My first encounter with natural wine was not a happy one. It was about ten years ago, when one of my colleagues finally saved enough money to buy a house in New Jersey. Having grown up in cramped apartments all over Manhattan, he was now giddy with extra real estate. He had a decent sized bucolic backyard, and a cool and damp basement, so decided to pursue a hobby befitting a country gentleman—the art of wine making.

We heard about his progress throughout that year: “I found a book on making natural wine… I ordered a personal-sized oak barrel from California… I started the fermentation process… I’m aging the bottles on an Ikea rack….” One day, a bottle mysteriously appeared on my desk. It had edgy kidnapper-style black and bold lettering on rustic brown craft paper. The cork was dutifully sealed with a wad of drippy red wax. I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to try it with dinner.

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MarieBelle
484 Broome Street
New York, New York 10013
(212) 925-6999
www.mariebelle.com

It’s a humid day in North Brooklyn and Maribel Lieberman has on a pretty vintage dress adorned with an elaborate diamond pin at the waist. Even on a day when she’s working on candy molds in her Greenpoint factory, she’s dressed like she’s ready to attend a cocktail party at the drop of a hat.

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By Lisette Johnson

There’s a handful of celebrated brew houses across the country where customers can buy refillable growlers of their favorite tap beer. There’s the Trinity Brewhouse in Providence, RI; Austin, TX is home to the NXNW Restaurant and Brewery; even South Carolina has the Charleston Beer Exchange. And now, right here in Williamsburg, beer snobs and beer geeks alike can snag a refillable growler at the famous Duane Reade brewery. Duane Reade?

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Just two years ago, restaurant owners were telling me they were revamping their menus to include more vegan dishes, because they were sure Williamsburg was going vegan. But that was so five minutes ago…

This spring, Williamsburg is smokin’. First came Pies & Thighs, frying up southern fried chicken and smoking up beef briskets; now there’s Fatty ‘Cue, smoking whole pig, duck, clams, lambs, and Lord knows what else…meanwhile Fette Sau on Metropolitan Avenue is still going strong, selling smoked pork cheeks by the barrel.

I guess it make sense that Williamsburg should be a carnivore’s paradise; after all, who else but twenty-somethings can chow down on fatty pig and grease-laden duck with such abandonment? Certainly not the Lipitor generation. Maybe that’s why Chef Zak Pelaccio (West Village’s Fatty Crabs) and pit master Robbie Richter (Chelsea’s Hill Country) have invested in not just one, but two, big Ole Hickory smokers for their 60-seat restaurant (100 if you count the backyard). They’re expecting company. They want to take barbequing to new heights by combining Southeast Asian flavors and techniques with traditional American BBQ know-how. Richter has been competing in various barbeque fairs around the country for several years and has brought his considerable experience and expertise to this venture.

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1015 Manhattan Ave
(718) 569-0077
Mon-Thurs 8am-10pm /
Fri-Sat to 11pm/12am
Mon night closed
www.cafecitobogota.com

By Mary Yeung & Photos by Eric Ryan Anderson

Greenpoint doesn’t have many Latino restaurants, but a few good ones can be found on the downhill stretch of Manhattan Avenue heading toward Long Island City. Cafecito Bogotá, opened by brothers Oscar and Freddie Varela, has been open for three years, faithfully serving authentic Colombian fare. It’s an intimate café, a warm place to grab a bowl of thick soup, linger over a glass of wine or a cup of café con leche while being an audience to a poetry reading or various activities which they host.

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