I’ve briefly mentioned Tandem, but so far, I haven’t given them too much lovin’. Continue Reading

Spring is close.

I went to Brooklyn Fire Proof East after a while of being absent, and good news – they’re going to start brunch again! Continue Reading

So I finally tried Fatty Cue. Continue Reading

These are some of the girls I met here.

Okay it’s not in Brooklyn. But it might as well be. Continue Reading

I am going to my first ever wedding this weekend. Continue Reading

“Is there any good night life around here?” my cousin asked the tenant while she searched his apartment, making sure everything was satisfactory.

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

“I’m from Scarsdale.” He chortled.

“Yea, the best bar in America is around the block.” He was talking about Brooklyn Fire Proof East.

Fire Proof is a fine bar, if not one of the best in Brooklyn. They have a kitchen, cheap draft beer, half price happy hour till eight, and a cool performance area in the back. You wouldn’t know it if you saw it, which is part of its allure. Behind a verdant wood-planked wall is seating and a set of steps that leads you down into the bar. Last night was an experimental music show. The red couches and $5 beer and shot of whiskey special made it very pleasurable, although the music was at times weirdly beat-absent, and at other times, bizarrely skillful. My favorite act was Dream Zoo, comprised of a cellist, violinist, and electric guitarist.

Valerie, the cellist, began talking about how the inspiration for her music is found in the unconscious. In one of her dream derived songs the footy smell of trains and mayonnaise came together wonderfully to create an experience more universal than cliche. That’s kind of the way I feel about this bar.

Tonight at Brooklyn Bowl is Brunch After Dark, featuring the musical stylings of Oh Land, Arms, the Canon Logic, Fatty Acid and the Courtesy Tier.

Oh Land was one of the hottest acts this year at CMJ. Fatty Acid opens the show at 7:30. Here’s the facebook page. Tickets are only $7 and the doors open at 6. Stop by and get some friend chicken and a bourbon nutella shake. Here’s a sampler of the tunes.

Deep in the heart of Williamsburg is Pete’s Candy Store. This place, since building up a reputation for being a great party spot over the past ten years, has remained a great joint. Their staff takes their drinks seriously. They are huge and well priced and after a couple you’ll probably be hungry for a roast beef, horseradish, roasted red pepper and cheddar sandwich to quell your drunchies. They have live music every night. With a set designer on staff, the back room looks like a train car and the front has some taxidermy and Chinese newspapers. What’s not to love?

From old to new, another P bar is making a splash in Bushwick. Right off Morgantown lies the Pine Box Rock Shop, a former casket factory. The bartenders know what they’re doing – this is their longtime project finally realized – and the decor is simple and functional. Making use of the industrial feel, they have sliced steel barrels for tables. They also have a couple of flat screens and a kick ass draught selection. The back will eventually be a stage.

So whether you’re into something new or something old, Pete’s or Pine Box are both great choices while in North Brooklyn.

Today I discovered the Red Hook Lobster Pound, down at 284 Van Brunt Street in  Red Hook. I’d been hearing about it from multiple different sources and so finally decided to give it a try. For $15 you can have a delicious, just shipped down from Maine, lobster roll. These babies are really tasty, and you can opt for either the Connecticut style (doused in butter, probably better for this time of year) or the Maine (mayo, cool and refreshing, definitely more of a beachy thing) and each comes with a pickle and a bag of chips. And they also have lobster bisque and lobster grits too. Some sweet sasparilla soda and you’re in luck, mister, you just had the meal of your week.

Luke’s Lobster Rolls, which recently opened a second location in the Upper East Side, is a rival. But for $16, you know you’re in Manhattan. That said, I think I’ll stay in Red Hook, thank you very much, and continue walking down Van Brunt St. into one of the local dive bars where all of the people are locals and most have lived in Brooklyn ever since Thomas Wolfe – no not that asshole in the white pants – wrote about Red Hook.

“Can we go out for brunch?” she turned to me and asked as we rolled over, my head swimming and floating. “Course, baby.”

We took the subway to Miranda on Berry and N9th, a quiet, well-lit, Italian-South American bistro. Yes, the reviews were very good, and the 2011 Zagat rating made me feel even better. But when they told me they didn’t have any Blood Marys to help my aching head, but instead a Michelita, a tomato based beer drink, I was unsure. I reasoned it out, and when she told me that there was one left, I knew that the hand of Providence was guiding me towards this beverage.

Fizzy and tomatoey, it was good, not great, but good. I ordered a salmon scramble made with goat cheese and Atlantic salmon, which was light, warm, and fluffy, with a crisp bed of light greens and some tasty buttered ciabatta. Alex got the pork dish, which with a couple of eggs and salsa verde was probably one of the better options on the menu. But for all the hoopla, Miranda was little better than good. Sure, the service was excellent, and the scene was nice – it was a well managed restaurant – but on the delicious scale, it was a B+.