Photo credit Heather Phelps-Lipton

Last fall, Anna Hieronimus and Elise Kornack were all set to open their new restaurant/yoga studio, on a quiet, beautiful street in Carroll Gardens, awaiting only the final permit from the city. The Fire Department was scheduled to do the final inspections on October 29, but instead of the visit they expected, they got, instead, a visit from Superstorm Sandy.

“City officials were totally bogged down after that,” said Kornack recently from Take Root, which ended up opening in January. “We had to wait two and a half months to open.”

Located on Sackett Street between Henry and Hicks, Take Root’s warm, cozy dining room is designed, according to Kornack, to make guests feel as though they’re walking into Kornack and Hieronimus’ home—which is where their business began.

The two met three years ago and shortly thereafter moved in together (they’re now engaged and will be married this fall); a former sous-chef at Aquavit and winner on the Food Channel’s Chopped, Kornack became “obsessed” (her word) with the garden of their new apartment in Prospect Heights, and the two began holding dinner parties in their backyard for 10 to 12 people at a time. The dinners grew so popular they began selling tickets; after some neighbors complainted, they decided to open a restaurant that would replicate their homey dinner party experiences.

Hieronimus (left) and Kornack. Photo credit Heather Phelps-Lipton

At the same time, Hieronimus, whose mother ran a holistic health care center in Baltimore—“yoga and Ayurveda have always been a part of my life,” she said—was becoming a more serious practitioner of yoga, and several years ago underwent a teacher training program at Kripalu. Though she was teaching yoga privately, she realized that she really wanted to work with children, so behind Take Root’s dining room, just past the newly remodeled kitchen, is a yoga space for children, for toddlers to age six.  The classes combine traditional yoga moves with singing, dancing, and creative movement.   Hieronimus also offers yoga workshops for adults.

Take Root serves an $85 tasting menu on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, with one seating at 8 pm by reservation. Children’s yoga classes are held Wednesday through Saturday. On Saturday morning, Hieronimus hosts a children’s reading circle in the yoga studio, while parents and caretakers are invited sit in the dining room and chat and munch on Kornack’s home-made baked goods and sip coffee and lemonade. On Sundays, a small-plates brunch is served beginning at 11 a.m.

Take Root’s yoga program is currently offering a summer special: bring a friend or a sibling and get a 50% discount on the class. The classes are $12, with a $2 discount for first time visitors; the reading circle is $5 and designed, said Kornack, to offer a variety of price points for people in the neighborhood.

“Our goal is to create a small community,” said Kornack.  “I cook for people to hang out and eat.”

Photo credit Heather Phelps-Lipton

Results are in from the Montague Street Business Improvement District‘s May 2012 Survey regarding local programs and services, asking the likes of: What business would you like to see on Montague Street? What do you shop for on Montague? What are the most important services? Nearly 450 folks responded to the online questionnaire, comprising Brooklyn Heights residents (79%), visitors (9%) and property owners (8%).

No overwhelming gasps to be had, but the results include:
* What do you shop for on Montague Street: dining and bars (84%), groceries (83%), apparel and accessories (62%). Among the top retail types desired: bookstores; Mexican, Middle Eastern, French & Greek restaurants; housewares; gift shops; and a fish & meat market.
* Specific retailers requested for Montague Street: Gap (hmm, guess respondents didn’t recognize there was a Montague Street Gap in the 1990s), Anthropologie, J.Crew.

How is the Montague Street BID doing? 76% strongly approve or approve; 23% had no opinion and a grumpy 1% gave it a thumbs down.
* Impact of clean streets program: 74% excellent or good, 16% not familiar with the program, 10% fair, <1% poor.
* Impact of Beautification & Streetscape Enhancements Program (landscaping, banners, tree maintenance, seasonal decorations): 84% excellent or good; 8% fair, 7% not familiar, <1% poor.
* Importance of BID Programs, ranked by “very important”: 95%, Clean Streets program, 80%, Beautification & Streetscape Enhancements; 71%, Retail Development; 27%, Marketing, Communications & Special Events programs.

The BID encompasses 78 to 200 Montague Street on the south side of the block, and 89 to 205 Montague Street on the north side of the block.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/53137

After Oh My Pasta! closed May 26 after just nine months in business, the space at 142 Montague Street quickly lined up its next eatery. Back in June, a sign in the window announced that Ani Sushi was “coming soon.”

Five months later, a sign now hangs alongside the window, the paper has come down and tables and seating are visible from Montague Street. We stopped by (early) Friday morning to see about an opening date, but the premises was still locked… Before Oh My Pasta!, the locale previously held Taze Turkish restaurant and Turkish Kapadokya. Aerosoles on the ground level has been in biz as long as all three. (CT)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51036

Cobble Hill Blog reader Ericka delivers this tip: “I passed by the restaurant that has been under construction (for years) on the corner of Henry and Baltic. I peaked inside and spoke to one of the workers. Inside was very quaint and nearly completed. They were just doing the wiring the computer system. The worker told me that it was slated to open in early October as an Argentine steakhouse.

Has anyone else heard details about the new eatery? Please email: tips@cobblehillblog.com.

Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/7862

Dellarocco’s is owned & operated by Brooklyn-bred brothers Greg and Glenn Markman and Joseph Secondino (who has known the bros for 30+ years). The three are also partners of the Heights Cafe next door at 84 Montague Street. Dellarocco’s has a separate kitchen and operates as an independent biz. (See photos below.)

The tasteful boutique-style dining room boasts 15-foot ceilings, with a menu specializing in personal pizzas. It is open seven days a week, from noon to midnight. As you might guess from the image, delivery is also available. (Photos: Chuck Taylor)
Dellarocco’s owners Joseph Secondino, Glenn and Greg Markman.
Hopeful signs of success for the local eatery.
Joe, Glen, Greg… owners of Dellarocco’s Of Brooklyn.
The owners with Chef Pasquale Cozzolino in center.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/44910

Reviewer Carey Jones writes in an exhaustively detailed piece: “What did our meal at Battersby tell me? That these chefs have dead-on intuition for how people want to be eating. That they seize on an impulse and cook it well—not just rushing vegetables with a 3-week season onto their menu, but preparing them as well as if they did it every day. And that flavor, balance and execution all seem to matter enormously.”

Read the full review at Serious Eats here.

(Photo: Nona Brooklyn)

Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/7044