you meat eaters sure love weird food

Not to overdo it on Ikea coverage this week, but here’s a very enticing reason to overdo it at Ikea tomorrow: the Swedish emporium of stuff white people like hosts a kräftskiva, an all-you-can-eat crayfish party at  only $9.99 per person and $2.49 for kids under 12 (it’s limited seating so purchase advance tickets). Plus, did you know kids eat free at Ikea through Sunday? And, in case you’re still unsure of what to expect at a furniture store doubling as a cafeteria, Gothamist runs down Ikea’s under-appreciated culinary delights. For instance, every Wednesday is Rib Night, offering a half rack of baby back ribs, fries and cornbread for just $7.99. Don’t get sauce on your Boliden.

Photo by Ultraclay.

B61
187 Columbia St. at Degraw St., Red Hook

What it is: An easy-going prelude to dinner upstairs, or post-lude to a hard day’s work.

Why we love it: It’s definitely a bit secluded, but the views through the enormous windows make you feel connected to Manhattan, and the regulars at the bar make B61 as a whole feel like a microcosmic Brooklyn.

Who to bring: A friend who knows their way around Red Hook if you haven’t spent much time there yourself, and if you have, then bring yourself. In fact, either way it’s probably best to bring yourself.

What to order: Any of the 12 beers on tap, which begin at $4 and run the full microbrew gamut. Rumor has it that you might also be able to snag a few free tamales if you’re around when Alma closes upstairs.

B61 Fun Fact: B61 bartender Jamie recently made news when he challenged Susan Sarandon to a table tennis game in order to raise money for a new set of teeth (after losing his in a car accident).

This here Oppdal bed is big news.

If you’ve been putting off a trip to Ikea for Billy bookshelves, this weekend they come with gratis gravlax. Yep, if you spend $100 or more, you get to eat in the cafe for free — so says the Ikea web site. BTW, the new 2012 Ikea catalog just came out, and if you can’t wait to find out what Torva, Tived, Isala and Oppdal (left) refer to, here’s a link.

Red Hook, a neighborhood lost in time. Photos by Meghan Doherty.

It’s been a bit overcast, but Sunday is going to be sunny and eighty-motha-flippin-two degrees: What a perfect time to go on a bike ride together, for real this time. We’re going to a place where no subway dares to go, where only a bus (that takes forever), fisherman and cheap-furniture lovers venture. Sunday at 11am, come join me and the Brokelyn crew for a wonderful breezy bike ride to Red Hook. Never been? Here’s your chance! No money? Us too! Even if you’re saving the ride for a later date, check out our second installment of Brokelyn Bike Tour: Sunny, splashy Red Hook.

Things in your backpack: Water, swim suit, towel, $20
Round-trip distance: 7.46 miles
Difficulty rating: Easy (the map)

Biking is more fun with friends! Join the Brokelyn Bike Crew on Sunday, June 25 at 11am. We’ll meet at the gazebo on the west side of the Grand Army Plaza entrance (near Prospect Park West) to Prospect Park. I will have some Brokelyn gear. So I know how many cats to plan on, leave a comment below to RSVP!

The famous food trucks

FIRST STOP: FOOD
Red Hook Ball Fields
Bay St btw Henry and Court (near mile marker 5 on the map)

YES! I know a lot of people have been here, but I know more people who haven’t yet. It’s a hub of amazing Central American food, where everything is under $10, with platters ranging from $5-$8. You can’t beat pupusas for $2.50, and my favorite Mexican-style corn on the cob for only $2. You just have to go. Have a foodgasm.
COST: $4.50 for me. $10 if you’re hungry.

Wait a half hour after eating, then go across to the street to…

SECOND STOP: ACTIVITY
The Red Hook Pool
Bay St between Henry and Court (near mile marker 5 on the map)

SECOND (ALT) STOP: COOL SHIT
A circus, and Baked
290 Conover St at Pier 44 then
359 Van Brunt Street

Apologies about the pool y’all. Turns out they open on June 29 (thank you, Sarah, for the heads up); which is absurdly late. Instead, you guys wanna go to a circus? On a showboat, no less? At the Waterfront Museum they have Circusundays. I chatted with them today, and they assured me it’s going to be a very sophisticated show this weekend, with a flat-wire walker, comedy, puppets and an aerial act. How many times do you get to go to the circus? And for only $10? It might be cutting into our Miller Lite fund, but afterward we can head over to Baked and get a chocolate marshmallow for only fifty cents! Sorry, Steve’s Key Lime Pies. You were the obvious choice.
Cost: $10.50

THIRD STOP: DRANKS
Bait & Tackle
320 Van Brunt Street at Pioneer St (btw mile marker 3 and 4 on the map)

Yes, this is the place that Anthony Bourdain went to when he checked out Red Hook. Not too groundbreaking, sorry about that. But with $3-$6 beers, I’m going to stretch the last of that $20 out for you. Also, if you’re lucky, they’re still rocking the $2 Miller Lite. You’ll have enough money in your pocket to enjoy a few beers with enough money to tip.
COST: $3-$15

THIRD STOP: DRANKS (remix version)
Sunny’s
253 Conover Street btw Reed and Beard

I really really wanted to fit Sunny’s in, but it’s only open three days a week, and opens at 8pm. So, if you decide to rock the bike ride another day, with a friend or perhaps a date, please go to Sunny’s. It’s a great dive, with live music, and cheap beers. If it wasn’t supposed to rain on Saturday, I would treat you to some Sunny’s love. Next time.

Shortly afterward, this spidey balloon fell 5 stories and hit an onlooker.

FOURTH STOP: VIEW
Piers
End of Van Brunt (near mile marker 4 on the map)

When visiting Red Hook, you have the check out the view from the piers. Simply, bike from the bar, down Van Brunt St to the very end. You can go down Beard and check out the longer pier at Columbia. It’s lovely, great at sunset, and you can buy some cheap cheese and olives from Fairway on your way home.
Cost: free!

Don’t forget! You can join the first-ever official Brokelyn Bike Tour this Sunday, June 25 at 11am starting at the Grand Army Plaza entrance to Prospect Park.

Follow Meghan: @mdoherty04

A happy Erie Basin Parkgoer. Photo by Timothy Krause.

For no reason in particular, it’s double-shot-of-Ikea Friday! Even if tonight’s lingonberry meatballs aren’t your thing, you have all summer and beyond to explore Ikea’s adjacent Erie Basin Park, as it’s officially called, one of the most underutilized outdoor spaces in Brooklyn. We discovered it recently, and now no trip for particleboard shelves is complete without at least an hour lolling amid the reedy something-or-other grasses or taking a round-trip cruise on the (hello! free on weekends!) Ikea water taxi. If you haven’t noticed that the blue corrugated mega-box is surrounded by picturesque parkstuffs, click the pic below to see a wondrous photo collection by Broketographer Timothy Krause. Thanks Tim!

More happy, and extremely cute, parkgoers at Ikea Erie Basin Park. Photo by Timothy Krause.

Don't be a loner/rebel. Bike over to free Red Hook movies with a friend this summer!

Have you loaded up your summer calendar with all these rad happenings listed on our free summer events page yet? There’s already loads of free music and movies, but here’s another big one to keep an eye on: the Red Hook Summer Film Series last night released its schedule of free outdoor movies, which start July 12 and include such family popcorn favorites as The Karate Kid (Macchio version, of course), The Iron Giant, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure and … Highlander. Popcorn is available for $1 a bag and other local food vendors will be at the waterfront site. See the full schedule and details below.

Seating for the Red Hook Summer Film Series begins at 8pm and the movies start at 8:30pm, every Tuesday from July 12 through Sept. 13, at Valentino Pier in Red Hook.

July 12: Men in Black

July 19: Bring it On

July 26: Lords of Dogtown

August 2: Wall-E

August 9: The Karate Kid (1984)

August 16: The Fast and the Furious (2001)

August 23: The Iron Giant

August 30: Pump Up the Volume

September 6: Highlander

September 13: Red Hook’s Choice: Pee Wee’s Big Adventure

In case of rain, movies will be shown at Fort Defiance, located at the corner Dikeman and Van Brunt streets. Check the film series site for a rain call by 6pm each day.

Liberty Sunset Garden Center, photo by Marie Viljoen.

If you’re anything like us, you’ve got the gardening bug BAD this year, and here’s a little good news/bad news for all you would-be green thumbs: the beloved Liberty Sunset Garden Center in Red Hook is having a massive going-out-of- business-sale and we hear that just about everything is half off. Our friend and occasional contributor Marie Viljoen from 66SquareFeet blog has the full story and some glorious photos: She found “figs, citrus, roses, blackberries, more raspberries, kiwi vines, many hardy trees, like magnolias, birches and maples, and a lot else besides.” Bring cash, and be prepared to wait. Here’s more from Marie, including the coordinates.

BROOKLYN ICE HOUSE
318 Van Brunt St. between Pioneer & King, Red Hook

What is it: This Red Hook staple is a neon-lit beacon of hope on an otherwise “where the f am I?” stretch of Van Brunt Street.

Why we love it: It’s the answer to the question people are always asking: “what there is to do in Red Hook? Plus, cheap beer, pulled pork and a spacious backyard to chill out.

Who to bring: What might look like a strictly neighborhood dive, is in fact, a well-cared-for and tended establishment with a come-one-come-all atmosphere fit for locals and out-of-neighborhooders alike; Anyone with wheels (getting out to Red Hook can be tough!) or a beer connoisseur.

What to order: Two pulled pork sandwiches for $5 and onion rings. Absolutely delicious.

Ice House fun fact: The bar has 60-plus beers, categorized by country for your convenience, and minus the pretension.

ROCKY SULLIVAN’S
www.rockysullivans.com
34 Van Dyke St at Dwight St, Red Hook

What it is: Authentically Irish, this pub serves as the perfect place to escape after spending too much money at Fairway.
Why we love it: Everyone who works there is awesome, and let’s be honest: we’ve been dreaming of their roof deck since Thanksgiving.
Who to bring: People with bikes, a friend who really needs a new bedspread from Ikea, or a quiz master (trivia every Thursday).
What to order: With Sixpoint housed right next door, you’ll get to enjoy their freshest and best brews at Rocky’s. And over the summer, enjoy their roof deck munching on lobsters from Red Hook Lobster Pound.
Rocky Sullivan’s fun fact: Rocky Sullivan’s was started in 1996 by Irish musician Chris Byrne (from Black 47) and journalist Patrick Farrelly (from Michael Moore’s TV Nation). The original location was in Manhattan.