“The U.S. and Russia have sent spies to each other’s countries for decades, even in the 20 years since the Cold War ended. Still, the latest allegations come at a time when relations between the U.S. and Russia have been warming….They used coffee shops, bookstores and street corners to contact handlers, according to the FBI.”

When I looked though the FBI report, it just said “a coffee shop” near the pay phone at Vanderbilt and DeKalb. Patricia Mulcahy, the owner of Tillie’s, said it could have been Andy’s (now Mega Bites), but I highly doubt it considering all the people tip-tap-typing away sit at Tillie’s. I asked a fellow ex-Tillie’s employee and non-spying Russian what she thought of the whole deal and promptly got back the reply,

“I thought those people were just freelancers!”

Goes to show you don’t always know your neighbors, or your customers.  But in a way, it’s nice to know that despite all our high tech communications and fancy technology devices we can still get a good ol’ human spy in there, and a sexy one to boot.

One thing you should know, I think Starbucks is brilliant.  Well, more I think the people behind the brand are brilliant.  Not only have they made coffee into a luxury and necessary item, but they have trained us to ask for it by funny names like caramel macchiato, or crave a skinny vanilla latte, or even worse, use a benign size system.  Tall?  What does that mean?  I worked in a cafe for over 5 years and nothing was more annoying then someone asking for a grande macchiato when really they meant a medium (I think) latte.

But I digress.  The real purpose of this post is to bring up this company’s struggle to get one of their shops in every darn neighborhood possible.  Manhattan is already riddled with these stores and at one point, standing on the corner of Astor Place and St. Mark’s Place you could see three Starbucks at once.  That is ridiculous.  Since they have snatched up the real estate on the island, it’s not surprising they are making their way into Brooklyn.  For years, we have heard rumors of Starbucks opening up in Fort Greene, which, luckily has not happened and instead, we have gotten an influx of new, cute coffee shops like Bittersweet, Smooch, and Tillie’s (my past employer).  But it’s not just Fort Greene, there have also been whispers of Starbucks opening in Williamsburg.  And this time, it might be true.  Gothamist came out with a well-rounded article about the matter and the crappy deal being handed the current residences of Starbucks’ potential home.

The Bagel Store, which has been around for almost a decade, recently got told their rent was doubling.  Come on, in this economy you are doubling the rent of a shop that serves bagels?  What do you want them to do, start peddling crack to make up the difference?  But it’s more then just Starbucks moving in (which I don’t think the Williamsburg hipsters would let it happen, and, if it did, they would surly boycott in favor of the Verb, Ella Cafe, or any of the other superior coffee joints around), the worst part of the story, is how a landlord can really change the hood, just by being a greedy f**ker.  That’s right, I called him a f**ker. Even if the taxes were raised, it wouldn’t constitute a rent two times the current one. My only hope is that they come to an agreement or else The Bagel Shop loses their sleek shop and the store will either remain empty till someone can pay the high fee, or something like a Starbucks fills the space.  The way things are now seem perfectly fine to me.

“My gang and I dove into six of the options, all sized small, all gooey, all damn tasty. Each of the dishes was baked to perfection, with the insides hot and melty and the top brown and crispy. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to get an order, but every one is made fresh. My favorite of the ones we sampled was the “Mac lobsta’” ($8.99). It surprised me due to its unbelievable lightness, explained by the use of mascarpone cheese instead of a classic cheddar or fontina. Because of the mild nature of the cheese, the freshness of the lobster chunks really came through, and mixed with tarragon and cognac, the flavors eased together to create a rich and delicious combo.”

Peacefood Cafe in Upper West Side (West Side Spirit/Our Town)

“A dining experience can be many things, but rarely does it prove comical by nature. I don’t mean rolling on the floor laughing because your waiter is really a comedian or the counter person does improv, but the kind of humor one looks back on with a groan of disbelief, as if to say, “Did that really happen?”
The service at Peace Food café invokes these feelings, and if the vegan and raw food menu didn’t offer up several culinary gems, I would advise you to avoid the madness. It started with a glass of water.”

Passing the Bar: Der Schwarze Kolner (New York Press)

“Can you have a biergarten without the garten? It appears so at Der Schwarze Kolner, one of the newest players in the biergarten craze that seems to be replacing the understandably tired speakeasy trend.

This Fort Greene bar adds to the neighborhood’s already full dance card of establishments from dive bars like the Alibi (full disclosure: I tend bar there on occasion), sports bars like Mullanes, wine bars like Stonehome and even the hood’s own “secret” bar,The Hideout. So, if Der Schwarze Kolner can’t offer a garden to drink in, what does it bring to the already bar-saturated area? Beer. Glorious German beer.”

Antipasti at Angelina Pizza Bar

Don’t let the name fool you—Angelina Pizza Bar offers more then just pizza. This family-friendly restaurant near West 105th Street not only has extensive Italian fare and a decent wine list but Chef Giancarlo Delanzo cooks his crazy creations in a brick oven with a rotating floor. As pies like the Bella Angelina (with zucchini flowers, smoked salmon and goat cheese, $18 or $24) or the Bianco Forte (with garlic, ricotta, mozzarella, spicy sausage and hot peppers, $16 or $22) circle the fire, Delanzo dishes up small bowls with various meats, cheese and vegetables. Within minutes, the pizzas have cooked and the chef has completed an antipasti plate ($6 to $14). A bright-eyed waiter picks it up and the process starts again. (READ THE REST AT THE WEST SIDE SPIRIT)

SUMMER IS ALL about heat, short skirts and excuses to sit outside all day drinking cold beer. Step into Studio Square, a mix between a classic German biergarten and a large cafeteria, and you’ll find a good way to combine all three excuses and plenty of reasons to make the journey to Queens. (READ THE REST AT NEW YORK PRESS)

Sausages and beer at Studio Square

July is almost over and we just realized that not only is it Good Beer Month, it’s also National Ice Cream Month (established in 1984 by the Gipper!). We’ve already held forth on all the great beer Brooklyn has to offer and now we’re giving ice cream the same treatment. Sure, everyone has their special favorite flavor (black raspberry with chocolate sprinkles, please), here are some places where you can try something fresh and surprising. (READ THE REST AT BROOKLYN BASED)

Ice cream from the Greene Ice Cream

WHEN I WORKED as a barista, every summer people would whine about the price of iced coffee.
“Why does it cost so much? There’s less here than in hot coffee!” they would cry. I smiled, nodded and took their money. I didn’t know why it was more expensive either, but an extra quarter hardly seemed worth all the fuss. And, unlike hot coffee, making the iced variety at home calls for preparation that most people just aren’t willing to put in. At hotspots around town this summer, however, iced-coffee prices can be a whopping $3 more than a comparable cup of the hot stuff. (READ THE REST AT NEW YORK PRESS)

International gastronomic delights spring up in Fort Greene almost as fast as Manhattanites move to the Brooklyn neighborhood. Already an Ethiopian place, at least three Mexican joints, two sushi dens, a South African restaurant and dozens of other culinary cultures are represented. Adding to the hood’s repertoire is Deniz, a Turkish restaurant whose name means “sea” in that language. (read the rest via New York Press)

Hummm…mussels, fish and chips, bangers, salad…ah, burger.  For $11 you get a cheeseburger with cheddar, American, or mozzarella, onion rings, homemade potato chips, and a small green salad.  For an extra $1.50 you can add bacon or sub the potato chips for fries.  I ordered a medium rare burger with bacon and cheddar.  It came out and the sheer sized of the burger intimidated me.  It was impossible to put in one’s mouth due to the two massive onion rings stacked on top.  Easy enough, I popped one of the fried things in my mouth and squished the other one down.  There wasn’t much flavor to my onion treat, unlike the fresh and incredibly salty chips that I couldn’t stop eating.  Now, between the bun rested the patty, lettuce, an unripe tomato that I shucked, red onion, and a sticky slice of American cheese.  I cursed the waitress under my breath until my companion swore I asked for it, not cheddar like I wanted.  Fine, I thought,  American isn’t so bad anyway.  After taking a sip of mediocre Malbec I dug in.

First, it was unevenly cooked.  Part of it was medium-rare like I asked, but the other part was medium.  Okay, fine.  But the real problem was the complete lack of flavor.  Within the giant Kaiser roll the only thing I tasted was the bacon, which was good and cooked perfectly.  I tried a nibble of the burger meat and have concluded they use absolutely no seasoning.  Also, I should have taken off the layer of iceberg lettuce, which was too crunchy and made me taste the meat even less.  I felt crushed.  My hopes of having a kick ass place just seconds away had been dashed.  Oh well, there is still Chez Oskar down the street.  And, Brooklyn Public Houses isn’t dead to me.  I might try their other food options since as we were finishing up we ran into a friend of mine who praised the bangers and mash and who was manically eating a pile of mussels.  So, perhaps not all is lost and it is a nice bar to drink in, if you can get through the crowd.

From Catherine's Caffe in Fort Greene

Read my latest restaurant review that came out in the New York Press today.

I thought it was pretty good, so if you want to try it, let me know!

Well, I was going to go meet the owner, Eileen Wu. I had been in Sushi D when it first opened in 2004 and was not impressed. Because of this I had not revisited the restaurant despite the raves from my friends in the neighborhood. Even the friend I originally went with said they had gotten so much better and now offered complementary bowls of edamame.

Let’s just say I am grateful I had to write a blurb about Sushi D – it is great. True, Wu had the chef make me samples of their most popular dishes (caterpillar roll, spicy hamachi and the ‘d’ roll) and she sat there and described them to me, but there is no way to fake quality. The fish and vegetables used were fresh, light, and delicious.

The chef served a piece of the white tuna tataki, which is seared and served with whole grain mustard. It will melt in your mouth. The yellowtail jalapeno appetizer is over a “yocu” sauce (a sour Japanese fruit) with a dash of cilantro – it’s like a Japanese-Mexican infusion. Sushi D also has seasonal specials and the dessert like azuki roll was one of the most unique kinds of sushi I have ever had; it is made of pureed sweet potato, red bean paste (azuki) and cream cheese.

I never had such unusual combinations that impressed me this much and their extensive menu is full of choices. Oh, and it’s not that expensive, which always raises the bar in my book.

So, my hat is off to this restaurant.
207 Dekalb Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11205, (718) 858-0058.

(Check out other reviews at Time Out New York, chowhound.com, and New York Magazine)

Oh, and here is a picture of sushi I took a while ago to explain certain rolls to my friend…it’s fun!