Hey Baby, do you want to go out? Oh, yeah, whether you are on a date or not, Maggie Brown's a GREAT spot for eats, drinks and hanging out!

Maggie Brown restaurant was recently featured on the Serious NY Eats blog in an article titled Date Night: Maggie Brown in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. And the verdict on taking a date to Maggie Brown's? Two thumbs up and a big, glistening smile!

The article includes pictures and perfectly detailed descriptions of many of the delicious dishes on the restaurant's menu, including deviled eggs, homemade biscuits with raspberry butter, red beans and rice with andouille sausage and southern fried chicken.

Read the article here.

Maggie Brown is located at 455 Myrtle Avenue between Washington and Waverly and can be reached at 718.643.7001.

Thank you to all who came out for opening day – we had a great turn out and it was so nice to see so many familiar faces from last season!

Congratulations to our 3 teens for a job well done on their first day – keep up the good work guys! Please, continue to support this important and fun community project.

We will be on the corner of North Portland and Myrtle Avenues every Wednesday now – Nov 7th, 2012 4-7PM. The Farm Stand accepts EBT/WIC/Health Bucks/cash.

Participating farmers are:
Fresh Veggies from J. Glebocki Farms

Maple Syrup from Poorfarm Farm

Apple Cider & Fresh Fruit from Migliorelli Farm via Farmer's Web

Honey from Tremblay Apiaries

Jam from Beth's Farm Kitchen via Farmer's Web

Last but not least, thank you to our community partner the Willoughby Senior Center!

Summer meals (breakfast and lunch) are available free for youth ages 18 and younger now thru September 2nd (ending a week earlier at some sites). No registration, documentation, or identification is required. In fact, children don't have to live in New York City or be enrolled in public school to enjoy free breakfast or lunch.
Check out the list of nearby locations below or click here for locations citywide.

Walt Whitman Tenants' Association 132 Carlton Avenue 9:00 AM-10:00 AM (breakfast) 12:00 PM-01:00 PM (lunch)

PS 67 51 St. Edwards Street
8:00 AM-09:15 AM (breakfast) 11:00 AM-01:15 PM (lunch)

Commodore Barry Park Flushing & North Elliott Place
8:30:AM-09:30:AM (breakfast) 11:30:AM-03:00:PM (lunch)

Brooklyn Community High School of Communications, Arts & Media
300 Willoughby Avenue 8:00:AM-09:00:AM (breakfast) 11:00:AM-12:00:PM (lunch)

Lafayette Gardens 415 Lafayette Avenue 9:00 AM-10:00 AM (breakfast); 12:00 PM-1:00 PM (lunch)

For additional information or to inquire about a location please call 311 or (212) 306-3358.

Le Petit Bakery received a $7,400 grant this week from the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project LDC (MARP) to assist with the storefront and commercial space improvements made at their new store. The money is part of a New York Main Street (NYMS) grant that MARP received from the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation in December 2011. This grant award is the first of many more to come on Myrtle Avenue with this latest round of NYMS funding. About half-a-dozen other projects are in the works on Myrtle Avenue between Washington Park and Adelphi Street.

This latest round of funding is MARPs fourth NYMS grant award from New York State. Since 2004, MARP has awarded more than $425,000 in matching grants to local property owners and merchants to assist with improvements and rehabilitations of the avenues historic buildings. The grants have been matched by more than $1,500,000 in private dollars from the 25 property owners and merchants who have participated locally in the NYMS grant program.

'Comfortable' and 'stylish' are two of the words shoppers can't stop using to hail the high-wedge and strappy espadrilles now available at Brooklyn Stone Boutique.

Available in a variety of sizes and multitude of colors like mustard, turquoise, mint green and royal blue, these espadrilles are flying off of the store shelves. Pick up your pair today!

Brooklyn Stone Boutique is located at 366 Myrtle Avenue between Clermont and Adelphi. The store can be reached at 347.763.2041.

Brooklyn visual artists, listen up! Here's an interesting version of 'American Idol'/'America's Got Talent' just for you. And only 3 days left to enter, so hurry!

GO, community-curated open studio project is the brainchild of the Brooklyn Museum and a chance for 2 or more nominated visual artists to have their work displayed as part of a Brooklyn Museum group exhibition opening at Target First Saturday on December 1, 2012.

Here's the more detailed version, courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum:

Artist registration begins online June 4, 2012, and ends June 29, 2012. To participate, artists must have a studio (home studios are eligible) in Brooklyn and be present during the open studio weekend, September 89, 2012.

During the open studio weekend, voters will visit your studio and check in using text messaging, the GO mobile app, or the GO mobile website by entering a unique number identifying your studio.

After voters have checked in to at least five studios, they will be eligible to nominate three artists from their visits for inclusion in an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum.

The ten artists with the most nominations will receive studio visits from Brooklyn Museum curators during the September 8-9th weekend. Two or more nominated artists will then be chosen by the curators to have their work displayed as part of a Brooklyn Museum group exhibition opening at Target First Saturday on December 1, 2012.

Visit www.gobrooklynart.org/ for additional information.

One word for the fruit tarts topped with blackberries, blueberries and raspberries and the lemon meringue tarts–yummmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Stop by Le Petit Bakery for delicious tarts or any of the other fresh, delicious breads and pastries like baguettes, demi baguettes, brioche, ciabatta and whole wheat; oreos, nutter butters, chocolate chunk, oatmeal raisin and linzer tarts cookies; banana nut, carrot, poppy seed muffins; scones, coffee cakes, sticky buns, eclairs; plain, almond, almond chocolate and chocolate croissants and red velvet with cream cheese frosting and chocolate blackout with chocolate mousse cupcakes.

Le Petit Bakery is located at 354 Myrtle Avenue between Adelphi and Carlton.

Le Petit Bakery opens today — the bakery will be open from 10am to 6pm. Expect freshly baked and delicious

'LIVE WELL,' a free community fair for all ages will take place at Ingersoll Community Center on Saturday, 6/23 from 10am until 3pm.

Face painting, live music, storytelling, bouncy house, arts and crafts, health screenings and healthy cooking demos by our very own Myrtle Eats Fresh Community Chef Dominique Bryant, are a few of the fun, fabulous and interesting activities to look forward to!

Come out and support! Call 718.522.5051 for further detail.

Ingersoll Community Center is located at 177 Myrtle Avenue (Prince/Navy).

Mark's Gourmet Burgers is open for business today, 6/22!

The new Myrle Avenue gourmet burger shop boasts delicious burgers made with 100% certified grass fed angus beef, ground fresh on premises. Yummmm, stop in! There is something for everyone with menu items like turkey, salmon and veggie burgers also available, and steak, fish and chicken sandwiches too. Gourmet hotdogs, chicken wings, chicken fingers and fried shrimp also available.

Check out the full menu here.

Mark's Gourmet Burgers is located at 441 Myrtle Avenue, corner of Waverly Avenue. Call 718.875.2525.

pic of Mark Charles, owner of Mark's Gourmet Burgers along with his sister, Shani Charles.

One of Myrtle's newest businesses, Le Petit Bakery at 354 Myrtle (between Adelphi and Carlton), is set to open this Monday! The business is still looking to fill a barista/counter position. Interested applicants can send a resume off to info@lepetitbakery.com or call 718-875-650 for more info.

Learn more about the new bakery at their Facebook page.

Hillstock is an annual Brooklyn music festival organized by Never Break Down. Over the weekend, almost 50 bands will perform at venues in Clinton Hill, including a FREE block party on Saturday, June 23! The Hill Stock Block Party takes place at 106 Emerson, between Myrtle and Classon from 11am-8pm, featuring FIFTEEN live bands! Did we say it was FREE???!!?

Check out the full schedule here for all three days, and find out more about this home-grown music fest. Organizers say their goals are to 'promote great local music, build community, and provide an affordable and fun atmosphere for people of all ages to experience new music.' Definitely worth checking out!

photo credit: The Fort Greene Clinton Hill Local flickr set

Artisan ice cream and sorbets now in at Huey's Chueys!

Beat the heat and please the palate with scrumptious flavors like french vanilla, killer chocolate, guava, cappucino kahlua calypso, peanut butter fudge, mango-raspberry, pistachio, coconut almond joy and strawberry.

All ice cream, except cookie flavors, is gluten-free.

Stop in for some old-fashioned candies and other goodies while you're there –squirrel nuts, charleston chews, coconut long boys, mary janes and cake pops, mini cheesecake bites and chocolate covered strawberries are just a few.

Huey's Chueys is located at 378 Myrtle between Adelphi and Clermont — stop in!

Woke up this morning and couldn't determine whether the 'heat advisory' mentioned by the radio announcer was about the temperature or Make Music New York on Myrtle Avenue today! Ooooow, yeah — either way, it's going to be HOT!

Drop on by for a musical good time on the Avenue. Stay cool, folks!

Fort Greene Park Conservancy's annual summer concert series kicks off tomorrow!

The kickoff music event, Audrarox is especially for the kiddies — so bring them out!

Photo Courtesy of Greenmarket

This past Saturday Myrtle Eats Fresh Community Chef Roisin Wisneski made this gorgeous seasonal version of an old Italian favorite, Bruschetta. Adding beets and using a seasonal green she was able to get the majority of her ingredients at the Fort Greene Greenmarket located at Washington Park and Dekalb Avenue every Saturday 8AM – 5PM. Try the recipe at home!

Ingredients
” 1 loaf French bread
” 3 cloves garlic, mashed and minced, or 3 teaspoons garlic paste
” 2 baseball sized tomatoes, or 1 quart cherry tomatoes
” 1 baseball sized beet, washed and peeled
” 1 bunch Swiss chard, totsoi, or spinach
” Optional: 2 tablespoons chopped olives
” Balsamic vinegar for drizzling
” Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
1. Dice the tomatoes into small cubes (

Be sure to visit Myrtle Avenue for Make Music New York, taking place all day on Thursday, June 21st. Free music performances will be taking place all around the city, and Myrtle Avenue has performances happening at 16 different locations up and down the corridor. From jazz to rock to Latin to neo-soul to reggae to R&B to french folk to female barbershop chorus — it's here.

Come out and groove to the music and relax or eat, drink and be merry. Check out the schedule of events! Sweet music all over the neighborhood.