When I stopped into Black Betty last night around 8:30pm, there was an eerie sense of calm and night-like-every-other-nightliness in the air. The kitchen was smoky, the waitresses conferring about honoring reservations, and the tables populated, but not overly cluttered. It was hard to believe this place that embodied so much of Williamsburg’s spirit would never again open its doors.
Grandma Rose’s Menu Revealed
John Ricco, owner of Grandma Rose’s — a brand spankin’ new pizza and homecooking joint at the corner of Graham and Meeker set to open on June 17 — sent the WG an advance copy of their menu today, and it’s more clear than ever that it’s a godsend for Graham area residents looking for good, cheap eats.
Ricco has populated the extensive menu with everything from philly cheesesteaks ($7), to homemade soup like “pasta fazool” ($4.50). (“Yes, I spell it like I say it,” Ricco notes.) Among Grandma Rose’s most affordable offerings are the “Recession Specials”: $4 for two slices and a small fountain soda, $5 for a cheeseburger, french fries and a Coke. What is it 1992?!
The Renegade Craft Fair Shortlist
The Renegade Craft Fair is back in town this weekend, Sat & Sun, 11am-7pm. Walk the perimeter of McCarren Park and wade through mountains of reconstructed vintage goodies, letterpressed notecards, handsewn stuffed toys, and oversized buttons. It takes a lot of browsing fortitude to make it around to every booth (over 200), even in the gorgeous, 75-degrees-and-sunny weather predicted for the weekend. Since it’s easy to come down with Craft Sensory Overload, we highlight a few of our favorite Renegade booths. Read about them after the jump.
Erica Weiner Jewelry: A staple on the craft fair circuit, this New York-based jewelry line features vintage-inspired trinkets like silver necklace charms in the shape of letterpress blocks, and antique name bracelets that will brand you as a Phyllis, a Shirley, or a Dorothy.
Mat Daly: Walking around the fair, it seems like everyone and their mom knows how to screenprint, but no one can mimic the intricacy and finesse of Mat Daly’s work. His prints, all masterful technical feats, are expressions of nature in warped geometric forms. Daly is based in Chicago, so save on shipping and pick up his prints while he’s in town.
Grandma Rose’s Barely Ever Closes
When I saw the pizza ovens in the window and the sign saying “Grandma Rose’s,” I let out a yelp of joy. We’re going to have to rename Graham Avenue Pizzeria Row. John Ricco, the man bringing us Rose’s, hopes to open in about three weeks. And he plans to stay open late. Rose’s won’t close until 11pm Monday through Wednesday, 1am on Thursdays, and until the just-pre-dawn hour of 5am on Friday and Saturday nights — a godsend for those off the Graham L stop who have ever been plagued with post-party hunger.
Ricco, who has lived in Williamsburg all his life, decided to open up Grandma Rose’s in the space formerly housing the law firm of Crudo Crudo & Russo, after leaving his position as a stock broker at Bear Stearns in 2008.
Pigments of the Imagination, an interview with Guerra Paint & Pigment
Stacey Brook interviews the owners of Guerra Paint & Pigment about the business of teaching artists how to customize their own colors
When longtime Williamsburg residents Art Guerra, Seren Morey, and Jody Bretnall talk about paint, they don’t talk in standard shades of color, they talk in cultural references. Pigment PY24, also known as Flaventhrone, isn’t an off-white, it’s the pigment responsible for the cream-colored Buicks of the 1970s. Perylene Green Black (PBLK31) isn’t a dark green, it’s the hue used to paint stealth bombers, which incidentally, is “the most expensive pigment in existence,” says Guerra. When giving the WG a demo on mixing Guerra Paint’s pure and potent pigments into a white base to make the high caliber, endlessly customizable paint the shop is known for, Bretnall doesn’t make a red, he makes PR170. “The Original Ferrari Red.”