Formerly a deteriorating, poverty-stricken area, the South Bronx is now known for its hip-hop culture and its graffiti. Last week, Birch Coffee opened shop on Hunts Point Avenue, a street characterized by auto shops, bodegas and cheap, variety stores. It’s hard for Majora Carter to remember the last time Hunts Point had a spot that could serve both the community and its need for creativity. She is a force of change in this part of New York City.
Ms. Carter collaborated on the café with entrepreneurs Jeremy Lyman and Paul Schlader, who have opened seven Birch shops in New York City. And they are not the only ones. Another coffee shop named Filtered Coffee opened a few months ago in Mott Haven, a neighborhood a few stops away on the No. 6 subway. One of the business partners in Filtered is quoted as saying “Certain businesses come to fill a void in the community”.
Young people priced out of Manhattan and Brooklyn are now moving to the Bronx, regarded by some as an up-and-coming neighborhood. Developer Keith Rubenstein is quoted as saying of Filtered partners Karen Paul and Aaron Baird, “They brought life to a place that was probably a little bit lifeless.” New York restaurateurs may want to keep the South Bronx on their radars.
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Brooklyn Brewery, the borough’s most iconic brewer, originally opened their Williamsburg location in 1996 and helped propel the neighborhood from its downtrodden industrial past to an international destination. But with rents steadily on the rise and showing no signs of slowing, the brewery has been looking for new spaces for several years to move the bulk of their operations once their lease is up in 2025. This weekend they announced that they’ll be following in the footsteps of Russ & Daughters and the Mast Brothers and opening a huge (75,000 square-foot) production facility in the updated Brooklyn Navy Yard under a 40-year lease.
Few things say warm weather is coming like outdoor dining. Or, even better, outdoor dining by the water. Or, if you really want to up the ante, dining on the water. Of course, the options for the latter are limited, but next Tuesday Grand Banks will return to Tribeca’s pier 25 with not just drinks but their full food menu as well.
We’re always excited to see what comes out of the marriage of food and tech, and the latest event may be unexpected but it’s certainly exciting. Next Friday, April 15th, Google Translate will host a 4-night long pop-up restaurant in honor of their 10th birthday, called the Small World Pop-Up. According to their website, “Languages from around the world will be your guide as our guest chefs take you on a journey through the lens of food — our universal language.” Guests will use Google translate to order their food from chefs Gerardo Gonzalez, JJ Johnson, Danny Bowien, and Einat Admony (each chef has a different day, and is partnering with friends from the industry to handle drinks and service).
As baseball season gets underway, more and more attention is being drawn to an often overlooked part of the stadium experience: the food. It may take awhile to overcome associations with dry pretzels, standard-issue hot dogs and over-priced beer, but at least a few stadiums are trying to bring fans a better dining experience.
With the return of Spring comes the return of outdoor markets, and April 2nd/3rd is the first weekend you can catch Smorgasburg and the Brooklyn Flea, now in Fort Greene, Dumbo, Williamsburg and Prospect Park. Smorgasburg, which began as a spin-off of the Brooklyn Flea and now includes 100+ local and regional food vendors, is open Saturdays in East River State Park at Kent Ave. and N. 7 St., and Sundays in Prospect Park at Breeze Hill (both days from 11 to 6). Brooklyn Flea itself has two additional locations. The markets will be open rain or shine, but fingers are crossed that April showers bring May flowers (and sunny days) soon.
The beloved East Village spot Pommes Frites, which was destroyed last March in the massive Second Avenue explosion, has announced plans to reopen this April in their new storefront at 128 MacDougal. The french fry spot, known for their dozens of homemade sauces, faced some hurdles getting up and running again – including delays from the Department of Buildings and opposition from the local community board to their liquor license.
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