With Its Relaxed Atmosphere and Inviting Space, East One Coffee Roasters Is A Welcome Addition To Carroll Gardens

Chef Will Ono, Head of Coffee James Stahon, and owners Tom Cummings and Morten Tjelum

East One Coffee Roasters officially opened its doors at 384 Court Street at the corner of Carroll Street in Carroll Gardens less than two weeks ago, but already the community seems to have adopted the new coffee shop and eatery as its own. This past Friday, with the sun shining through the large open windows,  customers had made themselves right at home along some of the larger tables in the spacious front portion of the establishment, sipping coffee, eating a pastry, relaxing, meeting up with friends, or working on their laptops.

Accessible through a hallway at the back of the coffee shop, a spacious eatery was equally busy.  Serving brunch, lunch and dinner, East One's menu includes Broccolini scramble, shrimp and grits, pozole verde, and a cubano sandwich.

A full bar allows for a choice of wine, beer and cocktails with meals, but also means that the place turns into a late evening spot for a drink and a late snack

Soon, East One will be roasting its own beans on a gleaming new Diedrich IR 12 Roaster, which is housed in its own glass enclosed cubicle in the dining room.  The roasted coffee will be available for sale.
In other words, East One is the perfect spot no matter what time of day. 

Owners Tom Cummings and Morten Tjelum are delighted by how busy their establishment has been in its first few days.  It is obvious how much thought and hard work they put into East One.

Together, they established two similar independent coffee shops/ eateries in London.  East One is the partners' first in the United States, though the name refers to the post code prefix for the East London neighbourhood of Shoreditch, "the stomping ground for coffee enthusiasts and independent artisan restaurants", according to Tjelum.

Cummings and Tjelum are glad to have chosen Brooklyn for their new venture. They "very much enjoy the neighborhood atmosphere in Carroll Gardens and intend to contribute to the local community in whichever way we can and look forward to be a positive addition to Carroll Gardens.”

It is quite nice to see so much activity return to 384 Court Street. Before the partners took the space over this past fall, it had been the home of Casa Rosa.  The old-fashioned Italian restaurant closed in 2014 after 34 years in business.

Tjelum told PMFA that quite a few long time residents have stopped by to reminisce about having had weddings, christening and other family affairs in the former restaurant.  Tjelum always invites them in to show off the renovation, but to also point out architectural details that were kept as a nod to the place's past.  "We tell them 'please come in!' You are the basis of the neighborhood. We want to be inclusive."

With its proximity to Carroll Park and its convenient location in the middle of the neighborhood, East One is a great addition to Carroll Gardens. Its relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere make it the perfect go-to place at any time of the day or evening.

Stop on by, if you have not already done so.

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"East One Coffee Roasters" To Open Soon In The Former Casa Rosa Space On Court Street

(photo credit: Morten Tjelum)

The retail space at 384 Court Street at the corner of Carroll Street has sat empty for the past two-and-a-half years, ever since Casa Rosa, an old fashioned Italian eatery, closed its doors after 34 years in Carroll Gardens.
Fortunately, the space will soon be home to a new neighborhood coffee shop and eatery named "East One Coffee Roasters."
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Morten Tjelum, one of the four partners in this new business.  He was kind enough to provide PMFA with more information about their upcoming business and to include the amazing photo above showing of the current construction work on site.

Morten writes:
After years of vacancy, the space at 384 Court Street (corner of Court and Carroll – previously Casa Rosa) has now found new occupants. Tom (US) of Italian descent and Morten (Danish) who are into the Nordic food craze and Scandinavian simplicity, have rented the space and are now in the process of preparing it for a full service restaurant (along Carroll Street) and an artisan coffee shop (facing Court Street). The team met years ago in London and operated a couple of coffee branded businesses there for a number of years.

The name will be East One Coffee Roasters. E.1 being the post code prefix for the East London neighbourhood of Shoreditch which remains the stomping ground for coffee enthusiasts and independent artisan restaurants. The Shop and Restaurant will be very relaxed and unpretentious. It’ll be a place where locals can pop in for a coffee and a bite to eat, meet neighbours, have a chat, try out one (or some) of the craft beers and wine that will be offered or sit down in the restaurant and enjoy brunch, lunch or dinner.

The restaurant will feature contemporary and eclectic offer of light American fare with a splash of antipodean and British cafe on offer – interesting foods based on seasonal availabilities. We intend to support the local Carroll Gardens Greenmarket and procure as much as possible from there. In acknowledgement of the heritage of Carroll Gardens, it is likely that the menu will offer the occasional red sauce and a couple of pasta dishes (Tom has a number of his Grand Mothers prized recipes). An artisan roaster will be on premise, roasting a number of single origin coffees and espresso blends for the enjoyment of customers throughout the day. Here we will be utilizing the latest technology in an old fashioned art to ensure the happiness of all of our neighbours and passersby that may not enjoy the amazing aroma of freshly roasting coffee on a daily basis (not us of course…we love it!) The Coffee Shop is being rebuild to easily accommodate a number of baby buggies – after all, the space is located across from the playground at Carroll Park. For the many canine members of the neighbourhood, there will certainly always be fresh water available and hook ups strategically placed so that staff and guest can keep an eye on the precious pooches outside.

Morton adds:  “We very much enjoy the neighborhood atmosphere in Carroll Gardens and intend to contribute to the local community in whichever way we can and look forward to be a positive addition to Carroll Gardens.”

It will be wonderful to see some life return to this storefront, which has stood vacant for too long. I have no doubt that East One Coffee Roasters will do very well, especially because of its proximity to Carroll Park.
Welcome to Carroll Gardens, Morten and Tom.


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After Nearly 34 Years In Carroll Gardens, Casa Rosa Closes Its Doors

Sadly, another long-time Italian business is calling it quits in Carroll Gardens.
During the Holidays, Reader Ben wrote in to say that Casa Rosa, the old fashioned Italian eatery at 384 Court Street, has closed its doors. Ben reported: "Tables and chairs have been completely cleared out, the store is dark and the door is padlocked. Not surprising -- this kind of Italian food has fallen out of vogue in favor of nouveau Italian like Frankie's. But Vinny's and Red Rose still burn the candle brightly over on Smith."

Casa Rosa first opened at the corner of Court Street and Carroll Street in 1979.
Many Carroll Gardens newcomers probably never set foot in the eatery, but it was only one of a handful of restaurants that served the neighborhood when I first moved here in 1985. The food was nothing spectacular, and in recent years, the quality had declined. The decor was rather dated as well.
It certainly could not have helped matters much that the building housing the restaurant has been on the market twice, once in 2008 and more recently, in 2011.

The Daily News confirms the closing. Apparently, the owner, Louis Catuogno, who took over the restaurant in the late 1990s, passed away a few months ago.

If you have any personal memories of Casa Rosa, I would love to hear them. Better yet, if you remember Gloria's, the famous pizzeria that was predates the restaurant at that location, please share.  How great was the pizza?


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384 Court Street, The 'Casa Rosa' Building, Back On The Market

Back in 2008, 384 Court Street, the building which houses Casa Rosa, one of Carroll Gardens' old-time Italian restaurant, was on the market for $3,300,000. The realtor at the time was Massey Knakal. Obviously, the building did not sell at that price since it was put back up for sale in May 2011 for $2,998,000 dollars. In July, the price was further adjusted to $2,948,000.

The realtor this time is ReMax. In an New York Times Real Estate ad, the property is described as:

This lovely 4 story, semi-detached corner property is a mixed use property in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn. The building consists of six (6) 1 bedroom/1 bath units plus one store and is fully occupied. The upside is the units are currently under-rented and can be converted to FMV (fair market value) income. Current rent roll is $168,900, expenses $46,000 approx. The building is directly across from Carroll Park and 2 blocks from historic district. Near restaurants, shops and cafes.

Do you think it will sell at that price?

Talking about Casa Rosa, has anyone gone there since they renovated? Any good?

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Tonight, Community Board 6 Holds Holiday Party/Fundraiser At Casa Rosa

A reminder from Craig Hammerman, district manager for our local Community Board 6. This is a great way to get to know the board members who make some of the decisions affecting our neighborhood.

*Brooklyn Community Board 6* *2009 Holiday Party* $30 per person * Cash Bar Raffles * 50/50 * Door Prizes *Bring a loved one* *Bring a friend * All are welcome* (The CB6 Holiday Party is a fundraiser for "Friends of Brooklyn CB6, Inc.," our 501-c-3 non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the work of CB6. All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Please consider including a year-end charitable gift above the cost of the party. Checks should be made out to "Friends of Brooklyn CB6, Inc." Thank you!)

Casa Rosa Restaurant 384 Court Street Brooklyn, NY 11231

6:00-9:00 PM

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After Major Reno, Casa Rosa Grand (Re)-Opening Soon

Work has been proceeding swiftly at Casa Rosa, since one of Carroll Gardens oldest Italian restaurants closed its doors for renovation at the end of August. And the exterior looks much better already, with the installation of big glass doors on both the Court Street and the President Street sides.
(Can a sidewalk seating area be far behind?)
According to the permit from DOB, the façade will be restucco'ed.
The interior is getting a make-over as well, with the relocation of the bar.

In any case, the place already looks much friendlier.

The grand opening, or rather re-opening, is scheduled for this Friday, September 11th.

Casa Rosa is located at 384 Court Street.

For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking

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Casa Rosa Restaurant Is Getting A Make-Over

My friend T called me over yesterday. " Hey, Ms. Blogger. Did you know that Casa Rosa is closed? They are gutting the place." I assured him that I would be right on the case.
Sure enough: the interior of the storefront at Number 384 Court Street, the home of one of Carroll Gardens oldest Italian restaurants, is being ripped out.
A quick check on the NYC Department Of Buildings web site confirmed that permit has been issued to " renovate existing restaurant and bar. Relocate Bar and provide new finish material only. Convert existing windows into storefront folding doors. Provide new exterior stucco finish."
When I ran into T. again, he was talking to J., who had it on good authority that the restaurant was not changing hands, but that Casa Rosa's owner was simply revamping his restaurant.
Stay tuned....


Thanks for the tip, T and J !

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