That's a lot of mayo.

Have you ever looked at that boring ol’ jar of Hellman’s and thought it was just too cheap to possibly be any good? Far be it for Brooklyn to leave no stone un-twee-ified: An artisinal mayonnaise shop called Empire Mayonnaise opened this past weekend at 564 Vanderbilt Ave. in Prospect Heights, The Brooklyn Ink reports. Flavors include Smoked Paprika, Walnut, Lime Pickle, Safron, Vadouvan, and, of course, Bacon. It’ll cost you $6 for a 4-oz. jar of egg yolks and vinegar, if that’s your sort of thing. Though I’ll be honest: ever since this scene in Undercover Brother (skip to 2:25), the thought of eating mayonnaise makes me gag more than a little.

Another rule: if the sign is not in the English alphabet, it must be good! Flickr photo courtesy of Alexander Synaptic.

In the Wall Street Journal over the weekend was an interesting piece on how to find an authentically good restaurant, and it’s none of the conventional Brooklyn wisdom that it must have a rooftop garden and a Spanish sheep in the dining room to make table side Manchego. In his new book “An Economist Gets Lunch,” wonky Marginal Revolution blogger Tyler Cowen applies the laws of the market to restaurants, and here, reviewer Graeme Wood synopsizes a few of his tricks: (more…)

The view of Barclay's Center from Tim's apartment

Having lost nearly every other fight in the battle against Atlantic Yards development, opponents are now turning their hopes on stopping everyone from having fun there. The Local reports the foes of the Barclay’s Arena will converge on a public hearing Tuesday night to tell the Community Board to deny the stadium a booze permit, presumably leaving thousands of would-be Nets fans to sit in their seats quietly and discuss literature while the basketball is being played. The Local says opponents are worried about “drunk guys vomiting and peeing in the street” if they are able to get soused up in the 18,000-seat monstrosity.

It sounds like there’s little doubt the stadium will in fact be able to serve alcohol. So here we have another example of what is becoming classic Brooklyn activism: the long retro-active fight of a lost war, the combatants who cling to the vestiges of the battlefield long after their enemies have gone off to a victory buffet at the nearest Applebee’s (and there are two near the stadium now). We saw this last year with the fight over the Prospect Park West bike lane, where those 1-percent-y car owners along the street grasped at anything they could in their lawsuit to, what, tear up the bike lane and put more car parking spaces back in? And then there’s the campaign to save Coney Island, which we all love and can’t wait to visit again this summer, but the glory days of Coney are far long passed and the steamroller of bland redevelopment is so charged up that saving the wood boardwalk is the latest cause celebre there, and bound to be a losing one.

Pausing, for a second, the opponents’ assumption that all basketball fans would be some sort of army of mindless, vomit- and urine- soaking machines, let’s remember that sports will not be the only thing there: BAM will be curating cultural shows in the arena, and you better believe I expect to pay $9 for a Brooklyn Lager while watching King Lear in front of 18,000 others. It’s not going anywhere, so can’t we at least try to enjoy it? (more…)

Ceol on Smith Street had some fun with their grade. Via Eater.

When you see that ominous ‘C’ brooding in the window of your favorite grungy taqueria, does it make you turn and walk back to the safety of a cleaner chain restaurant? It does for a lot of New York diners, according to this new study released today by a company called Excellent Tones (which swears it is a real company, not a Bill & Ted cover band). The study says one third of NYC customers are “concerned with health grades,” meaning restaurants are losing business because of the city’s controversial rating system. If true, this could be a big issue: only half of the city’s restaurants received an ‘A’ rating, 31 percent received a ‘B’ and 18 a ‘C.’ The ratings system has created a lot of grief lately: Even City Council speaker Christine Quinn released a study last month that says two thirds of restaurants have been forced to spend more money since the grading system went into effect.

So what say you brokesters? Do you trust the rating system enough to change your dining plans, or does a low grade make it some sort of cheap badge of honor? After all, the best burrito I ever had was at a roadside stand in Venice Beach, Calif., which proudly displayed its ‘C’ rating in the window, although when you don’t eat meat, you’re way less concerned about whether the goat meat is tainted.

An actual line for free cone day in NYC, via Guest of a Guest.

Ben & Jerry’s is doing their annual free cone day thing Tuesday, which means you can line up and get a single scoop of mediocre ice cream for free. Far be it for us to discourage you from taking a free handout, and I probably won’t make a lot of friends by saying this, but I think Ben & Jerry’s is terribly overrated, and you should seriously consider if it’s worth the time out of your day tomorrow. The main problem with Ben & Jerry’s is that it has no regard to taste of the ice cream: their big trick is just to cram a bunch of chunks of crap in there (chocolate cows, cinnamon rolls or, very unfortunately, fortune cookies) and pass it off as a new “flavor,” which to me makes it The Huffington Post of frozen desserts. Underneath all the bells and whistles of fancy branding, the ice cream itself is pretty bland.

Not to mention the whole company reeks of that faux-hippie chic thing that causes all those college kids to buy $100 Birkenstocks and $2,000 speakers out of which to blast Dispatch. I dare say any of these local ice cream shops offer you a better-tasting scoop for your skrill. BJs doesn’t have a shop in this part of Brooklyn, so your closest options are Rockefeller Center and Herald Square.</rant>

Last year's winning design by Melissa Schmechel.

Do you have rampant enthusiasm for the “cornerstone beverage of civilization” throughout the ages? Put more simply, do you love beer? Sixpoint Brewery is now accepting submissions for their popular (now third annual) “Beer is Culture” art contest and has upped the ante by offering free art museum memberships to the finalists, through which you can express your admiration for beer and its place in our world. Create any sort of art that captures the theme “Beer is Culture,” submit it to their Facebook page before April 30, and watch as fans vote on their favorites. Finalists, announced May 1, receive “unique prizes” from the brewery, as well as an annual membership to the art museum of their choice. The grand winner also gets his or her artwork splashed across the Sixpoint Facebook page for the next whole year. So take this opportunity to practice your art, let someone else promote you, and plan a few beer-soaked cultural Saturdays at your favorite museum.

The outside of Lioni, where they serve meat 140 ways.

Bensonhurst, like much of the rest of Brooklyn, is an area in flux. Take a stroll down 18th Ave. or 86th St., and you’ll notice that what was once one of the largest Italian neighborhoods in Brooklyn is becoming predominantly Chinese. Italian bakeries and Sichuan restaurants share the same block, and you’ll hear a mix of languages — Italian and otherwise — from the people on the street. But it’s still the destination ‘hood for all kinds of Italian food, from spleen sandwiches to cannoli, in our fine borough. Read on to see what you can find for under $10. (more…)

Technically that is cheese, yes, but doesn't our meat expert Andrew Dorsey look handsome in this shot? Photo by Rachel DeLetto.

Brokesters may not think of fancy places like Marlow & Daughters when it’s time to buy some meat, but if you know your way around a butcher shop you can get some good stuff (locally sourced, grass-fed) without paying weygu prices. There are some cuts out there that are the carnivore’s equivalent to the Contra cheat code, I know for a fact, and I was determined to find them when I sat down with Andrew Dorsey, senior butcher for Marlow & Daughters. Here’s what I found out: (more…)

Our first Dine in Brooklyn experience consisted of over-eating Mexican at a mediocre Park Slope place then being hosed for $12 margaritas. Have you had any Dine in Brooklyn wins? Let’s hear ‘em in the comments so others may be similarly inspired. As long as they don’t take our table at Tanoreen tomorrow night. Get the full list of Dine in Brooklyn restaurants at visitbrooklyn.org

Dao-Palate doesn't skimp on presentation.

On one sunny morning recently, I was laid off. After the initial shock wore off and I figured out how to apply for unemployment, I decided to make the best of it. My first move: taking advantage of late-night inspiration. I’m an industrial designer, and like lots of creative people, my most productive stretch is from evening to the wee hours, so that’s when I work on my resume and portfolio. Waking up around 11 works out well, because while I can’t afford dinner prices at the trendy new places, I can still swing a $12 lunch. Here are some of my favorite new lunch haunts around Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Prospect Heights. What are yours? (more…)