New Neighbor: Oven Opens May 5

By on April 9, 2007 8:01 am in Food, News

OVEN.jpgAccording to its publicist, Oven is scheduled to open in the space at 60 Henry Street most recently occupied by Aficionada on May 5.

 

Here's their brief on what the new spot will offer:

Oven is a specialty pizzeria and wine bar founded on the principals of freshness, value and service. Oven will bring a youthful energy to dining scene in Brooklyn Heights and serve as a popular dining destination for its neighbors in DUMBO and Cobble Hill. Meticulously designed, the interior is vibrant yet, comfortable and welcoming. Weather permitting Oven will also serve a small outdoor café. Conceived and managed by alumni of such storied restaurants as Union Square Café, babbo and Nice Matin, Oven’s management boasts over 60 years combined experience.

Oven serves a menu of thin crust classics like Margarita and Quattrformaggio. Keeping on the cutting edge of Brooklyn dining, though, the pizza masters at Oven are committed to incorporating seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. The menu also features a carefully crafted selection of salads, entrée and calzones. All of Oven’s desserts are baked on-premise daily.

With over 120 labels, Oven offers arguably one of  the most interesting, diverse and largest wine selection in Brooklyn. Oven’s cellar represents every major region and style. Over 40 of the wines at Oven are available nowhere else in the borough, and our list includes a strong showing of half bottles with ample choices under $30.

Oven’s design and layout create several unique and complimentary dining areas.. A small granite bar sits opposite a curtained alcove perfect for private dining. Couples can settle into the cushioned, high backed chairs in the front, and larger groups or families can command the banquette seating that lines the walls. Oven’s outdoor café offers a great vantage of the Henry Street foot traffic.

Also, it looks like they are hiring. 

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  • http://brooklynheightsblog.com Qfwfq

    I wonder if Chris Fehlinger, the guy who ran the excellent bad tipper database at bitterwaitress.com is the same guy who was cited as Food Maestro’s general manager.

  • MBF

    Sounds nice to me…that’s the week I’m moving from Manhattan into the neighborhood, so hopefully they have their take-out act together for my welcoming party.

  • Arthur_G

    You mean somebody actually figured out that people might want more than five wine choices? Wow. I hope it’s not all Mondavi or Beringer crap.

  • http://bccy.blogspot.com frelkins

    half bottles! yay! i hope they offer new york wines too. that cabernet franc can sometimes be waay good with pizza.

  • Heights97

    A few questions:

    How are they going to do any of this without a kitchen? The Aficionada space didn’t have a kitchen, right?

    I’m getting confused by all the turnover of restaurants at these spaces. What happened to plans for “The Busy Chef”? The writing style of the Oven publicist is similar to what we saw recently from The Busy Chef.

    Well, I’m willing to be pleasantly surprised, but my expectations are low. If nothing else, BHB’s coverage is sure to be entertaining!

  • Average Joe

    The Busy Chef and Oven are in two seperate store fronts. Take a peek into Oven and you’ll see they are building a small kitchen with Pizza Ovens.

  • nabeguy

    And here I was thinking that OVEN was going to be bakery! DISAPPOINTED! Actually, while AFICIANADO and FOOD MAESTRO may be in two different storefronts, they share the same kitchen. Being one of the brave few who actually ate at either of these two places, I can also tell you that they share the same bathroom. And can anyone confirm the old rumor that the stoves in either place are electric and not gas? Nefver had an electric over pizza before.

  • mrsH

    WE DON’T NEED ANOTHER FAILED RESTAURANT – CAN WE PLEASE GET A CHEESE SHOP (MURRAY’S ANYONE?) & A GREAT FISH MONGER IN THESE SPACES?!?!?! For the love of Mary, PLEASE!

    AND WHILE WE’RE AT IT – WHAT’S TAKING WHOLE FOODS SO LONG TO TAKE OVER THE “MEET ME AT CLARCK STREET” RETAIL SPACE???

    HELP US – WE’RE STARVING!

  • http://brooklynheightsblog.com Qfwfq

    For clarification: “Oven” will open in the “Aficianada” spot. “Busy Chef” will open in the “Food Maestro” spot. Both locations had shared a kitchen, but it looks like the “Oven” people are adding their own.

    According to the Dept. of Buildings Database, looks like a permit was issued on 3/24/2005 to convert from electric to gas, and as of August 2006 it has been done. I am assuming this was done for Food Maestro/Aficionada.

  • http://brooklynheightsblog.com Qfwfq

    Presumably, Busy Chef would like to be your Cheese Shop/Fish Monger/Whole Foods replacement.

    I was always under the impression that the Clark Street space would be too small for a Whole Foods.

  • Average Joe

    The pizza ovens at Oven are gas. I have gone in and looked. They seem to have their own kitchen. It’s small though.

  • mrsH

    I’d take a Whole Foods Redux at this point…

  • averagejoe

    I have met the people behind Busy Chef, I think it’s going to go over very well.

  • mrsH

    We’ll have to wait to see if these restaurants do well. However, a restaurant is NOT a cheese shop nor a fish store – or even a fantastic bakery. We dont even have a decent fruit & vegetable vendor. I’m simply saying that there is a dearth of amenities in this end of our much-touted neighborhood. We desperately need local alternatives to our subpar supermarket, Gristedes…

    Wouldn’t it be nice to pick a pound of fresh scallops, then a lovely triple cream cheese and a bottle of wine on your way home from work? – without having to add 30 minutes to your night, walking to and from Garden of Eden?

    *sigh*

    a girl can dream…

  • mary

    whats wrong with peas and pickles fruits and veggies?

  • mrsH

    When I want to cook anything even slightly out of the ordinary – I can’t find what I need. Have tried to get sage, outside of Thanksgiving? The quality and variety for a city market is just OK.

    I shop there a lot…because it’s convenient. That said, last summer and fall, they had to post several violations from the health department…didn’t anyone see these?

  • jen

    oh my goodness, yes. a fishmonger would be amazing. What’s the problem – is it our high rents? Carroll Gardens seems to ably support a billion nice bakery/cheese shops. And how about a laundromat, while we’re at it. I can’t be the ONLY one who does my own laundry with no washer/dryer in my building.

  • Arthur_G

    spend and afternoon watching the Fresh Direct delivery trucks making their two hour windows and you’ll see part of the problem. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with Fresh Direct (West Coast transplants may remember the debacle of Webvan) but there’s no way a market dealing with a perishable like fish could survive with any kind of variety. The demand is not there, and even if it is, it would take more of a loss leader of product to determine than most backers could afford. The same holds true to produce, though to a lesser degree.

    what someone needs to do is organize a greenmarket and put some neighborhood support behind it.

  • http://www.selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com Claude Scales

    There is a well-supported greenmarket on the plaza north of Borough Hall every Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday. That’s not much further a walk for you NoHei folks than for me from the west end of Montague.

  • mrsH

    Most people I know who use Fresh Direct and cook a lot – avoid the fish.

  • Chris

    Just bought fresh sage at Key Food Sunday night…

  • Arthur_G

    no, but a green market set at the terminus of the promendae (“fruit with a view”) or in cadman park would also be a destination for the people moving into DUMBO and fleeing to the heights for shopping and dinner once they realize the realtors forgot to tell them they are still half in the projects.

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com Claude Scales

    The “terminus of the promenade” (by which I presume you mean the circular space with an astrolabe in the center) isn’t nearly large enough to host a greenmarket, and the southern end of Cadman Park can’t support one because it would damage the grass. However, there are spaces in DUMBO itself that probably would lend themselves to this purpose. I’m thinking of the 19th century warehouse buildings, some of which still may be vacant. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

  • vspingola

    Just ate at Oven. The chef refused to put basil on only half of our very expensive pizza so we could spilt it with our kids. The did similar things to two other families there and were quite rude about it. What *chef* refuses to accomodate a customer in those regards. not only was it a terrible experince, we will never eat there again. Im sure the other families wont either.