Dine in Brooklyn Kicks Off

On Tuesday, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz kicked off the seventh annual “Dine in Brooklyn” event with a press “tasting” at Brooklyn Borough Hall. Dine in Brooklyn, which starts on March 15th and will continue until March 25th, will feature nearly 200 of Brooklyn’s best restaurants serving three-course meals for $25, three-course lunches for $20.10 and even some “two for the price of one deals” at participating restaurants, including PT Restaurant in Williamsburg.

“New Yorkers and visitors alike have discovered that the culinary epicenter of America is right here in Brooklyn,” said the ever engaging and charismatic Markowitz, who entertained his audience of restaurant owners and reporters by peppering his speech with expressions in Italian and expert enunciations of Yiddish while also casting a few humorously self-deprecating asides, patting his belly and referencing how much he enjoys eating out.

Borough President Markowitz was more than happy to list the wide-ranging fare that will be available to hungry Brooklynites. “Whether you fancy the French fare in Brooklyn’s ‘Bastille Day hot spot’ Carroll Gardens, want to savor some sushi, ‘bib up’ for barbeque or ‘magia’ some mostacholi,” he said. “Or you want to sample eclectic ethnic food from everywhere on the planet from Mexico to the Middle East, from Russia to Bangladesh, from Australia to Turkey, whether you are a hipster foodie eating “artisanal” or simply looking for comfort food American-style—in Brooklyn, your table is waiting!”

There were many delicious treats to be sampled at the tasting: ranging from Piramide’s fresh guacamole and spiced chicken, to Morton’s The Steakhouse’s rich and flavorful chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, to the simply delectable bread pudding prepared by Petit Oven, a concoction topped off with homemade butterscotch sauce and homemade whipped cream. The bread pudding was one of the stars of the show: employees from other restaurants were seen sending others over to try a sample. “Outstanding!” exclaimed one taster.

The event is part of the Share the Table initiative, a fundraising campaign with the New York City Coalition Against Hunger (NYCCAH). “Today in Brooklyn, there are hundreds of thousands of people who do not have enough to eat,” said one of the sponsors. The generosity of Dine in Brooklyn customers and others will help meet the immediate food needs of low-income families in Brooklyn by expanding and improving the programs and policies necessary to enable low-income Brooklyn families to achieve greater economic self-sufficiency and move beyond their need for emergency food pantries and soup kitchens.

To help wash down the tasty free food, Brooklyn Brewery was on hand, offering complimentary Brooklyn Lager to those who wished to indulge in a lunchtime drink.
“We believe beer to be a superior pairing to food [as opposed to wine],” said Ben Hudson, marketing manager of the brewery, North Brooklyn’s sole representative at the tasting. “It’s more flexible.”

The Williamsburg-based brewery, one of the sponsors of the event, have been involved with Dine in Brooklyn for years now. It’s a combination that makes a lot of sense to Hudson. “Local businesses have made us the number three beer on tap in the city,” he said. “The other two—Stella and Guinness—are international corporations. We’re a 30-person operation. Local businesses and restaurants are the ones who have helped us get where we are. So of course we’re going to support them when we can.”

Hungry North Brooklynders can look forward to a wide array of different types of food to sample over the event. Participating Greenpoint restaurants include the highly-rated Italian eatery Anelia, located on 222 Franklin, and Mediterranean restaurant Lokal Bistro, located on 905 Lorimer Street. Participating Williamsburg restaurants include Aurora on 70 Grand Street, Baci & Abbracci on 204 Grand, Bamonte’s Restaurant on 32 Withers Street, DeStefano’s Dee Brooklyn Steakhouse on 89 Conselyea Street, Giando on the Water on 400 Kent Avenue, My Moon Restaurant on 184 North 10th Street, PT Restaurant on 331 Bedford Avenue and Venezuelan restaurant Shachis Arepas on 197 Havemeyer. So far, the only Bushwick restaurant participating this year is Northeast Kingdom, located at 18 Wyckoff Avenue, an American restaurant and bar that we reviewed earlier this year. However, more additions are possible for interested restaurants that wish to contact the event’s organizers.

It’s a Brooklyn tradition that one hopes will continue. “That’s my favorite word in Italian,” said Markowitz. “Bellisimo.” He blew a chef’s kiss into the air.

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