Tamboril: Two Weeks and Counting!

Tamboril, the nuevo latino restaurant opening in the former porn shop on Myrtle is set to open in just two weeks! I got a sneak peak inside over the weekend.

It's amazing what one can do with an old porn shop. They have a sleek bar, cool lighting and table and bench areas throughout. They owners plan to start by serving brunch and dinner, and will offer live performances such as spoken word, stand-up comedy and live music.

Tamboril 527 Myrtle bt Grand and Steuben www.tamborilnyc.com 718-483-2152

Il Torchio Slated to Open Aug. 18!

Il Torchio (from NY Magazine):458 Myrtle Ave., nr. Washington Ave., Clinton Hill, Brooklyn; 718-422-1122 Cousins Peter and Frank Costabile are Brooklyn landlords and real-estate developers, and they put their own construction experience to good use at Il Torchio, the rustic Italian wine-and-tapas bar they plan to open the instant the liquor license arrives. The cousins built the brick-arched, tin-ceilinged room themselves, turning salvaged ceiling beams into the bar top and wine racks. There is a 70-seat brick patio out back, a vintage wine press that gives the place its name, and a small-plate menu executed by chef Charles Giangarra, a veteran of Brooklyn’s equally rustic Convivium Osteria. There are salads (braised duck with shaved fennel and currants), risotti (shrimp with grilled radicchio and chives), and panini named for various parts of Calabria, the original birthplace of the Costabile clan. But the highlight of the menu is the tapas section, small plates of pan-seared sea scallops with spicy chickpea purée and fried polenta, or porcini-dusted tilapia with white-bean vinaigrette. “We wanted people to say, ‘Wow!’ ” says Peter’s daughter Pamela, who will be working the floor.

(Thanks to commentor Sara for the link!)

Holy crap this sounds good!

Bittersweet

It seems like everywhere you look in the neighborhood now there's a new cafe/coffee shop. But that's cool with me as long as they're offering good service and tasty treats/coffee.

The latest is Bittersweet, in former home of Location-Location-Location (which has moved to S. Portland by Pequena in a very cute space), offers simple decor close to the park (this is key when walking home with the dog, right around the time you realize you need a coffee, badly). They also sell pastries from Balthazar. I've only stopped in once (the day I left for Poland), but damn, the berry scone I had was great. I also saw Keri Russell walk past me on the street that day, as an aside. A friend tells me the iced Americano is THE best coffee in the 'hood right now.

Per the Village Voice, they also offer some interesting ice cream flavors as well...

Bittersweet DeKalb Avenue between Carlton and Cumberland

Community Dining at Grub

Several months ago, TimeOut printed a small chart highlighting various community dining opportunities in the city. One of them takes place on Flushing Ave. just past Classon. Anyone is welcome -- first come, first served -- and you "pay what you can." Here's the catch: the food is pilfered from garbage cans and dumpsters, and then cooked! I've Googled the event, and have come up with this:

Grub

A cheap, simple dinner for strangers and co-conspirators.

We are a small group of people who do a lot of other things in New York, like decorate subways and throw parties in the streets. We work with several collectives and art groups, like Toyshop, Madagascar Institute, and In Our Hearts. At Grub we're just offering dinner.

Whether you are active in other collectives, your neighborhood, your backyard garden, or just new to town, we invite you to our table. To get a little squishy, we are looking for practical ways to build community. We are particularly inspired by weekly dinners served at squats in Amsterdam and Berlin, where you can get a cheap, tasty meal and catch up with friends in a cozy room. We like parties as much as anyone, but we think there should be places to talk without a pounding sound system.

We are not gourmets or fancy cooks; we offer simple food simply prepared. We will only be able to serve 40 people, first come first serve. There will be plates for vegans and vegetarians alike. Please come early and hang out.

Rubulad home base 338 Flushing, at Classon, Brooklyn G train to Flushing or Classon stations, J,M,Z to Marcy, B61 bus to Flushing 6:30p doors, 7p dinner; $pay what you want, and bring your own booze

Never a mention of the dumpster diving.

I even walked past the space once, and found someone inside. He was really nice, and said they always get a big group of interesting folks. I'm KIND of tempted to try it out, but the whole trash thing scares me.

The interior space is pretty wacky -- filled to the brim with colorful artifacts and artsy stuff.

Has anyone ever gone to this? Thoughts, feedback and reviews?

Smoke Joint: Not Quite an Expansion

Forgive me if this is old news, as I really didn't have time to read three weeks' worth of blogs while I was away. Looks like while the owners of Smoke Joint have indeed taken over the former Blimpie/Pan-m y Mas space, it won't be an expansion of the restaurant. Instead, it will be a separate market, called Little Piggy (Market). Per TimeOut:

Craig Samuel and Ben Grossman of Brooklyn’s Smoke Joint are back with this Southern country market and café next door to their Fort Greene ’cue house. Pop in for artisanal hams, Anson Mill grits and Greenmarket produce.

A Google search shows some coverage by the Brooklyn Paper as well. The new market will offer both desserts and air conditioning, both lacking at SJ.

Overall, I'm pleased with this. Smoke Joint offers really friendly service and mucho tasty food. Though the SJ is pretty cramped, and it might have been nice to offer more seating.

I peeked inside this morning, and it doesn't seem to be open yet. Also, no sign.

il torchio

as suspected here, and confirmed here, a new italian eatery is coming soon to myrtle between washington and waverly. i was passing by today and saw an open door, so i stopped in, chatted with one of the owners, frank, and the manager, andrew, and got some pre-opening photos. as lesterhead mentioned in her earlier post, the place is looking gorgeous:

the wine rack and all of the shelving are made from wood from orginal beams that they took from the ceiling, as is the top of the bar. there's also an outdoor space that looks like it will be lovely:

it will be called il torchio, in honor of this:

which is, of course, a torchio, or old-fashioned hand pasta press.

but most exciting, to me anyway, is the concept for the place: italian wine bar and tapas restaurant. they will have bottles from all regions of italy, and instead of the traditional appetizer/pasta/main course menu, will serve tapas-style small plates.

frank owns this building and the two next to it—his business up until this point has been construction, this will be his first food & wine venture.

they hope to be open in the next few weeks, once all of their licenses have come through from the city. so keep your eyes open....

il torchio 458 myrtle ave. 718-422-1122 www.iltorchionyc.com [not up and running yet]

Italian on Myrtle: Confirmed!

A reader spoke to the workers in the mysterious space next to Joseph Tyler Salon on Myrtle last week, who confirmed it is indeed slated to become an Italian restaurant. I was able to peek in this afternoon and the space really looks gorgeous -- exposed brick, a really break wooden wine rack mounted on the wall, etc. I'm pretty psyched for this one!

Porn Store Update!

A brief note from BrooklynJay, who should be back to posting soon:

this is what was up where the porn emporium use to be. (next to white castle and mrytle car service)

the dude who owns it saw me taking pics and gave me his card - i'll forward you the info. maybe do a "pre-opening" interview?

anyway, i'm glad the porn place is gone and this could be cool. gonna depend on the food. (and how well they sanitized inside)

A Google search yields a few videos of the inside of the place, pre-reno. Additionally, they'll be sponsoring a summer Fort Greene film with Cafe Martino in August. This whole outdoor film thing looks pretty cool -- I will try to post more on it when I return. Schedule here.

Bidonville on Willoughby

The corner of Willoughby that was once a dead end for businesses (between Adelphi and Clermont) is thriving. Joining the welcome pet store Who's Your Doggy, a new cafe has moved in right next door.

Called Bidonville, the cafe features fresh baked goods from Choice, as well as tasty coffee (your reviews on the coffee are welcome, as I don't drink it regularly enough to give an intellectual review on it). Such a good spot for Choice muffins and such for people who live west of Choice and don't want to backtrack in the morning.

The inside space doesn't look quite finished yet, but I like the rustic look it's going for. The owner's friend was working the day I dropped in, and he was incredibly friendly.

Java Dave's

Java Dave's on Lafayette in Fort Greene never gets much buzz, and I'm curious as to why. Their signage isn't great (is it a franchise?), but every time I've been in the staff has been superfriendly. They also have GREAT loose tea. I highly recommend the cherry-vanilla.

Eating and Learning at iCi

(Damn, this looks fabulous. Too bad I will be in Poland when it happens. Please go and report back!) iCi joins forces with Green Gourmet to celebrate

“The Art of Taste”

On Thursday July 12th iCi partners with Green Gourmet to present The Art of Taste: a new dining experience where guests dine and discover in one bite!

The evening begins with an interactive class led by food educators Elizabeth J.E. Johnson & Ludie R Minaya from Green Gourmet. Through tasting and journaling guests explore the five flavors and realize the connection between taste and health. Diners learn that balancing the five flavors is the secret to creating delicious meals and to maintaining health and vitality.

Following the class guests enjoy a dinner prepared by Chef Laurent Saillard of iCi Restaurant. The meal incorporates examples of the five flavors while featuring the freshest summer foods grown in and around New York City.

Class & Dinner $70

To make a reservation or to get more information contact: Marion Emmanuelle at ICI - 718 789 2778.

MENU

Added Value Arugula Salad

Parmesan Cheese, Pickled Fennel, Red Onions

~

Handmade Spaetzle

Fresh Corn, Tarragon, Lime

~

Wilted Dandelion Salad

Poached Egg, Bacon, Anchovy Cream

~

Dine’s Farm Roasted Chicken Breast

Quinoa, Kale, Roasted Onions

or

Zucchini Green Curry

Basil, Coconut Milk

~

Sea Salt Chocolate Tart

further developments on greene and waverly

we've ferreted out some more info on the former bodega space at the corner of greene and waverly (posted about here.) riding the bus down greene ave. the other day, i spotted two people standing outside the space and was pretty positive that one of them was josie smith-malave, former season 2 top chef contestant and former clinton hill chef (which we mentioned here.) i hunted her down on the internets, emailed her, and got this reply:

"Yeah, it's something that I'm working on. I'm consulting ..... We're shooting for end of August, early September to open."

an interview is in the works....

Porn Building Reuse

Several readers emailed me last week to find out what's up in the old porn store space on Myrtle, which is being worked on and has received an exterior paint job:

Reader comments in the Italian Restaurant post indicate that the space is slated to become a European-style cafe.  (What does that mean?  "European-style."  Guess we'll see soon enough.)

Italian Dining

Two new Italian restaurants are allegedly coming to the area! #1: Myrtle Ave next to Joseph Tyler salon.

From reader: They had the door open when I was walking by and they seem to have the makings of a bar in the right-front of the space and it looks like they are planning to have an outdoor space in the back!

#2: The space underneath Lucky Lotus yoga on DeKalb, which used to be a real estate agency, is also slated to become an Italian restaurant.

New Restaurant in Former Pillow Cafe Storefront

Wonder what it will be... Work permits say it's going to be a restaurant.

Mirror's on Grand: UPDATE

Every now and then, I check back on my favorite "coming soon" establishment, Mirror's on Grand. Nothing's ever changed. Thankfully, a neighbor noticed something veeeeery intriguing, and sent me this note:

I was walking by "Mirror's on Grand" today and noticed a sign in their window that says they are going before CB2 tonight as part of the process for getting a liquor (beer/wine) license for a bar/restaurant. This place has had me intrigued for the last year or so that it's been "coming soon" but I had noticed a little more activity in there recently. I guess it's not going to be a mirror store though, assuming they get the license! I'm imagining a sort of ghetto-glamorous night spot now, haha. It still seems a little dusty and unfinished in there for now, so who knows how much longer we will be on the edge of our seats in anticipation!

Liquor license! The plot thickens. Maybe I was wrong about the grammatical inaccuracies, and it's going to be a person named Mirror's restaurant/bar.

Kosher Cafe

Anyone ever eaten here?

I'm intrigued by the fact that it's a restaurant in a trailer!

June: CLOSED

June has always been a bit of a mystery to me. I've eaten there a few times and the food has always been tasty, but it's never crowded like the other restaurants on DeKalb. It was the same with the restaurant that proceeded it, Sol. I always wonder why it's never quite taken off.

On Saturday, I noticed this:

Eek!

Two years ago, on my way to the Q train one morning, I passed by June and saw a mouse on the inside of the window sill. Just saying.

Anyone know what's up?

Neighborhood Fish Fry

If you're looking for a way to commemorate Good Friday (or if you just like fried fish), the Cadman Memorial Congregational Church is holding a fundraiser fish fry on April 6:

Everyone is welcome to attend.

Sounds pretty tasty to me!

Cadman Memorial Congregational Church 350 Clinton Avenue (@ Lafayette) 718-638-2231

Upcoming at Le Grand Dakar

I STILL haven't tried this place, but they have a lot of cool events, live music, etc. Just received this schedule for next week: