http://brokelyn.com Food, restaurants, shopping and cheap fun on a budget in Brooklyn NYC Fri, 24 May 2013 22:09:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://brokelyn.com/bars-we-love-go-for-a-swim-at-lavender-lake/ http://brokelyn.com/bars-we-love-go-for-a-swim-at-lavender-lake/#comments Tue, 21 May 2013 18:00:35 +0000 Rachel DeLetto http://brokelyn.com/?p=43924 Read More]]>
Lavender Lake 383 Carroll Street (between Bond & Nevins) Gowanus (347) 799-2154 What it is: Destination drinking spot on the shore of namesake Gowanus Canal with seasonal menu and local brews on tap. Why we love it: Besides well-priced drafts and crafted cocktails, the multi-level yard is an outdoor drinking utopia, even in the depths of winter. Standing around the crackling fire pit with a tasty beer in hand, enjoying the company of friends old and new, that high water mark on the outdoor wall (almost 6 feet high) really makes you appreciate the heart and hard work that went into recovery after Sandy. Who to bring: A date (there’s a nice makeout opportunity on the Carroll Street wooden draw bridge after a few beverages, assuming the namesake canal is not malodorous that evening), a large crowd of friends for a mythical creatures themed birthday party, anyone who enjoys tasty local brews around a fire pit. What… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/bars-we-love-go-for-a-swim-at-lavender-lake/feed/ 0 http://brokelyn.com/bars-we-love-get-gonzo-at-owl-farm/ http://brokelyn.com/bars-we-love-get-gonzo-at-owl-farm/#comments Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:25:47 +0000 Rachel DeLetto http://brokelyn.com/?p=43268 Read More]]>
The Owl Farm 297 9th Street (b/t 4th and 5th Aves) Park Slope (718) 499-4988 What it is: A friendly, spacious neighborhood bar that happens to have an impressive rotation of delicious alternatives to the standard drafts. No snobbery served here. Why we love it: The tunes are always a killer blend of nostalgic, classic, and Pitchfork approved. Every Wednesday they host a Vinyl Club night where you can bring your old LPs and get in the rotation. The Owl Farm is owned by the same cats that run Bar Great Harry and Mission Dolores, so expect a familiar relaxed vibe, cheap drinks, antique pinball machines, and sick happy hour deals. Also, WORKING FIREPLACE. Who to bring: People who like beer and are awesome. The Owl Farm is spacious and has lots of seating options, so it’s great for happy hour with a group (2 for $5 M-F until 7) or a random Tuesday night OkCupid… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/bars-we-love-get-gonzo-at-owl-farm/feed/ 0 http://brokelyn.com/bars-we-love-your-mission-dolores-should-you-choose-to-accept-it/ http://brokelyn.com/bars-we-love-your-mission-dolores-should-you-choose-to-accept-it/#comments Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:30:20 +0000 Rachel DeLetto http://brokelyn.com/?p=42797 Read More]]>
Mission Dolores 249 4th Ave (between Carroll and President) Park Slope (347) 457-5606 What it is: A railroad-style, tri-furcated space with a courtyard smack in the middle of the place. Reclaimed everything with a wall emblazoned with the mugshots of San Francisco’s most wanted circa 1941. Constant rotation of 20 drafts and one cask* of mostly American and many local brews. Why we love it: They bought us all Bulliet shots when Obama and the good guys beat that turd Romney and the legitimate rape right on election night. But also, because it’s a generally awesome place to hang with cool people, there’s an always interesting list of unusual beers on tap, dogs to distract you from the boring people you’re with and it’s in stumbling proximity to tacos. Who to bring: Your whole blog staff for “editorial meetings.” (They have free wifi, but don’t plan on getting anything done once the pitchers start pouring.) What to… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/bars-we-love-your-mission-dolores-should-you-choose-to-accept-it/feed/ 1 http://brokelyn.com/bars-we-love-close-your-eyes-youve-got-double-windsor/ http://brokelyn.com/bars-we-love-close-your-eyes-youve-got-double-windsor/#comments Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:30:09 +0000 Rachel DeLetto http://brokelyn.com/?p=42660 Read More]]>
Double Windsor 210 Prospect Park West South Slope (347) 725-3479 What it is: New-Brooklyn’s local bar alternative to Windsor Terrace stalwart Farrell’s across the street. Why we love it: Two walls of the bar are windows, so the Brooklyn passing by on the street outside is part of the flow and vibe inside. It’s very meta. There’s something literary and scholarly about the buzz of conversation along communal tables and horseshoe bar. Also, burgers. Yum.   Who to bring: Since it’s one of the only bars in a neighborhood increasingly populated with bar-going  young couples and families, DW is packed every night. Go on a sunny weekend afternoon after a walk in Prospect Park for a beer and brunch (bacon mac n cheese is totally a brunch food). What to order: I know it’s the equivalent of judging a book by the cover, but I’m a sucker for beers with clever puns for names (awesome job alert).… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/bars-we-love-close-your-eyes-youve-got-double-windsor/feed/ 0 http://brokelyn.com/the-brooklyn-hipster-musical-review/ http://brokelyn.com/the-brooklyn-hipster-musical-review/#comments Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:42:38 +0000 Rachel DeLetto http://brokelyn.com/?p=42577 Read More]]>
Name that Brooklyn bar. Photo courtesy of F#%king Up Everything. For purposes of this review, I am breaking Brokelyn’s number one, OK, only editorial rule: no using the term “hipster.” This transgression is required by the fact that new off Broadway musical, F#%king Up Everything, describes itself in press materials as a “Brooklyn hipster musical.” I know… When I received the press release for the show I cringed at the the flagrant use of that word and was curious to see how many ridiculous Brooklyn clichés could possibly be packed into song and dance numbers. The answer is a lot. But that didn’t stop me from loving it. Which is basically how I feel about Brooklyn. F#%ing Up Everything premiered last night Elektra Theater in Times Square. I was skeptical, but I didn’t hate it. In fact, I smiled and laughed along with the rest of the audience through almost the entire show… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/the-brooklyn-hipster-musical-review/feed/ 2 http://brokelyn.com/bars-we-love-try-to-pronounce-brooklyn-buschenschank/ http://brokelyn.com/bars-we-love-try-to-pronounce-brooklyn-buschenschank/#comments Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:00:05 +0000 Rachel DeLetto http://brokelyn.com/?p=42537 Read More]]>
Brooklyn Buschenschank 320 Court Street (at Sackett) Carroll Gardens (718) 237-0325 What it is: German-inspired Italian beer hall with prime bar food (fondue, wurst, brick oven pizza), fireplace, romantic basement venue with live music, and, of course, das boot. Why we love it: The fireplace and communal tables fulfill our medival drinking fantasies while the open windows during springtime brunch soften our hedonistic guzzling habits. Who to bring: Great for a group at brunch or for a night out in Brooklyn with visiting relatives. The friendly bar staff and locals who hold residence at the bar are very welcoming, so it’s also good for a solo beverage and some interesting conversation. What to order: Somewhere in that list of 15+ German and Italian drafts is a new beer you’ve never tried – or pronounced correctly. Pair it with a housemade soft pretzel topped with bier cheese to experience Oktoberfest bliss all year long. Fun fact: Don’t worry, “Ratskeller”… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/bars-we-love-try-to-pronounce-brooklyn-buschenschank/feed/ 0 http://brokelyn.com/occupy-christmas-how-to-give-back-this-holiday-weekend/ http://brokelyn.com/occupy-christmas-how-to-give-back-this-holiday-weekend/#comments Wed, 19 Dec 2012 19:00:35 +0000 Rachel DeLetto http://brokelyn.com/?p=40589 Read More]]>
Give back some holiday spirit this weekend. Photo by Mosman Library If you are not traveling, shopping or having a DIY gifting party, there are a bunch of ways to help out New Yorkers in need of coats, toys, food and holiday cheer. Here are a few:  Donate Coats:New York Cares coat drive aims to collect a record 200,000 coats to distribute to New Yorkers in Staten Island, the Rockaways and other Sandy-ravaged areas. Click here to donate your gently used, freshly laundered coats today, create your own collection site, or volunteer to sort the coats to get them to people in need as soon as possible. Donate Gifts/Money: If you have a little extra, consider giving a gift to someone in need through New York Cares Winter Wishes program Amazon registry. Or answer a kid’s letter to Santa through USPS Operation Santa Claus. Or donate to the Occupy registries to help with ongoing Hurricane Sandy… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/occupy-christmas-how-to-give-back-this-holiday-weekend/feed/ 0 http://brokelyn.com/comfort-food-free-momofuku-milk-bar-cookies-this-weekend/ http://brokelyn.com/comfort-food-free-momofuku-milk-bar-cookies-this-weekend/#comments Fri, 14 Dec 2012 22:30:22 +0000 Rachel DeLetto http://brokelyn.com/?p=40590 Read More]]>
Free Milk cookies tomorrow. Bring your own milk. In much, much more comforting news, you can get some free cookies tomorrow, just for showing up and beng alive. If you’re out and about in Williamsburg or Fort Greene and want to eat something life-affirming, Christina Tosi and her mom will be driving the Momofuku Milk Bar truck around, handing out free cookies. After a few stops in the early part of the day in Manhattan, the sweetsmobile will roll across the Williamsburg Bridge around 3:30 for a stop at Bedford Ave & North 7th followed by Fort Greene Park around 4:50. Follow @AmericanExpress for live updates on the truck’s location throughout the day. … Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/comfort-food-free-momofuku-milk-bar-cookies-this-weekend/feed/ 0 http://brokelyn.com/a-couple-of-hams-pork-slope-welcomes-wyatt-cenac-and-uestlove-for-a-sandy-benefit/ http://brokelyn.com/a-couple-of-hams-pork-slope-welcomes-wyatt-cenac-and-uestlove-for-a-sandy-benefit/#comments Fri, 14 Dec 2012 19:00:50 +0000 Rachel DeLetto http://brokelyn.com/?p=40565 Read More]]>
Maybe leave the puppet at home while bartending Wyatt. Photo via 92YTribeca on Flickr. The holidays are always over indulgent, but this year it’s a double whammy of festiveness with constant “drinking+eating+shopping for Sandy relief” events on top of all the normal yuletide excess. It’s a marathon not a sprint people. Here’s another one for your calendar next week: On Tuesday, Dec. 18, Pork Slope is hosting a Sandy fundraiser featuring Brooklyn’s own (now former) Daily Show correspondent and host of Night Train Wyatt Cenac behind the bar and resident celebri-DJ ?uestlove manning tunes. According to Here’s Park Slope, Pork Slope will donate all tips and proceeds from their Slippery Slope special (daily rotating beer+shot special for $5) to the Brooklyn Recovery Fund, which to date has raised more than $1.5 million to benefit neighborhood-based organizations on the frontline of recovery efforts in Coastal Brooklyn. There will also be a raffle–2 tickets for $20–for a… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/a-couple-of-hams-pork-slope-welcomes-wyatt-cenac-and-uestlove-for-a-sandy-benefit/feed/ 0 http://brokelyn.com/rich-people-problems-help-is-expensive/ http://brokelyn.com/rich-people-problems-help-is-expensive/#comments Fri, 14 Dec 2012 18:00:39 +0000 Rachel DeLetto http://brokelyn.com/?p=40571 Read More]]>
Good tips and you get to sit outside. via Flickr user cha_petitjean Man, not being broke is EXPENSIVE! If you are in the class of people who can afford to utilize services such as nannies/babysitters, dog walkers, house cleaners, hair stylists, personal trainers, doormen, building supers, personal assistants, delivery services, etc., prepare to shell out a bunch of extra dough in end-of-year tips. According to DNAInfo, some Park Slope families will tip their domestic service providers up to $1,500 this holiday season. This is relevant to you, the hungry brokester, because there may well be opportunity here.$1500 is a lot of scratch, and with the survey the story was based on noting that nannies get the biggest chunk of the holiday cash, we got to thinking. Being a Brooklyn nanny seems like not the best job, at first glance. You have to do normal things like change diapers and chase kids around,… Read More]]> http://brokelyn.com/rich-people-problems-help-is-expensive/feed/ 1