Thursday Opening Report: Bombay Bistro Certified Open, Brooklyn Public House, Cava This Weekend

1) Williamsburg: Both Flo Fab and Grub Street report that Zipi Zape has been revamped into Mediterranean eatery Barberry, supposedly opening today. From the latter: “Asu Whiteman tells us that on Thursday she’ll reopen her Spanish joint, Zipi Zape, as a Mediterranean-American restaurant, Barberry, with the same chef, Diego Gonzales. Gonzalez will bring back some of his dishes from Alioli (grilled sardines; filet mignon carpaccio; frisée salad with honey-roasted walnuts, Cabrales, and apples; chocolate souflée with raspberry coulis) and will serve new items such as burgers, sandwiches, mussels...” Status: Certified opening tonight at 6. 152 Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg; 718-599-3027. [NYT; GS]

2) Park Slope: A tipster alerts us to a post on The Scout Mag blog that reports the opening of new Scandanavian spot, Kafé no. 2. TONY also has early word on the place but refers to it as Scandanavian Grace Kafé . From the former: “They were so charmed by the idea of offering pastries and groceries from all over Scandinavia to their customers, that they decided to open another cafe in Park Slope. Kafé no. 2, located at 668 President St. and 5th Ave, occupies the former space of mens clothing boutique, OAK. They’ll be serving Löfbergs Lila espresso, which uses a combination of the strongest beans from India with one of the most aromatic beans from Guatemala resulting in an “intense, yet smooth coffee.” Phone calls to the owner confirm the name as Scandanavian Grace Kafé. Status: Certified Open. 668 President Street, Park Slope, 718-622-4045. [The Scout Mag; TONY]

3) Ft. Greene: Both ClintonHillBlog and Thrillist have the skinny on new Ft. Greene gastropub, Brooklyn Public House. Thrillist in their own inimitable style share these details: “Grub's a giant's pantload of Texas-inflected comfort food running from hot dogs and wings, to braised short ribs, to battered fish/buffalo chicken/pulled pork sliders, to pizza served in cast iron skillets (useful for menacing while demanding another 2am pizza). As for suds, BP's tapping mostly usual suspects, plus some micros (Belhaven Stout, Old Speckled Hen, Coney Island Lager).” Status: Soft Opening tonight. 247 Dekalb Street, Ft. Greene; no phone yet. [ClintonHillBlog; Thrillist]

4) Upper West Side: And before this turns into the all-Brooklyn edition, Flo Fab shares some minor reporting on new UWS wine bar, Cava. She writes: “Neil Lizardi and Carlos Carela are turning their neighborhood deli into this wine bar, to open Feb. 14 with Caribbean-style tapas.” Status: Not Open. Opening Saturday. 185 W. 80th Street; 212-724-2282. [NYT]

5) Midtown: Midtown Lunch learns that a new Indian spot called Bombay Bistro has been opened by a former Diwan manager. He shares this early review: "The one thing that is apparent right away is that new restaurant = nice restaurant. The buffet may cost $11, but the restaurant is as nice as a Midtown Lunch place is going to get? in fact, much nicer. At night it probably looks like a modern upscale bistro from the outside (it used to be the Avon Bistro, so maybe they made no changes?) Most importantly the food is the same quality as the decor." Status: Certified Open. 155 E. 52nd Street; 212-752-9587. [ML]