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Eat Cetera: Red Hook Vendors, Aurora, Slow Food Book Club

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<a href="http://www.redhookfoodvendors.com/Home.html">Red Hook Food Vendors</a>Red Hook Food Vendors: Red Hook Park has long been <a href="http://gothamist.com/2008/03/11/red_hook_ballfi_2.php">home to authentic Latin American cuisine</a> in the summertime, and they're gearing up for their May 1st return to their corner of the park. But Executive Director of the Food Vendors Committee Cesar Fuentes has some other exciting news for Red Hook. He'll be opening up Red Hook Mercado on Van Brundt Street, a community center of sorts where music, movies, local crafts and food will all meet. <a href="http://nycfoodguy.com/2010/04/20/red-hook-food-vendors-going-brick-mortar/">He tells NYC Food Guy</a> that at least one of the Red Hook Park food vendors will have a spot at the new market, where their food will be available year round. NYC Food Guy thinks the chosen vendor will be Rafael Soler, who will be flipping pupusas at Central Park Summer Stage. But what about <a href="http://www.redhookfoodvendors.com/Events.html">Vendy award winner</a> Fernando Martinez? Who's taking bets?

Gothamist

It's against our better judgment that we breathe a word about <a href="http://auroraristorante.com">Aurora</a> in Williamsburgâthis ultra charming trattoria is already popular enough, and you can forget about strolling in there at 8 on a Friday night without a reservation. But now that their garden is open, and executive chef Adam Weisell has just introduced his spring menu, it would be simply wrong to keep a lid on this place. Opened seven years ago by the same native-Italian team behind Aurora Soho and <a href="http://gothamist.com/2009/04/09/emporio.php">Emporio</a>, Auroro has established itself as arguably the most relaxing and romantic place to eat Italian in Williamsburg. When it hits your lips, <a href="http://www.mrfood.com">ooh, it's so good</a>!Since taking over in August, Weissell, who lived in Italy for 18 years and has Il Buco and Lupa on his resume, has shifted the menu in a more traditional direction, while also putting his own contemporary stamp on the cuisine. The most popular appetizer, the Octopus and Potato Salad ($14), is popular for a reason: It comes with giant chunks of grilled octopus marinated in chili, paprika, rosemary and garlic, piled Frank Gehry-style on top of tenderly cooked fingerlings. The exceptional house-made pastas range in price from $13-$15, and before Weisell took charge, you might have found the portion sizes a little stingy. But now they're quite generous, and you won't necessarily need Secondi, though you might want to go for it anyway. Options include Agnello Brodettato, a typical Roman lamb stew thickened with egg yolk, lemon and pecorino, served with roasted potatoes and artichokes ($25); and Bistecca ai Ferri: Oregon strip steak, with wild arugula, Parmesan and lemon ($29). But you really can't go wrong with assembling a full meal from the Primi and Antipastiâand you should also consider Aurora's nightly Aperitivo: from 5-7 p.m. quartinos of wine are sold at the price of a glass and appetizers are provided on the house for diners at the bar. Aurora also serves lunch daily, brunch on the weekends, and on Sunday nights there is a traditional Roman porchetta feast: for $20, diners get a thick slice of pork roast, a well-made salad, and $3 glasses of wine. 70 Grand Street, Williamsburg; 718-388-5100

Gothamist

<a href="http://www.bookcourt.org/">Book Court</a>Slow Food NYC Book Club: To combine the foodie love of eating exotic foods and then reading about how those foods were made, <a href="http://www.slowfoodnyc.org/events/new-slow-food-nyc-book-club">Slow Food NYC</a> will begin hosting a book club tomorrow night at <a href="http://www.bookcourt.org/category/events/">Book Court</a> in Cobble Hill. Their first book sounds like an upbeat work to get the club off to a fun start: "Animal Factory: The Looming Threat of Industrial Pig, Dairy, and Poultry Farms to Humans and the Environment" by David Kirby, which takes a look at what the environmental costs are for industrial slaughterhouses. Kirby will be there to discuss his work, and members are encouraged to discuss the work and how it affected them at the meeting. Book Court is offering book club members a 20% on each month's book.7 p.m., Book Court [163 Court Street, Brooklyn]

Gothamist