Neighborhood Watch

Food Trucks Coming to Battery Park City; Boozy Kombucha in Astoria

Astoria: Queens Kickshaw is now selling “kombucha ale” from Beyond Kombucha, an Astoria-based brewery with the distinction of being the only federal- and state-licensed alcohol-positive kombucha brewery on the East Coast. Beyond’s first high-alcohol brew, Mava Roka, will be presented to the public at Queens Kickshaw on December 15, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Samples and the brewmasters will be on hand. [Grub Street]
Battery Park City: Downtown residents and workers may soon have plenty of food-truck grub to tide them over until the World Financial Center’s food court arrives. The WFC’s owner, Brookfield Properties, is working with the New York City Food Truck Association to bring a rotating band of food trucks (reportedly five per day) to the site. Trucks would be stationed at North End Avenue near 4 WFC from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Among the popular trucks likely to make appearances are Frites ‘N Meats, Wafels & Dinges, Mexicue, and Frying Dutchmen. [DNA Info]
Hell’s Kitchen: A three-level Latin music and culture club is coming to the far west side sometime in the next two years, aiming for a neighborhood impact similar to the Copacabana Supper Club in its sixties heyday. The local community board approved an application for La Boom to open near Twelfth Avenue and 48th Street, featuring a dance floor, performance space for Latin concerts, restaurant and bar, and covered rooftop lounge. The venue will fit approximately 600 people. Two shuttles will pick up and drop off patrons at nearby subway stations, quashing any excuse to hold back on the dance floor. [DNA Info]

Lower East Side: Dora, the coffee shop at 221 East Broadway that came under new ownership three months ago, has been renamed Pushcart Coffee. Its owners are a civic-minded bunch: Wall photos and a community bulletin board celebrate the history and vitality of the neighborhood, and its soups, sandwiches, and baked goods come from local producers and the Union Square Greenmarket. [Lo-Down]
Barramundi has just the thing for the start of your week (or to recover from a long holiday weekend): Barramundays. Every Monday, the neighborhood bar will pair cheese from Saxelby Cheesemongers with a showcase of wines offered at discounted rates ($8 a glass for wines that usually go for $12 to $16). A D.J. spinning under the mounted deer’s head — where else? — will ensure the atmosphere stays relaxed and informal. [Grub Street]
Scott’s Pizza Tours will meander to three local shops during a vegan pizza tour on Saturday. The $35 ticket is good for ‘za at each stop on the tour, beginning at the new Forcella on Bowery at 11:45 a.m. and ending around 2:30 p.m. [Diner’s Journal/NYT]
Midtown: While supplies last, Zaro’s Bread Basket in Grand Central Terminal is selling apple turnovers for 99 cents each throughout the weekend. [Midtown Lunch]
Chefs at the kosher steakhouse Prime Grill will celebrate the latke while they celebrate Hanukkah. Throughout the holiday, the restaurant will offer a brisket sandwich on potato and scallion latkes with horseradish aïoli. Sister restaurant Prime KO, meanwhile, will serve a green apple latke with apple cinnamon sauce. [Grub Street]
According to Eater NY, Mamá Mexico’s 49th Street location has closed, with its contents already being lugged out. [Eater NY]
Nolita: Though winter’s bitter chill hasn’t arrived quite yet, it’s never too early to yearn for spring. Openhouse Gallery has done the unthinkable and made spring a reality with Park Here, an indoor “pop-up park” at 201 Mulberry Street that runs through February 15. Stop by to plant yourself on a park bench and take in the 75-degree air, flowers, fountain — the whole shebang. Even better, the Openhouse folks are bringing in food vendors to sweeten the experience. Among the vendors putting in appearances are the Jam Stand, YaYa Tea Garden, Lizzmonade, Macaron Parlour, and many others. [Grub Street]
Tribeca: Wine shop Maslow 6 will hold its monthly event in the “Sommelier Series” this Sunday, December 11. Chris Baggetta, the head sommelier at Eleven Madison Park, will lead participants through the blind tasting method practiced by the Court of Master Sommeliers. The tasting will take place at the shop’s 211b West Broadway location from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person. [Grub Street]
Union Square: The Soft Serve Fruit Co. is offering a dollar discount on hot chocolate for the entire month of December, bringing a cup of the good stuff down to only $3. Get it while it’s, you know, hot. [Grub Street]
Williamsburg: Walden will begin offering a small brunch menu this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. [Grub Street]
German food and shopping. Both can be had this weekend and next at Lorely Williamsburg’s First Annual Christmas Market. The Market will serve German dishes and sausages along with two mulled wines (a traditional red and a white wine made with rum-soaked raisins and almonds). In addition to local apparel vendors like Lunacy Design and Persuede, food faves like Kumquat Cupcakery and Spoonable (caramel sauces) will also be in attendance. Market hours run from noon to 5 p.m., December 10, 11, 17, and 18. [Grub Street]

Food Trucks Coming to Battery Park City; Boozy Kombucha in Astoria