August 2016 Slope Eats & Drinks: What Opened, What Closed, And What’s Coming Soon
Do we dare utter the words “back to school”? No, we couldn’t do that to you. After all, we’re in the heart of the lazy summer months, right? School may very well be out, but there’s been a lot of culinary movement in our neighborhood. The closings and news about restaurants for sale are especially notable.
And Blue Bottle wins the monthly Samuel Beckett award by a landslide. Will someone ever beat them out? Only Godot knows.
If you’d like to catch up on the previous months, check out our March 2016 edition, April 2016 edition, May 2016 edition, June 2016 edition, and July 2016 edition.
What’s Open
Gristmill (289 5th Avenue between 1st and 2nd Streets)
26-year-old Executive Chef and Owner Jake Novick-Finder plans to “inspect every single stem, skin, leaf, and shell to determine if there is a culinary application or use.” His new restaurant opened in the former Brooklyn Central space, and is now offering both savory and sweet shared plates with ingredients that come from farms primarily in upstate New York. Gristmill features a custom-built wood-fired oven, and pizzas will be on the menu as well.
HENRI’s Backyard (256 4th Avenue between President and Carroll Streets)
18 beers on tap, a “Vietnamese/German fusion menu,” and an outdoor space are three of the main ingredients of HENRI’s Backyard, which opened on July 20. Binh Douglas is also owner of HENRI on Fifth, and has put together a new place that echoes some of the fan favorites from Pickle Shack, the previous gastropub located in this 4th Avenue spot. We enjoyed out first visit — read our review here.
What’s Closed:
beet2 (344 7th Avenue, between 9th and 10th Streets)
We actually never knew the official name was beet2, only learning this as the owners were shutting down this Thai place at the beginning of July. Owner Inky and her family owned it for the last two-and-a-half years, but beet2 has been open for about a decade. “We just couldn’t afford the rent,” she told us. “We’re going to miss our many regular customers.”
Sheep Station (149 4th Avenue at Douglass Street)
The Australian pub which had been opened for a decade said goodbye with a going away party last Thursday. While Australian in tradition, we were a huge fan of their version of poutine when we sampled it back in 2013. Good on ya, Sheep Station. We’ll miss celebrating Australia Day with you.
Surfish Bistro (351 5th Avenue between 4th and 5th Streets)
Chef Miguel Aguilar opened up a much larger and grander space at 550 3rd Avenue (corner of 14th Street) around Thanksgiving of last year. At the time, he told us the original restaurant at 351 5th Avenue (between 4th and 5th Streets) would remain open for business as well. “We won’t be closing it,” explained Aguilar. “But the menu will be smaller there. We will serve rotisserie chicken and Peruvian sandwiches. Our full menu will be at our new place.” The 5th Avenue spot did in fact close. An employee at the new Surfish Bistro told us they were doing so to focus on their newer space.
Venticinque (162 5th Avenue near Degraw Street)
The coffee shop — particularly beloved by your editor — suddenly closed a few weeks ago. In 2013, Park Slope Stoop said the cafe had the “best soy latte ever.” Check out the 25 reasons we’ll miss this cafe. We are currently reaching out to the owners to find out the reason for the cafe’s closure, and if “foreseeable” means permanent.
What’s Opening Soon (or not so soon) and What’s Confusing
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 continue to do so. We still don’t have a definitive date. They are known for their New Orleans-style iced coffee, with chicory in the blend. Blue Bottle could very well win the Samuel Beckett award for making the neighborhood wait.
Former Space of Flipster’s (444 9th Street at 7th Avenue)
We’re still waiting to find out what is next for the former burger space, which closed back in December 2015. DNAinfo reported “[a]n employee who answered the phone said the business had ‘run its course’ and that the restaurant’s lease was up.”
Il Sogno (310 5th Avenue between 2nd and 3rd Streets)
This new Italian place will replace the Indian restaurant Baluchi’s, which closed in March 2015. The owners of Il Sogno went in front of Community Board 6 in late April for a liquor license application, so we’re pretty sure the pasta and vino combination will happen here. An opening date is not yet available.
Former Space of Jumble Juice (322 5th Avenue, between 2nd and 3rd Streets)
Jumble Juice opened up a little over a year ago, and always lacked much of an internet presence. A Yelp reviewer gave the space five stars during her visit on May 30, so the closing happened rather fast. The neighborhood is not lacking in juice bar options, so it’s possible that the competition thinned out the customer base. When we stopped by last weekend, construction has progressed, but workers would not tell us (or simply didn’t know about) what new place was coming into the space.
Kingston 12 (81 5th Avenue at Prospect Place)
This restaurant — next door to Miriam — has been in the works since 2013, back when we spoke with owner Winsome Thompson. We’ll be serving “authentic, classic Jamaican and Caribbean food,” she told us at the time. Thomas Conklin — also of Kingston — put in their application for a liquor license in the Spring. Construction activity has increased as of late, however we don’t have an opening date just yet.
Ki Sushi (282 Flatbush Avenue near Prospect Place)
More sushi is coming, as this new place will be the second outpost of the Boerum Hill original, according to DNAinfo. “Excellent sashimi ranges from dark sea eel to octopus tako. For rolls, the Ki is an exceptionally good combo of fish, crunch, spice, and avocado topped with two kinds of caviar and edible gold leaf,” writes New York Magazine. We will get back to you with an opening date when it becomes available.
La Cerveteca Cafe and Juice Bar (641 President Street between 4th and 5th Avenues)
This new place has been quiet since early June, but the restaurant seems rather “moved in.” Joe is both the owner of the new cafe as well as the building at 641 President Street. “There are people in the building who want a place for lunch, and this is for them and other neighbors,” he told us. Joe plans to open soon, but his efforts were temporarily curtailed by an accident. “It’s kept me off my feet and has held things up,” he adds.
Los Nopales (191 5th Avenue between Berkeley Place and Union Street)
The dormant space was previously home to Bierkraft, a 5th Avenue sandwich and beer spot which had been open for about 13 years before closing down last summer. DNAinfo reports plans for Ashish Chawla, co-owner of Tarros Bar in Corona, to open an “authentic” Mexican restaurant and is currently scheduled to open in September. “We want to have authentic Mexican food with the real spices and condiments from Mexico,” Chawla told DNAinfo.
Oggi Pizza Bar (217 Prospect Park West (between 16th Street and Windsor Place)
The butcher paper is up and and this new pizza spot has replaced long-time Enzo’s Brick Oven pizza, which dates back to 2008. The old Enzo’s phone number isn’t answering. Neighbor Janice Fryer says, “Enzo‘s sautéed broccoli rabe will be sorely missed.” We’re still hunting down the new owners — or could they be the old ones switching it up?
Pastificio Flora (1021 8th Avenue at 11th Street)
Pastificio Flora has been in a holding pattern for almost a year, and it doesn’t look as if they’ll be ready to open soon. In an article by DNAinfo, co-owner Emiliano Cammardella said that the majority of Italian restaurants in New York “are just ‘Italian sounding restaurants’ with an outdated stereotyped menu and interiors made of wood, red-checked tablecloth, wine bottles, barrels, wagon wheels, fishing nets and the statue of ‘the dear old little man’ with [an]enormous moustache holding a sad looking pizza.” Hmm, confident words. We wonder if Cammardella has heard about al di la Trattoria, which has won many an award, as well as the hearts and stomachs of the neighborhood who consider it a benchmark for Italian food here, and in New York City. Cammardella has set the bar rather high for himself.
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-three punch of sushi when you factor in last year’s opening of Wasan (440 Bergen Street, between 5th and Flatbush Avenues).
Wild (148 5th Avenue at Douglass Street)
Construction is progressing for a restaurant which will soon become Wild, a gluten-free, farm-to-table restaurant specializing in pizza. The new culinary neighbor will also serve a full menu — including gluten-free chicken parmesan and a “dessert pizza” as well. Owner Marina Charny plans to open the third Wild in early June. This restaurant is a franchise, and includes two other locations. The West Village spot is at 535 Hudson Street, and the other Brooklyn outpost is in Williamsburg (340 Bedford Avenue). We will get back to you with an opening date when it becomes available.
For Sale / Space for Rent
La Boulangerie Lopez (647 5th Avenue between 18th and 19th Streets)
When we spoke with Eduardo Puebla and his parents and owners Florina and Guemesindo Lopez last September, Puebla told us his parents would soon be retiring, and he and his brother Ivan Zarco would be taking over the business. Now, the space has a for sale sign, and Puebla has not been able to be reached for comment. If they do close down, we’re going to especially miss their “Mexican challah.”
Pork Slope (247 5th Avenue near Carroill Street) and Thistle Hill Tavern (441 7th Avenue at 15th Street)
A few weeks back, we learned Pork Slope and Thistle Hill Tavern are both listed for sale on LoopNet. In addition to these restaurants, Top Chef-veteran Dale Talde, John Bush, and David Massoni are owners of Talde. A spokesperson for the team told the Park Slope Stoop, “the spaces are for sale, however at this point we are just exploring options and testing the market.” The owners have no plans to put Talde on 7th Avenue up for sale.
And a name change:
Falafel Corner (168 5th Avenue at Degraw Street)
Fresh Bite started afresh after opening again back in April. The restaurant is now owned by Michael Ahmed, a life-time resident of Bensonhurst. “I’ve been in real estate for a long time. I want to try something new,” he told us. The Mediterranean place recently changed its name to Falafel Corner, however employees confirmed Ahmed is still the owner.
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.