40% ALC/VOL, 100% BROOKLYN

Industry City Distillery makes vodka from beet sugar in an old warehouse in Brooklyn.  The distillery is the first project from The City Foundry, a research and design group that brings a unique scientific and artistic vision to small-scale manufacturing.  The diverse team responsible for the Foundry's vision consists of "a printmaking biological engineer and science nerd; a machinist with a bent for sculpture; a code-wrangling graphic designer and fabricator; a yoga instructor turned business manager; a hard-drinking commercial salmon fisherman and a whole lot of yeast."

The City Foundry takes up 6,000sqft in Brooklyn.  It's 33 35th Street address is between the Gowanus Expressway and 2nd Ave in an old part of the borough that's still very much in touch with its industrial roots.  The space holds everything the team of tinkerers, thinkers, and drinkers need to support their efforts.  This includes a research lab, machine shop, design studio, printing press, and public space where guests can sample their efforts.  

Seriouseats has an excellent article and behind the scenes shots.  The above video is from their website and reveals what looks like a Chocolate Factory for the 21 and over.

Danny Bowien Is On a Mission

Mission Chinese started as a pop-up in San Francisco in April of 2010.  Just over a month ago, on May 22nd, 154 Orchard Street became the East Coast home for what the restaurant's website calls chef Danny Bowien's "Americanized Oriental" food.  In just two years, Danny Bowien's unique approach and generosity have his name being thrown around with the likes of David Chang and Andy Ricker.

In his two and a half star review of Mission Chinese Food today, Ryan Sutton refers to Danny as "a philanthropic kind of guy."  Bowien was born in South Korea and rasied by adopted parents in Oklahoma.  He's humble, reluctant to take credit for his mission.  He gives it to "fucking awesome cooks around me to make me look good."  He donates 75 cents from every dish he sells to the Food Bank of New York and his San Fran location has "raised almost $150,000 for the Food Bank, [which makes] you feel like you can mess up a little bit and still be okay. I’m not taking a salary here [in New York], so that I can just put everything back into the restaurant and our cooks."

Bowien is already miles down the road less traveled and his is a name added to the growing list of "high-profile ambassadors for a cuisine in which he has no family roots."  His take on authenticity?  "Who cares anymore?  What's the point?  Authentic isn't even good sometimes.  It's just, do you like the taste or not?  If I stay closed-minded and say I'm not making it if it's not authentic, I can only get so far.  To become great, you can't box yourself in.  I won't allow that."

Two Two Stars Stars for for Pok Pok

Pete Wells gets some use out of his GPS and heads to Pok Pok Ny in Cobble Hill for this week's review.  

James Beard Award winning chef Andy Ricker opened Pok Pok Ny on April 18th.  He introduced New York to his crazy pantry a few months earlier when he opened Pok Pok Wing in the East Village.   Pok Pok Ny is the Portland based chef's first sit down establishment on the East Coast and it's been on the media's radar ever since.  A garden opened in the back a few weeks ago and helps to soften some pretty lengthy wait times.

Wells welcomes the restaurant to the list of the city's Thai mainstays with its unique, regional menu.  "The first way Pok Pok Ny shifts your perspective is by offering the food of northern Thailand, which has been largely missing from New York."  "So yes," he goes on, "by all means go to Ayada and Sripraphai. Everybody should. But don’t tell yourself that you’ll be getting the same stuff, because it isn’t true."

Wells' two stars drives home the fact that the trip to 127 Columbia Street in Cobble Hill is worth it.  "Altered perceptions come free with the price of dinner at Pok Pok Ny."

Seamus Mullen Heads to the MePa

Flo Fab reports today that Seamus Mullen will be in the kitchen at The Standard Plaza when it opens this Friday at The Standard Hotel.  The Plaza is open through September 30th and gives New Yorkers another alfresco option with its outdoor seating.

The menu features dishes like heirloom tomatoes with smoked burrata, watermelon and crisp quinoa ($16) and grilled sweet shrimp with chorizo, zucchini and myer lemon ($15).  These "media raciones" are smaller plates meant to be shared and a wood-fired grill will be the cooking element for many of them.  Hotel owner André Balazs’s farm upstate will provide some of the produce.

Seamus Mullen isn't trying to reinvent the wheel at The Standard Plaza, he's just making "food that's part of the enjoyment of eating outdoors."

Update on Friday, July 6, 2012 at 10:38AM by Craig Cavallo

Here's a look at some of the grub being offered at the Standard Plaza.

(200th post!!) DigestNY Introduces "Digested Cities"

DigestNY's 200th post is dedicated to introducing a new column called "Digested Cities."  The column comes from an inescapable passion for food that follows us wherever we travel.  So, when we do so, we'll take in as much as we can, eat a bunch of food, take lots of pictures, and report back to you.  

Our first Digested City is Montreal.  The trip was short and sweet but revealed an amazing city with a fascinating culture and great food.

Stay tuned as we digest other cities.  For now, Digest Montreal.

Donde Dinner?

Welcome to Donde Dinner?, a weekly feature where DigestNY does the work choosing your next dinner spot.

In this feature, DigestNY will pick a restaurant and post its address for you every Friday.  The catch is, the address is all the information we're giving you.  No name, no type of cuisine, and no googling allowed!  Price, quality, and accessibility are all being taken into concern, restrictions that result from trendy diets are not.  We promise not to have you waiting at the bar for two hours with $15 cocktails, and since we're not fancy folk, you never have to worry about a dress code.  Just hop on the train, or your feet, or your bike, and head to:

101 Lexington Ave (btwn 27th and 28th)

Is That a Flatiron Whisk in Your Pants or Are You Just Happy to See Me?

Whisk is a kitchen appliance store in Williamsburg.  It opened at the end of 2008 and today it gets a sibling with a Flatiron location opening at 933 Broadway (@21st Street).

Natasha Amott is the person behind Whisk and her Flatiron outpost features a larger selection than its Brooklyn counterpart.  You can find high-end appliances from labels like Le Creuset, Cuisinart, and Calphalon next to small batch bitters from Rochester-based Fee Brothers.  The hours are Monday to Friday from 9am - 8pm and Sunday from 11am - 7pm.

Whisk is owned by the same people that run Uva Wines.  Uva is on 199 Bedford Ave (@ North 6th), just up the street from the Bedford Whisk location.  The store pays close attention to quality and price and their wonderfully curated selection of wines always has great values.  This week they're featuring some lighter style reds from Languedoc in the south of France.  Put a nice chill on them and enjoy them at your next BBQ.

Dekalb Market Needs to Move

When the Dekalb Market opened last year it did so under the pretense that it would operate at its current location for at least five years.  That's not the case.  Real estate development plans moved faster than expected and construction at 138 Willoughby Street is likely to start as early as October.

The market plans to stay in the neighborhood and a post on their site has this to say:

"We can’t share any more juicy details just yet, but you can look forward to seeing our full lineup of events coming up and what you can look forward to in the fall.  We hope to receive full support from our community as we continue Dekalb Market in its new incarnation!"

A letter was sent out by the Dekalb Market Team, who sees the relocating as an opportunity, "By positioning ourselves as the first shopping center in history to move and reopen in the space of a few weeks we will be able to have a new “re-opening” with both the press and operations."

Inquiries are directed to info@urbanspacenyc.com