In a city that has everything, it can be options overload when trying to decide what to do or where to eat. But if you choose the right neighborhood, like Kensington and Windsor Terrace, you’ll find a nice variety of eateries and entertainment that doesn’t overwhelm. Quiet, but far from sleepy, these diverse neighborhoods show that sometimes less really is more.
August 6, 2010 Things to Do
Like a fresh version of the tamale, the South American humita is a custard-like mixture of ground corn kernels, packed in its own husks and steamed on top of stripped cobs, sweet and sometimes spicy, often made with quesillo or queso fresco. Stop by your local Farmer’s Market, grab a few cobs and get started on this homemade treat.
August 3, 2010 Classic, In Brooklyn, Multi/Media, Photo, Recipes
Queerespondence recently interrogated Mississippian gent Seth Garrison, 27, of the danceable and dreamy, chamber music-infused, The Fancy. We didn’t tie him up, but we came close.
August 3, 2010 Classic, Music Profiles, Queer Life, Queerespondence, Video
Greenlight Books and Feminist Press staffer Natalie Peart recommends her favorite queer literature for summertime reading.
August 3, 2010 Classic, Queer Life, Read Features
While their To-Go burger joint may be slightly more famous, the original DuMont is the place to go for a brunch when you have more than food on your agenda.
July 30, 2010 Classic, Restaurants
Greenpoint feels a bit like a small town trapped in a different era, but in that warm and welcoming everybody-knows-each-other, life-is-fine-and-dandy kind of way. Though the neighborhood has seen an influx of younger residents over the last decade bringing with them new restaurants and bars, at Brooklyn’s northern most point, the new and the old fit together, creating a friendly, vibrant community.
July 30, 2010 Food, Restaurants, Things to Do
For decades, artist registries (think a library containing only encyclopedias filled with slides of artwork) have existed as neutral playing fields where artists can catalog and display their work for curators and gallerists. Now, slide registries are quickly vanishing and sleek, easy-to-use digital databases are becoming the norm, with emerging artists reaping the benefits.
July 30, 2010 Art n' About, Classic, The Art
In the acknowledgments of A Thread of Sky, I list several books that figured in my research. Here are eight more books that helped shape A Thread of Sky.
July 29, 2010 Classic, Guest Authors
While traces of the dark, wandering weirdo vibe of Amen Dunes’ Murder Dull Mind remain intact, the blown-out “rock” moments of the former are largely absent, replaced by brooding, skeletal folk insinuations.
July 26, 2010 Classic, Music Reviews
In this excerpt from A Thread of Sky by Deanna Fei, the family tour of China is half over, and Irene Shen is starting to give up the hope she’s harbored of finally reconnecting with her daughters, her sisters, and her mother in their ancestral home. Now, just when they arrive in the famed city of Hangzhou, said to be China’s most beautiful, they step off the tour bus into a torrential rainstorm.
July 23, 2010 Guest Authors
Outdoor seating on the quiet Henry street in Brooklyn Heights at Siggy’s Good Food is ideal, and the organic menu makes brunching here a pleasure; you won’t leave feeling too stuffed or dissatisfied.
July 23, 2010 Classic, Restaurants
The best thing about hanging out in Bay Ridge is simple: water. With a winding harbor-front esplanade and a huge, uncrowded pier offering panoramic bay views, the neighborhood has some of the most peaceful waterfront property in the whole city. A diverse mix of blue-collar immigrants bring the perfect variety of eateries, bars, and old-school Brooklyn that make Bay Ridge totally worth a ride on your bike or even the R train. Plus, for the best in bridge and tunnel nightlife, here’s our guide to going straight to the source.
July 23, 2010 Bars, Food, Restaurants, Things to Do
Seattle native Mike Hadreas brings Perfume Genius to Glasslands July 23 for the second of two New York shows. His debut LP Learning is out now on Matador.
July 23, 2010 Classic, Music Profiles
Brooklynite Paul Dano loves to eat meat, but doesn’t want your milkshake. We caught up with the actor in advance of next week’s release of his new flick, The Extra Man, based on a novel by Jonathan Ames.
July 22, 2010 Classic, Film
Local educator Zetta Elliot admitted early in her presentation at Franklin Park that she isn’t quite accustomed to late night readings at bars – usually she is presenting her work earlier in the day as an educator, in schools and libraries. However, she persevered and read an eloquent excerpt from her novel A Wish After Midnight (above), the tale of a young woman in Brooklyn transported back in time to the Civil War era. Ms. Elliot is a poet, essayist, playwright and the author of children’s books and is currently writing a sequel to A Wish After Midnight.
July 21, 2010 Authors Speak, Classic, Local/Readings, Multi/Media, Video
Perhaps no recent trend in the local food movement has received more positive attention than urban farming. In particular, rooftop and even wall gardening have been lauded as ways to utilize precious space while providing residents with fresh local produce and Brooklyn is home to several locally famous urban farms. In this segment of the Eco-Apartheid series, we’ll examine how city residents can gain better access to affordable fresh fruits and vegetables with innovative solutions.
July 21, 2010 City Politics, Classic, Environment, Food
A lot has gone down on the boardwalk in Coney Island, that’s for sure, but how about a woman painting circles with her wheelchair or a guy diving onto a slip-n-slide full of paint? This past weekend those were just two of the unique ways Brooklynites helped create ten large scale abstract paintings as part of an interactive performance art event featuring local artist Paul Campbell and his counterpart from Singapore, artist Shih Yun Yeo.
July 21, 2010 Art n' About, Classic, Photo
Two Census Bureau managers from a Brooklyn field office may face criminal charges for faking more than 4000 surveys. In a hearing Monday morning, the Inspector General of the Department of Commerce stated that he believes the managers violated a federal law that makes it a felony to falsify census records.
July 20, 2010 City Politics, Classic, State Politics
Meet Apartment 138′s muddle-master Alfredo Di Scipio. This ‘tender spends his nights in Carroll Gardens whipping up tasty bevvies, which is where we caught up with him for the scoop on summer cocktails and where he learned to shake and stir them.
July 20, 2010 Classic, Recipes
The Greenpoint Food Market offered a low-cost, low-key environment for home cooks and amateur chefs to share their homemade products, but not anymore. Founder Joann Kim announced Wednesday that the market has shut down, hopefully only until the fall.
July 16, 2010 City Politics, Classic, Food
Robin des Bois in Carroll Gardens is not for the dainty SATC crowd, which is what makes this rustic French brasserie the prime brunch spot. The eatery’s backyard takes you away from Brooklyn’s busy streets to a cozy wooded garden, perfect for enjoying a croque-monsieur.
July 16, 2010 Classic, Restaurants
The neighborhood of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill is many, many things, but it doesn’t matter how you describe it; the area is a blooming hybrid of everything we love about Brooklyn. The only thing that matters is how fast you can get there.
July 16, 2010 Food, Restaurants, Things to Do
Phosphorescent’s Matthew Houck had his van and $40,000 worth of gear and merchandise stolen. Two days of panic and an outpouring of support came full circle from years spent on the road.
July 15, 2010 Classic, Music Profiles
About a year ago we were sad to bring you news of the demise of Yoko Devereaux, the Williamsburg-based menswear line we cherished for a decade. Now we’re excited to tell you Yoko D is back! Gilt Groupe will exclusively distribute the downtown-meets-uptown line with a revival starting this fall. We caught up with Yoko Devereaux founder and creative maven Andy Salzer to ask about the new line.
July 15, 2010 Classic, Fashion
Crumbling sidewalks, car thefts, and the loss of vital bus lines are just a few of the complaints that Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries heard from Prospect Heights residents Tuesday evening during his “Summer at the Subway” evening office hours.
July 15, 2010 City Politics, Classic, State Politics
Meet actress and Greenpointer Kate Russell as she tenderly grills Dennis Flanagan, both of the Apothecary Theatre Company about their upcoming Off-Broadway production of Richard Taylor’s In God’s Hat. The show runs at Playwrights Horizons from July 14-August 7, 2010.
July 12, 2010 Classic, Theater
Performance artist, producer and director Sini Anderson appeared last month at the Franklin Park Reading Series and recently announced she is directing a documentary about her long time friend Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre fame.
July 9, 2010 Classic, Music Profiles
From free shows to outdoor movies and old-school Italian trattorias to the borough’s hottest gay bar, it’s options overload when it comes to hanging out in Williamsburg.
July 9, 2010 Things to Do
For the rest of the summer, ditch your normal brunch spot and try a place where you can enjoy your mimosa under the sun. This week, head to North Brooklyn for some good eats and amusing hipster-watching at Five Leaves.
July 9, 2010 Classic, RestaurantsLike many denizens of our prolific borough, I wrote much of my novel in neighborhood coffee shops. Here are the cafes that should have received my acknowledgment.
July 8, 2010 Classic, Guest Authors
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