Today we get even more pizza with the opening of Brooklyn Central

I've said it before & I'll say it again: Park Slope needs another pizza joint like I need a fucking hole in my head.

As of press time my skull is still intact, even though as of today, Park Slope has another brand new pizza joint: Brooklyn Central. Housed in the spot previously occupied by the short-lived Pete's Pizzeria, they come with the same promise of Neapolitan pizza as Pete's, but with what seems like a better chance of success. I mean, I knew Pete for years because of his original restaurant, Pete's Downtown (RIP), and I think he's a great guy & all, but Pete's Pizzeria was a bit of a mess.

Brooklyn Central is the product of Matthew Hyland & Roberto Patriarca, two dudes who became friends whilst slinging pies at Boerum Hill's Sottocasa. Roberto got his start at his father's pizza spot up in the Bronx, headed to Italy for a while, and then eventually came back to Brooklyn. Matthew grew up in both Brooklyn & Greenwich, CT, eventually settling in Brooklyn as well. When deciding on a locale, the men decided on Park Slope as both live in Brooklyn & felt like our neighborhood fit their collective sensibility. As for the name, it's a nod to the now-defunct train that used to run down 5th Ave back in the day. Did you know there was a train on 5th Ave? I sure as hell didn't.

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FiPS Sneak Peek: Welcome to the Terroirdome

I've always been of the belief that wine is for the snooty: "Tut tut Chaz & I tried a 2003 Pinot at the vineyards this weekend" and "Fuck merlot" & such. Though I know it's an outdated, Paul Giamatti-driven stereotype, I just can't shake the feeling that wine's a rich, haughty man’s game. That's why when I learned that Terroir, a wine bar with locales in Tribeca, the East Village & Murray Hill was moving into the space formerly occupied by my once-favorite Park Slope bar, Great Lakes (R.I.P.), I once again found myself thinking, There goes the neighborhood.

Terroir is looking to open within the next week or so, and this past Saturday I got a chance to stop by & chat with Allison Whittinghill, a Terroir veteran who will manage the front of the house for the new Park Slope locale. By the time I left, she'd managed to quell most of my initial misgivings. 

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FiPS Preview: Du Jour Bakery

When Perch, the Fifth Ave brunch spot that many a Park Slope mommy thought of as a second home, shuttered at the end of last year, it was just another death in the long list of slightly-shocking 2011 Park Slope restaurant closings (see Aunt Suzie's, Tonio's).

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Giant Park Slope Beer Hall's Opening Delayed By DOB Paperwork

Photo via Die Koelner Bierhalle Facebook Page

For those of you eagerly awaiting the opening of Die Koelner Bierhalle on St. Marks near 4th Avenue -- an authentic, 4,000 square foot German beer hall with a giant back garden that will satisfy up to 200 drinkers at a time with 30 German beers on tap, 40 bottled brews and tasty bratwurst and kielbasa -- you might have to settle for elsewhere a tad bit longer. 

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Pinkberry to open in Park Slope on July 20th

HOLY. CRAP. Did you know that "Pinkberry" isn’t just your Midwestern aunt’s cutesy name for her lower lady bits? TRUE STORY. It's also the name of a Cali-based chain of frozen yogurt joints. FRO YO. YOU KNOW, YO? Ok. That is the last time I will call it that. Stupidest snack name ever.

As Erica mentioned in her April Pinkberry-tingling post about the current state of Park Slope frozen treats, this summer Park Slope residents are getting a Pinkberry of their very own--on July 20th to be exact.

I recently had a brief chat with Pinkberry’s Director of East Coast Operations Pete Casey, and he told me that in the weeks leading up to the opening on 7th Ave and Garfield they'll be stopping by local businesses to hand out samples of their frozen yogurt. By the 19th they will be hosting a friends & family opening from 6-10pm where the public can try a small version of their frozen yogurt with a topping. The next day, they'll officially open.

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