It’s hard to believe Cinco de Mayo is almost upon us (this Sunday!), and to celebrate Thrillist is hosting a “Taco Knockout” at Villain located in our very own Williamsbug. The event will include 10 taco stands with offerings from El Perro Meximus from Los Perros Locos: a deep-fried tortilla stuffed with a hot dog (of course), grilled corn kernels, crushed Fritos, and crumbled chorizo, NY Sushi Ko, another to-come joint on the LES, will let you preview their work with a taco created solely from Japanese flavors including a crispy wonton shell, uni, myoga, cukes, and smashed wasabi peas on top, and even a pizza taco from Best Pizza which has chopped-up bits of meatball which are cooked to resemble the texture of chorizo, then topped with mozz and red sauce, and plopped in a pizza dough tortilla, and many more. If it’s booze you’re after, there’s a build-your-own Michelada bar, and beer pushcarts plying you with unlimited brews.

Tickets are $45 general admission which includes unlimited cervezas, unlimited micheladas, & five tacos.

The special admission is $75 and includes ten tacos, unlimited booze, and a specialty margarita bar. Buy your tickets here.

We have a pair of two general admission tickets to giveaway to our readers. Comment below and we’ll pick a winner at random by Thursday at 6PM. 

Exciting news from Eater today about The Drink owners who have confirmed plans to open a new seafood restaurant in Greenpoint.

A brand new seafood restaurant is slated to open soon in Greenpoint called The Bounty. Nika Carlson, who also operates The Drink in Williamsburg, tells Eater:

We’ll be serving seafood from the North Atlantic region, made with a hint of Southern charm. Our menu will include things like crab cakes, whole grilled fish, a raw bar (oysters, clams, etc), a burger, and eventually, when blue crabs are in season in the Chesapeake,Maryland-style steamed crabs.The head chef is Eric Mann, who previously worked at Craft and Prune, and Roberta’s vet Kevin Ang is also on board as a baker/chef and co-owner. The other partners in this project are Adam Collison, also of The Drink, and Lance Hess, who previously worked for Morgans Hotel Group. The Bounty is slated to open by the end of the month at 131 Greenpoint Ave, just 50 feet away from the G-Train station.

We can hardly wait.

Sweet Chick

We’re huge fans of Chicken and Waffles and were super excited to check Sweet Chick on Bedford Avenue which officially opened last night. Sweet Chick is the brainchild of  Sam Saleh & John Seymour (who also owns Pop’s of Brooklyn). The menu offers classic soul food stapes (all organic) such as roasted pork tenderloin, dry-aged rib eye, & grilled fish in addition to chicken & waffles. In terms of your waffle choice, you can order a regular buttermilk Belgian-style waffle, bacon + cheddar cheese, rosemary mushroom, or the special seasonal waffle. Delicious sides includes buttermilk biscuits, spicy shoestring french fries, ritz-cracker crusted mac and cheese, and pickled watermelon. Lastly, the deserts are worth mentioning as they’re amazing! The chocolate pudding with homemade ginger snap and pecan pie are worth a try. Speciality cocktails are offered, in addition to our favorite drink the “Tiger Woods Y’all” which is made of honey whiskey, cognac and lemon in an Arnold Palmer in a mason jar, of course.

Sweet Chick: 164 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Courtesy @Dariothephotog

Sad news today-Oslo Coffee on Bedford Avenue suffered severe damage after a fire broke out earlier this afternoon. Gothamist reports:

Fire engulfed the hole-in-the wall Bedford Avenue location of Oslo, a wildly popular coffe shop in Williamsburg. The FDNY tell us the fire broke out shortly before noon and was brought under control within 45 minutes. (As it happens, there’s a fire station roughly a block away.) While the cause of the blaze is still being determined, the spokesman added that it appeared the fire ripped through the shop’s duct work.

On Twitter, Oslo confirmed that the coffee shop had “burned to the ground.” Fortunately, according to the FDNY, no one was injured. Meghan Overdeep, Olso’s social media manager, tells us, “The fire started suddenly. The owners and managers are there now trying to figure out what started it, but the store is basically gone. It’s still standing but it’s been gutted. Thankfully all of our employees and customers are okay.”

This is obviously terrible news for Oslo’s owners and employees, but fans of the coffee purveyor can at least take solace that the larger Oslo location in Williamsburg is just a short walk away at 133 Roebling Street.

For those missing Motorino and wanting another option other than Forcella, we recommend giving Dieci Pizzeria & Osteria a shot.

We’ve been curious about Dieci Pizzeria & Osteria since they opened a few months ago, and finally got a chance to check them out. What we love about Dieci is that it’s a hidden gem, with tasty, (mostly) organic ingredients used for their authentic Italian cuisine. In addition the numerous wood-burning oven pizzas, there’s a variety of salads and main dishes such as a grilled pork chop with roasted fingerling potatoes, sautéed spinach in a red wine reduction, pan seared salmon, veal, and a few classic chicken dishes. For those who are sensitive to gluten, there are also two gluten free pizzas, and gluten free pasta can be substituted for any of the main pastas.

The interior is simply decorated and could use a little love, but what really matters is the food which is excellent. We’re looking forward to eating in the large outdoor garden once warmer weather returns.

For our loyal Free Williamsburg readers, Dieci Pizzeria & Osteria has offered to give you 25% off your entire bill if you mention Free Williamsburg.

Check them out:

Dieci Pizzeria & Osteria
10 Devoe St
(between Union Ave & Lorimer St)
New York, NY 11211

It’s a bit early to be posting about meat, but here we go anyway! We’re excited to report that the brick & mortar outpost of BrisketTown (of the very popular BrisketLab this summer) is opening this Friday in South Williamsburg. There will be two or three smoked proteins, seasonally driven salad, a slaw & their own bread, pies offered daily, in addition to live music (no booze, BYOB).

BrisketTown will be located at 359 Bedford Avenue. They’ll be open Monday-Sunday from 6pm until they run out of food.

REMINDER! Tonight is Dine Out Williamsburg where you can go out for dinner somewhere delicious in the neighborhood & participate in a donation to the Red Cross which will benefit Sandy relief efforts.

Participants include a wide range of bars & restaurants, including (but not limited to): Allswell, Best Pizza, Diner, Dressler, Forcella, Lady Jays, Marlow & Sons, Nitehawk Cinemas, Post Office, Tabare, and many more. See the full list here: http://dineoutwilliamsburg.com/participants/

Each participating establishment will donate a percentage of their gross sales (ranging from 10-20%) to the Red Cross.

No plans tonight? Stop by Nitehawk Cinema at 7PM for a special free screening of the popular film Klown with an in-person intro & Q + A. Below is a summary of the film:

KLOWN follows two wildly inappropriate friends as they semi-kidnap a child and run amok through the Danish countryside, plowing through endless social taboos and unspeakable debaucheries. Through armed robberies, bizarre brothels, hospitalizations and even prison, the three paddle downstream from one chaotic misadventure to the next culminating with a final shocking reveal that you’ll never be able to unsee.

Get your free tickets here.

Collider has the full scoop on the film: http://collider.com/klown-trailer-red-band/163509/

Although the weather today is beyond awful, sunshine later this week is in the future for NYC. We’ve been hearing rumblings about this for a while, but we’re excited to report that Rockabus Service will be providing direct service between Williamsburg and Rockaway Beach. Gothamist has the full scoop here:

The new Rockabus launches this weekend, with buses running every 35 minutes from Williamsburg direct to Rockaway Beach. And for its debut weekend, the bus will be totally free. Good luck stopping the hipster invasion now, Far Rockaway!

“The inspiration for the Rockabus came after realizing that there should be an affordable way to get out to Rockaway that doesn’t involve spending an hour underground on a beautiful day,” says Rockabus founder Sam Morrill. After this weekend, he tells us Rockabus (Facebook) will charge $10 for a one way ride and $18 round trip. Service will operate Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30 a.m. onward, with the last bus leaving Rockaway at 6:55 p.m.

Rides are free this weekend, but passengers must get a wristband from a Rockabus rep stationed at the stops. In Williamsburg, look for the classic yellow schoolbus at Metropolitan Avene and Meeker Avenue (beneath the BQE). At Rockaway, the bus departs from Shore Front Pkwy by the boardwalk at Beach 86th Street. (Those are the only stops for now, but Morrill hopes to expand service to other parts of the peninsula later in the summer.) Details here

Get on it!