Williamsburg is Dead

R.I.P. McCaig-Welles and Bonita

Sad news, art and food lovers. McCaig-Welles Gallery, which opened in the early days of Williamsburg's ascendancy to gallery prominence, has closed shop. Owner Melissa McCaig-Welles is shuttering her Williamsburg gallery to focus on her San Francisco gallery and her new baby (congrats!).

In food news, Bonita is closing down, whittling down Andrew Tarlow and Mark Firth's mini-empire to only two little-known restaurants called Marlow & Sons and Diner. Apparently Bonita was having some liquor license problems with their landlord, but don't worry because there is another Bonita in Fort Greene.

My Lucky 13 Williamsburg Restaurants

I share my top 13 restaurants in Williamsburg over at The Feedbag. These are, of course, restaurants I like eating at, not restaurants I can regularly afford to eat at, thus why the list doesn't solely consist of Oasis and whatever pizza place I happen to be drunkenly stumbling by.

What Ho! Dine in Brooklyn is On the Horizon!

Now that we're all poor, it stands to reason that we can't afford to go to fancy restaurants anymore; instead we eat our Hobo Beans under the Williamsburg Bridge and twirl our ironic bindles while singing songs about Hobo Jesus. But wait weary faux-hobo, or faux-bo, as they say in France. There is salvation! Dine in Brooklyn is here from March 23 to April 2, with three-course dinners and lunches for only 23 dollars American. Huzzah!

A list of participating restaurants:

Aurora (L)
70 Grand Street
718-388-5100

baci & abbracci (D/B)
204 Grand Avenue
718-599-6599

Bamonte's Restaurant (L/D)
32 Withers Street
718-384-8831

Banh Mi in Williamsburg?

Per NY Mag:

We spotted a sign for “Bánh Mì” at 172 Bedford Avenue near North 8th Street.

Oh please one true Cylon god, let this be true.

Mmm, What You Eatin' Williamsburg?

What's new in the Williamsburg restaurant scene? Well, Walter Foods is now serving brunch, which I know because I go there like everyday. But what else?

A new arepa joint called Arepa Arepa joins Shachi's and Caracas in making Williamsburg arepa capital of New York. [Grub Street]

Tapas spot Zipi Zape is now becoming a Mediterranean restaurant called BarBerry. [NYT]

Lose a tapas place, gain a tapas place, more specifically the new Bar Celona on S. 4th St. [Eater]

Egg is now serving booze and breakfast all day! [Grub Street]

The friendly and fashionable dudes behind avant-garde boutique Oak are going to open a bar in Greenpoint. [Racked]

Lovin' Cup Cafe Opens in Old Anytime Space

Fare thee well, Anytime, we hardly knew ye. But from the ashes of the deceased burger joint comes a new restaurant by the name of The Lovin' Cup Cafe. From the press release:

The Lovin' Cup Café's honest American food puts meaning into the
phrase "mom and pop" with recipes from the owners' family members.
However, the savory recipes aren't exactly like mom used to make
them—they've been updated with grass-fed, farm-raised meats and
organic produce. Mac n' cheese gets a veggie twist with artichoke and
spinach, while burgers are made from grass-fed beef and topped with
gorgonzola and caramelized onions.

The Lovin' Cup Café's bar boasts an extensive bourbon selection, which
may be ordered in flights. The bar also has a list of signature
cocktails like the 'Bourbontown' with fresh ginger and Four Roses
bourbon and the 'Old Fashioned Revisited,' a contemporary take on the
classic cocktail. Lovin' Cup offers a happy hour with $3 Rebel Yell
bourbons and $5 Old Fashioneds from 6 to 9:00 daily.

The Lovin' Cup Cafe will be open until 4am everyday and will regularly feature live music. Fun!

New Caracas Arepa Bar in Wburg

I just wrote up the newest outpost of popular arepa joint Caracas over at The Feedbag. Check it out!

Action Burger is Reborn

Hey remember Action Burger, the comic-themed burger joint on Grand Street that was closed down for health reasons (although it has since been inspected and passed with no violations) and thus disappointed the city's hungry nerds? It's back! Hopefully they worked out the kinks, although I'm yet to actually see anybody inside of the restaurant. Some dude who looked like a character from a Kevin Smith movie told me the restaurant has been open for a few weeks and has a brand-new burger recipe. I will be trying it soon and reporting back the results as soon as I frakkin' can.

Action Burger, 513 Grand Street

SECRET LATE-NIGHT RAMEN SPOT DISCOVERED!

Not since Hiram Bingham discovered Machu Picchu in 1911 has a discovery of this magnitude registered on the OMG scale. Serious Eats reports that a late-night, pop-up ramen joint called Bonjin arrives every Friday night at Dokebi from 12am-4am to feed drunken Williamsburg revelers. 

"While I'm used to seeing pork belly with my ramen, Bonjin's ramen ($10) was also topped with arugula, corn, and thin fried noodles. Fatty, bitter, sweet, and crunchy—a great combination. The medium-bodied broth was made of chicken, pork, and vegetable stock—cooked for about 14 hours—mixed with five kinds of miso, sake mash, and soy milk."

New itinerary for Friday night: 1) Drink beer 2) Eat ramen. [Serious Eats]

Interview with Motorino Chef Mathieu Palombino

Have you been to Motorino (319 Graham Avenue) yet? It's fantastic. All the ingredients taste absurdly fresh; Chef Mathieu Palombino even makes his own mozzarella every morning. Check out my interview with him over at The Feedbag.