: NYC Food Guy

Breast milk cheese: Fucked in Park Slope

Parchment baked tilapia: Clinton Hill Foodie

Brooklyn Bridge Park to have a lotta grub: Carroll Gardens Diary

Foodifying Kensington: Kensington Prospect

By Paula Bernstein

I’m still recovering from the excitement (and the wine!) from Saturday night’s first-ever dinner party. I’m proud to announce that I pulled it off — it was even better than I had hoped for (I had pretty low expectations). People seemed to like the food and to enjoy themselves. And I had a lot of fun too.

All in all, I’m very proud. Considering that less than a year ago, I could barely defrost a microwave dinner or follow the directions on the Amy’s macaroni and cheese box, I have come a long way. I’m mostly relieved that all of my guests showed up and I didn’t burn anything!

Still, there’s always room for improvement.

I’ve learned so much during this adventure. If you’re hoping to throw your own dinner party, here are some Undomesticated Brooklyn tips:

1. Plan a detailed scheduled for the day of the party, leaving time for last-minute errands. I was so busy cleaning the apartment and buying baguettes on Saturday that I waited until too late to start prepping the food. I had to scramble at the last minute to halve the Brussels Sprouts and scrub and quarter the mushrooms. I barely had time to put on makeup and get dressed (not to mention time for the clothing crisis!)

2. Make sure you have enough serving dishes and cutlery. I ended up renting a table, dishes and silverware and I still didn’t have quite enough bowls (luckily, I found some from a different pattern, but at least I didn’t have to resort to using the kids’ Disney princess bowls).

3. It’s nice to entertain without kids. I know it’s a hassle to get a babysitter and it’s not cheap, but it’s worth it to have a night out without the kids, right? It was certainly a treat for me to have adult chat without having to worry about any meltdowns or freak-outs (my kids were perfect angels and went to bed without any struggle).

4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Realizing I was in over my head, I asked Avo to prepare salad dressing (a wonderful garlic vinaigrette). Then I had Mr. Di Franco plate the salad. What a team!

5. It seems obvious, but don’t forget to invite an assortment of interesting guests and not just the usual suspects. I went out of my way to invite people I wanted to know better and who I thought would get along, not necessarily old friends.

6. Keep color in mind when deciding what to serve. Honestly, I never considered it when planning my menu, but in hindsight, I wish I had injected some color — maybe in the form of glazed carrots?

7. You can never have too much wine or cheese. I bought a wonderful selection of cheese, but it went pretty fast (whereas I bought way too many baguettes). I only bought one bottle of wine and even though guests generously brought wine, we cut it pretty close. A little more wine would have been a good thing and we could always have saved leftovers for another night.

8. Don’t be a perfectionist. I had planned to make whipped cream to top the apple spice cake and brownies for dessert. But I didn’t want to stress about whipping up whipped cream while I was enjoying dinner. Besides, the vanilla ice cream a la mode was sweet enough.

9. Try to relax and enjoy yourself. At the end of the party, OTBKB’s own Louise Crawford said “It was so nice to see you enjoying yourself. So many times you go to a party and the host spends the whole night in the kitchen. Guests don’t like that. They want to see the host enjoying the party.” So true.

10. Guests will appreciate the fact that you invited them and cooked for them. And you’ll get a kick out of cooking for other people (I promise!). It may be a lot of work, but the end result is worth it.

One guest e-mailed the day after the party to say “Great food, guests and conversation. Wonderful success! You have arrived as a hostess!”

I e-mailed back, “I’m not sure I’ve arrived, but at least I’m in the driveway.”

Meanwhile, I had so much fun planning the first-ever dinner party that I’m already tackling another challenge: a Very Belated (6 years late!) Housewarming Cocktail Party. I’ll be sure to let you know once I set a date.

Oh yeah, one last final tip: Don’t forget to take pictures! I forgot, but luckily there were a couple of photographers at the party. Hopefully, they’ll send me some good pics soon (Hugh and Ken, if you’re reading this, get on it pronto!)

I’m just repeating an interesting rumor/tip I was tweeted: the owners of Second Street Cafe are making a comeback on Seventh Avenue in the Miracle Grill location on Seventh Avenue and 3rd Street in Park Slope.

This is just what I’ve been tweeted. Anyone know more?

Well, you know, I had a soft spot for breakfast at the Second Street Cafe so I am thrilled if this rumor is true. Last I heard one of the owners had moved upstate (and opened a restaurant up there) and the other owner is still in the Slope.

The Second Street Cafe closed a couple of years ago at their old location on Seventh Avenue and 2nd Street after a costly renovation. The above picture was taken after the restaurant was shuttered.

Who can forget that the pre-renovation restaurant’s walls were papered with the crayon art of its patrons.

Definition of a good dinner: A meal that meets (or exceeds) the expectations of exactly what you’re in the mood for.

Walking up Seventh Avenue after taking the test to become enumerators for the Census Bureau (more on that later) Hepcat, Teen Spirit and I decided to try Mack’s.

Mack’s, the new restaurant on Seventh Avenue between President and Carroll Street in Park Slope, was exactly the kind of place we were in the mood for. Casual, easy going with burgers (or fish).

It wasn’t crowded but there were quite a few tables filled with diners when we got there at 8PM on a cold, windy Wednesday night and we sat at a table in the back. The waitress, a lovely young girl was attentive and really personable.

There was lots to look at on the menu, which includes fish, steak, sandwiches, pizza and, of course, burgers. Teen Spirit was impressed that they had root beer floats and disco fries. He explained that those were cheese fries with gravy (“like poutine,” he said).

We decided to skip the disco fries but Teen Spirit and I ordered burgers (he Angus, me turkey). They offer lots of toppings of which he chose mozzarella and mushroom and I went along with his selection. Hepcat had a salmon caesar salad.

The waitress told us right away that they were out of burger buns and that they were using English muffins instead. She was so friendly and nice about everything that we didn’t mind that she served Teen Spirit a Dr. Brown’s Cream Soda instead of a root beer.

She apologized profusely but Teen Spirit didn’t notice the mistake until he was mid-way through the can. Dr. Brown’s Cream Soda is pretty darn good.

The burgers came with an extremely generous helping of french fries. Teen Spirit wolfed his  down and said it was good after. My turkey burger was also very good — not boring or dry at all. And the cheese and mushrooms were a perfect choice. It also came with lettuce, tomato and pickles. The waitress brought us ketchup, Guildens Mustard and Hellmans mayo without asking.

Hugh said the salmon was perfectly prepared rare and moist (he’s a stickler about that) and he liked the salad, as well.

All good.

Hepcat drank tap beer (they’ve got a good selection) and I had an Argentinean Cabernet. Contrary to my first impression at the bar, they do have a wine list and more than just Woodbridge bottles.

When Teen Spirit found out that Mack’s was an offshoot of Johnny Mack’s he got very excited: “I love that place,” and indeed he had good memories of all those times we’ve been to that 8th Avenue restaurant after a movie at the Pavilion.

They played Queen all night, which my son found annoying even though he’s a big fan. I didn’t mind it at all and the volume wasn’t too high (unlike my first visit).

All in all, it was a good dinner and EXACTLY what we were in the mood for! A nice place for a not-too-hectic weeknight dinner and great conversation.

Review of Cobble Hill’s Jakewalk: A Kitchen in Brooklyn

Baking as therapy: A Cake Bakes in Brooklyn

The Costello Plan & Mimi’s Hummus on Cortelyou Road: Serious Eats

Burgers at Bonnie’s Grill: Dmanburger

First ever lasagna: Undomesticated  Me

By Paula Bernstein

The countdown has begun for my first-ever dinner party which is less than a week away. Of course, I’ve had friends over before, but usually, they were impromptu affairs – beer and Thai take-out with old friends.

This time, I’m going all out. I already sprung for the fancy letterpress invitations and now I’m sparing no expense in planning the big event. I’ve inquired about renting a table and chairs and am thinking I might spring for the table cloth, linen napkins, place settings and silverware.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure if I’ve got any other options unless I want to serve dinner on paper plates with plastic cutlery and paper napkins (I don’t).

After taking requests and mulling over the suggestions, I have finally decided what I’m going to serve. I’m tempted to be sheepish about it and hold off until I report back afterward. But I know that I can’t keep a secret and I don’t want to keep you waiting.

So here is the (tentative) menu:

1. Green Salad
2. Slow-Cooker Beef Burgundy from The Best Slow & Easy Recipes
3. David Bittman-inspired Roasted Brussels Sprouts Tossed with Balsamic Vinegar and Bacon
4. Baguette
5. Apple Spice Cake from The Joy of Cooking accompanied with Vanilla ice cream (not homemade, I’m afraid) and coffee/tea
6. Cheese Course

I may serve some pate and grapes to start things off. As you can tell, I’m trying to keep things relatively simple and stick to dishes a few quality dishes I can prepare in advance.

I don’t want to be stressing when the guests arrive. I’d rather be spending time enjoying my guests than scrambling in the kitchen.

As the wonderful writer Laura Shaine Cunningham wrote:

The best dinner parties are those where the hostess appears not taxed, but relaxed. What do guests truly want? To be welcomed, and to talk. If the dinner is too studied, it can become a funeral for food — guests taking choreographed sips and nibbles, conversation as strained as the purée.

A little imperfection makes everyone feel at home. The slapdash but happy hostess has happy guests.

Along those lines, I am guessing that my guests will feel at home because this slapdash hostess is destined to be imperfect and hopefully, happy.

I’ve passed Palo Santo dozens of times on my way to the Fourth Avenue R subway station but I never once stopped into this lovely restaurant on the ground floor of a Union Street brownstone.

Until last night.

Twelve of us gathered in the backroom for a friend’s birthday party. They offered us a $35 prix fixe, which included an appetizer, a choice from three entrees, dessert and as much sangria (or beer) that we could drink.

Ooh la la.

It was white wine sangria with lots of fruit in it.

For an appetizer I had a delicious tomatillo soup, a Mexican-style chicken soup with tomatillos and chicken breast meat cooked with chick peas and wonderful seasonings. It came with a stack of delicious corn tortillas. My neighbor had a tasty looking avacado and tomato mixture that also came with those amazing tortillas.

I would return to Palo Santo for that incredible soup!

For entrees we had to choose between pulled pork, plaintain stew or blue fish.

I loved the very savory pulled pork that was served with a noodle that reminded me of a German spaetzle.

For dessert, those who ordered the bread pudding were the most happy.  I had a pie that was a cross between an orange cheese cake and a key lime pie). I think it was called sour orange pie.

The sangria was a tad watery but it did seem to get everyone nice and drunk.

What a nice place for a birthday party. We were there from 6PM until 11:30 and the backroom was a fun, boisterous place to be.

The service was perfect for a party and clearly they didn’t rush us at all. Festive, fun, unusual food, nice atmosphere: a win win for a party on a cold winter night in Park Slope.

Continue reading Discovery: Palo Santo on Union Street →

Was I out of line to write about Mack’s so early in its life? Especially since I haven’t actually eaten there?

Probably.

Blogs are an enhanced and more public version of the time honored on-the-street/avenue conversations that go on between New Yorkers.

Sometimes they’re word of mouth writ large.

You’ve heard this,  you’ve heard that. People are saying. My friend didn’t like this place. I love that place. Have you tried the new place?

People talk. People opine. That’s life in  any big city or small town.

But was I out of line to spill what I’ve heard from a small group of locals on OTBKB before the restaurant had the chance to put its best foot forward?

Valid question.

For clarification: I meant my note in a friendly way as in: we want to like the food, we want you to succeed.

I’m just saying.

Dear Mack’s (new restaurant on Seventh Avenue between Garfield and Carroll Streets in Park Slope):

To put it bluntly, so far I’m not hearing good things about your food.

I know you’ve only been open a couple of weeks and there’s always that rocky shakedown cruise period at any restaurant, when it first opens.

So this is just a friendly note to say: Slopers are excited about the new place and WANT to like the food, and want you to succeed. You’ve got a great location and a good idea: a casual, fun place to eat with friends and family any day of the week.

Slopers really want Mack’s to work out not just as a bar but as a place to grab a decent burger or fish, chicken, meat or veggie entree.

I was in there last Tuesday night for drinks with a friend. We sat at the bar and had a great time watching the Olympics (Ladie’s Short Program ice skating) at the bar. We didn’t eat a thing.

The bartender was super nice about turning on the volume so that we could hear the skater’s music. We drank raspberry martinis, which were fantastic and I cried my eyes out when Joannie Rochette skated, just two days after her mother died.

The bartender told us that the “executive chef” is excellent but that some of the kitchen staff had to be replaced. I am hoping that’s why some notable Slopers have not been impressed with the food. The bartender told us that the chef makes his own pasta and that his food is “very good.”

But so far I haven’t heard good things (and I hear stuff).

I admit that I haven’t eaten at your place yet. So I may be out of turn making these comments. It’s just that, I hope by the time I eat there the kinks in the kitchen have been worked out and things are on the up and up.

In other words, I hope the food is as least as good as the food at your other place, Johnny Mack’s, on 8th Avenue and 12th Street, a place we love to go to after a movie at the Pavilion.

It would be a shame not to have a much needed place to have a casual dinner and drinks on Seventh Avenue.

Good luck and best wishes:

OTBKB

Last I heard,  Bussaco, the one-and- a-half year old restaurant on Union Street, had brought on Katy Sparks as co-owner and executive chef.

Sparks ran Quiltys and received a Best New Chef award from Food & Wine Magazine in 1998.  She joined the Park Slope restaurant in January after there was a parting of ways betwen Bussaco’s original chef/co-owner Matthew Schaerfer, formerly of Le Bernardin, and co-owner Scott Carny.

Now I hear that Katy Sparks is out and a new chef is in.  Turns out she wasn’t a co-owner after all.

Personally I’ve enjoyed most of my almost 10 meals at the restaurant and I especially love the bar, which has a great wine selection. Not surprisingly owner Carnery is a top sommelier.

In the snowy recessionary winter of 2010, is the restaurant going to survive? It’s a nicely designed space with a fabulous bar, good service and generally good food.

What is happening?

by Paula Bernstein

Word has clearly gotten out that I’m desperate for dinner party guests.

This morning a friend generously offered to supply me with a vetted crew of entertaining guests – “insta-guests” guaranteed to have a good time.

“I’ve got a group of friends who get together for dinner parties already. I’m sure they’d be happy to come to yours,” she said. “They’re a fun bunch.”

Although I’d love to meet her friends, I’m happy to announce that my friends have re-worked their priorities and responded favorably to my dinner invitation. On top of that, my daughters’ music teacher Mr. Di Franco (and his significant other) has agreed to be our not-so-mystery guest.

I’m excited about the eclectic mix of guests — if everyone shows up, we’ll have a professional photographer, a musician, a writer and cook, a blogger, a film critic, a web marketer and other interesting folks. Hopefully, they’ll all get along — and if they don’t, that will be interesting too.

But now I have the opposite problem — too many people are coming to my dinner party.

The idea was to host an intimate gathering of eight (including me and Avo), which means six guests. Since I panicked that nobody would come, I ended up inviting ten people, rather than six. Two people have declined the invitation, and I haven’t yet heard from OTBKB’s own Louise Crawford and her hubby. But at this point, the other eight are planning to come. So it will be dinner for ten — or twelve.

Unfortunately, even when it’s folded out to its largest size, our dinner table only sits eight. So it will be a very intimate dinner indeed!

No more reservations are being accepted at Casa Undomesticated Me. I promise I’ll have you over for dinner — some other time.

Todd, my brother-in-law in San Francisco, called today and asked: “Have you guys ever heard of the Crossroads Cafe?”

Sheepishly, I had to admit that, no, I’d never heard of it.

So we googled it and now know that the Crossroads Cafe is located next to the Ft. Hamilton F Train Station.

Seems that Todd knows the brother of one of the owners of the cafe. He is a customer at  On the Go Expresso, Todd’s coffee cart business in San Francisco that is permanently parked in the courtyard of an building near the Embarcadero. On the Go Expresso has been called “the Cheers of coffee stands” by one Yelper and generally gets excellent reviews.

Small world.

Known for their fresh high quality products baked daily and good, speedy service, owners Yasmin Gur and Suzanne Meehann have two locations. The “flagship” store is in the Kensington neighborhood and a smaller branch called Crossroads to Go is near Borough Hall.

So, if you’re in San Francisco, say hello to Todd at On the Go Expresso. Tell him you heard about him on OTBKB.

A friend and I went out for drinks last night and I said, “Let’s try Mack’s, the new Snooky’s.”

This friend, a former Park Sloper, was game. She’d  dined at Snooky’s umpteen times and attended more than a few parties in the upstairs party room.

Together we’d also tried Elementi, the upscale Italian eatery that went in after Snooky’s closed. We liked the wine selection there, the food, and the atmosphere at the bar.

Snooky’s was kind of a legend in Park Slope’s mind. A longtime sports bar, it represented Park Slope pre-gentrification. A meat and potatoes sports bar with a devoted group of regulars, it was unpretentious, inexpensive and full of characters. When Snooky’s closed there was much bitterness and consternation among its denizens.

Last night when my friend and I walked into Mack’s, on Seventh Avenue between Garfield and Carroll Streets, at around 10:30, there was a small crowd at the bar. The music was so loud I asked the bartender to turn it down. And when I asked about the wines, the bartender said: Cabernet, Merlot or Shiraz.

The Cabernet comes in a small Woodbridge bottle.

You get the picture. If you want Multipulciano (i.e. a broader wine selection) go to the wine bar on the corner of Garfield and Seventh Avenue.

Mack’s is about burgers, drinks, beer, basic wine choices and a friendly, easy, inexpensive place to  hang. We sat on stools at the tall tables near the bar. We were glad for the  multiple television screens placed throughout the  room as we were able to catch some of the Olympic men’s ice skating

Small groups of men and women walked in while we were there. I think the kitchen was  still serving food but no-one was eating. The staff is super friendly.

It was a drinking and talking Tuesday night and Mack’s was the place to be.

About the decor: the front room is very plain. Painted mustard yellow, there are two comfortable looking booths in the front and some high tables near the bar. Seems like it’s waiting for the mark of time and customers to define and weather it.

By Paula Bernstein

It’s been a couple of weeks since I decided to host my first-ever dinner-party and already, I’m behind schedule.

All I have managed to do so far is set a date — Saturday, March 6. I don’t have a guest list and I certainly haven’t gotten around to planning a menu.

Granted, I have been soliciting advice about the menu from none other than Martha Stewart, author Giulia Melucci, and Porchetta chef Sara Jenkins. Not to mention my friends and family. It seems everyone has an opinion about what I should serve, but I still can’t decide.

The truth is that I can always come up with something to serve — even if I take Martha Stewart’s advice and order in. But the one thing I can’t do without is guests.

Aside from Giulia Melucci and her new beau, nobody has agreed to come.

Then again, I haven’t formally invited anyone. I made the mistake of e-mailing the date to a few folks asking if they might theoretically be available for the night of the 6th.

The response was lukewarm at best. People seemed downright disinterested. I thought friends would be vying for a spot at the table, not fabricating excuses.

“I’m a freelancer, so it’s hard to commit,” said my friend Ken.

“I’ve got co-op duty that night,” said Dori.

“Who is going to babysit?” asked Kathryn.

And now another friend just rescheduled her Chinese New Year’s party for the same night, so it’s inevitable that I’ll lose some potential guests to that.

“I feel dissed,” I told my husband Avo last night.

Continue reading Undomesticated Brooklyn: My First-Ever Dinner party! →

Two Boots isn’t the only location for Brooklyn Fat Tuesday festivities. Turns out there’s lots to do on Fifth Avenue, too. Information courtesy of All About Fifth:

200 Fifth: (718) 638-2925 200 5th Ave. $16.95 pre-fix menu featuring New Orleans style soul food. The dinner includes a main course and two sides.

Babouche: (718) 636-2100 165 5th Ave. Tuesday is fish night!

Bogota Latin Bistro: (718) 230-3806 141 5th Ave. Happy hour all night long.

Trattoria Mulino: (718) 398-9001 133 5th Ave. Prefix for 19.95. It will include an appetizer, entree and dessert.

Miriam Restaurant & Wine Bar: (718) 622-2250 79 5th Ave. From 5:30 to 8:00, two for one draft beers, two for one glasses of wine, and two for one Meze’s.

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Park Slope may not be New Orleans but for 20 years Two Boots, the child-friendly  Cajun pizza joint on 2nd Street, has been hosting a raucous and fun Mardi Gras celebration complete with colorful beads, authentic New Orleans specialties and great bands.

Tonight for their 20th anniversary Mardi Gras celebration, Two Boots presents Jelly Roll Brundrett and the Zulu Kings, a special New Orleans menu and cocktails.

As always, reservations are a great idea.

Who said you can’t go home again?

Well, it was Thomas Wolfe, whose short story, “Only the Dead Know Brooklyn” is the namesake for this blog.

Mack’s Bar & Grill on Park Slope’s Seventh Avenue between Garfield and Carroll Streets (owned and operated by the folks who own Johnny Mack’s the popular 8th Avenue eatery) is open for business in the space that was Elementi and Snooky’s before that

When Snooky’s, a classic Park Slope sports bar, closed and Elementi’s went in, Snooky’s loyal customers, were none-too-pleased with its replacement, an upscale Italian eatery.

The new Mack’s should make the old Snooky’s crowd very happy. I just took a stroll through the place and it’s got a decidedly Snooky’s-esque vibe. Casual atmosphere, booths up front, TV sets at the bar, grill and sandwiches on the menu, restaurant seating in the back.

It’s a real local restaurant and bar.

If the food is as good as Johnny Mack’s on 8th Avenue I’ll be happy. It may be just what the neighborhood needs. An easy place to grab a drink, a sandwich, a tasty burger.

My birthday pound cake: A Cake Bakes in Brooklyn

A hit and a miss in Park Slope: Between Courses

The burger at Bonnie’s Grill: Dmanburger

New cafe/bar in the works on Fourth Avenue: Brownstoner

Cooking carbonade: Undomesticated Me

By Paula Bernstein

Slowly, but surely, I’m becoming a bonafide foodie. It’s pretty unbelievable considering less than a year ago, my idea of preparing dinner was ordering in pizza.

I can’t pinpoint the moment of transformation, but I now care about where my food comes from and my eyes no longer glaze over when someone describes what they cooked for dinner last night. I don’t have the credentials to be a foodie, but I’ve got the interest. In other words, I still can’t properly identify radicchio and I have no idea what to do with one, but I’m curious and I’m learning.

Brooklyn is clearly the right place at the right time for a newbie foodie like me. In addition to the exciting “New Brooklyn Cuisine” being served at restaurants such as Applewood and al di la, there is also a loosely formed community of home cooks in Brooklyn.

I always thought of foodies as snobbish, but the food folks I’m getting to know are more than happy to share their knowledge and their love of cooking and eating.

I’m inspired by Brooklynites like writer Cathy Erway, who chronicles her attempt to not eat out in New York in her aptly named blog Not Eating Out in New York (noteatingoutinny.com) (as well as the soon-to-be-released book “The Art of Eating In: How I Learned to Stop Spending and Love the Stove.”

Erway occasionally teaches classes at The Brooklyn Kitchen, the Williamsburg-based kitchen supply store. Now that the G stops at 7th Avenue, I’ve got no excuse not to make the trip to Brooklyn Kitchen’s sibling The Meat Hook, where you can buy fresh made sausages daily.

Gowanus music venue The Bell House has also become an official meeting (and competing) place for the new Brooklyn food community. It makes sense then that Erway will be holding her book publication there on February 18th. In addition to reading from her new book, Erway will preside over a “Bruschetta Takedown.” I can’t wait to experience that firsthand.