Restaurant Week is for rich Manhattanites.

Foodies of Brooklyn rejoice! Dine In Brooklyn (Manhattan Restaurant Week’s younger brother that listens to obscure bands) is back, which means food blogs will soon be overflowing with pictures of fancy looking food. Dine In Brooklyn is March 19 -29, and features awesome deals from more than 195 restaurants. Enjoy cheap offerings from hoity-toity restaurants like Bacchus, Basil Pizza and Wine Bar, AOC Bistro, Blue Ribbon Brooklyn, Ortine, D.O.C. Wine Bar, Loreley Restaurant and Biergarten Fort Reno and the considerably less hoity Junior’s, along with many others. Deals include things like $25 for a three-course dinner or $20.12 for a three-course lunch (certain restaurants also offer two-for-one deals, for those who think that six courses is just the right amount). Call ahead for reservations, as highly discounted gourmet food tends to bring a crowd, See the full list here, and learn more about the event here.

River Cafe is so romantic at night. Too bad the deal is only for lunch.

And just like that, it’s Restaurant Week season and Brooklyn gets the shaft yet again. Granted, we have Dine in Brooklyn in the spring, but it doesn’t compete with the myriad $24.07 lunches and $35 dinners that “official” Restaurant Week offers. Out of the 300 or so participating restaurants this year, only three (count ‘em) are in Brooklyn and, unfortunately, the selection doesn’t seem to have changed much from the winter version. Here’s a run down of this year’s slim list: (more…)

The unforgettably named STD Wines & Liquors, photo by Kelly Murphy

When I mention to people that I live in Kensington, people typically think it’s in England, no matter how long they have been in NYC. The small neighborhood stretching roughly from the Prospect Park Parade Grounds to Green-Wood Cemetery may not be the best-known Brooklyn enclave, but what Kensington may lack in Brownstoner buzz it more than makes up for in amazing ethnic food. Within a few blocks you can find authentic Indian, Middle Eastern, Polish, Mexican, Thai, Russian, Greek, and Serbian eats at Brokelyn-worthy prices. Here are some of my local favorites, all within walking distance of the F or G train to Church / McDonald. Sorry there’s no fish and chips. (more…)

Enoteca on Court

If there’s one dense, sluggish month that could use a jolt of cultural electricity, March is it. Other than St. Paddy’s Day, the month looked like 31 days of late-Winter doldrums with little to get us out and about to celebrate much at all. Enter Dine in Brooklyn, the seventh annual borough-wide celebration of Brooklyn and food. This year, more than 175 Brooklyn restaurants will offer specially-priced (i.e. cheaper) prix-fixe lunches and dinners all over the borough for 10 days. The event runs from Mar. 15 through Mar. 25, with three-course lunches priced at $20.10 and three-course dinners at $25.

The restaurant list includes Marco Polo Ristorante, Enoteca On Court, Dougies BBQ and Grill, ChipShop, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Moim, Picket Fence, Palo Santo, Waterfront Ale House, Petit Oven, Bussaco, Scopello, Bocca Lupo, Barrio, Graziella’s, Soule, First Oasis, Downtown Atlantic, The Woodburning Pit, Piramide, and many more.

This afternoon, BP Marty Markowitz will announce the rest of the event’s details, which we’ll bring to you à la carte later today. So check back for more.

Photo by Wally Gobetz

You should never enter a jungle without proper provisions. The same goes for an evening of hardcore gawking in Dyker Heights. Every year, the neighborhood mansions get majorly decked out with gigantic inflatable snowmen, motorized reindeer displays and enough colorful wattage for some small Christian countries. The displays are a bona fide Brooklyn attraction, but if you’re traveling all the way out there (no offense, Dyker Heights-ers) you’ll need some fuel. (more…)

As much as we try to bring you everything you need for the low-budget Brooklyn life, we have to admit, we’re not the only helpful brokesters in town. So we discovered while reading our weekly Yelp email, and there was one Broke in Brooklyn, a.k.a Kyle Huebbe, a real estate agent, former chef and, incidentally, Brooklyn burger king (here he is competing) who’s something of a self-appointed expert on all that is cheap and excellent in our borough. This includes the pork-and-leek dumplings $2 for eight at Kai Feng Fu, Mexican food at Tacos Matamoros nearby, and cheap beer and a BBQ at the Brooklyn Ice House in Red Hook. For pizza, it’s strictly San Remo on Cortelyou Road, where, as he puts it, there’s a “bunch of old neighborhood guys, making pizza.” Tell it, bro. Check out Kyle’s other favorites here.

Buttermilk Channel, photo by Marie Viljoen

The white, fluffy tire-man of a food critic has made his picks, and next year, he’ll be saving like the rest of us. The 2010 Michelin Guide to New York City Restaurants went on sale Tuesday, and the new edition features a list of great NY cheap eats in addition to the usual high-quality star-rated destinations. The recession-themed  “Bib Gourmand” list includes 85 restaurants with the Michelin inspectors’ rating for good value (two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less). Brooklyn naturally makes a great showing in the category, with 17 “value” spots from Bensonhurst to Williamsburg. Here’s the full list of Bib Gourmand-rated eateries in the borough. (more…)

Applewood

We know Park Slope isn’t exactly an undiscovered restaurant hub—but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t get a bit of attention when attention is due. And it’s due this Thursday night, when free (and specially-priced) drinks, appetizers and other tasty treats will be provided by the 40 eateries and sellers taking part in the Park Slope Restaurant Tour. Offerings on the second annual gastronomical tour include free slices of “Brooklyn’s Best Cheesecake” from Cousin John’s, a nip chosen by the spirits specialist at Slope Cellars and miniburgers from Flipster’s. But maybe the most fun of the whole thing is the “Restauranttour Raincheck,” which will get you future credit for the night’s special or freebie at any place you stop by. Imagine a coupon for lamb strudel with mint yogurt sauce, just sitting there for when the mood strikes. And that’s just one of 40.

Park Slope Restaurant Tour, Sept. 17, 7 to 9 p.m.

Rubulad, photo by Mike Connor.

After a commenter raved about the random-Brooklynite-recommended cheap-date spots we featured last month, we decided to go out and dig up some more.

So we went to Prospect and McCarren parks over the weekend and grilled more strangers on their  favorites places for wallet-friendly romance, and once again, were totally impressed by the ideas. If you’re venturing out this weekend, considering trying one of these eight reader-suggested venues—and let us know how it went. (more…)