Summit Bar
133 Avenue C., nr. 8th St.; no phone
Alphabet City fixture Baraza has been transformed into a soft-spoken hideaway with Minetta Tavern–style venetian blinds in the window. As it so happens, the man behind the bar, Greg Seider, helped create Minetta’s much-lauded drink list, and before that he made drinks for Mercer Kitchen, the Box, and Lot 61.
Los Feliz
109 Ludlow St., nr. Delancey St.; 212-228-8383
A taquería and taquilería from the crew responsible for Spitzer’s Corner, just down the block, Loz Feliz is a multilevel lounge with notable food: a minimalist menu of tacos, quesadillas, and seviches prepared by Chef Julieta Ballesteros of Crema. There are also more than 50 premium tequilas available for sipping and a variety of cocktails; the hibiscus margarita, in particular, is not to be missed.
Knitting Factory
361 Metropolitan Ave., Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-384-7112
The much-traveled music venue’s latest home is in Williamsburg, specifically in the old Luna Lounge space. The show room is much smaller than the Tribeca location, but the organizers have managed to carry over some of that space’s idiosyncratic, intimate charm. The nightly bills are KF’s same combination of small-stakes indie rock, underground hip-hop, and oddball one-off events (Hannukah Gone Metal, the Miss Lez Pageant).
Double Windsor
210 Prospect Park W., Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn; 347-725-3479
Much to the delight of Windsor Terrace residents, this long-awaited bar from the owners of Cake Shop and Egg has finally opened. (Take that, Park Slope!) The cozy wooden space is a haven for beer lovers: There’s a solid selection of $5 to $6 microbrews on tap (including Sixpoint Bengali Tiger IPA and the hard-to-find Atwater Vanilla Java Porter), as well as over 40 local and imported bottled and canned beers.
Prospect Pond
769 Washington Ave., Prospect Heights, Brooklyn; 917-349-8922
Tracy Westmoreland’s the Manhattans, an attempt to rebirth the notoriously dingy Hell’s Kitchen dive Siberia in Brooklyn, lasted less than six months on Washington Ave. In its place came Prospect Pond, a marked effort to do away with the Manhattans’ standoffishness; instead of newspapers blotting out the window, there are standard neon beer signs beckoning entrance into the narrow space. Everything else has been cleaned up, as well, in an attempt to lure the neighborhood crowd that never flocked to Westmoreland’s joint.