When Le Gamin‘s Franklin St. location opened a couple weeks ago they were serving guests in the restaurant from their Le Gamin Mobi (pictured above, find out where it is via twitter!) that was parked right in front of the store front ( before the kitchen was even completed).

La Gamin boasts that it is “Known for its authentic casual French ambiance , popular neighborhood feel and good fresh food and crêpes are LE GAMIN’s trademarks. Each location is unique reflecting its neighborhood.”

We didn’t make it over while the food truck was the kitchen, but this past weekend we stopped by to try the new Greenpoint spot and got a taste of what they have to offer with a fully operational kitchen.

In Greenpoint and Williamsburg it’s hard to find a good breakfast spot that isn’t a diner if you wake up early on the weekends. While brunch is great… most places don’t start serving until 11am, or even 12pm,  but Le Gamin is offering us early risers a wonderful new option for breakfast. Their cafe is open from 8am through dinner, and is serving a variety of delicious options.

The restaurant itself has a very open feel. The walls are plain, it is filled with small tables, a large bench type booth that wraps around half the restaurant set up with two or four top tables and one large table near the front of the cafe, as well as a small table with a chalkboard menu and a basket of delicious croissants in the center.

I had to try with all my might not to order a croquette madam, what I’m typically drawn to, and in the end I succeeded.  Actually klk and I both ended up ordering crêpes (when that is what they are known for I think it’s a good place to start).  The crêpes are more or less build your own.  You can choose between two or three interior ingredients, and judging by the chalk board some of these ingredients change daily.  We got a ham, egg, and brie crêpe and one with goat cheese, leak, and merguez (a Moroccan lamb sausage).

The crêpes at La Gamin were large and rectangular.  The goat cheese, leak, and merguez crêpe was extremely unique, but that might have been due to that fact that I’ve never had merguez before.  For those unfamiliar with merguez the closest thing I can compare it to is chorizo, but not as greesey.  It has an amazing spiciness, and really brought the flavors of the three ingredients together.  While I don’t typically order lamb I imagine this is something that I will want to eat again…it was just so delicious.  The ham, egg, and brie crêpe was also good.  In this one, for me at least, the brie was the star.  Our only problem was that the egg was a little too runny, almost a bit raw (maybe that is the style).  Don’t let the egg turn you off though it was still delicious, but we were just a little surprised.   The outside of the the crêpes were perfectly cooked, and the overall they were extrememly tastey.  There was even a delicious little salad served on the side that had an amazing mustard vinaigrette…I mean so good that I could imagine craving this dressing.

We finished our meal by sharing a pain au chocolat, and I can’t ask for much more than desert with breakfast.

I think that Le Gamin is working on a beer and wine license, but for now they do not have booze.  Their iced tea was very excellent, and essential to our dining experience in the upcoming warm months.

When I passed by today there was a sign in the window that said “New Menu Today.”  Le Gamin is a nice little addition to our neighborhood, and I imagine I’ll be back soon (maybe next time for acroquette madam) .   The food was delicous and fresh, they open early, and it might be the only French restaturant in Greenpoint.

A wonderful additon to the neighborhood, and thank you Le Gamin for giving us a new breakfast spot!

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Le Gamin is located at
108 Franklin St.
between Noble St. and Oak St.
Greenpoint, Brooklyn

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• more of my food posts can be found here.
• Le Gamin Truck photo via Blondie and Brownie.

So it’s getting to be nice out…and my favorite bar has noticed!

The Diamond is bringing back their summer hours as of MAY 1st!

Starting off this wonderful season of early afternoon drinking at one of New York’s finest beer establishments is

Fun-Raiser 12
East New York Farms
Saturday, 5/1, Noon-6pm

• Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Sierra Nevada Brewing with a homebrew demo out back.
• Bring your own grillables…the Weber will be lit!
• All sales of Sierra Nevada and Anchor Steam products donated to East New York Farms between 2-4pm

The Diamond will feature the classics: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Anchor Steam Beer.  These are two beers that have set the stage for American brewers, as well as created two truly American styles of beer: the American Pale Ale and the Steam Beer.  They will also have the very special Fritz and Ken Ale which is a collaboration between these two pioneering brewmasters.  Fritz and Ken’s Ale is a stout with a hint of smoke malt and a great deal of alcohol.  A special treat that will only be brewed once…get it while it’s here.  Additional details about the event:

In 1980, Ken Grossman opened Sierra Nevada brewing Company in Chico, CA brewing bold creations on used dairy equipment. Although his brewhouse has grown, he celebrates his 30-year anniversary with the same passion, making several collaborative one-time brews with other early West Coast craft beer pioneers. The first is a strong stout co-brewed with Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing. Ken and Fritz will donate their proceeds from sales of this beer to the local library system and community college in the Chico area.

These guys started from humble beginnings on whatever equipment they could find. So, in honor of this anniversary, we’re having a demo with the NYC Homebrewers Guild out back. Watch and learn about the beauty of brewing on the smallest scale.

Also, we will be answering the brewers’ charitable call at this event. Between 2-4p, all sales of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Anchor Steam, and Fritz & Ken’s Stout will be donated by the Diamond to East New York Farms.

and then the following weekend….

The real kicker is….Starting on May 2nd EVERY SATURDAY & SUNDAY the DIAMOND will OPEN at 2PM!!!

Who knows maybe we will get some of those awesome Caddy Shack Happy Hours again?

Weekend afternoon drinking…it doesn’t get much better than that!

Lots of excitement going on at this little bar, and they are all signs that summer is almost here!

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The Diamond is located at
43 Franklin St
(between Quay St & Calyer St)
Brooklyn, NY 11222

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• more on the Diamond can be found here.
• check out The Diamond’s website for up to date tap lists!
• These photos were taken at The Diamond, and are from the White Lodge. If you would like to use these photos please link back to the flickr page, and credit the White Lodge. More posts featuring photos from the White Lodge can be found here.

Yes, it’s spring…I’ve declared it, and Bike Commuting Rules….if it’s feasible for you to do it I highly recommend trying it. It’s always hardest the first couple days, and then it gets easier…totally cheaper than buying a monthly metrocard too.  Last week was the first time I did the bike commute in 2010, and it was pretty awesome…although cold, but today is what I’ve been dying for.  No jacket, a cool breeze, and flying down the Queensboro Bridge felt amazing.  I can’t express enough how much being outside two hours a day clears my mind compared to being underground in the subway.  Total stress reliever.

If the commuting thing isn’t for you, or you have too far of a distance to go at least enjoy some of this wonderful weather…on a bike or not….the sun makes you feel alive again after the cold winter.

This time of year really draws out my love for punk rock, and sometimes punk rock and bikes go hand in hand….this brings to mind the great punk band from Asheville, NC Dead Things.  Dead Things made upbeat punk rock, and several years ago released an album titled …beacause sometimes you just want to ride your bike to the show… Dead Things were a band that was said to tour North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia on bicycle towing a small trailer behind them.  While I never got to seem them live I can respect this, whether it happened or maybe it was just a dream.  Their song titled “Bike Lane” rings home to me, especially because cars were parked in it all the way up First Ave today.

[mp3] Dead Things- “Bike Lane”

Dead Things is currently dead, actually died in 2005.  I’m going to try to contact them to see if I can put a download link for the full album on this post.  It’s a great album for spring/summer, and from what I can tell the CD is completely out of print (never saw release on any other format).

Anyways…the weather is going to be awesome this weekend here in NYC.  Get that bike out pump up those tires, and go for a ride.  It will be awesome.  There are lots of shows coming up too…all of which I will be riding to: Best Coast, DOM//Golden Girls, So Cow, and more!

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If you happen to need a new bike, a tune up, or parts and live in the Brooklyn/NYC area my go to bike shop is B’s Bikes.  B’s Bikes is located on the edge of Greenpoint/Williamsburg, and has an extremely knowledgeable staff.  Don’t be intimidated…these guys are good dudes, and will help you get done what needs to be done…and they have never tried to push me to buy something I didn’t need. I just got a tune up, new tires, and some other things done and my bike feels better than ever (see the picture above…it’s awesome)…yours’ can too:

B’s Bikes is located at
262 Driggs Ave
(between Eckford St & Leonard St)
Greenpoint, Brooklyn

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• more on biking here.
• The section of this post about Dead Things is the second installment of my series called Time Slip.
  • Read the rest of my Time Slip posts here.

Brunch in Greenpoint used to be easy…Greenpoint Coffee House or Brooklyn Label were the obvious choices.  Sometime in the past year Greenpoint Coffee House changed something, and it just isn’t the same…and Brooklyn Label has taken on a new chef (which I’m not so sure I’m into) and raised their prices.

This past Saturday morning seemed to be full of failure.  We were too late to go to brunch at Enid’s, it was totally packed, and we decided to catch the bus up to check out the Habitat.  From everything we had heard the Habitat’s $15 prefix brunch was supposed to be well worth it, and the internet said that they started serving it at 11am.  We got all the way there only to find out that the Habitat was closed.  As we walked up someone went inside and disappeared, and we were standing there confused.  The signs on in the window clearly said “Brunch 11am-3pm,” and by this point it was after 12.  There was a delivery guy standing outside who relayed a message from someone in the basement: “they start serving brunch next weekend.”  According to the internet they have been serving brunch since sometime in September.

At this point we knew that this was not true, and would have appreciated a real answer…we left discouraged (even a sign saying “sorry opening late today” would have been cool).  Papacitos was right across the street, but we really weren’t feeling Mexican for breakfast.

We decided to head home, but on our way down Manhattan Ave we ran into a friend who suggested 68.

We’ve been to CoCo 66 (the sister bar to the restaurant) a couple of times, and to 68 for dinner once, and figured that it was worth a try.  We got there an checked out the menu (dinner menu can be found here), and decided to go in.  If you haven’t been to 68 it is located on on Greenpoint Ave just west of Franklin St.  68 is a big place, and was more or less dead when while we were there.  We got a table in the window, and ordered.  After a morning of failures everything at 68 seemed to be going pretty ok.

klk got ricotta pancakes with fruit topping and honey butter.  It also came with a wonderful fruit salad (banana, fig, and pomegranate seeds) on the side.   By this point I was ready for lunch and decided to try the bourbon bbq pulled pork, with came with fries.   Our food came very quickly, and we were not only impressed by the presentation, but the quality of the food over all.  The bbq was southern style, but not Carolina and was done perfectly even down to the bun.  The ricotta pancakes were delicate, light, and perfectly complemented by the fruit.  If I could use only two words to describe the brunch at 68 they would be:  delicious and classy.

I think the reason we hadn’t really embraced 68 before was due to our previous commitment to vegetarianism, and while vegetarians can eat here comfortably , 68 really does have a little more to offer those that are omnivores.  The over all experience we had at 68 was exactly what we needed to redeem our day, and I definitely plan on going back. Price wise it might even be a little cheaper than Greenpoint Coffee House or Enid’s, and it is definitely a new favorite of mine.   I didn’t realize until after I was finished with my meal, but apparently they offer free bloody mary or mimosa with your brunch…and this by far makes it the best deal.

I plan on going back to try their $1 oyster special that they offer during happy hour…we were informed that the oysters come from Long Island, and you really can’t beat $1 local oysters.  68 has different specials throughout the week, and I highly recommend checking them out.  Good vibes.

68 is located at
68 Greenpoint Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11222-1527
(718) 389-6868

photo taken via Yelp!

My two favorite beverage establishments are having events this week revolving around my favorite squash!

The first event is tonight:

The Diamond presents

Pumpkin Carving Tonight, 7-9pm
-pumpkins for sale at the bar
-we supply the knives
-$1 off drinks for participants

I’m about 99% sure you will be able to drink the Southern Tier PumpKing while you are carving at the Diamond…sounds like a perfect combination!

If you are looking for something that involves beer, but does not involve knives and cutting up squashes…you might should check this one out on Thursday:

Brouwerij Lane‘s Pumpkin Harvest Party

This event will have Dogfish Punkin on tap, and let it be known that this is my favorite pumpkin ale.   And if you aren’t into that the Victory Wet Hop Harvest is a treat every year…made with fresh hops!

The Diamond and Brouwerij Lane consistently have wonderful beer selections, and have been supplying me with some of my favorites this year.  Fall is a great time for Craft Beer (the alcohol seems to increase as it gets colder outside) so grab your pumpkin and get out there and have a drink!

Links:

• more on the Diamond here.
• more on Brouwerij Lane here.

Kombucha (käm-ˈbü-shə, -chə) is a fermented tea that is imbibed for medicinal purposes, although there is currently no specific scientific information supporting any purported benefits.^[1]. Kombucha is available commercially, but can be made at home by fermenting tea using a visible solid mass of microorganisms called a kombucha culture or mushroom. (via)

Kombucha Brooklyn and Brouwerij Lane are having a Kombucha Keg Launch this Saturday.  Kombucha Brooklyn will have their signature natural kombucha on tap for the first time, and they will also be premiering two new flavors (also on tap)!  Starting tomorrow October 24th Brouwerij Lane will have a keg of Kombucha from Kombucha Brooklyn on tap all the time! The kegger starts at 6pm!

Here are all the details:

If you haven’t tried kombucha… it’s good for you and it’s a great hang over cure!  I can’t wait to get 64 ounces of the stuff to bring home.

Links:

• more on Brouwerij Lane here.

The Diamond has a lot of special things planned for the fall and it all started on Tuesday night when a cask of Brooklyn Brewery’s BLAST! was tapped.

The blast is one of my favorite beers that Brooklyn Brewery does, and it is a extra pale ale, almost an ipa, but not quite.  Extremely drinkable, and dangerously alcoholic.  It is the middle ground where the pale ale drinker and the ipa lover meet.  On cask this beer is even more delicate with a toned down hop profile…and a silky smooth mouth feel.  An excellent beer for

anytime of the year, but nice and warming at 8.5% abv for these cold days that just arrived…and only $6 a pint!.

Next up is Southern Tiers Pumpking! The ridiculously big imperial pumpkin ale, that graced the Diamond for the presidential debates last year, and will be tapped again tonight or tomorrow…as soon as one of the tap lines runs dry.  The Diamond says that the Pumpking will be around until Thanksgiving so you have plenty of time to try this wonderful seasonal.

These two wonderful beers are paving the way for what I consider the only Oktoberfest party worth attending (well maybe there is another one, but this one kind of seals the deal for me)!

Roth-toberfest is Saturday, 10/10 from 2-6pm…less than 2 weeks away.
What:  combo David Lee Roth’s b-day & Octoberfest Celebration
What:  3 unique wooden barrels of festbier straight from Germany served in the yard
What:  Wear a long blond wig and get your first beer for free
What:  $5 sausage & spaetzle plates brought to you by the fabulous Bob Pickett
What:  DJ’s Herr Mark, Frau Mary, and Diamond David Lee Pollack spin your favorite German Tunes & Van Halen

I hadn’t been to the Diamond in a while, but we stopped by last night for a couple rounds…and got to hang out with Dave.  I’m not going to spoil any surprises, but the “3 unique wooden barrels of festbier straight from Germany served in the yard”  are not to be missed.  From what we heard these are going to be very special brews, and most likely ones you haven’t tried (or at least not in this form).  Mark your calendars…I will be there at 2pm to make sure I get to try all of them.

More details to come on Roth-toberfest as the Diamond releases them!

A little bit of sad news…the Diamond will be going back to winter hours starting Saturday October 17th…they will be openinging at 4pm instead of 2pm on Saturday and Sundays.

Dave also gave clues to some other special kegs that are living in the basement of the Diamond… it is a good time for beer.

Oh Diamond I have missed you, and I won’t stay away that long again.

• Photo by Jenojenny via flickr
• more about the Diamond can be found here.
• previous What Ales You post can be read here.

It’s not to often these days that print media can tell me something that I haven’t already read on the internet, but I read something pretty exciting new for Greenpoint in Time Out New York the other week.

The Manhattan Inn will be opening in Greenpoint next month on Manhattan Ave between Bedford and Nassau.  If you are familiar with the neighborhood this block is only about five store fronts long, and will occupy the space that Johnny’s Cafe was in (Johnny’s is moving to Queens):

The new Greenpoint bar sounds interesting too here is what Time Out had to say:

TEN MINUTES FROM NOW
Renaissance barsThanks to the cocktail revival and craft beer craze, the public has gotten pretty savvy. Expect bars that are solid on all fronts.
Coming soon: The Manhattan Inn (632 Manhattan Ave between Bedford and Nassau Aves, Greenpoint, Brooklyn; no phone yet), an all-purpose bar with a locavore bent, opens in October. (read the article here).

Not to say that Greenpoint needs more bars, but it will be nice to have something close other than Enid’s and Matchless.  While I’ll typically still head over to the Diamond… Manhattan Inn might be just what I need when it’s snowing out this winter, and I want a nice warming cocktail or beer.  I can’t wait to see what this turns into.

UPDATE (10/1/09): I just found a little bit more info via TONY:

The Manhattan Inn
632 Manhattan Ave between Bedford and Nassau Aves, Greenpoint, Brooklyn (no phone yet)
The big, green locavore flag is set to fly over yet another Brooklyn eatery. This time it’s a bar-café-restaurant combo from Brooke Baxter and Rolyn Hu, the co-owners of Glasslands Gallery. The contractor, Evan Haslegrave, was last seen turning sewing machines into beer taps at Elsa: Look for more fun repurposing here. (read the full article here)