How do we get a private tasting? via GQ:

That’s why we turned to our friends at Roberta’s, in Bushwick, Brooklyn, a pizzeria-cum-culinary-empire whose bold tasting menu recently caused former New York Times restaurant critic Sam Sifton to tweet, simply: “Am rarely speechless. But #robertas #bklyn.” The guys who run the place are whip-smart and wild-eyed, such hard partiers that a night out with them is equal to three nights out with average men. And so they set about designing a threecourse, two-cocktail weed tasting menu that would leave us stoned and sated. We were still high twenty-four hours after eating it [...]

Pizza Course
Margherita: marijuananara sauce, buffalo mozzarella, “oregano”

Pot pesto: ricotta, prosciutto cotto, hemp-seed dough

(Most stoners have to smoke their weed and then eat their pizza. But not me.)

Dessert
Parsley cake made with weed butter, topped with a weed-brittle sheet; green-strawberryrhubarb gelato with weed cream

(My scrawled notes read “This needz 2 happen allo the time.”)

More information about Roberta’s here.

Extra Fancy (c/o Grub Street)

via Paper:

Despite the name, the handsome boys behind new Williamsburg seafood and cocktails spot Extra Fancy aren’t wearing bow ties or suspenders or shiny shoes. They’re just kicking ass making good drinks, pouring rad beers and endearing themselves to the neighborhood. It’s a quiet spot now, but once people figure out it’s there, it’s sure to be overrun with pretty hipsters, cocktail fiends, and late night degenerates looking for something fried (fancily, of course).

For more information, visit our listings.

Catskills Photography's flickr

Brace yourselves: it’s going to be 96 degrees in Brooklyn tomorrow and Thursday. The city has even put a “heat advisory” into affect until 8 p.m. Thursday night. Here are some things to do in the area to stay cool, excluding the city’s “cooling centers,” whatever those are.

1. Go to the movies.

Northside Film Festival is going on right now with screenings at Nitehawk Cinema (136 Metropolitan Ave.), IndieScreen (289 Kent Ave.), and Union Docs (322 Union Ave.).  Nitehawk, which is celebrating its anniversary this weekend, is also screening Prometheus.

2. Eat something cold.

If your whole body can’t be cold, your mouth might as well be. Check out Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory (97 Commercial St.), Momofuku Milk Bar (382 Metropolitan Ave.), or ices – not soup – from Sapienza’s Fire N Ice (359 Bedford Ave.).

3. Get in the water.

While the big return of the McCarren Park Pool doesn’t happen until next week, the lesser known Metropolitan Rec Center pool is open as usual (261 Bedford Ave).

4. Get on the water.

Purchase a $4 ticket and enjoy the nice sea breeze from the deck of the East River Ferry. Make sure to check the ferry’s website though for service alerts like this one.

Via Eater:

After just six months in business, Basque newcomer Mercado on Kent has closed, with plans to reopen with a new concept later this fall. A tipster spotted this sign in the window of the restaurant over the weekend, which explains the move. Their OpenTable account has been deactivated, and no one’s picking up the phone.

It’s still a couple weeks away, but we’re of course very excited about this event on the Williamsburg waterfront. Organizers promise at least 150 Summer and craft beers from 75 brewers, food and live music. In short, it will be beer nerd heaven:

From the established craft brewers to the mid-majors and up-and comers, the diversity and creativity of the Craft and Specialty Brewing Community has proven to be limitless. For our Grand Tasting, we will be featuring an extensive variety of these artisanal creations from the worlds Top Breweries. Participating breweries from across the country are each expected to showcase 2 to 4 of their finest offerings with a strong emphasis on their Limited Release and Seasonal selections. Taste the flavors of the Summer season in liquid form.

Hours

Session I
VIP/Connoisseurs: 12:30 PM – 4:00 PM
General Admission: 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM

Session II
VIP/Connoisseurs: 6:00 PM – 9:30 PM
General Admission: 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM

For tickets, visit http://bkbeerfest.com/tickets.

This looks way more interesting than GoogaMooga.

Bon Appetit Grub Crawl will take you on a hands-on, interactive food tour at ground zero of the artisanal-food universe. In true Brooklyn form, you’ll experience food and drink up-close, hang with the chefs, get your hands dirty, roll up your sleeves, and peek in the kitchen in the back, as opposed to just being served in the front. And if that’s not enough, on Saturday it culminates in can’t-miss music performances.

FRIDAY: Carroll Gardens
Clover Club, Frankies/Prime Meats, Seersucker, Treats Truck

SATURDAY: Williamsburg
Meatball Shop, Maison Premiere, Allswell, Brooklyn Winery, Rye, music at the Knitting Factory

SUNDAY: Red Hook
Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Fort Defiance, The Good Fork, Mile End, Sunny’s

Belvedere Vodka Lemon Tea will served be at each stop. Tickets can be purchased here.

via Grubstreet

Monday evening the fiance and I braved the rain for a much anticipated night cap at Greenpoint’s newest bar, Beloved.  I had already read a number of great reviews and am happy to report that every word was true.

We stepped into Beloved and found a couple seats at the end of bar.  The crowd was a little sparse around 9pm but started filling up as the next couple of hours passed.  The bar is beautiful – well designed and offering ample seating as well as a yard in the back.  The environment was comfortable and laid back and the bartender genuinely nice and personable.

I ordered that evening’s drink special – not sure what it was called but it consisted of a honey syrup, lime juice, and bourbon shaken together with blueberries.  It was, in my humble opinion, perfect.  The drink was not overly sweet, balanced by the lime juice and the smokey bourbon.  I also appreciated the perfectly ripe blueberries that garnished the drink as well as the very reasonable $8 price tag.  The fiance ordered the Allsorts Inc, consisting of tequila, mezcal, and an assortment of ingredients that we had to ask the bartender about, like Falernum.  The result was a delicious multilayered drink that had “a lot going on (but in a good way)” that the fiance thoroughly enjoyed.

All cocktails on the menu are $10.  All draft beers are $6 and cans of Tecate are an easy $3.  Beloved is located at 674 Manhattan Ave in Greenpoint, close to the intersection of Manhattan and Norman Ave.

With two other locations, Bay Ridge and Staten Island, you just KNOW this place is gonna be exquisite. Probably as good as Sea! Just ask Valerie De Lhomme:

[via]

Any news on when/where/if they are reopening?

image via Yelp

From the mailbag

Serving up Lobster rolls, Hamburgers, Fish & Chips, Full Raw bar, Full Liquor and much more. Justin Ernsberger (former Executive Chef, Walter Foods & Mermaid Inn; consultant at Lure Fish Bar) and Thomas Chabrowski (owner of Lunchbox and The Mark Bar) Bring you Lobster Joint.

Lobster Joint is dedicated to serving great seafood in a casual atmosphere. Lobster Joint’s menu features classic New England-style comfort food, as well as other traditional international seafood offerings. Our menu specials rotate based upon supply, emphasizing freshness, quality and seasonality. Our cocktail list utilizes simple, quality ingredients that would be typically found in any seafood shack, and our service style is based on traditional window service found at many seaside seafood restaurants. Additionally, we offer bar/counter service for fast and casual dining and cocktails. Lobster Joint is open until 2am for late-night dining!

More information here.