INTRODUCING $5 BALTHAZAR® BREAD SANDWICHES

We know how much you love our French-inspired Sandwiches made with Balthazar® breads and the finest, freshest ingredients. We also know this recession really sucks, so we have started introducing DAILY SPECIALS at our fine cafe, always upholding the high-quality standards that has made us GP famous.==> Move-on Subway...
Out of the way Quiznos...<==
C/Bta now offers FIVE DOLLAR - $5 - TOASTY SANDWICHES: Won't you stop by and try our Ham & Brie or Turkey-Mustard on a baguette, or Chicken-bacon on a Focaccia? ....We'll guarantee you'll ♥♥ LOVE ♥♥ us...

OUR CLIENTS ARE LOVELY!!

We truly love to please all our customers especially those who have used Yelp to make us a Greenpoint favorite. In the meantime we'll continue to strive for our already well-known HIGH QUALITY food by using the finest, freshest, organic- when- possible ingredients along with the best, most prompt service. Here there are some of our great customers' comments... ♥♥♥ WE LOVE YOU BACK! ♥♥♥

“This place gets 5 stars because it makes me extremely happy that I live next door to it - I know that a good meal is never more than a few steps away. Great sandwiches, and if you eat it there, which you should, you'll get a mixed greens salad and usually some fruit alongside it for less than $7. It makes me sad happy that they're not open later, but I guess I should be happy with the fact that this place just exists :)” Michelle G., Brooklyn, NY

“I honestly have only been here for brunch, but i've been there at least 10 times for brunch. I need to make another trip there at a different time, cause their brunch is really great. A wide variety of great flavors, makes for some fine brunch arepa eating... The "calena" which is shrimp, plantains and cilantro is great. I ordered it the first couple times I went, then I found the one that's guava paste, ham and cheese, which is even better. I recommend this place to everyone in the area.” Michael S., Brooklyn, NY

“I stumbled in here for a late night dinner after striking out on my predetermined restaurant choices (one was closed, one was impossible to find). What a find! They specialize in arepas, which are like little chewy cornmeal discs with a variety of possible toppings. You can get 6 arepas for $30, which is a perfect amount of food for two and an amazing deal (like a mini-six course meal)! We especially liked the arepa topped with an eggplant and sundried tomato mixture, a smoked salmon and roe arepa, and a chorizo-gazpacho arepa. The spicy avocado arepa the waiter recommended was also tasty. For dessert, we split a fig and dulce de leche thing, which was a little too sweet and syrupy for either of our tastes, but a nice concept...” Dsx C. Los Angeles, CA

“I have been to bogota for brunch on the weekend, and it was great. But my regular visits are during the week in the early mornings, 9-11. I'm often the only customer in the shop, and it's a great space to work if you want quiet -- though the owner has a fairly developed taste in club music: you might hear some junior vasquez, even. I'd say the coffee is great, best I've had in greenpoint. I recommend particularly the red-eye, which is americano with a shot of espresso -- it's both flavorful and jolting.” Lorenza, Greenpoint, NY

LOCAL BLOGS: WE LOVE YOU TOO!!

We are very excited to know people out there LOVE what we are doing --just when we thought things were going unnoticed. ;-)

elaineperlov.blogspot.com
I recently received an uplifting email by Brooklyn Fashion Designer Elaine Perlov. In her own words, "…My husband and I come to your restaurant fairly regularly, and love it!! We were just there last Thursday night for dinner, and as always it was great. I have been meaning to write a blog piece about you. Keep up the great work!!"

www.brixpicks.com
This is also a great review about our Exclusive Brunch (now Recession-priced).". ..for thirteen eleven dollars you start with coffee or tea, a choice of unique fresh squeezed juices (I always get the passion fruit and my friends alternate from the black berry and mint limeade), then a main dish which comes with a green salad and fruit.

By far, the dish that has sealed the restaurant's fate as a perennial favorite of mine is the salty sweet combo of cured ham, guava tips (a jam like substance) and cheese. It’s called the Almibar and it might change, well, not your life, but at least your weekend mornings if you live in the area".

www.newyorkshitty.com
"...This is the tropical sangria from Cafecito Bogota. I tried this concoction last weekend and have to confess: it’s fucking amazing.

As you can see it is of the white variety. What you can’t see is this is essentially a fruit salad served in booze. Bits of banana, cantaloupe, honeydew melon and apple grace this beverage. When topped off with passion fruit juice (providing the frothy foam) the effect is quite amazing...I highly recommend giving this beverage a try. Check it out!"

We wholeheartedly value your great support!!

COMMUNITY MARKET BOGOTA STYLE

During my previous 'O7 trip down south , I came across a Community Market in my native nabe. It made me feel very special to be able to purchase organic, small-plot grown fruits, vegetables, cheeses, etc. from the very own (and often disadvantaged and unappreciated) campesinos who grow the finest produce up the fertile soils of the Andes. I thought the ad was special. Btw, can you see Jacinta??

While this lady may not be Jacinta, I am quite certain that she embodies the millions of farm growers displaced from their lands because of Colombian civil conflict in the country side. Jacinta is selling hearty vegetables and "papa criolla", one of the unique types of Andean potatoes only native to this region. These potatoes are very small, yellow in the inside, very smooth, tender and rich. They are usually boiled to a tender consistency and then fried. A tad of salt is added before eating to taste heaven...They are usually served with Fritanga (see previous post).

LOVELY AVOCADO GIRL

Here I was walking down this regular street in Bogotá when I stumbled across the sweetest, loveliest and most innocent girl who was selling these humongous avocados the size of football ball. I can not deny the fact that I felt sad at first, but then I quickly realized that what she was doing was very dignifying as she was probably trying to help-out her family during her off-school hours. As I bought couple of avocados, I asked her whether I could take her picture to which she replied yes, so I gave her extra-extra money for her produce.

Anyway, this is one of my favorite pictures ever, which shows the great quality of (mostly organic) produce from Colombia. These avocados were silky, very rich and, because of the size, they lasted a few days. I immediately thought about C/Bta's Arepa Picante recipe made with the ripest avocados, boiled eggs, hot peppers, tomatoes, etc.

Now during a quick trip outside the city, I also took pictures of one of my family's very own avocado tree which grows in the Andean Mountains at our second home 1-1/2 hrs. outside Bogotá. By the way, can you identify the the hanging avocados??

BACK FROM BOGOTÁ, SOUTH AMERICA TO BOGOTÁ, GREENPOINT

I just came back from a nice trip to Bogotá, Colombia to my Bogotá in Greenpoint. I was happily re-energized by witnessing such an amazing explosion of color, food and life I saw abroad. I have been inspired to launch C/Bogotá's food series to show what´s the thinking behind the food we cook at the café/Are(ta)pas bar.

With that in mind, I turned into a man with a mandate to document some of the freshest food ingredients, C/Bogotá's original recipes have incorporated in its menu. These are some of the food pictures I managed to capture; this is as authentic as it gets:

Fritanga is the set of grilled meats, sausages and vegetables/roots seen in the above picture which includes organic, farm-raised, gallina (adult female chicken for best tasting meat); thick artisanal morcilla (dark, pork blood sausage made with rice, peas, carrots and spices), chorizo (pork sausage mixed with scallion and spices), longaniza (thin and long pork sausage), papa criolla (Andean bright-yellow, extra-tender mini-potatoes), papa salada (softly-boiled and salted potatoes grown in Bogotá savannah) usually accompanied with ají spicy sauce, and other fried cow parts.

Our Santander and Cordillera arepas/tapas and Egg & chorizo sandwich include crispy chorizo as one of the main ingredients. Our unique Breakfast Caldos (light Andean soups) are made with high-quality potatoes just like the ones used for papa salada.

The picture to the right shows one of Colombia's food staples: Arepas de Choclo and various chorizos. These arepas are made with the sweetest, most tender Andean yellow corn and stuffed with queso blanco (white cheese). The staple at our cafe is non-sweet, white corn Arepas con Queso which are literally the foundational component of our Arepa and Tapas menu, to which all our creative food combinations get mounted on.