Sponsored: New to the Neighborhood: Body Unique, 382 Fifth Avenue

Looking to get in shape, but in need of something a little more customized, personal, and less crowded than a mega-gym? Consider Body Unique, which opened earlier this month on Fifth Avenue between Fifth and Sixth Streets. Owner Brian Flynn has over twelve years' experience in the health and wellness industry, and has built a unique way to not only get in shape, but to get healthy in the process. Their health and wellness programs are goal-specific, personalized, and most of all, affordable.

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Friday Foodporn: Sweetwolf's, 492 Sixth Avenue

The highly-anticipated Sweetwolf's restaurant opened last weekend on the corner of Sixth Avenue and 12th Street, and has been packed to the brim every night since. I stopped by last night to sample the menu of rustic American comfort food, and walked away very impressed.

The main goal of owners Tim Judge and Eric Wolf was to create a true neighborhood hangout, and they reached out to the community for menu suggestions via Facebook. The tables are communal to facilitate conversation, and Judge and Wolf themselves are gregarious presences. In the morning hours, it's a coffee shop run by Forty Weight Roasters, lunch and brunch should begin within a week or so, and by night the bar and tables are filled by 8 PM, and a 700-degree custom-built wood-burning oven becomes the main attraction, glowing from the open kitchen.

Many of the menu's offerings are cooked in this oven, including the standout bacon fat infused wagyu beef burger (top), seared in a cast iron skillet and finished in the oven, topped with a melted hunk of aged gouda and Jameson soaked caramelized onions, and served on a brioche bun with homemade ketchup. Thanks to the cast iron, it stays supremely juicy and develops one of the most serious crusts I've ever seen on a burger. Even in this crowded playing field, it instantly enters the pantheon of The Neighborhood's Best Burgers.

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New to the Neighborhood: Glow Accessories, 70 Seventh Avenue

When Glow Accessories opened a couple weeks ago in the space last occupied by Slope Sports, on Seventh between Berkeley and Lincoln, many were wary that the jewelry and accessory shop would be just another cookie cuter, run-of-the-mill cheap knockoff jewelry store. A visit to the shop, however, reveals that it's anything but.

"We wanted to create an experience where everyone of all ages can come and enjoy the store, and be able to afford what we're selling," said owner Jisoo Sun, who also runs an accessory import company in Manhattan. "If you're looking for some jewelry to wear for the weekend or for an event, that experience can't be expensive, but it has to look great."

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Friday Foodporn: Polpette!

There's a tiny little shop right next to Fornino, on Fifth Avenue between Garfield and Carroll, and while the two restaurants share owners, the concept is completely different. It's called Polpette (Italian for "meatball"), it opened last week, and as the name implies, it's all about the meatballs. And they're good.

They come in five flavors, and can be enjoyed over a salad, crushed into a potato roll, on a seeded hero from Brooklyn Bakery, or simply with sauce. I tried them all, and came away very impressed.

"Josephine's Famous" is their classic offering, and it's the same exact recipe used by manager Frank Ferraro's grandmother back in Sicily. It's 100% beef, and is served with a hearty tomato sauce. It's garlicky, not too dense, and is a very solid flagship meatball.

The "Porco Due" is made from 100% pork, and is topped with a rich fennel sausage tomato cream sauce. This was my personal favorite of the bunch, and, in my opinion, the more pork you can squeeze into one dish the better.

Now things start to get interesting, but in a good way. This one's called the Chicken Piccata, and is exactly what it sounds like. A chicken meatball, covered with a sauce of lemon, butter, and parsley. Delicious, although it would be great if eating it over mashed potatoes were an option!

Above, the soon-to-be-famous "Day After Thanksgiving" meatball. Yep, it's just what it sounds like. The ball itself is a combination of turkey and cornbread stuffing, and it's topped with a savory homestyle turkey giblet gravy. It's ingenius, tastes exactly like Thanksgiving dinner, and I'm honestly a little jealous that I didn't think of it myself. One of the most unique offerings in the neighborhood.

The vegeterian meatball, called simply the "Veg," may seem like an afterthought but it's anything but. Eggplant is mixed with black beans, cannellini beans, and whole chick peas, and it's fried and served atop creamy basil pesto. It's like an Italian falafel, and is far more delicious than it has any right to be.

"We've been wanting to open a shop like this for over five years, since I ran Scopa to Go in Midtown," said owner Chris Walsh. And while obvious comparisons can be drawn to the trendy Meatball Shop, there's one thing that sets them worlds apart. "It's a very different approach," added Ferraro. "We're trying to guide you towards correct pairings of meatballs with sauce, as opposed to mixing and matching." It's a good call; these sauces pair perfectly with their meatballs.

There are no seats in the small space as of right now, but a few stools and a couple small tables will be added next week. Whereas Fornino opens at 5, Polpette opens (and starts delivery) at noon every day. Beer and wine are also in the works.

Polpette, Home of the Meatball. 254 Fifth Avenue Brooklyn NY 11215. 718-399-8800.

Business of the Week: Goorin Brothers Hat Shop, 195 Fifth Avenue

Shopkeeper Alex Mroz

It's only been a week since Goorin Brothers, the San-Francisco based hat shop, opened its 19th outpost on Fifth Avenue between Union and Berkeley, but its impact can already be felt all throughout the neighborhood: just look for ladies and gents in insanely stylish hats.

Walking into the shop is in a sense like stepping back in time. Once you take in the antique furnishings and hat styles that have in some cases been in production since the 1920s or earlier (Goorin's first shop dates to 1895), it's tough not to picture yourself on lower Broadway in 1923. But Goorin is also perfectly of this moment.

"There was a time when going out without a hat on was like waking outside without pants," explained shopkeeper Alex Mroz, a Chicago native and former bartender. "Personal statements have become much more important recently and a hat is a personal statement. As opposed to posting something on Facebook, a hat allows you to make a statement without saying a word."

Even though SoHo and Williamsburg were briefly considered, settling on Park Slope was an easy decision. "We're empowered to treat this shop as a one-off," Mroz elaborated. "It's safe to say that Park Slope has a great mix of people, and it just felt right. We're really hoping to be a part of the neighborhood, because what's good for the neighborhood is good for us."

To really be able to get the scope of the merchandise, it's best to spend some time browsing their website. Fedoras, 1920's-style cloche flapper hats, messenger caps, hip hop-inspired baseball caps: the selection can be overwhelming, but the sales folks are very helpful and will make sure that you're happy before you make your purchase.

"We have styles for everyone," said Mroz. "Whether you're looking for a felt fedora to wear along with a nice suit, or just something to wear during a bad hair day, you can make as loud or quiet a statement as you want."

If one thing is clear from visiting Goorin a few times, it's that they really value the opportunity to provide Park Slopers with a new way to express themselves, by tapping into a tradition that's hundreds of years old but had fallen by the wayside in recent decades. "We really felt like the neighborhood came out to welcome us, moreso than in any of our other openings this year," said Mroz. "There are over 100 people with hats now who didn't have them before last week. They made the choice to make a statement, and it feels great to have been a part of that."

Goorin Brothers Park Slope Hat Shop, 195 Fifth Avenue Brooklyn NY 11217. Phone: 718-783-4287.