PrintFirst Look at Brooklyn Fare, Opening Wednesday
Brooklyn Fare opens officially on Wednesday morning at 7 a.m. at 200 Schermerhorn Street in downtown Brooklyn. Last night, they invited family and friends to check out the not-too-big, but big enough space. Beaming with neighborhood energy, the market proved to stock a lot of regular ol' things (milk, soap, apples) as well as thoughtful brands (Mrs. Meyer's soaps and Honest Tea) and the shiny gourmet (imported olives and big wheels of cheese). And really, really good prepared foods.
Scooping up the hummus. The entire staff is super friendly.
Cesar Ramirez, the Mexican-born, Chicago-bred chef who most recently came from Bar Blanc after working for eight years under David Bouley, is at the helm of this market's kitchen. His food, sold by the pound but aiming to run about $8 to $10 for an entree's worth, isn't too fussy—it's rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, deep-purple beet salads, and other food that'll please the food snob or the unadventurous little brother.
A smorgasbord of spreads from the cold prepared foods counter: long carrots and asparagus spears, hummus, cucumbers in a dill crème fraîche, golden beet hunks, and other roasted veggies (oily in a good way).
Behind the glass behold lots of fresh salads and sides, like the artichoke hearts in the middle (huge! the size of steak bones!), and at the back left, Thai-style cold noodles mixed with fish, avocado, cilantro, and chili oil.
That's the little brother type on the right, and he's digging it.
Scooping up mac and cheese and mashed potatoes (a paste of garlicky, buttery goodness).
More from the hot counter. Mmm, roast chicken (estimated to go for $7.99 each).
The freezers aren't trying to be too fancy. Bagel Bites, Hot Pockets, and Green Giant all in attendance.
Lots of milk and juices. Again, a very wide selection.
Vinny Festa, the butcher, was working the room, monitoring wine cups.
The sushi chefs from left: Armando Yagues, Shoji Iso, and Sano Susumu. That would be a 14-pound salmon next to them. An average sushi price will be $4.99.
Baked goods and pastries from Choice Market. The bakery will also stock different breads from Il Forno in Brooklyn and Pan de Avenue in Queens. And the coffee for the cafe will be from Intelligentsia in Chicago.
Yo, potatoes. And mini flat screens at the registers.
Coming Up
Chef Ramirez will host cooking classes in the kitchen, which should start in about a month. The 12 participants can watch him do his thing, ask questions, and of course, enjoy a meal after.
Brooklyn Fare
200 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (map)
Open Mon. to Sat. from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sun. from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
brooklynfare.com
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
1 Comment:
Hot damn, I'm pumped. They're right around the corner from me! I can't wait to go check it out.
capndesign at 9:04PM on 04/24/09