Steve Five's hangs

When not fronting his band The Library is on Fire, Steve Five likes to keep it local.

He shared with us some of his favorite spots, in and around his Bushwick neighborhood:

Gotham City Lounge

1293 Mrytle Ave. between Cedar Street and Central Avenue

AKA "The Bat Cave," "It's a sort of a cheap divey place over on Myrtle. It’s like a Batman-themed bar."

Market Hotel

1142 Myrtle Ave. near Broadway

"There aren't too many places in Bushwick to go out, Unless it's like an underground speakeasy style show or party, like Market Hotel." (Well, maybe not lately.)

The Levee

212 Berry St. at N. Third Street

"Most of the time, I find myself at the Levy in Williamsburg despite my best intentions."

Trophy Bar

351 Broadway between Rodney and Keap streets

"I think I understand DJ culture more now," said Five, who works there as a bartender. "I think I’ve seen the bset of the best."

Death By Audio

49 S. Second St. between Kent and Wythe avenues

Five and Co. play there tonight to celebrate the release of their sophomore album, "Magic Windows, Magic Nights." At 9 pm. Tickets $7.

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Closeup on Prospect Lefferts Gardens

When the Tze Chun Dance Company approached Zenobia Marion about hosting its latest production “Parlour Games,” she didn’t hestiate.

Not only was the bed and breakfast owner excited about housing the arts, she also wanted to use the opportunity to put a spotlight on her neighborhood: Prospect Lefferts Gardens.

“Things are happening in the neighborhood,” said Marino, who operates Serenity at Home (57 Rutland Rd. between Bedford and Flatbush avenues), at left, which is hosting the show this Sunday at 3 pm. “I think this project of bridging communities and arts would help to bring new, fresh eyes to the community, to show that we exist, and we are a fabulous community.”

Want to visit? Some highlights in and around the neighborhood, located to the east of Prospect Park, include the Brooklyn Museum and Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and, of course, the park.

Hungry? Some of Marion’s picks for the neighborhood include Cafe Enduro (51 Lincoln Rd., near Flatbush Avenue), a Mexican restaurant that opened two years ago, and the picks along Flatbush Avenue, known for all of its Caribbean cuisines.

"You can get the Italian and French on just about every block and neighborhood in Brooklyn. You'd be hard-pressed to get authentic Caribbean in Brooklyn unless you come to Flatbush Avenue."

If you do want the Italian, head to Gino's Pizzeria (548 Flatbush Ave. at Clarkson Avenue), which has been in the neighborhood for 25 years.

Have your own suggestions? Leave them in the comments section below.

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'The Heights' tapped for Hollywood

The Brooklyn Heights blog shares that "The Heights" author Peter Hedges will adapt, direct and produce the film version of his latest novel.

It's too premature to say if the film will be shot here. Hedges has said that setting in the Heights was a tribute to a neighborhood where writers including Thomas Wolfe, Norman Mailer and Arthur Miller lived and wrote. Any idea what notable directors have called the nabe home?

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Call for 'non-native' Brooklyn art

Wanted: Brooklyn's immigrant artists.

Non-Native New York is a new project that celebrates the cultural and artistic contributions that the borough's immigrant artists are making, serving as a platform for under-represented artists to reach a broader audience, and to create a community conversation around the immigrant experience.

Artists working in all media are welcome to apply. Artists must have been born outside of the United States and be based in Brooklyn.

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Pumps & Pleats: Tote your lunch in style

By Michèle De Meglio

In these hard economic times, it’s impractical for folks to spend $10 on lunch each day.

The wallet-friendly thing to do is to bring your lunch to work, but of course, you must tote your grub in style.

When choosing the perfect lunch pack, there’s just one question to ask yourself: Do you want something subtly chic or crazy cool?

If chic is your thing, purchase an eco-friendly Laptop Lunches system at Back to the Land Natural Foods on Seventh Avenue in Park Slope.

The kit includes a bento box with five inner compartments, lids to contain soup and sauces, and a slot for forks and spoons.

The compartments may seem small, but with so many, you can fit a well-balanced meal that will keep you full until dinnertime. The only drawback is that there’s a whole lot of stuff to hand-wash every night.

Folks who want to stand out - or just have a little fun - will be better suited with a retro metal lunchbox.

St. Mark’s Comics on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights has a huge collection of super cool lunchboxes. Choose a box outfitted with images of Spider-Man, the Smurfs or Kermit the Frog.
Pumps & Pleats is partial to the candy-themed boxes, such as one boasting, “Everyone needs a Sugar Daddy.”

There’s just one problem with this old-school lunchbox - it didn’t come with a thermos.

Back to the Land Natural Foods [142 Seventh Ave. between Garfield Place and Carroll Street in Park Slope, (718) 768-5654].

St. Mark’s Comics [148 Montague St. between Henry and Clinton streets in Brooklyn Heights, (718) 935-0911].

Michèle De Meglio is a native Brooklynite addicted to all things chic. Check out Pumps & Pleats each week for more adventures as she scours the borough for fab duds and accessories.

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You can try this at home

Tonight, some of Brooklyn's finest gather at the Bell House in Gowanus to share in some good food and booze at Good Spirits.

Jacques Gautier of the Pan-Latin restaurant Palo Santo was able to share with us a recipe for his Conejo en Mole Verde, so you can bring the taste of the Park Slope restaurant to your own home.

Ingredients

1 whole rabbit (cut into pieces with bones)

1 medium yellow onion (chopped)

6 cloves of garlic (peeled and chopped)

1 green chile (seeded and chopped, use spicier chiles if you prefer more heat)

½ cup light beer

2 quarts light rabbit or chicken stock

6 green tomatillos (husk removed and pureed)

2 potatoes quartered

2 ears of corn husk removed and cut into four pieces each

1 bunch of cilantro (leaves only – pureed) *save a few leaves for garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

1 lime cut into wedges

Corn tortillas to serve as a side

Instructions

Brown the pieces of rabbit in a medium sized braising pot. Remove the pieces and set them aside leaving the rendered fat in the pot.

Add the onion, garlic and chile with a little salt and sauté until golden brown.

Deglaze with beer. Let the alcohol cook off, then add the stock and the tomatillo pruee

Return the rabbit to pot. Bring everything up to a slow simmer and let it cook for about three hours or until the rabbit has softened a little, but not yet falling off of the bone.

Add the potatoes and corn and continue to cook for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.

Stir in the cilantro puree to intensify the green color.

Taste. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Garnish with cilantro and lime. Serve with hot tortillas.

Serves 6-8 people.

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This 'Dragon' has bite

“How to Train Your Dragon”

3 stars

By Joe Maniscalco

Life is tough for young Vikings with more brains than brawl. You get picked on, pushed aside and girls won’t even look at you.

Then there’s the ever-present danger that some dragon is going to eat you or chew your leg off.

That’s the situation facing Hiccup, the star of the delightful and thoroughly entertaining new animated feature “How to Train Your Dragon.”

It’s no accident that young Hiccup’s life mirrors a vast segment of the ever angst-ridden teen population — with the possible exception of the man-eating dragons. In other words: “Ca-ching!”

Forget the cynical formula designed to separate youths from their allowances, however. “How to Train Your Dragon” is a wonder to behold — one part Rankin/Bass, one part killer video game cut scene.

Gerard Butler is back in full “300” voice-mode as Hiccup’s dear ol’ dad, the village’s bombastic Viking leader bent of hunting down the dragons’ lair and wiping them out once and for all.

The clash between father and son is so creaky it squeaks, but for my money this take on “civilization versus nature” is visually more compelling and narratively more engaging than James Cameron’s over-hyped “Avatar.”

The animation here is suburb and lovingly rendered. Cinematically, “Dragon” is a thrill ride. Even in the most static scenes the camera swoops and dives, looking over shoulders and peering down dizzying precipices.

Kids will love it and parents won’t ever feel like nodding out.

Craig Ferguson is perfect as the Viking chief’s one-handed, right-hand man. There’s even a Viking punk who looks alarmingly like Axl Rose.

It turns out that amputation plays a big role in “Dragon” — so much so, that these cartoon Vikings just might have a lot more to offer than horned helmets and battle axes.

But those clanging weapons are still pretty cool.

“How to Train Your Dragon”. Starring Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson and America Ferrera. Runtime 98 minutes. Rated PG.

Playing in Brooklyn at the UA Court Street Stadium 12 in Downtown, UA Sheepshead Bay 14, and Linden Boulevard Multiplex Cinemas in East New York.

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