April 2016 Slope Eats & Drinks: What Opened, What Closed, And What’s Coming Soon
It’s hard to believe we’ve already knocked out the first quarter of 2016. When it comes to food and drink openings and closings, it’s been extremely busy. While turnover can be surprisingly fast for some restaurants, other spaces sit for a long time while we scratch our heads.
If you’d like to catch up on the previous month, check out our March 2016 edition here.
What’s Open
Brewshot (291 5th Avenue between 1st and 2nd Streets)
While the owner is new, Arun Nanda of Brewshot finds the happy medium between starting afresh and capturing Beygl lightning in a bottle. Nanda hired Steven Silva, formerly the chief begyl-maker at Beygl, to return as Brewshot’s bagel master. In addition to the coffees and teas, there’s an extensive sweet and savory crepe menu, waffles and pancakes, fresh panini sandwiches, egg dishes, and affogatos — frozen yogurt topped with espresso!
Bread & Joe (618 4th Avenue, between 17th and 18th Streets)
After roughly six months of building and fine-tuning, this new cafe welcomed in the neighborhood on March 9. For those of you who may live a long walk away from Bread & Joe, you’re going to get “a little bit of Chinatown — where I grew up,” says co-owner James Li. While this place offers coffees, teas, and many other pastries that can be found in cafes in the area, you’ll get a selection of Chinese baked goods that may keep you coming back. Read about our visit on opening morning.
Butterfunk Kitchen (1295 Prospect Avenue and Greenwood Avenue)
This new place in Windsor Terrace calls itself a “Soul Food Restaurant & Juke Joint” and opened up shop last Saturday. Diners will be able to sample soul food dishes “served with a twist,” like Crispy Fried Catfish with Jalapeño Jelly, and “classic mainstays” like Sweet Lemonade Fried Chicken; Buttermilk Biscuits; and Black Eyed Peas with Smoked Ham Hock. And cornbread. Because, cornbread.
Dirty Precious (317 3rd Avenue near 1st Street)
The new women-owned cocktail bar that also serves small eats started pouring drinks last week, DNAinfo first reported. “Customers can throw back a $4 can of Modelo (add a shot of tequila for another $4) or sip on a $9 glass of New Zealand sauvignon blanc that’s described on the playfully worded menu as ‘cat’s pee on a gooseberry bush.’,” writes DNAinfo. That combo of ribaldry and nice drink menu spells a visit for us in the near future.
El Habanero (315 5th Avenue at 3rd Street)
The Tex-Mex restaurant opened in February in the old ‘sNice spot. Yelpers have given the place mixed reviews so far. The primary comments have to do with what diners think about a Tex-Mex place serving hummus, burgers, and fries along with their Tex-Mex. If you stop by, let us know what you think.
La Royale Beer Burger House 492 5th Avenue (between 11th and 12th Streets)
La Royale Beer Burger House opened mid-March in the former Mezini spot. Owner Inne Reckovic says that they will offer “one of the best burgers in all of New York City.” In addition to 12 different burgers, the new menu at La Royale Beer Burger House also features steaks, filet mignon, lamb, chicken dishes, and shellfish options. And salads are available as well. The burger and brew place is Reckovic’s second attempt at creating a new restaurant since he closed Mezini — the former oyster and hookah spot — in early 2015. We never received official word about what exactly led to Mezini’s closing.
Marleey’s Restaurant (700 5th Avenue between 21st and 22nd Streets)
The new Caribbean-American restaurant started serving jerk chicken with yucca puree, Jack Daniels and garlic parmesan wings, buttermilk fried chicken with four cheese macaroni and hickory maple collard greens in late February. In addition, they’ll start offering live music on the weekends.
Momo Ramen (78 5th Avenue between St. Marks Place and Warren Street)
More a “noodle shop” than a pure ramen spot, Momo opened in February. Momo Ramen, however, is a pleasant surprise, dishing up quite a selection of noodle dishes for you in a relativley spartan environment. If you don’t need nifty decor mixed in with your broth, you may just have found your new haunt. Read about our recent dining review of this delicious spot.
Nostro Ristorante (710 5th Avenue near 22nd Street)
Chef Agostino and Romina Ripa opened this new Italian restaurant in February, with a focus on Neopolitan cuisine. It takes the place of Milan’s Restaurant, a Slovak and Czech restaurant known for its goulash and pierogies, which closed after 20 years.
Seed (242 5th Avenue between President and Carroll Streets)
Seed took down the brown paper covering on its windows a few weeks back. The diverse Turkish-Mediterranean menu will please the meat eaters and veggie lovers alike. The new restaurant takes the place of Ollie & Ry, we think Seed has a good shot at gaining their footing and a following as well. The real winner — and these aren’t to be missed — are the Zucchini Pancakes ($8.50). Latkes come to mind, more so because of the texture than the spices. The feta and olive oil preparation are sure to make this dish a fan favorite.
Sushi Yashin (381 5th Avenue at 6th Street)
A new sushi place came to 5th Avenue back in February, providing both sushi bar and dining seating areas. The new restaurant replaces the previous Corner Burger.
Yami-Ichi (206 Garfield Place near 7th Avenue)
The neighborhood has a brand, new Japanese izakaya — a Japanese “gastropub” that serves tapas-style plates as well as a selection of sake and whiskies. These drinking establishments are very common in Japan. The opening happened surprisingly fast, since Chef/owner Saeri Yoo Park announced the closing of Moim on January 30. The Korean restaurant had been in business since 2007. We’re looking forward to trying it soon.
What’s Closed:
Bar Reis (375 5th Avenue at 6th Street)
Back during their opening in 1999, Bar Reis was serving wine and getting started. As the years went by, the regulars started coming, and neighbors loved the lush garden and second level accessible by their spiral staircase. “It was time to get out while we were still on top,” owner Reis Goldberg told DNAinfo. 16 years is a long tenure, and as they described on their Facebook page, the “royal sendoff” took place February 8.
Cubana Café (80 6th Avenue at St. Marks Avenue)
After opening in 2009, the ropa vieja, goat cheese empanadas, and other Cuban specialities pleased many. The place had been closed for some time, but an employee inaccurately told us that the restaurant was re-modeling back in January. Not the case, as Here’s Park Slope reported that Fiat Cafe will be moving into the space. An employee at their Manhattan location on Mott Street confirmed the opening would be taking by this summer.
Elberta Restaurant & Bar (335 Flatbush Avenue near Park Place)
Owners Erica Phillips and Erwin Caesar were known for adjusting and adapting their menu since Elberta’s opening in 2012. When we spoke to them in 2013 as they marked the restaurant’s one-year anniversary, they shifted the menu from Southern classics to Southern-influenced New American with a touch of the Caribbean (Phillips spent much of her childhood in St. Vincent and The Grenadines, while Caesar lived in Guyana until age nine). Elberta closed a few days ago, and the owners sent a farewell note. “Restaurant work is not easy. It takes commitment, thick skin, a hard working staff and a really good sense of humor.”
Fresh Bite (168 5th Avenue between Degraw and Sackett Streets)
The deli opened last summer, serving a full menu of breakfast sandwiches, burgers, panini, wraps, and deli sandwiches. Eight months later, Fresh Bite closed its doors. We’re in agreement with Here’s Park Slope, who wrote, “[w]ith no shortage of corner delis in the immediate area, we can officially say that adding another one into the mix wasn’t a good idea.”
Windsor Roast House (426A 7th Avenue, between 14th and 15th Streets)
When we spoke with Manager Paul Boomhower soon after the restaurant’s opening back in September 2015, he described the place as a “no-frills, from-scratch, grass-fed, buy-from-the-local-vendors type of experience.” Less than six months later, the meat-based menu was getting mixed reviews on Yelp, and didn’t seem to ever quite fit in with the local clientele.
What’s Opening Soon (or not so soon):
2 Duck Goose (400 4th Avenue at 6th Street)
This Cantonese restaurant announced a temporarily closing late last year, however founder/partner Kay Ch’ien, she is focusing on “re-working the concept” of the restaurant and plans to re-open in Spring 2016. In addition to the type of cuisine that will be served, there will be a new chef at the helm. Carole Greenwood — the restaurant’s second chef in their short history — will not be returning. We’ll keep you posted when plans firm up.
Bison & Bourbon (191 Seventh Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues)
The self-described Glatt Kosher “food lovers eascape” plans to open in May, DNAinfo reported. The restaurant replaces The Bahche restaurant, the Turkish restaurant in a roomy space that has both indoor and outdoor seating. Partner David Shagalov told DNAinfo, “In the kosher world, there’s nothing like this at all both in terms of ambience and size.”
Blue Bottle (203 7th Avenue, at the corner of 3rd Street)
Blue Bottle still touts its tradition of getting coffee to customers 48 hours after being roasted. We’ve been waiting for some time for the cafe to open, and we still don’t have a definitive date. They are known for their New Orleans-style iced coffee, with chicory in the blend.
Chipotle (185 7th Avenue, between 1st and 2nd Streets)
You probably don’t need us to tell you about the massive burritos that will come with the opening of Chipotle. Rumors of the Mexican chain coming to 7th Avenue skipped around a bit, but it seems solid now, and we’ll let you know when the opening takes place. Meanwhile, you can familiarize yourself with their nutrition calculator to count those calories.
Fiat Cafe (80 6th Avenue at St. Marks Avenue)
The original location of this breakfast/lunch/dinner light Italian “quick bites” space is located on Mott Street in Little Italy. Here’s Park Slope first reported that Fiat will be moving into the space previously occupied by Cubana Cafe. An employee at their Mott Street confirmed the opening would be taking by this summer.
Freek’s Mill (285 Nevins Street at Sackett Street)
Aptly named after a mill that was built very close to the original Old Stone House on the Gowanus, this new restaurant whispered on Facebook that it has a “big announcement coming next week.” Most likely, it’s about their opening. We stopped in last month before attending an event at Gowanus Souvenir Shop less than a block away, and manager Maxime Giordani was testing out food to some invited diners. Giodani told us owner J.T. Stewart and Chef Chad Shaner are working up a farm-to-table menu that we’ll be able to sample very soon.
Hanki Korean (226 7th Avenue near 3rd Street)
Manager Samuel Kim tells us that this Korean “fast casual” restaurant will “be both approachable, while bringing traditional flavors” to 7th Avenue. Kim says that the place should be open with six weeks. Hanki replaces Tofu on 7th which moved to 5th Avenue last May.
Juice Press (207 7th Avenue at 3rd Street)
Juice Press is New York-based chain that’s moving into the corner storefront. Brooklyn already has locations in Brooklyn Heights and Williamsburg. Along with juices, the place offers up smoothies, cleanses, “super foods,” and … the “Guru smoothie.” According to DNAinfo, “the $15 Guru smoothie is a 510-calorie, 16-ounce ‘meal replacement’ made of frozen fruit and ‘superfoods.’ It initially sold for $18, but Juice Press founder Marcus Antebi lowered the price in 2011.” Juice Press replaces Yogurtland, which closed May 2015.
The Unnamed Sushi Bar 166 Flatbush Avenue, between 5th Avenue and Pacific Street
So intriguing that it doesn’t yet have a name, this new restaurant is being billed as a “speakeasy sushi bar” by the owners of the Michelin-starred Sushi Azabu in TriBeCa. The Barclays Center area is about to get quite a one-two punch of sushi with the opening of Wasan (440 Bergen Street, between 5th and Flatbush Avenues).
If you notice anything we missed, let us know in the comments below. And as always, if you see some changes in businesses in the neighborhood, shoot us tips at editor@bklyner.com.