Prospect Bar Launches Brunch Menu

Prospect, the spacious pub that opened last July on Fifth Avenue between 14th and 15th Streets, has been working hard since then to get their kitchen up to full speed. The first step has finally been taken, as they began offering brunch on Sunday.

It's a fairly straightforward brunch menu, and $14 gets you your choice of entree and either a Bloody Mary or mimosa.

There are still a few more hurdles that need to be jumped before they begin offering dinner (which is still most likely a couple months off), but this is a pretty good start. Once the full menu is up and running, I have a feeling that this bar will finally cement its reputation as one of the neighborhood's finest.

A Peek at The Crab Spot's Menu, Opening Today

Today at 2 PM marks the Grand Opening of The Crab Spot, in the space on Union Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues last occupied by the failed experiment PSbklyn.

When I spoke with the chef last month, he filled me in on all the details: big pots, filled with crabs, shrimp, lobsters, and other seafood, shipped directly from Alaska and stored in giant freezers in the basement in order to keep prices down and to keep the food coming even during the off-season.

They've also gone the extra step and posted a photo of their menu to Twitter (click for a larger version). Looks like the crabs are served with red potatoes and corn on the cob, and simply steamed, or in "garlic olive oil, Old Bay, chipotle BBQ, spicy boil, or grilled." There are also plenty of combo pots. Certainly exciting, and unlike anything else in the area.

To celebrate, the owners, who are relatives of the proprietors of Brighton Beach's Volna, will be giving away a free house drink with any entree.

Check back in tomorrow for a full rundown.

The Good Fork Sets Up Shop in Skylark Bar

The Good Fork, the cozy comfort-food restaurant on Van Brunt Street in Red Hook, was severely damaged during Hurricane Sandy when flooding destroyed its basement and much of the dining room. Right before the storm hit, though, they took over the kitchen at the retro-kitchy Skylark Bar, which opened in May in the former Timboo's space on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 11th Street.

The menu is more bar food-oriented than at the Red Hook restaurant (which has yet to re-open; donations are being accepted here), but it looks equally delicious. Korean-influenced bar snacks include blistered shishito peppers, pulled pork with pickled cucumbers and asian slaw, and pork and chive dumplings. Playing the straight-up comfort food angle are the likes of maple bacon deviled eggs, sticky baked sweet & spicy chicken wings, and macaroni and cheese (it's owned by Sohui Kim and husband Ben Schneider, and both their influences are present in every item). 

Times are tough for The Good Fork folks right now, but we thankfully have the opportunity to help support them- and sample one of the most delicious-sounding bar menus in the area at the same time.

Brooklyn Central Pizza Launching Brunch This Weekend

When Park Slope's newest high-end pizzeria, Brooklyn Central, opened earlier this month, co-owner Matthew Hyland (above) told me that they'd be rolling our brunch service "within a month." He was true to his word, because it's launching this weekend.

The restaurant, on Fifth Avenue between First and Second Streets, will serve brunch every Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 AM - 3:30 PM. A selection of pizzas from the regular menu will be available, along with some breakfasty items like the Mr. Crock (ham, 2 eggs, gruyere, and truffle oil), Rafa’s Desayuno (chorizo, eggs, onions, crema and cilantro) and the Banana Stonecake (bananas, pecans, maple syrup and cinnamon sugar).

Pizza for breakfast? Sure!

Dale Talde Now a Thistle Hill Partner, New Menu Unveiled

First, there was Thistle Hill Tavern. A very solid gastropub, Owners David Massoni and John Bush opened it a few years ago on the corner of 15th and 7th and it quickly became a local favorite. Then, during a fateful evening of drinking with chef Dale Talde, who stopped in one night, they all decided to open a restaurant together. That became Talde, which then begat Pork Slope.

So what to do next after launching two of the most successful restaurants in the neighborhood's history? Let Dale put his magic touch on that other restaurant you own! According to the New York Times, Talde has signed on to be chef/partner at Thistle Hill, making the trifecta complete.

Chef Kerwin Chu was hand-picked by Talde to be Thistle Hill's new head chef, replacing Rebecca Weitzman, and an entirely new menu is being rolled out. It forgoes the European influence the previous one had, embracing a fully American approach. You can find it below. 

Photo via