BROOKLYN, NY— Brooklyn diners have three new places to add to their lists, with openings popping up in Brooklyn Heights, Bed-Stuy and Park Slope.
Address: 129 Columbia Place, between Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Street.
Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 5 p.m.-midnight; Friday-Saturday, 5 p.m.-2 a.m.
When chefs Brendan Kelley and Daniel Grossman moved their restaurant Confidant from Industry City to the former Colonie space in Brooklyn Heights, they expected the neighborhood's family-oriented crowd to shape their business.
Instead, they noticed something else: customers kept arriving after 9 p.m.
That late-night traffic led the pair to rethink an adjoining storefront that had housed wine bar Pips.
Rather than turn it into the all-day café they originally planned, Kelley and Grossman are using the space for Frenzie, a casual pizza and wine spot.
Frenzie opened Aug. 13 and serves wine and pizza until midnight on weekdays and 2 a.m. on weekends.
The restaurant has about 40 seats indoors and room for another 25 outside, weather permitting.
Frenzie serves 14-inch sourdough pizzas made with a custom flour blend from Brooklyn Granary. The menu includes sausage and peppers with cheddar on a sesame crust, three-cheese pizza with marinara, spicy vodka pizza with 'nduja and a white pie built around ricotta.
Small plates include fritto misto, a Caesar salad made with smashed cucumbers and beef tartare.
The wine program keeps the selection tight, with eight or nine wines by the glass priced at $19, some less, and about 12 bottles that rotate frequently.
The opening list includes a Lebanese rosé, a Slovenian white blend and a sparkling wine called Pork Soda.
After 10 p.m., Frenzie adds late-night specials, including square slices and one-off pizzas. The kitchen serves those items first-come, first-served.
For a quick night out, the restaurant also offers combinations such as a martini and a slice for $20 or a Narragansett with a shot and a slice for $15.
Learn more here.
Address: 191 Fifth Ave., between Berkeley Place and Union Street.
Hours: Sunday-Wednesday, 5-10 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, 5-11 p.m.
Eighteen years after starting his restaurant career in Park Slope, Jimmy Placido has returned to the neighborhood as a restaurant owner.
Placido, who previously worked at Fonda and Alma Negra, joined Acencion Mendez, also a former Alma Negra team member, and Jazmin Suarez to open Apapacho at 191 Fifth Ave.
The restaurant takes its name from a Nahuatl word associated with embracing with the soul.
The team designed the space with Studio Public designer Brandon Teitelbaum and built the menu around central Mexican cooking.
Apapacho draws inspiration from Mexico City, Oaxaca and Puebla, with made-from-scratch dishes and cocktails centered on tequila and mezcal.
The menu includes pan-seared scallops with pasilla rice and coconut habanero salsa, as well as braised short ribs with queso fresco and mole rojo.
Make reservations here.
Address: 105 Saratoga Ave., between Eastern Parkway and Linden Boulevard.
Hours: Café — 7 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. weekends; Dinner — 5-10 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.
Peral describes itself as a neighborhood taqueria focused on tacos, drinks and coffee.
The restaurant combines the Brooklyn experience of the Olmo team with the Mexico City connection of Cicatriz, giving the new spot a menu and atmosphere centered on casual Mexican dining.
The restaurant is holding soft openings from 5 to 10 p.m. on Aug. 14, 15, 21 and 22.
Learn more here.
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