Ditch the Menu and Check Out These 5 Special Restaurant Events
Franny’s clam pie
The truth is, restaurants no longer live or die on the strength of their menus alone, even when supplemented by seasonally changing dishes and nightly specials. As part of a non-stop hustle just to stand out, they’re forced to function as event planners of sorts, scheduling a steady stream of themed tastings and meet-the-farmer dinners, in order to get the media’s tongues wagging, and otherwise complacent customers through the door.
So here’s what a handful of Brooklyn’s proactive eateries have on the docket for this month, from The Farm on Adderly’s “History of Garlic” evening, to Asian-Italian Weeknights at Cobble Hill’s Brucie.
The Farm on Adderley: You’ll want to pack a tin of Altoids for The Farm’s 5-course, garlic-focused dinner on Tuesday, May 12th. Led by historic gastronomist, Sarah Lohman, patrons will explore how the once-reviled allium became a beloved mainstay in American cooking.
Brucie: Since there’s little chance of topping their notorious Kim and Kanye V-Day dinner, Brucie has devised a more sustainable method to draw increased interest during the week: an Asian-Italian pop-up menu, featuring wontons, arancini, chicken tikka masala, and spicy peanut noodles.
Five Leaves: As if it wasn’t tough enough to snag a table during brunch, Five Leaves is hosting LA Chapter chef, Ricky Webster, this Sunday, for a special pastry pop-up—think Valrhona chocolate zucchini muffins, brussels sprout danishes with white cheddar crumbles, guava pine danishes with mascarpone cheese filling, and pecan and roasted cauliflower aged gouda scones.
Franny’s: As part of an ongoing “Cellar Series,” Franny’s is featuring Punta Crena wines paired with chef Johnathan Adler’s best new spring dishes, during an intimate gathering on Thursday, May 7th.
Owl’s Head: The Bay Ridge bar is welcoming spring (and the release of the season’s first rosé), with a May Day bacchanalia on Thursday, April 30th. In addition to imbibing unlimited tastings of blush wine (as well as sips from a wooden, gravity-fed cask of Thornbridge ‘Kipling’ golden blond beer), celebrants will get to dance around a maypole, take part in a unisex May Queen contest, and (hopefully) enjoy a still-unconfirmed performance by Minotaur Man.
