Go Wanus Go, One Star for the Pines

We had a sneaking suspicion Pete Wells was going to review the Pines this week. With recent reviews of Costata, ABC Cocina, Uncle Boons, Alder, Lafayette, and Carbone, the Times critic has just about exhausted the white-hot (at least three-months-old) hits of late.

When Wells wrote about Danny Bowien's Mission Chinese Food on Orchard Street, he wove a Led Zepplin theme throughout the review. For the Pines, a looser, louder restaurant in a less-polished part of town, he goes for Television and the punk/new wave era of late 70s CBGB.

"None of my five meals at the Pines since its opening late last summer in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn has been in the “just awful” category," Wells writes of his early visits, "But two were so frustrating I swore I’d never return." "Three months later," he continues, "I was back. That night, the Pines and its chef, Angelo Romano, were in control of their chords and the tempo from start to finish."

Wells writes that chef Angelo Romano, "has a discerning eye for prime ingredients, but isn’t always as discerning about his ideas." Wells cites a few dishes that didn't work and calls out some early service blunders. Many of those kinds have been worked out, and a few of the restaurant's initial policies, i.e. cash only and no reservations, have since been changed, making a meal at the Pines that much more approachable. Wells awards one star.

Wells ate at the Pines five times and gave the restaurant almost a full year before filing his review (the restaurant opened on September 19th, 2012). This much time, and this many visits, have become a rarity it today's media driven food world, but the critic saw potential and wanted to give the young team time to get their Gowanus Canal sea legs.

In our opinion, each of our meals at the Pines have been two-star worthy. Romano's food, along with his knowledge and deft execution of unique ingredients, breathes a breath of fresh air into the city's foodmosphere. There's no doubt the one star is a bright one, and while two seems to be the trend, the solitary star gives Romano plenty of room to grow - which, according to an interview Romano did last week, sounds like it will be happening sooner than later. When asked, "What's next for you?" Romano's responsed, "We have a few projects we're working on this year that I can't really talk about yet. They're all Brooklyn-based." [NYTimes] [VV]

Backyard Party at The Pines

Chef Angelo Romano and co. hosted a party in the place beyond backyard at The Pines last night. The event was a preview of what's to come when the space opens to the public Saturday, May 18th. There were five different ciders being poured to go along with a number of wood-fired dishes Romano was cooking on his new ten-foot grill.

Among the food were carrots with quark and caraway, octopus with ramps and chicken skin with dashi (both pictured above), and cabbage with lamb neck and cucumber. The final menu is still being developed, but The Pines website has a teaser up, which lists dishes like grilled halumi with ramps and celery mostarda and half lobsters with lardo and lemon butter. The backyard will be open Thursday - Sunday from 3pm - 10pm.

Eat the Week; April 22nd - April 26th

We head over to Hanjan for the late-night ramen | Dinosaur Barbecue starts hiring in Park Slope | Pete Wells awards one star to Randazzo's Clam Bar in Sheepshead Bay | Ivan Orkin's Lower East Side ramen den reads gets closer to opening | Donde Dinner? - 5 Front Street | We're off to New Orleans!

Backyard Brunch at The Pines, Kind Of

We stopped into The Pines for brunch last weekend hoping to dine al fresco, but it turned out to be a few days early. Chef Angelo Romano and co are opening the backyard (which seats about 25) for the season on May 18th. We stayed for brunch inside and had duck hash (pictured above), a pressed pork sandwich, and polenta with mushrooms and ramps. The latter two dishes are pictured below, and for pictures of the backyard we got back in September when the restaurant opened, head this way.

Pressed pork sandwich with potato salad.

Polenta with wild mushrooms and ramps.

The Pines | 284 3rd Ave | 718.596.6560 | thepinesbrooklyn.com

Thank You 2012

Last year was an exciting year for food. Mission Chinese and Pok Pok both opened East Coast outposts, two new chef's counters opened via Atera and Blanca, Pete Wells a) became the New York Times food critic and b) wrote a historically scathing review of Guy Fieri's Times Square restaurant, Dinosaur BBQ announced 604 Union Street in Brooklyn as its next home, Andrew Carmellini opened The Library with work on his French resto Lafayette getting well underway, Gabe Stulman's Little Wisco Empire grew by two via Perla and Chez Sardine (Montmarte, Stulman's next project, will open this year in Chelsea), April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman opened Salvation Taco, The Nomad happened, so did a culinary swap between Eleven Madison Park and Alinea, Italian cuisine invaded SoHo via Principessa, Angelo SoHo, Galli, and Isola Trattoria e Crudo Bar, Great Googa Mooga attracted over 30,000 people to Prospect Park in May, and the entire industry came together after devestation swept through the city in the winds of Hurricane Sandy.

Also in 2012, Brooklyn's Gowanus neighborhood got its first wine store via Gowanus Wine Merchants, and Third Avenue in the same Brooklyn neighborhood saw the opening of The Pines (our 2012 favorite) and Runner & Stone on the same stretch between Carroll and President Streets (Littleneck is on the same block), creating a culinary nucleus of sorts. Fletcher's Brooklyn Barbecue gave Third Ave a boost a few blocks south when it opened between 7th and 8th Streets last fall. Generally speaking, 2012 was a big year for the borough of Brooklyn. Josh Ozersky wrote 2,000 words to the contrary last year, but the quality of food and number of dining options in Kings County seemed to increase tenfold. Last year alone the borough welcomed Reynard, Gwynnett Street, Aska came and Frej went, Ganso, Talde, Pork Slope, Dassara, Hunter's, Red Gravy, Governor, Gran Electrica, La Vara, Lulu & Po, The Wallace, Dear Bushwick, and Bristket Town. Speedy Romeo, Krescendo, and Brooklyn Central gave pizza fenatics a handful of new options and there was the whole Grimaldi's/Juliana debacle to boot.

The 2013 train is already set in motion and looking to bring another exciting year. Ivan Orkin will open his first stateside ramen shop, the boys behind Torrisi will open two spots on Thompson Street via The Lobster Club and Carbone, Michael White will open The Butterfly, Ristorante Morini uptown and possibly something in the former Fiamma space (the building was sold by BR Guest's Steven Hanson at the end of last year and White's Altamarea Group is leasing the space from the new owners), and Andy Ricker will be opening a Brooklyn outpost of his Portland-based Whiskey Soda Lounge half a block north from Pok Pok Ny on Columbia Street in the spring. Even for the superstitious, there's luck to be had in 2013 and it may come in the form of a Battersby expansion.

For both Manhattan and Brooklyn (and the other, lesser explored boroughs by Digest NY), the lists go on and on and will get even longer as the days of 2013 start to come and go. As they do, we'll be here to keep you abreast and athigh of the latest and greatest of all things food in the greatest city there is.

Happy 2013 New York!

Brunch at the Pines

The Pines launched brunch service over the weekend. The menu Angelo Romano put together for the occasion is a far cry from another generic tablet of poached eggs and yogurt. It's laced with the same creative backbone and diversion from common ingredients that has defined Romano's cooking since the restaurant opened in September. There are poached eggs on the menu, but they wear a fresh guise; mushroom hash with fingerling potatoes and a smear of creamy robiola cheese. If you wake up with a strange desire for smoked bluefish salad and waffles, or just feel like having one of the better brunches the city has to offer, head to 284 Third Avenue in Gowanus. The Pines awaits.

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First Bite: The Pines

Welcome to First Bite, in which we bring you a look at some of the city's newest restaurants shortly after they open.  We'll go, eat some food, take some pictures, and report back to you.  This go round it's The Pines, located on Third Avenue in Brooklyn's quickly developing Gowanus neighborhood.

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The Pines. Tonight. 6pm. Be There.

The highly anticipated new project from the fellows behind Littleneck is opening tonight at 6pm.  The Pines is located at 284 3rd Ave, just two storefronts down from Littleneck, Aaron Lefkove and Andy Curtain's New England-style seafood shack at 288 3rd Ave.  If Littleneck is "of the sea," Lefkove has said, The Pines will be "of the land."  Chef Angelo Romano, formerly of Roberta's, Lupa, and the shortlived Williamsburg hit Maston Lake, has created a concise menu of dishes like squash with house made tofu, smoked tomato, and bottarga, and cavatelli with trotter ragu.  Here's a few pictures of the backyard and bar, chairs were up when we were there but Eater got some great shots of the place all setup and ready for service.

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