A Williamsburg Bakery Turns Into a Weekend Wine Bar

Summer is finally here — on the calendar, at least. Even if the weather isn’t dazzling, I hope you plan to relax, get a little exercise, read a book, catch up with friends, or however you might acknowledge Memorial Day. Before we go, I have some details below I thought you should know about before we head into the long weekend. Otherwise, take it easy, and we’ll see you back here next week. — Melissa McCart, lead editor, Eater Northeast Share Birdee will turn into a wine bar with Brazilian snacks Birdee, the Williamsburg bakery from Brazilian-born pastry chef Renata Ameni, has a new after-hours identity. Botequim at Birdee, a wine bar rooted in the casual neighborhood bar culture of Brazil, will debut on Saturday, May 23, at 316 Kent Avenue, operating Thursday through Saturday evenings from 5 to 9 p.m. in the same space that serves pastries and sandwiches by day. “There are so many wine bars around here,” Ameni tells me. “I just wanted to make it a little different.” Her answer: Brazilian bar food that keeps it fun. The menu draws from São Paulo street culture — pão de queijo (cheese bread), linguiça Calabresa with caramelized onions — alongside sweets like brigadeiro, quindim, and passionfruit mousse. Kristen Goceljak, Kent Hospitality Group’s wine director, has picked the wine selection. The list skews toward young, New World producers — a fit, Ameni says, for a neighborhood open to trying different things — with 12 by-the-glass pours and a roughly 75-bottle list. Cocktails include the Tropicale with sherry, pineapple, and a green tea cordial. Subscribe Downtown’s En Brasserie returns for two nights in a free pop-up with Dom Pérignon Dom Pérignon is partnering with restaurateur Reika Alexander to bring back the swishy West Village En Brasserie for two nights — and there’s no charge. The restaurant closed in 2024, after the landlord did not renew the lease in favor of one with Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park for his first Downtown restaurant, opening soon. En Brasserie was a totemic spot in the context of Manhattan’s Downtown arts scene. “Basically, anybody in New York connected to the culture you would find there,” artist Marina Abramovic told Caper. In honor of a big-deal year for Dom Pérignon — the first time the brand has released three vintages in a single year — they decided to hold a series of intimate dinners under the name “Expressions of Harmony,” with Alexander as the headliner. The pop-up runs from Friday, June 12, through Sunday, June 14, in New York in a to-be-announced location adjacent to the High Line. Those who’d like to go can visit the website and sign up for one of five seatings per day, 10 people per session. After the New York stretch, Dom Pérignon and Alexander will pop up in Los Angeles. The menu — developed with Dom Pérignon’s chef, along with En Brasserie chef, Hiroki Abe — consists of three dishes. The first one pairs caviar with uni ice cream. The second — the one Alexander is most excited about — is a study in harmony: tofu mousse layered with shiso shaved ice, dashi gelée, and seasonal vegetables, hitting every texture and temperature in a single dish. The third is En’s classic miso black cod. The word “en” in Japanese carries multiple meanings, among them, harmony and destiny. For her, the collaboration with Dom Pérignon — a house with a long history — felt like a natural alignment. “I always wanted to create something timeless,” she says. “It feels great to work with a team that has the same philosophy.” Leave a comment