If you’re looking for an event space for the holidays, Vinegar Hill House is accommodating parties for the holidays from 20-60 people (also ask about corporate parties, wedding events, birthdays, and baby showers). Contact them directly at 718-522-1018 or info@vinegarhillhouse.com.
Also, next door sister restaurant Hillside offers nacho pop-up events on Sundays (1pm-8pm) and Mondays (8p-11p) during football season with El Gato Nacho (a Smorgasburg regular).
They show pre-selected games on a projector with food (nacho’s: plain, veggie, beef and HAIL MARY; for 3 people w/everything) and beer & wine.
Vinegar Hill House
72 Hudson Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Hillside
70 Hudson Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (between Water and Front St in Vinegar Hill)
To celebrate their grand opening, Dumbo’s newest (and much needed) gastro-pub The Bridges is offering $5 premium drafts, day or night throughout the month of August. They are located at 66 Water Street in the former Water Street Cafe location. It’s a warm and welcoming space serving quality food, cocktails and beer. Owner Gina O’Keefe and Chef Carl Alioto have created a menu that infuses simple American cuisine into gastro-pub style dishes. The food is fresh, innovative and relevant. The Bridges has 14 flat screen TV’s installed in a non-intrusive way throughout the bar and dining area.
Located in a cozy section towards the back of the restaurant, you will find two new pool tables, which are complimentary for guests. The Bridges is redesigned to be a place for anyone interested in having a relaxed dinner or drinks while taking in sporting events from around the world.
They have daily food deals, so stop in today and enjoy Dumbo’s newest gastro-pub.
[Editor’s Note: This is not a sponsored, paid, or native post. No money, goods, or services were exchanged by the author and The Bridges. Comment below with feedback if you’ve tried the food at The Bridges.]
Damon Dash in the kitchen, via First We Eat and Damon Dash’s Instagram
It seems all but official: Damon Dash, his son Boogie and rapper Cam’ron are taking over the failed Dish restaurant in DUMBO.
Speaking with First We Eat, Damon Dash confirmed the refocused restaurant will hopefully open sometime in August. “Really, when I looked at the restaurant, I was so excited,” Dash said. “I was like, ‘I’m doing it!’ and then I instagrammed it, and then I had to do it.”
A former Dish employee confirms he heard the same information from an ex-coworker. “They [heard] she [former Dish owner Samera Abed] was trying to sell the place to Damon Dash…but I hear she was asking too much for the place.”
Dash explained that he and his team are still finalizing the menu, but that it will potentially feature a range of dishes. The late-night arm of the restaurant, Dash Lounge – whose loud after-hours patrons ruffled some feathers in the neighborhood – is scheduled to reopen as well.
“I’m going to have a night menu, or at least I’d like to. It’ll be real selfish – stuff that I love,” Dash told First We Eat. “For me, I’ve got to have a cheeseburger, chicken fingers, and a cocktail. I like ghetto gourmet.”
We’ll keep you posted as we hear more updates. As always, feel free to leave questions or leads in the comments!
Dish Dumbo, the Mediterranean-inspired restaurant that opened to fanfare in October 2013, looks to have shuttered its doors – likely for good. Closed since early June, the eatery at 81 Washington Street’s sheer drapes are drawn, patio plants are overgrown, and tables are stacked and abandoned. The now-worn sign in the restaurant’s glass window cites “new management” as the reason for its closure.
However, according to Jon, a former Dish employee, Ms. Abed was forced to closed her restaurant after employees walked out on June 7 after she did not pay anyone for two weeks. “The sign in the window says ‘closed due to new management’ but in reality the owner Samera Abed does not have any more money after her investor stopped funding her because of her poor management.”
Ms. Abed told DumboNYC that her employees’ claims are false. “Yes we are closed for now but it is not because the staff walked out,” she said. “We are renovating and repositioning our restaurant.”
She added, “The staff has always been treated well. If any have issues with ownership or feel they were wronged they should contact me directly as I hope to work with them again in the future.”
But Jon countered that since the employees left, “she is dodging calls and emails.”
While Dish opened to great anticipation in October 2013, it quickly became clear that the restaurant had its kinks to work out. After a repeatedly delayed opening, service reportedly quickly declined, as detailed in progressively dismal Yelp reviews. Neighbors complained of late-night partying and yelling that continued onto the street past the restaurant’s stated hours.
Ms. Abed insists that the restaurant will reopen later in the summer. However, information is swirling among former employees that she has instead moved for Florida, and that Two Trees is seeking to void her lease.
“We never got paid for the last two weeks of our employment, [and] most of us are not eligible for unemployment because most of us were there less than 6 months,” Jon said.
While Dish’s former employees look to put the restaurant behind them, Dumbo awaits what’s next for Dish’s space.
This week, a new lunch joint joined the neighborhood: Little Nica, a pop-up stall run out of Little Muenster on Front Street in Dumbo. Falling in line with Little Muenster’s wheelhouse of cheese and bread, the pop-up shop will serve Quesillos – Nicaraguan street food composed of handmade corn tortillas, semi-soft cow’s milk cheese, pickled onions and crema – at the restaurant’s Front Street location through September.
Husband and wife ownership team Vanessa Palazio and Adam Schneider are the brains behind both Little Muenster and the pop-up shop concept. Schneider explained the impetus for the summertime shift to Nicaraguan food: “Vanessa’s family is Nicaraguan and she is a first-generation American and it has always been an interest to bring Nicaraguan cooking to the States. Americans have become accustomed to Latin flavors and we feel that we can expand their horizons even more.”
The tortilla and fillings are rolled into a cone, and are meant to be eaten with one hand. Add-ons include smashed avocado, slow-roasted pork, and braised lengua (tongue). “Think quesadilla meets burrito,” he says.
Menu items cost between $5.50 and $8.50, and the shop is open from 11:30 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Saturday.
Already smitten with Little Nica’s Quesillos? Perhaps a permanent Quesillo shop is in our future, “if people show enough interest,” Schneider says.
Little Nica’ (Nicaraguan Street Food Pop-Up)
145 Front Street, Brooklyn NY 11201
Phone: 646.499.4331
Hours: Monday-Saturday: 11:30am-4pm
(Jessica Thurston is a DUMBO resident and contributor to DumboNYC. With a background in environmental sustainability and urban planning, she loves learning about everything going on in the neighborhood – and drinking iced coffee from One Girl Cookies.)
It has become our Sunday morning tradition to head into Brooklyn Bridge Park for an early lunch with friends at Smorgasburg. Our first time there this summer was a bit dangerous as it was my first time experiencing the sights and smells of Smorgasburg while pregnant. I knew I had to control myself, but I wanted to sample something from every vendor we passed – a dumpling here, a ramen burger there, a bite of my husband’s bbq sandwich. I was in heaven! I quickly learned, though, that not only were my eyes bigger than my stomach, but my wallet couldn’t handle the demands I put on it. It was time to remind myself that this amazing market was in my neighborhood and that I could come back every Sunday for lunch so there was no need to try to taste everything in one visit. We’ve made it a point to try something new each Sunday we visit.
This past Sunday we ventured back into the park to meet some friends for lunch. As we walked in the north entrance of the market we noticed a new feature – the Smorgasbar. It was great to see additional seating since finding an open table can be tough, but was disappointed to learn that the area was closed off to us pregnant non-drinkers. I guess I have that to look forward to for next year.
Having skipped the bar, I went straight to the Vermont Maple Lemonade stand where I always start my Smorgasburg lunch with the most refreshing maple syrup lemonade. I then struggled for a bit in deciding what to eat since it was so hot and humid out. I don’t like eating hot food when I’m hot, especially while I’m pregnant, so was left with limited options. I opted for cold peanut noodles from Noodle Lane, which were fantastic. They offer three different spice level options, so to avoid getting serious heartburn or putting myself into pre-term labor, I went with mild. Thank goodness I did because it was still extremely spicy! Although I was completely full from the noodles and lemonade (and samples of my husband’s Takumi Tacos), I could not resist an ice cream sandwich from the good batch. I absolutely love their goodwich sandwich. It has just the right balance of salty and sweet. As I came down from my sugar high, we headed back to the apartment for an afternoon nap and to begin planning our Smorgasburg strategy for next weekend.
Smorgasburg is open every Sunday at Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 5 from 11 AM to 6 PM. For a full list of vendors, visit Smorgasburg.com/vendors. If you’re pregnant at Smorgasburg, make sure you ask for your meat cooked well and double check that all the cheese is pasteurized.
