Archive for ‘Entertainment’

Going Green

By Josh, 16 March, 2010, No Comment

St. Patrick’s Day is damn near upon us — where are you going for a bit of craic? (“Craic” is Gaelic for “fun,” although it is pronounced pretty much the same as our term for crevice or rock cocaine.) Here are our picks for places where you are bound to find top-notch craic this Wednesday.

For a grand Irish meal: Eamonn’s. Eamonn’s isn’t going too crazy with their festivities — no need to, as the joint will likely be full from 10 AM onward. They are serving a special menu of Irish dishes. Lamb stew, beef stew, shepherd’s pie, bangers & mash, corned beef & cabbage, baked salmon on the Shannon, and something called “Gaelic chicken” — as Mr. Brown said to young Christy in My Left Foot: Get it into you. (Eamonn’s is at 174 Montague between Clinton and Court; for parties of more than a few people, a reservation is recommended: 718-596-4969.)

For a free meat sandwich: The Brazen Head. The drinks will be plenty affordable — $5 pints of Guinness, and $6 Irish whiskeys (Powers, Bushmills, Jameson, Tullamore Dew) — so camping out at the ‘Head for a couple hours isn’t a bad idea anyway. But you’ll really want to be there at 5 PM for a complimentary corned beef sandwich. Yep, free sandwich. We recommend being on time. (The Brazen Head is at 228 Atlantic Avenue, between Court and Boerum Place.)

For live entertainment: Ceol. If you must limit yourself to a lunch-break St. Paddy’s Day, at least make it a long lunch and enjoy the soothing Irishness of singer/songwriter Niall Connolly, who’s playing from noon to 3 PM. Ceol will also be subject to occasional bouts of bagpipery, times TBD. The whole slate at this Smith Street pub is strong: Irish breakfast starting at 11 AM, corned beef/cabbage/shepherd’s pie/fish/chips in the kitchen, and a DJ starting at 10 PM. (Ceol, which actually means “music” in Gaelic, is at 191 Smith Street, between Warren and Wyckoff.)

For silliness: Last Exit. Special deal on Guinness? Authentic. Special on Irish car bombs? Sort of authentic, though often considered offensive. Screening of Leprechaun 5: Leprechaun in the Hood, starring Coolio and Ice-T? The opposite of authentic, but awesome. (Last Exit is at 136 Atlantic Avenue between Henry and Clinton.)

(Cool Brooklyn Irish t-shirt at CafePress.)

Remember: Dine in Brooklyn Starts Today

By Tobey, 15 March, 2010, No Comment

Just a quick reminder to get your eatin’ on. That’s right, Dine in Brooklyn starts today with dinner menus for just $25 and three-course lunches for $20.10 in over 200 restaurants throughout the borough. And if you want to pat yourself on the back as you dine, know that you’ll also have the opportunity to contribute to Share the Table, a fund-raising campaign with the New York City Coalition Against Hunger (NYCCAH). For more info on participating businesses, check out visitbrooklyn.org and take a look here for more about Share the Table.

Mutts on Parade

By Tobey, 13 March, 2010, No Comment

This is one for dog owners and lovers alike (and we have plenty of them in Bococa). The Brooklyn Mutt Show , benefitting BARC Shelter, is being billed as “A show for the every-dog” and will take place all weekend at the Brooklyn Lyceum from 11am to 7pm. Categories include sloppiest kisser, least useful pet trick, looks most like owner and best beard (come on, this is Brooklyn). The cost is $5 for doggie bag -and-$10 per class entered. One handler is allowed per dog and all other handlers/friends/family $5/person per day. Just make sure to bring proof of shots. Oh, and you don’t have to have a mutt to enter, but only mutts can win prizes.

Not Your Grandma’s Sleeping Beauty

By Tobey, 13 March, 2010, No Comment

Yup, it’s raining and there’s no sign of letting up. Looking for something to keep the family busy? Tomorrow at 2pm, you can take kids 6 and older to see David Gonzalez’s Sleeping Beauty, a multimedia version of the fairy tale that will include dance, music and projected images. The performance, which will cost $6, was commissioned by the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts and takes place at the Walt Whitman Theater at Brooklyn College in Flatbush (Flatbush and Nostrand Aves). Tickets and more info are available here.

Barclays Center Interior Revealed

By Tobey, 9 March, 2010, 2 Comments

Love it or hate it, the Atlantic Yards project is pushing ahead, with official groundbreaking on Thursday. The main event, however, is going to be the brand new Barclays Center, which will be the home of Brooklyn’s very own basketball team (now the NJ Nets). Here’s a little rendering in case you were curious what it’s going to look like. According to the NY Post , the arena

will hold 18,000 seats for Nets games — including 9,500 on the lower level — and up to 19,000 for concerts. Although seat prices aren’t set, 11 of the arena’s 104 luxury suites run $540,000 a year — Nets part owner Jay-Z already bought one — and the rest cost an average of $264,550. Designed by the team of Ellerbe Becket and SHoP Architects, the sleek glass-and-steel, clamshell-like arena is about 200,000 square feet smaller than the original design by starchitect Frank Gehry, who was fired last year to cut costs.

Expect plenty of restaurants and a whopping six clubs inside the arena which will also play host to concerts. I know there’s been plenty of controversy around this behemoth development project, but I am not well versed enough to take a particular stand on it one way or the other. Please feel free to comment and let us know your thoughts.

The Heights: Bococa in Fiction

By Tobey, 8 March, 2010, No Comment

Looking for a good Spring read? (And when I say Spring, these days it takes me almost an entire season to get through a novel. Sad but true.) You may want to check out The Heights, a new novel by Peter Hedges, author of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and Bococa resident. It centers on Brooklyn Heights and a couple who are befriended by a rich, mysterious woman who buys a fancy brownstone nearby (Nora, are you available for coffee? I’m totally down with your new windows). Able to climb the old social ladder without getting their knees dirty, the couple finds there’s always a price to pay for this kind of shenanigans.
I haven’t read it yet but plan on putting it on my short list. Publisher’s Weekly has this tidbit in its review:

The title refers to a Brooklyn neighborhood populated with stay-at-home moms who plan themed birthday parties and discuss marriage over lattes. Kate Welch wants nothing more than to fit in. She and her husband, Tim, live in the Heights, but with Tim’s teaching salary, their apartment’s main room is called the living room/dining room/toy room.

Is it true? Have I become a stereotype? Let’s hope not. If anyone’s picked the book up, let us know your thoughts.

Brazen Head Promises Another 10 Years of Fun

By Tobey, 8 March, 2010, 1 Comment

With all the openings and closings of new bars and restaurants in the hood, it’s especially nice when an older spot keeps its lease without a hassle. So congrats to The Brazen Head on Atlantic Ave, whose management just signed a new 10 year lease! To celebrate, they’ll be hosting a little par-tay this Friday 12 March. Come on in anytime from 4pm to 4am to sip a pint and check out The Dysfunctional Family Jazz Band from 9pm to midnight–no cover, no minimum.

Meet Me at Marius Cafe: Part 2

By Tobey, 8 March, 2010, No Comment

It’s like the gods are smiling down on my little blog. My husband hit the Marius Cafe again this weekend with my son and came back with a little present for me. Lo and behold, he found another anonymous note left for some lucky gal/guy in the drawer of the table near the door. Dated 02-27-10, this one is a little more upbeat than the last.

Make-out session last night was ok. I’d do it again even if you’re not straight. Next time we’re gettin in the hostel. What’s bayberry?

There’s a lot of different thoughts there but I’m totally ok with it. Can we call it Gossip Girl/Guy: Brooklyn Edition? 11231? Whatever it is, we’re hoping for a third chapter.

Gossip Girl on Remsen

By Josh, 5 March, 2010, 3 Comments

Remsen Street residents may want to block off a little time on Monday for star-watching. Gossip Girl, the hugely popular CW series about privileged city kids, will be shooting on Remsen starting Monday. If the weather remains pleasant, it’ll be a good day to pour a cup of coffee, get comfy on the stoop, and watch for Leighton Meester, Blake Lively, Chace Crawford, and the rest of them.

Or not. Star-watching isn’t for everyone in this neighborhood. (I was walking by Norah’s house the other day and who do you think I saw up on the scaffolding hammering away at the bricks? Paul Giamatti and Gabriel Byrne looking mighty dashing in steel-toed boots, coveralls, and protective eyewear.)

At the very least, don’t forget to move your cars. You’ll find ample parking … uh, that’d be nowhere. There is nowhere for your cars to go. Damn you, Gossip girl!

Dogfish Head Beer Event

By Tobey, 4 March, 2010, No Comment

There’s nothing like beer to kick those winter blues and with its epic menu of over 500 of them, Downtown Bar & Grill (Court and Amity Sts.) knows this better than anyone. So to help you feel all warm and tingly, the corner restaurant has decided to host an event with Dogfish Head beer on 11 March.
Imaginatively called the “No Suck” beer event, it begins at 5pm and you’ll be able to sample 12 different extreme and vintage Dogfish beers like Burton Baton (Imperial IPA); Red & White (a big, belgian-style Wit brewed with coriander and orange peel and fermented with Pinot Noir juice); and Palo Santo Marron (an unfiltered, unfettered, unprecedented brown ale aged in handmade wooden brewing vessels). You’ll get a free Dogfish pint glass for coming in and keg kickers will receive a t-shirt (yup, I just said keg-kickers). So come on by and drown your sorrows in some serious brew–you’ll feel better in the morning. Or not.