Get out your hair gel, tube tops, and dolla billz. According to Gothamist last night giant spotlights were ‚”rented to herald the arrival of a new lounge called Alma on Roebling and South 3rd.” If you’re curious about what Alma has to offer there are velvet ropes,red carpets, the ability to book VIP birthdays, and most importantly VALET PARKING for all those driving in from Long Island and New Jersey. Their website details the grand opening on ‚”Thrusday” (their misspelling, not ours) where patrons were invited to dress to impress and was invitation only. We can hardly wait for Hookah Fridays and Classic Saturdays. Alma, what the hell were you thinking?
[photo via Alma Facebook Page]

Carmine’s Pizzeria on Graham Avenue is opening a second location which they have creatively named “Carmine’s II” at 436 Union Avenue. New York Shitty reports that there will be “garden seating just in time for spring”. We’re not sure it’s entirely necessary to open a second location within a five minute walk of the original, but the garden seating sounds appealing.
[Image via Brownstoner]

N.6 has closed, and Pinkteron Wine Bar (yes, it’s named after the Weezer album) has opened in its place. Although the interior and layout is similar to N.6, there are new window treatments, and word is that there will be more of an emphasis on mood lighting. In warm weather patio seating will also be available.
Pinkerton is owned by former New York Times journalist Thomas Hudson who wanted a to open a bar that served ‚”interesting, fun, good wines that are affordable,” with a focus on wines from Washington, Oregon, California, and Australia. Pinkerton also serves microbrews from both coasts, as well as simple small plates like cheese spreads, olives, and hopefully in time will begin to ‚”make full use of the kitchen”.
Pinkerton Wine Bar, 263 N 6th St., nr. Havemeyer St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-782-7171
[image via The Downtown Diaries]

Instead of eating brunch at your favorite spot this Sunday; try something new and head to the latest installment of The Brooklyn Food Experiments: The Brooklyn Brunch Experiment at The Bell House.
This experiment aims to take brunch to the next level by infusing a bit of “competition” and turning it into a cook-off. The chefs will bring everything to the table from granola to waffles to Hollandaise Sauce, all you have to bring is your appetite. The audience, along with a panel of judges including Sean Rembold, chef at Diner and Marlow & Sons, and Andrew Knowlton, Iron Chef Judge and restaurant editor at Bon Appetit magazine, will name a Brunch King and Queen. One drink is included with price of admission.
The event will be held on Sunday March 28th from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.-tickets are $25 at the door.
[image via flickr]

Last month one of our favorite Southern food restaurants The Brooklyn Star was badly damaged by a fire and closed ‚”for a spell” pending reconstruction. The costs of the reconstruction are much higher than they had anticipated, and they’re not sure if they have the money to fund it.
That’s where The Brooklyn Star Hootenanny comes into play! This Friday Brooklyn Kitchen Labs will host a benefit for The Brooklyn Star. It will feature Beer from Brooklyn Brewery, whiskey from Whiskey Town and Wilfie & Nell, smoked meats from the Meat Hook, Momofuku Milk Bar sweets, and Brooklyn Star’s own brisket and shrimp and grits. All that, plus oyster shucking and hot-dog-eating contests, and the chance to fell an aggressively whiskered Williamsburger in a 350-gallon dunk tank, for $50 in advance, $75 at the door. To buy tickets click here.

Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar have outgrown their East Village space and are planning to move their “baking operations” to Williamsburg off the Bedford stop towards Driggs. Once space is completed (it’s currently under construction) everything will be baked in the Williamsburg space, then trucked into to the Momofuku Milk Bar stores in the East Village and Midtown.
Eater reports: “While it will remain a production facility at the outset, there’s speculation that it will grow into a storefront in mid-summer. A worker relayed that it’s an idea they’ll consider after the opening of Ma Peche.”
We hope this speculation comes true.
[Image via flickr]

Northern California coffee company Blue Bottle Coffee has finally arrived in Williamsburg. The massive, minimalist space on Berry Street is primarily dedicated to roasting and packaging the coffee, however there is a small café section with a large communal standing room table.
Blue Bottle Coffee serves latt√©s, cappuccinos, espressos, and mochas (made with Brooklyn-based Mast Brothers chocolate) alongside their well-known cold filtered coffees. They focus on organic, micro-roasted coffee in its simplest form, no strawberry cream frappucinos, white chocolate mochas, or cinnamon dolce lattes will be found here. Each cup of coffee is individually prepared, and can take up to three minutes per cup to make. There are pastries sold, however we visited in the late afternoon and all that remained was one lonely scone, so don’t show up hungry.
We tried the two types of cold filtered iced coffee offered: Kyoto and New Orleans-style. The Kyoto Iced Coffee ($4.25) is made in a Japanese iced-coffee device, which slowly drips room-temperature water though coffee grounds. This extensive process can take up to eight hours to make one pot. It’s meant to be consumed black and has an extremely smooth and bold flavor with undertones of tobacco and whiskey. The New Orleans-style ($4) contains chicory and is served over ice with a splash of milk and sugar. It’s less bold than the Kyoto, and has floral undertones from the chicory.
The servings are small at Blue Bottle Coffee, but the quality is excellent, and makes you savor each sip. If you’re wandering through the neighborhood, give it a try; we’ll definitely be going back.
Blue Bottle Coffee, 160 Berry Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-534-5488.