Blog: A Brooklyn Life: Podcast

(Looking down Church Street at the intersection of Chambers a few weeks after September 11, 2001) Forgive the random post, but I thought it would be helpful and cathartic to hear different people's experiences of 9/11-both those who experienced it in New York and those who were other places-and I thought I'd start the conversation by posting my own. Please post your story in the comments section. Some anniversaries sneak up on a person: We've been married how long? Others are seemingly impossible not to remember. The tenth anniversary of [...]

Hello ABrooklynlifers, Sorry I've been out of touch. I hope to get myself back in gear and start regular ABL posting again soon. In the meantime, check out some of my work on South Brooklyn Post: The best and worst hot cocoa in the neighborhood Soup season: Great soups in Brooklyn I've got new stories pending on Strong Place, Court Street Grocers and the new Van Leeuwan ice cream shop. And if you have children, are expecting children or are thinking about [...]

The last time Carroll Garden's Brooklyn Social , which opened in 2004, had a patio was 2006. That was when the Department of Buildings revoked Brooklyn Social's permit. As owner Matt Dawson explained in an email announcing the patio's opening today, "It turned out that though most of Smith Street was zoned for commercial use, a small stretch (where we are located) was zoned residential. It didn't make any sense-all the buildings had had commercial use on the ground floors for a hundred years, but for some reason unknown even to [...]

Perhaps you remember my post about Boerum Hill's Mile End Deli for breakfast (hint: great bacon, bagels flown in from Montreal)? Here's a shot from an ABL fan of her brisket sandwich just before it was consumed. Yum!

When I want a nice "home cooked" lunch but I don't want to cook it myself or eat at a restaurant, I head to C obblestone Foods , which has a very nice short list of hearty, hot sandwiches you can buy for $7.50, and that price includes a rather delicious side. BUT on Monday, "Sandwich Day," you get the same yummy sandwiches (personal favorite: Buffalo chicken) and any side of your choosing (generously proportioned, I might add) for just $6. That, my Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill friends, is a deal.

Went to Coney Island this morning for a walk around the New York Aquarium and caught the end of the night's fog obscuring Deno's Wonder Wheel . One of the many reasons New York (and Brooklyn) makes me happy.

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The corner of Smith and Union is about to pick up some spring steam as the Brooklyn Indie Market reopens this weekend for the season. Among the designers showing off their stuff are Kudulah , where you'll find critter art that's not as child-friendly as that description would have you think (see photo), and HaKNIk , a line of jewelry and accessories made from vintage materials.

Stop by Lowlands Bar in the south Slope on Saturday, April 3, to help them-and the nightspot-poor neighborhood-celebrate its grand opening. The spacious bar has a lot of conversation nooks tastefully sprinkled with yesteryear's wall art and knicknacks. It also has a long, gorgeous wooden bar that dispenses 12 draft beers (everything from Peak's Organic Pale Ale to Miller Light) and is low-lit by the same wacky tube lighting that grace its sister Carroll Gardens bar, Abilene . Most importantly, at least for the next six or so months, it has a very generous back patio that's [...]

DPH Mustache-Net Crackdown from Chow >> The artisanal cocktail movement suffered heavy casualties last night, when New York City Department of Health officials cited several restaurants in the Cobble Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn for old-timey facial hair code violations. For people preparing food and drink, state law requires that beards, sideburns, and mustaches be protected by a "mustache net."

Good news, neighbors. The Carroll Gardens Greenmarket (on Carroll Street between Court and Smith streets) starts on Sunday, April 11. It's open from 8am to 4pm and includes my personal favorites Grazin' Angus meats, Milk Thistle dairy, Consider Bardwell goat cheese, plus the grizzly fish guys from Seatuck Fish Company , and the absolutely beautiful maitake (and other mushrooms) from Madura Farms . I could go on, but the basic point is that fresh local produce, meats, cheeses, fish, flowers and other goodies will be back in one short week [...]

From the people who brought you Abilene in Carroll Gardens comes Lowlands Bar in the South Slope. Located at 543 Third Avenue between 13th and 14th streets (347-463-9458), it's a diamond in the rough. Yes, it is located near a Pizza Hut, a Taco Bell, a combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. But step inside and it's a real beauty. An impressively long, regal wood bar, painted wood floors and a lot of kitschy touches-crazy roped lamps, wall art you wish you'd found at a stoop sale and the same funky light fixtures as at Abilene. Oh, and [...]

... Then life would be good. We had a great time at Brooklyn Bridge Park over the weekend. And as of today, there's one more reason to trek to the water- Pier 1 (one piece of the park that will work its way down the East River from DUMBO) is now open.

From Bethany: Hi Friends & Freaks! This Saturday, March 20th, I will be playing records at the Sharegroove spring kickoff party at Douglass Loft. I met Sharegroove (Steve and Pat) when they DJed at Kiss & Tell last June where we instantly bonded over our record crates. The Douglass Loft is a cool private venue near the Gowanus with a new soundsystem, patio, and in the words of the Sharegroove guys, "a do-what'cha-like-attitude." A disco extravaganza in truly classic Rent-Party style. Be sure to send an [...]

Afternoon walk over the Union St bridge. Couldn't ask for a better day.

I have no idea why Brooklyn's tourism website, Visit Brooklyn , doesn't have a nice, interactive list of restaurants participating in Brooklyn Restaurant Week 2010 (there is a PDF ), which runs March 15 (yesterday) through March 25 (next Thursday). Dine in Brooklyn is no exception from any other New York restaurant week in that you get to choose from a special set menu and pay a special set price. Two-course brunch and two-course lunch is $20.10; two-course dinner is $25. If you want the special menu/price you may need to ask for the menu if you're dropping [...]

It's been ages, but we've finally started updating ABL once again. Since our son was born nearly two years ago, we've been busy parents, and blogging fell by the wayside. We even debated on dumping this thing altogether when our hosting plan ran out , but it's hard to let something go that you've been working on for so long. Erin started this project back in late 2004 as a personal journal, and it mushroomed into much more. At one point we had multiple contributors (ah those were the days) and many a mention on like-minded neighborhood blogs. [...]

The most difficult decision you'll make regarding Boerum Hill's Mile End deli is when to go. Do you arrive before noon for what owner and Brooklynite Noah Bernamoff calls The Beauty, a Montreal-sourced bagel topped with lox, tomato (and a good one at that, even in March), red onion and capers? Or do you come post-noon for salami, brisket or smoked turkey-all smoked or cured in-house? Well, actually there's a third choice, weekend brunch, an amalgam of the two menus-there's a salami scramble, a meat hash and the brisket sandwich-and the quickest way to a very long line. [...]

First attemt at seeing tonight's showing of "Inglorious Bastards" at the United Artists at Court proves faulty as the popcorn machine (or so Mr. Brooklyn Life was told) caught fire and everyone was evacuated. Off to Battery Park ...

First attemt at seeing tonight's showing of "Inglorious Bastards" at the United Artists at Court proves faulty as the popcorn machine (or so Mr. Brooklyn Life was told) caught fire and everyone was evacuated. Off to Battery Park ...