Coming soon to the library: tacos! via Facebook

Food trucks are a new way of life around here. Well, maybe not that new, but they’ve certainly been an inescapable part of life in Brooklyn for awhile. And that’s great, because food should come to you. And with the weather warming up, the library knows just how to take advantage of the food truck craze: hosting one a week at their central location for a month, starting tomorrow. Welcome, to Lunchapalooza! (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. (more…)

Still worth it. (via Facebook)

GoogaMooga’s washout yesterday might have put a snag in your Sunday plans, but the festival’s cancellation was a real killer for the food vendors, many of whom lost upwards of $10,ooo in revenue and prep expenditures. It’s tough to get a small eatery off the ground here, and even tougher to survive as one, so if you’re dining out today, consider hitting up one of the 85 restaurants, bakeries and food trucks who got hit. And as an added incentive, a few are offering special deals: (more…)

Photo by Deena Atkinson

South
629 5th Avenue (Between 17th and 18th Street)
South Slope
(718) 832-4720

What it is: A local staple built around the idea of a perfect neighborhood dive, with a touch of Belgian-beer-obsessiveness thrown in.

Why we love it: Friendly is the key word to this bar. Buried in the unknown depths of South Slope, this bar doesn’t tend to get a lot of tourists or other-borough immigrants looking to party. Instead, think of a bar where everyone knows your name (including the owners). To top it all off, with over 70 different bottled options and 6 taps, the beer selection here makes you dream of tulips and prostitutes (two of the three things the Netherlands is known for). (more…)

Oh, won’t you take us with you? (via flickr user wallyg)

The Great GoogaMooga round 2 is VERY NEARLY UPON US, and though many of us were cruelly turned away from free tickets to the festivities, there are still plenty of you out there preparing to hit Prospect Park this weekend. With that in mind, we’ve wrangled some much-needed tips from the organizers to help get things moving swiftly this year, since last year GoogaMooga-ers were subject to a few foodfest-related debacles (LONG WAITS FOR BEER WHY GOD WHY). Here are some things to keep in mind: (more…)

Good Co.
10 Hope St. (Roebling & Havemeyer)
Williamsburg
(718) 218-7191

What is it: A spacious and steadfastly friendly beacon of good times, among a sea of flash-in-the-pan and otherwise forgettable Williamsburg bars.

Why we love it: The simple design – long wooden tables, towering ceilings, and front booths lined with weathered pillars – brings cozy lodge appeal without being overwrought. Drinks come to you quick and tasty, including unique beer-and-shot combos, and they boast a crew of regulars so loyal that it won’t take long for you to be greeting them by first name when you first walk in. (more…)

Don’t worry, you don’t have to volunteer as a human holder. Photo by Rachel DeLetto.

So you want to go to GoogaMooga still, but you don’t have $35 for a Prospect Park membership (or just don’t want the phone calls asking you to renew next year) and you haven’t won either of the contests for free VIP passes. Before you put up that Craigslist post offering your body for a ticket, be aware: the festival is also looking for volunteers to help run things smoothly. (more…)

Counting Room
44 Berry St., at 11th St.
Williamsburg
(718) 599-1860

What is it: The Counting Room is two floors of hugeness without feeling like a warehouse/beer hall. It somehow masters the large but cozy feel. The rustic wooden upper level is great for eating some food and grabbing a glass of wine or a beer while the lower level has more of a cocktail feel with a really beautiful bar and the occasional dance party.

Why we love it: We like the mix of live music, DJs, great food and lengthy beer and wine list – not to mention that this place is seriously beautiful. (more…)

Heavy Woods
50 Wyckoff Ave., at Willoughby Ave.
Bushwick
(929) 234-3500

What is it: A new addition to the Jefferson Stop bar lineup, this whiskey haven is walled with windows, but not in a new condo in Williamsburg way. The windows resting above the wood walls are quite magical and give this lodge-like bar a bit of abandoned warehouse charm.

Why we love it: They have a great selection of beer. They also have different events from Pumpkin Carving Contests to Russian Dance Nights – which I’m hoping is a night where they just play t.A.T.u. over and over again. (more…)

All you need to have a great night. We be flippin photos like pancake batter.

Today was a day of tribute to MCA, legally known as Adam Yauch, as he got a playground named after him in Brooklyn Heights. Visiting there is one way to pay tribute, and so is going to MCA Day tomorrow, which is on the one year anniversary of when we lost one of our best Brooklyn-born humans. You could also blast some Beastie Boys tunes. But, one another thing you can do is make a brass monkey, immortalized in Beasties track, “Brass Monkey.” Don’t know how? It’s fun and easy, and best of all, incredibly cheap! (more…)