DOWN THE HATCH
First look at Blue Point’s basement brewpub
COURIER L 54 IFE, AUG. 23-29, 2019
The best reads
— handpicked by
some of the best
Bklyn bookstores
Greenlight Bookstore’s pick:
“Life of the Party,” by Olivia Gatwood
I devoured this collection of
n one
with
ken
orse,
poems by Olivia Gatwood in one
giant gulp. I am familiar with
Gatwood’s work from her spoken
word performances, but performance
poets’ work rarely translates
to the page. It is clear to me,
s
s
however, that Gatwood takes
craft seriously, and these poems
hold up. This collection has
been discussed as a poet’s take
on true crime, but I think it
is more of a reflection on
what happens when a girl
consumes and internalizes the hundreds of
stories about violent death dealt to t young girls il at t the th hands h d of
f
men. Gatwood’s obsession with (and, evidently, fear of) death
seeps into every poem. I appreciated that she makes explicit
the prejudice that allows missing girls to be on the cover of
a magazine (white, often blonde girls), while others are forgotten
or even blamed for their death (women of color, trans
women, indigenous women). This book feels like the shadow
side of the teenage coming-of-age story; behind the clumsy,
sensual, confusing, and obsessive nature of girlhood is fear.
— Lucy Hayes, Greenlight Bookstore 686 Fulton St.
between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue in Fort
Greene, (718) 246–0200, www.greenlightbookstore.com .
Community Bookstore’s pick:
“Ghosts of Birds,” by Eliot Weinberger
In this collection of essays,
says,Eliot
ultito
short fiction, and poetry, Eliot
Weinberger extends his multigenerational
literary project to
of
nt
a
o
.
encompass the creation myths India and China, Old Testament
apocrypha, Gaelic legend, journey down the Colorado
river, and a history of dreams.
It is a polymath’s erudite reverie,
and a joy to read.
— Samuel Partal,
Community Bookstore
43 Seventh Ave. between
Carroll Street and Garfield Place
lace
in Park Slope, (718) 783–3075,75, www. commu nityb
nityset
ookst ore.net .
Word’s picks: “Disoriental,” by Négar
Djavadi, translated by Tina Kover
A coming-of-age story set
tical
oves
me
her
s a
nd
e
e
y
against a backdrop of political
resistance, “Disoriental” moves
forward and backward in time
as the protagonist reflects on her
life in Iran and Paris. There is a
lot going on in this book, and
at times I wondered where the
author was taking me, but the
evocative writing and twisty
structure eventually swept
me up and left me feeling
unsettled and changed in the
best of ways.
— Amanda Toronto,
on Street in
wwwwordbookstores com
Word 126 Franklin St. at Milton in
Greenpoint, (718) 383–0096, www.wordbookstores.com .
SBy Kevin Duggan omething new is brewing
below Dumbo.
A Long Island beer company
plans to open its first satellite
brewpub this fall in Brooklyn,
and this paper got a peek and a
taste of what’s to come. Blue Point
Brewing’s pint-sized basement
space, dubbed the Hull, will serve
Brooklynites seafood and suds
when it opens on Oct. 17, with a
lineup of unique beers brewed right
on site, according to its manager.
“It’s really a space for our brewers
to unleash their creativity,” said
Chris Chou-Messina.
The watering hole — which
this paper first reported on in May
— sits in a high-ceiling basement
beneath the Water Street seafood
joint Seamore’s. Brewmaster Rob
Capitelli will use the four fermentation
tanks tucked in the back of
the space to craft up to eight unique
brews each month, served fresh
from the bar’s 12 taps.
Capitelli plans to use the space
to experiment with new techniques,
and to add some innovative additions
to the company’s roster of
lagers and ales.
“You should expect some different
styles, new ingredients and
processes,” he said.
The food menu will feature
seafood-centric chow that will be
dished up by cooks at Seamore’s,
including tuna poke, an oystertopped
bacon cheeseburger, and
parmesan and crab baked oysters.
The below sea level venue will
seat about 54 people at its bar,
Work in progress: The Hull’s general manager Chris Chou-Messina gave a tour of the
under-construction brewpub on Aug. 15. Photo by Caroline Ourso
around its communal tables, and
at series of small tables that will
fold up into the wall. A small
stage will host small-scale musical
performances, talks, live podcasts
recordings, and possibly an open
mic night, according to Chou-
Messina.
The mid-19th century red brick
building has a storied past of manufacturing
goods such as sugar,
coffee, and even insect powder,
according to Nallelli Guillen, a historian
with the Brooklyn Historical
Society. More recently, a burlesque
group operated out of the space, as
part of the now-shuttered bar the
Bridges.
The tavern was originally supposed
to open this month, but was
delayed due to the difficulty of
getting the tanks into the space,
according to Chou-Messina.
“We had a little bit of a delay,
we wanted to make sure we were
getting everything right,” she said.
The brewers hope to collaborate
with other Kings County beeristas,
and to offer brewing classes to
curious locals. The hops honcho
said she wants to take inspiration
from as many places as possible.
“My goal is to source ideas from
everywhere,” said Chou-Messina.
The Hull (66 Water St., between
Dock and Main streets in Dumbo,
www.bluepointbrewing.com).
Opening on Oct. 17.
By Aidan Graham Come and get it!
Park Slope grub-lovers
looking for deals on local
dishes are in luck! The two-week
foodie event “Dine in Park Slope”
kicked off earlier this week, offering
special prices and happy hour deals
at more than 50 spots in the Slope.
The is the second year for the local
dining extravaganza, which started
last year as a Slope-specific alternative
to New York City Restaurant
Week, the citywide eatery promotion
that features 400 restaurants — but
only nine of them in Brooklyn.
Some of the participating restaurants
will entice dinners with free
booze, including Pizza Plus (359
Seventh Ave. between 10th and 11th
streets, www.pizzaplusmenu.com),
which will offer its patrons a free
glass of beer or wine with the purchase
of any entree.
Several spots are using the promotional
event, which runs through
Aug. 30, to feature a fixed menu at a
reduced price, including SottoVoce,
(225 Seventh Ave. at Fourth Street,
www.sottovocerestaurant.com),
which will offer a four-course Italian
meal for $29. Others are simply
slashing prices across the board,
such as Dickey’s Barbecue Pit (196
Flatbush Ave. between Dean and
Bergen Streets, www.dickeys.com),
which has taken 20 percent off the
price of the entire menu.
The event is sponsored by the
Fifth Ave. Business Improvement
District, the North Flatbush Business
Improvement District, the Park Slope
Chamber of Commerce, and the Park
Slope Civic Council.
Dine in Park Slope; at various
locations in Park Slope (see map of
participating restaurants and deals at
www.parkslopefifthavenuebid.com/
dine-in-park-slope ). Daily through
Aug. 30.
Try Park plates!
Eat up: Diners at SottoVoce can enjoy a
four-course meal for $29 as part of the
Dine in Park Slope program, which lasts
through Aug. 30. Greg Mango
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