About seven or eight years ago, a good friend of ours couldn’t stop talking about these kids she was directing in a Columbia student rendition of Romeo & Juliet. Apparently they were super talented, the most popular kids at school and in some white boy hip hop band called L’Homme Run. Shortly thereafter, Vampire Weekend was born and broke out as the biggest NYC buzz band since The Strokes. Their early shows were absolute insanity, and the band was on the cover of Spin Magazine before they even had a record out. Now they have a Friday Fives, so it’s safe to say they’ve finally made it.
We’ve known that we need to get our asses to Greenpoint for a while now, but these picks from Vampire Weekend bassist and local Greenpoint resident Chris Baio have pushed us to action. We’re headed there to check out some of his picks this weekend, no matter how likely it is that we get lost.
To keep up with Vampire Weekend, make sure you follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook. But let’s be honest – you’re going to hear about their next move whether you like it our not. In the meantime, check out the Perfect For picks below and, if you’re out East this summer, try and catch their headlining set at MTK Festival in a couple weeks.
Chris’ “Perfect For” Picks
Buffalo Wing Fix
The Habitat (988 Manhattan Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11222) – “Bar food is one of my favorites, especially Buffalo wings. I love buffalo wings. The Habitat in Greenpoint has really really great bar food and it’s a fun place to hang out. The burgers are great, I also really like the cobb salad and they make a mint bourbon lemonade that goes really well with their wonderful buffalo wings.”
Birthdays
Pole Position Raceway (99 Caven Point Rd. Jersey City, NJ 07305) – “This past April our drummer Chris had the equivalent of a teenage birthday out in Jersey and invited a bunch of his friends out to race go carts all day. It was really fun, definitely something different than your standard “let’s hang out at a bar” birthday party. I was by far and away the worst one there and lost every race. We thought we’d be getting some big candy goodie bags for the birthday, but that didn’t happen. We had to settle on a smoothie. ”
Late Night Eats
The Lobster Joint (1073 Manhattan Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11222) – “I went here on the night it opened and it was mobbed. I ordered my food, sat down, and was then informed that they had run out of food. That’s never happened to me before, but a sign that the food must be great. Well, I went back a couple weeks later to try the lobster roll and it was inredible. There’s a great Outdoor/Patio Situation and they’re open and serving food until 2AM in my hood. I’ll be coming here a lot. “
Chronic Brunch
Manhattan Inn (632 Manhattan Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11222) – “Brunch is really competitive in North Brooklyn and there are some places like Five Leaves that’s incredible, but the wait can be over two hours. I went to Manhattan Inn last week for the first and their brunch was fantastic and there was no wait. The souffled gritz were great and the french toast was awesome. Plus, the bloody mary was really great, which is a key part to any good brunch. ”
Specialty Cocktails
Milady’s (160 Prince Street) – “One of my best friends lives around the corner and any time we meet him in Soho for a night out, we always wind up at Milady’s. It’s got a great run down vibe and these crazy purple kool-aide vodka drinks that my girlfriend really enjoys. They might have food, but I’ve never ventured there before. We stick to the purple stuff. ‘”
Chris’ Twitter People
@oldmansearch – It’s clearly fake, but still very funny. Supposed to be an 81 year old that thinks twitter is google. Genius.
@omgfacts – OMGFacts are interesting. My girlfriend used to make fun of me for following it and then started reading them and got it.
@residentadvisor – I like their mixes and following what’s going on in the electronic world.
@poodleparty – My sister – she’s an artist and has a really cool backpack blog. She writes for the Huffington Post and has some real Twitter skills.
@tanlines – Jesse from tanlines twitter. I find it very funny and I like his energy.
