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)

Just in time for Craft Beer Week Brouwerij Lane decided to offer beer lovers more options.  Brouwerij Lane is already one of the best options for beer in North Brooklyn, and it just got better.  They expanded their Growler Station from 10 taps to 19!

The tap list right now seems pretty amazing too, and it includes:

• Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA
• Sierra Nevada Tripel
• Kelso St. Gowanus
• Lagunitas Imperial Red
• Green Flash Imperial IPA
• and many more!

Brouwerij Lane now has, by far, the largest draft selection of any beer store in the NYC area (even if all of the taps aren’t going at once).  This addition of more draft lines is going to make Craft Beer Week very special at Brouwerij Lane, and this is what they have in store:

• Monday September 14th: Keegan’s Ales
• Tuesday September 15th: Victory Brewing Company
• Wednesday September 16th: Southern Tier Brewing Company
• Thursday September 17th: Boulder Beer Company
• Friday September 18th: Stone Brewing Company
• Saturday September 19th: All Day Oktoberfest Tasting

The events on Monday the 14th through Friday the 18th will be from 7pm-9pm.  $1 gets you a 4oz from the brewery that is showcased that night, or for $10 all the four ounce pours you can handle.  For beers that will be on hand for these events keep checking back on their website.  This should be a fun time!  Thanks Brouwerij Lane!

Links:

• more on Brouwerij Lane here.
• more on Craft Beer Week in general here.

Brouwerij Lane is located at 78 Greenpoint Ave (between Franklin St & West St) in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Photo via Brouwerij Lane

Pinball is something that I have always enjoyed, but rarely get to play.  When I was in Chapel Hill for XX Merge the Orange Country Social Club had a really rad Elvis Pinball Machine.  Yesterday I was looking to find more information about Pinball machines in my hood, North Brooklyn, and found very little.  I’m aiming to make a directory of Pinball Machines in the area, with all of the vital info: type of machine, price, is it level (how fast does the ball move), and the condition (do all the springs and stuff seem to work).  I’m not going to get into the manufacturer, or year it was built, because after all I just like to play.

This is just the beginning.  I will be adding more pictures, and machines as I play them.  It might be a slow process, but you can help.  If you see a machine…let me know where it is, and I’ll go play it! I am going to focus on North Brooklyn, but machines outside that geographical area will also be added to the bottom of the page.  I figure focusing on the area I live will produce the best results.

The first two entries are Daddy’s and Enid’s.

The Great Pumpkin Presents:

The North Brooklyn Pinball Directory

As machines are added to the list I will be posting a picture of the machine on the blog, and a link to the directory.  I hope others find this helpful too.

Cheers,

Tom

UPDATE: Thanks Anna for the tip.  Here are some of establishments to come:

• Mark Bar
• Bruar Falls
• Mugg’s Ale House,
• The Levee
• Satellite Lounge
• Lulu’s (formerly Lost and Found)
• any others let me know (and I’m always on the look out).

As Leah reported last week, Peter Pan Donut and Pastry Shop is now serving Donut Ice cream Sandwiches! Last Friday in a surprise to Leah…klk and I picked up two of these bad boys and brought them over to share.

They are a decadent desert, and not meant to be eaten by just one person.

Sandwich one: Coconut Chocolate Cake Donut with Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Sandwich two: Sour Cream Glazed Donut with Chocolate Ice Cream

The winner by far was sandwich number two, but that might have had something to do with the cookies and cream melting immediately.  No matter what, this is something that I plan on enjoying several more times this summer…I’m really glad I’m back to biking to work with this calorie intake right around the corner.

We are not the only one who as tried these…McG also has.  It seems like he enjoyed it as well.

more on Peter Pan here.