July 2016 Slope Eats & Drinks: What Opened, What Closed, And What’s Coming Soon

It’s hard to believe we’re half-way through the year. While summer has meant “slowdown” in the past, businesses are still coming and going at a steady clip.

Believe it nor not, some of those “will they ever open?” places have finally come to life. But lots of mysteries remain as well. In addition, we could very well have a winner of the Samuel Beckett award for making the neighborhood wait.

If you’d like to catch up on the previous months, check out our March 2016 edition, April 2016 edition, May 2016 edition, and June 2016 edition.

What’s Open

Chipotle (185 7th Avenue, between 1st and 2nd Streets)
Based on our recent poll, the neighborhood is somewhat split over whether or not they are ready to embrace one the neighborhood’s newest franchises. Chipotle opened last Thursday after some time. The storefront was previously the Met Foodmarket, which closed back in October 2014. While the e.coli outbreak frightened customers in 2015, the CDC declared the outbreak over in February. So full burrito ahead…

Hey Hey Canteen (400 4th Avenue at 6th Street)
Owner Kay Ch’ien opened this delicious new spot after closing 2 Duck Goose, her former Cantonese-inspired restaurant which was located in the same space. The clean, bright space could very well become a 4th Avenue destination. And for those folk who think 4th Avenue sounds far away, keep in mind that Hey Hey Canteen is a stone’s throw from the Old Stone House and J.J. Byrne Park. No schlepping necessary. We were extremely impressed with our first visit, so much so that it made it to our Top 5 Picks of New Restaurants (as of the first half of 2016).

Juice Press (207 7th Avenue at 3rd Street)
Another of the newest franchises to open in our neighborhood did so on Saturday, June 25. There are now almost 30 stores and plans further expansion. Juice Press replaces Yogurtland, which closed May 2015. Once again, our recent poll yielded mixed results as to whether or not neighbors are ready to embrace the place.

What’s Closed:

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.

Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant Brooklyn (256 5th Avenue between Garfield Place and Carroll Street) [Closure has now been confirmed – July 6, 2016]
The window were papered over as of last Friday, and the restaurant’s fate was initially unclear. GM Michael Slimmer confirmed today that the restaurant has permanently closed. The 5th Avenue seafood place opened in late 2013. Their website expired over the weekend.

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. 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.”

Gristmill (289 5th Avenue between 1st and 2nd Streets)
Brick oven pizzeria Brooklyn Central closed last summer, and this new “wood-fired restaurant” will be replacing it soon, although we don’t have an exact opening date. We dug the outdoors of the former space, so that is something to look forward to once again. Brownstoner writes, “the new restaurant has Park Slope native Jake Novick-Finder at the helm. Novick-Finder has served as a pastry cook at Manhattan’s Gramercy Tavern and Union Square Café, and pastry chef at Ribelle in Brookline, Massachusetts; in 2013 he made Zagat’s 30 Under 30 list for his work there.”

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.

HENRI’s Backyard (279 5th Avenue at 1st Street)
HENRI’s on Fifth‘s owner Binh Douglas is working away as he readies to open his second restaurant HENRI’S Backyard, and tells us it should be open at some point in July. The address may be familiar to the beer and pickle lovers — many in the neighborhood had a briney broken heart back in February when it was announced that Pickle Shack would close up shop. “A lot of times, when you take over a place, people are in love with it, or they didn’t like it at all,” says Douglas while giving us a tour of the renovations. “People loved Pickle Shack, and I do want to pay tribute to what it was.” So along with Vietnamese/German fusion, big pretzels, and classic banh mi with German sausage, there will be vegan items. Oh, and beer. Lots and lots of beer.

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” when we peered past the butcher paper. That said, the forthcoming digs lacks internet presence as well, so we’re still researching.

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 award-winning al di la Trattoria, which has won many an awards, 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.

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.