7th Annual Columbia Waterfront District Tree Lighting

Show the love to our fantastic neighborhood by......... eating free food, dancing to awesome music, and winning fun prizes! 

December 13, 6pm-7:30pm, marks the Columbia Waterfront Tree Lighting Party, hosted at the Human Compass Garden by Carroll Gardens Association Inc. 

There will be yummy food provided by outstanding and generous restaurants including Mazzat, Jake's BBQ and Brooklyn Southern, toe-tapping fodder by the Dan Kurfist Trio, and, of course, a beautiful Christmas tree. Into fire trucks? Well, the FDNY local 202 will be escorting none other than Mr. Santa himself to the party, complete with surprises for the little ones.

To view the poster and see more information go to:

http://www.carrollgardensassociation.com/7th-annual-columbia-waterfront-district-tree-lighting-on-friday-december-13th-from-6pm-to-730pm/

Amazing Garden's Best Grilled Sandwich Competition Sept 7

Next weekend, get yourself down to the Amazing Garden on Saturday, September 7th for their THIRD annual grilled sandwich competition!

How it works: three chefs compete for the title of best grilled sandwich (meat) and best grilled sandwich (vegetarian). This year's competitors: Lauren Rauh (Iris Cafe), Josh Kaplan (Dassara), and Morgan Jarrett (Nightingale 9). As sandwiches come off the grill, ticketholders get to sample them and vote on which was tastiest.

Entry: $15. It's a fundraiser, and all revenues will be used for maintenance and repairs of one of the most popular community gardens in our part of Brooklyn.

Benefits: continuous delicious food, live music, and beverages courtesy of Brooklyn Farmacy.

Time: 3 pm, Saturday September 7th

Location: The Amazing Garden, at the corner of Carroll St. & Columbia St. in Brooklyn.

"New" Bagel Spot on Hamilton Ave

The coming soon is here tomorrow! We welcome the "New" Park Bagels at 75 Hamilton Ave (between Summit Street & Van Brunt) - home of the former South Brooklyn Bagel Cafe. It has been a little while coming, but they open tomorrow. Congrats and welcome!

A new CSA in town...

From the El Poblano Farm website

El Poblano Farm CSA will have a weekly pickup on Tuesday evenings in the Columbia Waterfront! They are a "beyond organic" farm in Staten Island. Can't get much more local than that! Here are the details and how to join:

SEASON: 20 weeks for the season starting June 1st. We will run for 22 weeks to give share holders a option of skipping 2 weeks any time. We will not keep track of individual member's pick-up and will leave it as an honor system since we are a community group.

FEES: $490 for a full share, $280 for half a share. Full payment due April 15th. Go to  www.elpoblanofarm.com to sign up.

PICK-UP LOCATIONS AND DATES:
New Amsterdam Market, Manhattan
South Street Seaport
Manhattan
Saturdays 9am to 3pm

Socrates Sculpture Park
3205 Vernon Blvd
Astoria, Queens
Saturdays 9am to 3pm

Brooklyn Pick-up (Columbia Waterfront)
106 Union ST
Columbia Waterfront District, Brooklyn
Tuesdays 5:30pm to 7:30pm.

Urban Meadow CSA 2012 Season Beginning Soon

The bounty of  last year's first pickup + eggs!

Last year from June through October my household received super-fresh and organic vegetables and fruit every week direct from a Pennsylvania farm. It was our first time taking advantage of a Community Supported Agriculture program (or CSA) and we are excited for the new season.

This year the season will start on June 2 and will end October 27. A full share is $525 for the season and volunteering for one morning to help with the pickup. (You can make arrangements on your own with a neighbor to split the cost of a full share, but you both have to work a pickup shift.) Pickups will be at the Urban Meadow on President and Van Brunt every Saturday from 10:30am to 12:30pm and offer a wide selection of vegetables from week to week. The deadline for registration is Friday, May 18.

We'll get our veggies from the same farm as last year, Ant Hill Farm, located in Honesdale, PA. (http://www.theanthillfarm.com). Check out their site to see gorgeous photos of the farm, learn about their methods and the produce they offer, and events for CSA members like tours, music festivals, canning workshops.

If you're interested in becoming a member or have any questions, email urbanmeadowcsa@gmail.com. Also check out http://urbanmeadowcsa.tumblr.com/.

Jalopy Tavern is Now Open!

The Big Time Jalopy Palookaville Tavern and Last Chance Bar and Grill is now open! The owners of Jalopy Theater have been renovating the former Moonshine space next door, and had their soft opening last week. The new floors, booths and tables gleam, and the patio is done up in the trademark Jalopy red lights.

Jalopy Tavern will be open Wednesday through Sunday, 4pm until late. This week they're trying out a different dinner each night starting at 4pm, and in about a week they should have a menu available. So far the kitchen has offered home-style meals like meatloaf and spaghetti and meatballs. Last week a friend and I previewed a dinner of roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans with sliced almonds. We cleaned our plates in no time! Our moms would have been proud to see it. We were glad to hear that the kitchen sources local ingredients, grass-fed meats and poultry and organic produce whenever possible. Congratulations to the Jalopy crew on expanding the Jalopy empire! 
Jalopy Tavern is located at 317 Columbia Street between Woodhull St and Rapeleye St.
http://jalopytavern.biz/

Booths built by Mr. Jalopy himself.

Blurry pic of my roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans dinner

Jalopy Tavern patio

Join Plovgh at Dekalb Market this Saturday

For those of you already missing our Urban Meadow CSA or interested in fresh, healthy food, read on:

Plovgh, an online community where farms sell their harvest directly to individuals, will host an open house on Saturday, November 26, 12-3, at Dekalb Market. Plovgh is a marketplace where members place orders from farms for pick-up in their neighborhood, and Dekalb Market is the newest pickup point in the Plovgh network.

The event is being held in conjunction with Small Business Saturday. Stop by to sign up for the Downtown Brooklyn farm pickup, get information about starting a Plovgh pickup point in your neighborhood, and meet some of the farms and other communities that are part of Plovgh.

You can find Plovgh right next to Dekalb Farm at the Willoughby Street entrance to the market.
Go to www.plovgh.com to sign up or come visit Dekalb Market to learn more. For more information, contact elizabeth@plovgh.com.

Anyone interested in starting a pickup point in our neighborhood? :)

Wine and Southern Fried Chicken tonight in Red Hook

A special event at wine shop botta di vino:

Tuesday's Education in a Glass is here.

Inexpensive, delicious and fun.
How do you Southern Fry your Wine?
Menu: Southern Fried Chicken with Fennel & Grapefruit Salad.

Wine: Comelli Sauvignon Blanc, Soffembergo & Moscato

$20 per person

Only 12 Seats

First come first serve

Tuesday, August 23, 6-8 p.m

botta di vino

357 Van Brunt Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231
347.689.3664

http://www.bottadivino.net/

Best grilled sandwich competition to profit the Amazing Garden this Saturday!!

Click to enlarge.

Beautiful Veggies

This summer I joined a CSA group for the first time. The Urban Meadow partnered with Just Food to provide fresh produce direct from a local farm. We've also been getting eggs and there has been talk of cheese and coffee. Here are my photos from the first pickup day two Saturdays ago.

For more information check out the Urban Meadow Community Supported Agriculture program site.

New 24 hour bagels?

There are three reasons to be excited about this new business "coming soon" to Hamilton Ave next to the Chase bank.

1. Open 24 hours! This may be the only business that will be open 24 hours in the Waterfront. Correct me if I'm wrong.

2. Outdoor seating! I hope it's sidewalk seating so I can eat al fresco with my dog.

3. Bagels in the hood! We've had a shortage of bagels since the place on Union and Henry closed. (Though Margaret Palca always has a few bagels.)

I will report back when it opens.

Have you bought your ticket to Cora Dance's Spring Fling yet?

SHANNON HUMMEL/CORA DANCE
SPRING SWING BENEFIT BASH AND SILENT AUCTION

Benefit Date: Saturday, May 7 at 7pm

Cora, which includes the professional company, Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance, and the educational outgrowth of that company, Cora School for Dance will be kicking off a $100,000 capital campaign in support of our new spaces and expanded programs at SPRING SWING, Cora's 14th Annual Benefit Bash and Silent Auction. Spring Swing will take place on Saturday, May 7 at 7pm on the rooftop of Rocky Sullivan's Bar and Restaurant, 34 Van Dyke Street at the corner of Dwight Street in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The evening will feature catered food by Daniel Eardley/Knife for Hire (former head chef of Chestnut); neighborhood favorite The Good Fork (head chef, Sohui Kim); and many others. The night includes a silent auction, presentation for benefit honorees Donna Costello and Sara Coffey, and swinging french dance hall music by Primitivo.

Tickets for the Bash are sliding scale ($20-$100), and can be purchased at the door or in advance by visiting www.coradance.org. Those purchasing $100 tickets in advance are invited to a VIP champagne swing dance lesson at 6:30pm. Funds raised from the benefit go toward the recent expansion and relocation to 1500 square feet of studio and office spaces in Red Hook Brooklyn that will serve as home to the professional company Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance and the pay-what-you-can programs of the Cora School in Red Hook.

Last chance for Urban Meadow CSA registration!

There are still spaces left in the Urban Meadow Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA), but the deadline for registering is April 16th! If you have been thinking about it, or if this is your first time reading about it, now is the time to act!

Email urbanmeadowcsa { at } gmail.com to get signed up. Also check out the Urban Meadow CSA blog for details about membership, FAQs, links, pictures, and much more!

The season runs for 22 weeks from June to October. The price for the season is $450, and includes a weekly selection of vegetables from Ant Hill Farm.

Eat healthy, support local farmers, and reduce your impact on the environment!

Urban Meadow CSA registration is open for the 2011 season!

The Urban Meadow Community Supported Agriculture Program (CSA) is pleased to announce share availability for the 2011 season, which will run from the first Saturday in June through the last Saturday in October. If you're interested, please hurry and get in contact, because we expect slots to fill up quickly!

The cost of a share is $450 for the season and includes a delivery of vegetables each week from Ant Hill farm. Please note that a small number of subsidized shares are available. Inquire about membership or any other details using the links and information below.

Check out the new Urban Meadow CSA website here for more information.

The membership flyer link, including contact info, is here

Info on our partner farm is here

The new Urban Meadow CSA twitter account is here

And finally, more info on CSAs can be found here at Just Food's website

LICH's "Biggest Loser" campaign

LICH has discovered that about 50% of their staff is overweight, and have started a program to support healthier eating. Naidre Miller, local mom and nutritionist extraordinaire, will be teaching coking classes open to the public.

A Cooking Class with Naidre Miller
Cook Smarter For Healthy Weight Loss

Thursday, March 3, 2011
5:15 – 7:15 pm
339 Hicks Street, Brooklyn, NY
Avram Conference Center, Room C
$10 per person

Find out more about Naidre here and check out her blog here.

Valentine's Day at Lilla!

AMUSE BOUCHE

Blue Point Oysters

on the ½ shell w/ mignonette

SALAD CHOICE OF:

Kale Salad

w/ marsala raisins, toasted pecans, & pecorino in a warm balsamic vinaigrette

Blood Orange Salad w/ fennel, olives, & arugula

Roasted Cardoons

in baked gratin w/ kalamata olives, confit garlic, breadcrumbs, & feta

MIDCOURSE

Beet & Ricotta Ravioli

handmade pasta filled w/ roasted beets, ricotta cheese, & pine nut pesto

ENTRÉE CHOICE OF:

Skate Meuniere pan roasted w/ rice pilaf capers, & roasted carrots

Braised Beef Short Ribs w/ roasted brussel sprouts & mashed yukons

Cornish Hen w/cornbread & andouille stuffing w/ braised kale

DESSERT CHOICE OF:

Queen of Sheba frozen chocolate mousse cake with toasted pecans

Warm Bread Pudding w/ crème anglaise

Ricotta Cheesecake w/ hot caramel

Taking reservations for two seatings at 6:30 & 8:30

****Menu is subject to change****

45.00 per person

Lilla is located at 126 Union street

Call 718.855.5700 for reservation

Laird’s Applejack Tasting with Baked’s Apple Upside-Down Cake December 4th, 2010

Baked and dry dock wine + spirits are celebrating apple season! We’re serving Baked’s Apple Upside-Down Cake made with Laird’s Applejack and will be serving the spirit both straight up and in a cocktail. The pairing of pie and spirits will be at dry dock wine + spirits on Saturday, December 4th from 4 to 7 pm, free to the public. Customers will receive a 10% discount toward the purchase of any Laird’s product and can enter a raffle to win an Apple Upside-Down Cake from Baked. This offer is only valid on Saturday, December 4th.

Applejack has been a staple of American drinking tradition since colonial times. The Laird family has been making the “cider spirit” for over 300 years and became the first commercial American distillery in 1780. Everyone from George Washington to Abraham Lincoln and Johnny Appleseed help spread Applejack throughout the country. 


dry dock wine + spirits, located at 424 Van Brunt Street in Brooklyn, is Red Hook's neighborhood wine & spirits store, offering outstanding value and high quality from smaller vintners, producers and importers from around the world. We offer over 400 hand-picked wines with 50 choices priced $12 and under, as well as a beautifully edited selection of spirits. dry dock has been featured in both Imbibe and Out magazines as a destination shop with an eclectic collection of craft-distilled spirits including over 75 whisk(e)y choices. Wine & spirits tasting weekly; open m-w 12-9, th-sat 12-11, sun 12-8.

Baked, located at 359 Van Brunt Street in Brooklyn, is both a neighborhood spot and nationally recognized bakery. Baked has been featured on the Martha Stewart Show, Today Show, Food Network and the Style Network. Baked has also received awards from Time Out, French Culinary Institute, Citysearch and America’s Test Kitchen for their outstanding creations.

New chocolate factory and distillery coming to Red Hook

It appears that a distilery and chocolate producer named Cacao Prieto will be joining the ranks of locally produced Red Hook food and drinks. Brownstoner posted the image above along with links to the company's pending liquor license and potential parent company site from the Dominican Republic. With such companies as Six Point, Red Hook Winery, Steve's Key Lime pie, Stumptown coffee, and others, producing high quality food and beverage nearby, Red Hook is truly becoming a center for local food and drink production.

Image above from Brownstoner

I love Bacon at Home/Made - Nov 9th - 6 to 8pm

Join Author Jayne Rockmill and participating chefs as they celebrate the release of the I Love Bacon book!

About the book: "In "I Love Bacon," Jayne Rockmill presents more than 50 bacon-themed recipes from some of America's hottest chefs--from Cat Cora to Rick Tramonto, Ming Tsai, Jasper White, Andy Husbands and Joe Yonan, Pichet Ong, Bradford Thompson, John Besh, and many others--along with mouthwatering photography.With instructions on how to make bacon from scratch and how to feature bacon in brunch dishes, small bites, soups, salads, sides, entrees, and even cocktails and desserts, this full-color cookbook proves that bacon isn't just for breakfast anymore."

Tantalizing recipes, including two from Monica are included in this tasty compilation of bacon exploration.

Proceeds from the sale of the book go to great causes: Food Bank for New York City and Share Our Strength.


Home/Made
293 Van Brunt St.
Brooklyn, NY 11231
347-223-3135

Wine and Cheese by Fairway at Botta di Vino - Oct 28th