It’s a new year and there are tons of recently opened spots for food and alcohol consumption. Below is a list of places to try in 2011.

Tuffet, a “cheese/meat/bar”  owned by a Market Table alum, opened on New Years Eve. Now that we’ve got our hangovers (& desire to eat nothing but wheatgrass and bean sprouts) mostly out of our systems, we’ll be looking forward to a visit to this intimate space, which features 15 rotating cheeses, cured and cooked meats, and a bar with wine on tap (!) 286 Graham Avenue, near Grand.

Walking into Cubana Social makes you immediately feel like you’ve been transported to 1950′s Cuba. The former cigar factory on N 6th Street has been transformed into a beautiful social club with high ceilings, brick columns, and a long counter that runs throughout the space. The food which is “traditional Cuban with a modern twist” nicely compliments the reasonably priced cocktails which run from $8-$10. Live jazz and salsa music is also slated to be part of the Cuban dining experience.  70 N. 6th Street, near Wythe Ave.

Feeling punchy? The Drink might cure what ails you. Metromix has a full report on this “vaguely nautical” watering hole, which focuses its ambitions squarely on ridding the spiked communal beverage of its association with prom disasters and pukey frat parties. Forget to leave room for the Holy Spirit with either a hot or cold cup of the stuff ($5) or really get the party started with an entire bowl ($43).  228 Manhattan Ave, between Grand and Maujer.

The musically themed bar LP & Harmony offers cheap drinks, a well-stocked jukebox, and open mic nights. It’s a strange mix between a sports bar with huge flat screen televisions showing the latest games, and a DIY music venue with local musicians singing in the background, and we’re not sure how we feel about it yet. There’s also a small dance floor with a DJ that begins every night after 10PM. In the summer, patrons will be able to drink the backyard garden which is always a plus. 683 Grand Street near Manhattan Avenue.

The Garden Spot Cafe is Greenpoint’s newest diner/coffee shop serving inexpensive staples that are necessary after a night out. We’ve been told the giant list of breakfast burritos is worth a try. 195 Franklin Street, near Green Street.

Calexico has finally come to Brooklyn, and we couldn’t be happier. The 65-seat eatery features new menu items such as fish tacos, grilled corn, and the 645 burger which is “a blend of brisket, chuck and short rib on a ciabatta bun with their signature chipotle “crack” sauce”. There’s a full bar that serves a variety of beer and cocktails, and a garden will be open in the warmer months. 645 Manhattan Avenue, near Moore Street.

Last night, as the perfect treat to end the weekend, Himanshu Suri
(@HEEMS) of Das Racist posted his remix of Katy Perry’s ubiquitous pop hit “Teenage Dream.” It’s no cast of Glee rendition. And for that I am eternally grateful. In place of the sugar-high original, the Heems version of this track is way slowed down and smooth. Possibly one of the sexiest tracks this dude has ever put his name on.

So whether this was the cherry on top of your weekend or the kickstart to get you through this work week, it is great either way. Check it out over at Heems’ blog Nehru Jackets or download it directly HERE. We probably really will dance until we die, won’t we?

Head on over to Habitat in Greenpoint today for their 3rd Annual Chili Cookoff, where ten chefs chosen at random will compete to see who can make the best damn chili. We spoke with one of the cooks, Michael Glennon, to see how he’s prepping for the big competition.Interview after the jump.

3rd Annual Chili Cookoff is at Habitat Bar in Greenpoint, at 988 Manhattan Ave at Huron Street.  Chili tasting starts at 6pm, $10 gets you a 2 oz sampling of all ten chilis. (more…)

After about a year of hibernation, Charlie Looker’s Extra Life is back. Now a three piece, the trio sounds more fierce than ever before. A sold out Silent Barn got a taste of it last night. Below is the first song of Extra Life’s set as well as a clip of opener Buke and Gass.

I’ve been speaking with some Islamic hackers operating out of Pakistan and the UK these past few days for an upcoming piece, and asked what they listen to while wired-in on a hack–for color, and all. The UK-based hacker told me his favorite was Lowkey. So here, presented without comment, is one track making up the soundtrack to the lives of hackers fighting against the digital occupations of the Israeli and Indian governments. “Blood, Sweat, and Tears” was released on December 25th and can be found on Lowkey’s upcoming album, Soundtrack To The Struggle, which drops next month.

If the show is anywhere near as funny as the trailer, it’s going to be great.

What stands out about Total Ghost is not the jokes- nearly any irony-drenched hipster can make a kraut rock joke in a bar and get a chuckle. What stands out about Bictor and Chon and their fake but somehow super-real band Total Ghost is the sincerity that seeps through the cracks of the jokes. When you stick with a joke for long enough it stops being funny and just starts being an extension of the reality you are living in. Because who says you can’t be sincerely serious about a long-running joke?

Space Lightning is the debut LP from the guys who brought us “Happy Birthday For You Person” and “Custom Christmas” (basically the same song, but I’m not mad. The record is full of the self-aggrandizing lyrics, more-German-than-German synths and a great amount of party for us to start 2011 off with.
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I hope you didn’t think the holidays were over yet. This Sunday is the 14th annual Three Kings Day Parade. January 6 is the Feast of the Epiphany, the holiday marking the arrival of the three wise men to visit the holy family, and the revelation to the Gentiles that the little kid in the manger is actually the son of God. The celebration is going down on the 9th, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be quite the party. The parade is a cherished tradition among the neighborhood’s Hispanic community, and ones like it will be taking place all over the world. All are welcome to line the streets. You can expect to see live nativity-style barnyard animals, excited children, festive music, and plenty of dancing. Most exciting of all, will be the Magi in colorful robes, handing out presents to small kids. To make it authentic, camels will wonder the Williamsburg street, because c’mon, what good is a wise man without a camel? It’s sure to a good time. The procession starts at Meeker and Graham avenues at 2 pm. Check tresreyesmagos.org for more details.

How could you dream of missing this?

From Behold The Destroyer:

In 1985, a rather unremarkable adult movie was released titled Sex Crimes 2084 — it was vaguely based on George Orwell’s 1984. While the book was about a state controlling its citizens through extreme measures and the nature of personal freedom, the movie was about people fucking. It wasn’t about people fucking in the future though, or people fucking in space, or people fucking aliens or robots or anything exciting you’d imagine an adult movie with 2084 in the title would have. This is a failure of imagination.

Thusly, I was inspired to create a mix that would serve as perfect accompaniment to a movie that did have all of those elements, a theoretical movie I call Sex Crimes 3084. Obviously, a soundtrack mix, to a non existent sequel of a poorly received twenty six year old porno, will be comprised of tracks explicitly about sex.

Download what is sure to creep out your girlfriend, but probably impress that hoe in the club here. And don’t worry, you’ll get your girlfriend back once she hears the first few notes of “Love You Down.”

I interviewed the Humanimal for Vice:

If you’re one of the few who saw Guy Ritchie’s latest film, RocknRolla, you may recall a scene where a Chechnyan thug chases Gerard Butler through a tunnel. The pursuer in question is a strikingly buff 34-year-old Russian-born Londoner named Alex Kovas, a model/actor who may be more familiar to you licking his “paws” in head-to-toe Cheetah bodypaint. Though RocknRolla is his biggest mainstream acting break, Alex Kovas has been thrilling online audiences for years as The Humanimal. To date, over 700,000 YouTube viewers have watched Kovas transform himself into Dalmations, unicorns, zebras, and dozens of other creatures using an impressively detailed mix of bodypaint and prosthetics. Reactions to this “art project” range from awe to amusement to disgust:

22tus says:
MY SEARCH IS OVER , I HAVE FINALLY FOUND THE MOST DISTURBING THING ON THE INTERNET!

severin24 says:
YOU are my hero. I love people who take self-expression into art.

wollygogles says:
This is the kind of shit you get up to when you’re long-term unemployed and left alone in the house for too long. Your girlfriend leaves for work at 7am. You get out of bed at 1pm. By 2pm you’re already sick of watching Jeremy Kyle abuse the poor on TV–so you explore the house–and happen upon your GF’s make-up bag and then BOOM! You’re outside recording yourself and wadda you know …you’re a fucking Deer!

Adipocerate says:
Brilliant? Yes. Inspired? Yes. Creepy as hell? Verily. As all art should be.

MrTsBastardChild says:
I’d like to have sex with that deer.

Read the rest at Vice Magazine: THE HUMANIMAL ISN’T IN IT FOR THE KICKS.