c/o The CoffeeBeaners
One of our favorite new summer additions to the neighborhood is Lunchbox in Greenpoint, which replaced Forest Natural’s old space in early June. Lunchbox serves standard breakfast fare such as bagels, egg sandwiches, pastries imported from Balthazar. If you’re looking for a simple, tasty lunch they offer a variety of creative sandwiches, salads, homemade smoothies, and juices. Lunchbox is owned by couple Tommy Chabrowski & Antonia Kojuharova, who live right above the cafe. Greenpoint Gazette had a chance to talk to the couple about why they wanted to open a spot like Lunchbox.
Antonia Kojuharova said that, due to the lack of food stores that stay open late, she wanted to turn The Lunchbox into a place where Greenpointers can go and get whatever they might need for a last-minute party or gathering.
“I really wanted to sell all the types of potato chips you could ever imagine, really yummy cookies and crackers,” Kojuharova said. “I wanted to do something easy. A place where you can get your party essentials if you’re having people over; you can call us and get great beer and olives and crackers delivered. Forest Natural was always a basic little get-and-go sandwich shop,” she continued. “We wanted The Lunchbox to be a more pleasant place to be than your average deli; a fun, cheap and easy way to go meet your friends for brunch and hang out for an afternoon.”
The couple also plans to have local artists display their work on The Lunchbox walls, on a roughly two-month rotation schedule.
Check out the full listing here: http://www.freewilliamsburg.com/listings/lunchbox
Lunchbox Permalink
Master UK beat architect Gold Panda [ 金大熊猫 ] came out ON HIS BIRTHDAY Monday night to send into blissful oblivion those in attendence at Glasslands. And I dare say, it was one of the tightest, mostly perfectly-crafted sets I’ve seen. Ever. All Essex-accent and smiles after the show, Freewilly caught up ‘Derwin Panda’ and talked til the wee hours. Interview after the jump.
So you started pretty small, making tracks at home on your own. Now you’re working with Ghostly International. What has that change been like?
I still can’t really take it seriously, you know? It feels sorta not real, like it’s all just sorta happening and maybe it’ll kick in later, when I’m all washed up and stuff. I think it’s still pretty early– like Gold Panda is an entity that will someday turn out interesting, except for now it’s just me and my laptop [and slew of electronics].
And yet, you’ve released three EPs and several mixes and 7″s with a full length to be released soon. And on top of that, I read that you have literally thousands of songs on your hard-drive that didn’t make ‘the cut.’ On top of that, you’ve waited to release an LP until you felt like you had something really cohesive, something that had been simmering in your head. Do you think Lucky Shiner fit what you wanted?
I mean, I’m quite happy with what I’ve achieved, but I still don’t think the album in my head has come out yet. I still think albums are really important, ya know? It’s a really weird time in music… and I’m stuck in the middle of how I feel, I guess, because I’m so close to this album now. [Lucky Shiner is released on Ghostly Int'l October 12]
Even though everyone is hungry, when an album comes out as a ‘release’ people still see it as that definitive ALBUM even if they want things quicker and quicker. I feel more confident in an artist when they haven’t done much. It’s harder when fans expect more from them. In the past decade there have been so many reissues of old albums, and a lot of them have like, six or seven bonus tracks included. To me this really ruins the album because these really shouldn’t be there. I mean, there are some great bonus tracks for sure, but loads of them are just crap, and overkill. The label just wants to resell the album and make money from it.
Speaking of labels, what exactly is your Notown Records?
Basically when I release tracks in the UK I do it under my own moniker, Notown, which is a play on Motown. I’ve always had a fascination with like, the whole anti-logo sort of thing. Like in London we’ve got this street where all the tourists go, and they sell a load of fake crap. New York must have that, yeah?
[ I mention Canal St. ] Instead of Adidas its Adihash; then my mate made one that was Nuke instead of Nike. I always wanted to make a fake brand, and if you can do it yourself, in the long run it’s more of a return for you as an artist, so more music gets made.
Another artist I spoke to recently, Baths, mentioned that the hardest part in making this music for him is really in figuring out how to perform it.
Yeah. I find it difficult to play live, really. I feel guilty sometimes that I’m not a band; that I don’t have some special skill to impress people up on stage. At first I started without a laptop, but I realized it really limits you sonically in your performance. I’d like to go back to not needing it, but it would take loads more time and money to set up the show then. I’d prefer really to be down on the same level as the crowd rather than up on the stage… it makes me feel uncomfortable.
People want to see you play live. But it feels a bit not so so intimate sometimes. It’s good to be on tour, but these days a lot of people forget that you need time to make music, and not just fans even but record labels and booking agents, who just think you should be on tour whenever you can. But for me the main thing is writing tracks… I mean if you don’t write tracks how are you gonna perform?
Do you think dance music and drone are finally able to come together?
I think with the internet people have opened up more and are willing to except the blurring of genres. Drone music and dance music, or techno as they say in Europe, or even let’s go far as to say music with a repetition driving it… now they are fitting together. I think the Fuck Buttons pretty much nailed it with their first album.I really hope much more electronic music embraces drone stuff.
Last but not least, what are your impressions of Brooklyn?
The weather’s fucking awful here. It’s so hot I really can’t stand it. Summer stresses me out– I’m really only comfortable in the cold.
[ I poke fun at the moniker 'glo-fi]
Ha, yeah. It reminds me of surfing, which is really the idea of Hell to me. Going to the beach, being out in the hot sun all day– that’s my Hell.
Catch some of Gold Panda‘s autumnal glow in the coming months.
An Interview with Gold Panda Permalink
From Lady Jays to Hachi, it’s hard to keep up with all the openings on Grand Street East. As Zagat Buzz reports, there are going to be a few more:
A branch of Singas Famous Pizza has opened, as evidenced by the rainbow-flagged photo above. The Elmhurst based-chain specializes in personal-sized, thick-crust pizzas (512 Grand St.; 718-782-2100).Just down the block, there’s a sign in window for a forthcoming restaurant called Taj Kabab & Curry (568 Grand St.).
Closer to Graham Avenue, a new bar called LP & Harmony will be opening this week. Expect pool tables, a backyard and open-mic nights (683 Grand St.).
Openings: Kabab & Curry, LP & Harmony and Singas Famous Pizza Permalink
c/o Gothamist
Know how to eat crayfish? Paul Outlaw who co-owns Jen-N-Outlaw’s Fish-Fry truck explained clearly to The New York Times “You rip it open,” he said, demonstrating how to pinch the bottom of the tail to extract a bit of meat. “And then you want to crush the head and suck the brain”. If you live in Bushwick, you’ve surely come across the Fish-Fry Truck which has become the weekend hot spot for Southern Cooking.
The truck opened for business earlier this month, when Bushwick Artist couple Paul Outlaw & Jennifer Catron converted an old box truck into a hydraulic-driven food truck that unfolds into an eating area, complete with a table, benches, and a tow-top. Their menu consists of a crawfish boil, world famous spicy boil with potatoes and corn, catfish po-boy, crispy catfish served with fresh coleslaw, spicy sauce, all on a french loaf, and hand made fried pickles with amazing buttermilk dill dipping sauce.
On Saturdays the truck will be parked around Bogart Street in Bushwick. To find their exact location, follow them on Twitter @jenandoutlaws. In the Fall the truck will move to Manhattan, specifically around the Chelsea galleries. We’re all for Southern goodness in the hood, give them a try before they’re gone!
Jen-N-Outlaw’s Fish-Fry Truck Permalink
We couldn’t be more excited to get a peek at the latest addition to the Williamsburg bar scene. The brains behind Whiskey Town and Whiskey Tavern’s third baby, Whiskey Brooklyn, might not have the most creative name – but if it ain’t broke…
Credit: The Whiskey Brooklyn.
Once an abandoned tonic water factory, Whiskey Brooklyn is housed in an underground brick-walled cellar — the perfect spot to curl up with a tumbler full of belly-warming whiskey as the weather turns cool. We’re also excited about the addition of another U-shaped bar in the ‘burg (“perfect for eye [sexing] across,” Thrillist saliently notes).
The menu is strangely disparate, but delicious-sounding all the same. Will anyone actually attempt to eat the “Bowl O’ Bacon” and the Hostess cupcake with a shot of White Russian all in one sitting? We don’t know, but we’ll be interested to see if the bar installs an automatic defibrillator to revive the ambitious ones.
The space itself is similarly enterprising: Whiskey Brooklyn has a Barcade-esque gaming room… but it attempts to do the Williamsburg landmark one better with a pair of shuffleboard tables. In addition to the stiff stuff, Whiskey Brooklyn will also offer a full bar menu, including the usual assortment of beers, Picklebacks, Spicy Picklebacks (it sounds like what it is) and a variety of whiskey-inspired cocktails.
Stay tuned for a full review of Whiskey Brooklyn next week.
Whiskey Brooklyn, opening Monday. 44 Berry St., on 11th; 718.387.8444
Welcome, Whiskey Brooklyn! Permalink
