July 16, 2010
The Good Batch is a Brooklyn based bakery that has brought a favorite treat from the Netherlands to New York. Stroopwafels are a waffle cookie sandwich filled with delicious caramel that in Dutch translates to syrup waffle. Good Batch owner Anna Gordon was so taken with this Dutch treat that she concocted her own recipe which is now available at Provisions. Other Good Batch products we have now are Honey Bears (a delicious peanut, oat, and honey cookie) and Chocolate Stroopwafels. The label states “for extra enjoyment, rest atop your favorite steaming beverage to activate caramel goodness”, despite the heat how could you resist activating caramel goodness!
Stop by a pick up a bag for yourself or to help comfort your Dutch friends still reeling from the World Cup.
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Posted by greenegrocery
July 8, 2010
Shmaltz Brewing Company are a New York based brewery that makes both Coney Island and He’Brew Beers. This Friday from 6-8pm we welcome them back to Provisions for a tasting of some new brews and some old favorites. Come on out and a have a taste of Rejewvenator 2010 a hybrid of a Doppelbock and a Belgian style Dubbel brewed with concord grapes. Coney Island Lager an American Amber/Red Lager brewed with a variety of hops and Czech Pilsner yeast. The Chosen Spot is a dry-hopped Rye-based Pilsner. And Steve’s favorite Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A., a Rye-Based Double-IPA.
Drop in and try some truly creative beers from a brewery that is truly original.
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July 4, 2010
To quote Joni Mitchell and ’80s hair band Cinderella – “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”.* Having gone a week without coffee from Provisions, we can report that it’s hard to be earnest (or do anything at all) when you’re snappy, twitchy and sluggish.
We laugh when we think of how fervently we used to debate the subtle differences between old favorites like Kobrick’s Deep Velvet Blend, Crop to Cup and La Semeuse and new additions like Stumptown and Irving Farm. It wasn’t until we were faced with chain store flavored brown water as our only caffeinated option that we realized this was like debating whether you’d like to take your lottery winnings in a lump sum or over time. You can argue either way but at the end of the day, you still won the lottery.
Energized by our first decent cup of joe in a long time, this morning we’re taking stock and thinking of other wonderful things that we might take for granted – not a bad thing to do every now and then. What (or who) is on your list?
*It might just be the caffeine talking but we’d love to hear Joni Mitchell and Cinderella swap covers of “Big Yellow Taxi” and “Don’t Know What You’ve Got (Till It’s Gone).”
Leave a Comment » | Coffee Bar, Food | Tagged: crop to cup coffee, Irving Farm Coffee, Stumptown Coffee, Kobrick's Coffee, La Semeuse Coffee | Permalink
Posted by greenegrape
June 24, 2010
A funny thing has happened since we’ve been making some special buys and offering them to you – people have been giving us first dibs on some special sales.
Most recently we got a call letting us know of an opportunity to pick up the end of the vintage of the 2008 Quinto do Feital Auratus, a Portuguese white. We jumped on the offer because this wine appeals to a broad range of palates and always sells like crazy when we open a bottle. Though it drinks almost like an unoaked chardonnay, with a crisp and clean palate with beautiful aromatics like peach nectar and ripe apples, the grapes are traditional Portuguese – Alvarinho and Trajadura. Alvarinho, known in Spain as Albarino, is thought to be related to Riesling. Though the Alvarinho grape would normally make a vivacious summer sipper with lively acidity – like in our Bouza do Rei Albarino 2008 ($20.00) – the addition of the Trajadura grape gives the Auratus an appealing richness and balance.
Normally $17.50 on the shelf, our special buy allows us to offer it to you for $13.50 – almost 25% off. And for 12 bottles or more, the price goes down to $12.15 a bottle – 30% off. We’ve only got a little over seven cases in stock. When this wine is gone, we’re on to the 2009 vintage. To order, call (718) 797-9463.
If we have any left, we’ll open the Feital Auratus 2008 tomorrow, Friday June 25 from 5-7pm along with the Bouza Do Rei Albarino so you compare these two wonderful versions of the Alvarinho/Albarino grape.
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June 17, 2010
Join us at the Brooklyn wine store Friday, June 19 from 5-7pm and taste Domaine de L’Oratoire St. Martin Haut Coustias 2005 with Creminelli sopressata from Provisions.
We don’t buy by the Parker scores but there’s no denying Robert Parker is a kingmaker of wineries, able to catapult them to heights with a great review. So it’s always a little strange when we find ourselves agreeing with his service’s assessment of a wine (not just a numerical score, which we find useless). Of the 2005 Domaine De L’Oratoire St. Martin Haut Coustias we just brought in, Parker raves: “Outstanding. A huge, peppery, Provençal nose of kirsch, blackberry and cassis is followed by a full-bodied wine with plenty of muscle, richness, and depth.”
We agree. We popped one of these open the weekend it came in and absolutely loved it. Enjoying it with a delicious rib eye, we found herbs and spice and a touch of mint on the nose with dark fruits and a subtle chocolate-y undertone on the palate. We were also pleasantly surprised to find developing notes from the few years of age on it, a nice preview of the how this wine will evolve in the years to come. A blend of mourvèdre, grenache and syrah, this red ages for 24 months in Burgundy oak barrels before release. Haut Coustias is this winery’s top label so grapes for it are sourced from the vineyards on the St. Andéol hills, thought to be on par with many of the Rhône’s better Crus such as Gigondas and Chatêauneuf-du-Pape, though the vineyards technically fall in the Cotes-du-Rhone-Villages Cairanne appellation.
However, there’s one aspect on which we disagree with Mr. Parker: price. He lists this wine as retailing for $32 a bottle but through Father’s Day we’re offering it at $25, 12 bottles or more for $22.50, (that’s almost 30% off). Quantities limited, first come, first served. To order, call (718) 797-9463.
Remember, if you’re buying for Father’s Day, there’s no need to tell dad what the wine cost you. We’ll leave it up to you whether you want him to think you’re generous or smart.
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Posted by greenegrape
June 15, 2010
We’re thrilled at the recent mention in the NY Times Local Blog about founder Jason Richelson’s new company, ShopKeep.com, a web-based point of sale system. What is web-based point of sale, you say? It’s a way for stores to process transactions via the internet so that all their data is stored safe and sound and is accessible from anywhere. Some also refer to it as “cloud-based point of sale.” We love it because it is green technology. To operate, a store only needs access to the internet and one computer, not a bunch of servers in-house becoming obsolete and requiring in-house technology staff. We’ve been using it at the Manhattan wine store in beta for a while now and many other Brooklyn businesses like Frosted Moon gifts & Mile End Delicatessen have too.
Worried about your data getting lost ‘in the clouds’ or the internet going down? Have no fear, ShopKeep operates locally so when the internet is down, you don’t miss a sale. Those of you who have been in Provisions when the point-of-sale system goes down know how frustrating that can be.
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Posted by greenegrape
June 9, 2010
At noon on Sunday, June 13, Laura the cheesemonger from Provisions (a/k/a “The Wizard of Mozz”) will show you how we make fresh mozzarella daily. This event is part of Food Day at FABFest, the closed-street festival on Fulton Street taking place every Sunday in June.
FABFest will also have a special food demo table set up 12-6pm where you can learn how to make a chilled cucumber soup with Louisa Shafia, author of Lucid Food (12pm), get an introduction to Nigerian food with Buka restaurant (1pm), learn how to make jam from summer’s fruit abundance from Anarchy in a Jar (2pm), learn the secrets of sugar and how to decorate a cake with Michael Allen (3pm), learn how to use pickled vegetables to make easy summer appetizers with Rick’s Pick’s (4pm) and investigate turkish cuisine with Deniz restaurant (5pm). All demos include free samples to taste!
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June 7, 2010
Come hear about an amateur outlaw’s adventures making moonshine then taste the legal equivalent – white whisky – with a distiller from the first legal distillery in New York since prohibition.
On Sunday, June 13 at 3pm, Greenlight Books will host Max Watman, author of Chasing The White Dog: An Amateur Outlaw’s Adventures in Moonshine, in conversation with Gable Erenzo, distiller of Tuthilltown Spirits. A tasting of white whiskies will follow at 4pm at the Brooklyn wine store right across the street.
This event is part of FABFest, a closed-street festival on Fulton Street held every Sunday in June from 12noon-6:00pm. Provisions will host a temporary pop-up sidewalk café every Sunday in June allowing you to enjoy our sandwiches and drinks al fresco so you can take a food break between salsa dancing lessons, writing your six word memoirs on the sidewalk outside of Greenlight books, visiting the pickling, jamming and spice-making demonstrations at the food table and more!
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June 1, 2010
Sundays in June (June 6, 13, 20 & 27) from 12pm to 6pm Fulton Street between South Oxford and Lafayette will be closed and there’ll be crafts for kids, dancing, music and poetry readings. We’ll have a special sidewalk cafe right outside Provisions for you to pause and refresh and enjoy a salad or sandwich between all these activities or just sit and watch the world go by. There’s even a rumor that Alie will be making a batch of basil-infused lemonade.
Look for a special foodie day on June 13 featuring individual presentations all day on the hour including a presentation on jamming and canning by Laena of Anarchy in a Jar jams and preserves so you can take advantage of summer’s bounty. We’re proud to co-host a Moonshine event that day. Go to Greenlight Books at 3pm and meet Gable Erenzo of Tuthilltown Distilleries in Hudson Valley & Max Watman, author of “Chasing the White Dog: An Amateur Outlaw’s Adventures in Moonshine” then stop by the wine store at 4pm and taste some white whiskies with Gable and Max.
Thanks to the Fulton Area Business Association for organizing this family-friendly street event. Come out and stroll and see what Fulton’s got to offer.
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