The New Stinky Brooklyn: Coffee, Growlers, Groceries

Luke Johnson, cheese buyer and affineur at , stood behind a glass case of cured meats last week and described exactly how the shop has changed since its recent move up the block.

The new Stinky has a lot more.

“We’re carrying some different cheeses, we’ve expanded the pasta section, (there’s) a much bigger freezer, we’ve expanded our baking line…” And the list goes on. “There’s pretty much more of everything.”

Patrick Watson and Michelle Pravda first opened Stinky Brooklyn in June, 2006: a small meat and cheese shop that also offered a smattering of gourmet food products. Previously located at 261 Smith St., the shop just reopened at 215 Smith St., a larger and much less cozy (though still inviting) space. It's now filled with a wide array of foodstuffs.

“Expansion” was another word Johnson used in excess when discussing Stinky’s move. Nearly everything has been expanded: the space is about 1,500 square feet, the meat and cheese selections have grown, as have the coffee and cocktail sections.

“We wanted to be able to carry more grocery and market stuff, to become more of a market,” says Johnson.

Stinky also now opens at 7 a.m. to serve Brooklyn Roasting Company’s French press coffee.

In addition to developing and growing the selections of products they carried at the original store, an impressive amount of new products have been added. Among the never-before-sold items are six types of olives, a line of kosher ice creams called The Chosen, a small amount of local produce, three different types of milk and five different types of butter including goat and parma butters.

One of the most exciting expansions the bigger space has allowed for is still to come: growlers. Customers will be able to purchase a growler for under $15 and fill it with one of the beers Stinky will be offering on tap. Unfortunately, the growlers won’t be available for another 1 - 2 months while they wait for the beer license to be transferred. They are also planning to have one kombucha tap.

Other additions yet to come: sandwiches and prepared foods made on the premises, cheese 101 classes coming this summer and eventually, beer classes.

The wide avenue that runs down the middle of the store is flanked by display cases of cheeses and meats, the ham bar from the old shop and blocks of shelves that display items by category. Some shelves have simple and straightforward labels like “Condiments” and “Oil and Vinegar,” while other shelves have more intriguing names. The “For The Chef” shelves offer products like stocks, salts and anchovy pastes, as well as a DIY cheese making kit.

One shelving unit that the folks at Stinky seem particularly proud of is the cocktail section. Aptly named “Happy Hour,” it boasts an array of bitters, cocktail onions, pomegranate molasses and cocktail shakers.

The new space has high ceilings and reaches far back into the block. The walls are painted the same bright tangerine color as those at the first location, but in the larger space they achieve a completely different aesthetic. Instead of warming up a small dark space they give the well-lit room a more playful feel. The bright walls and the goofy font used for signage run the risk of making the store and what it offers seem trivial and frivolous. But the lightness makes the store’s gourmet items and some of the more obscure and intimidating products much more accessible.

When talking about the recent developments at Stinky the staff joked about a Friday night 80s party and yoga classes that will be held in the center aisle led by one of their staff members. Though they hold no truth, the jokes are telling of just how much Stinky has changed and added during the course of the move.

The new Stinky, though not yet full realized, is still a must stop on every gourmand's shopping trip. The quality and diversity of the products make it so.

The shop's expansion is ambitious but not unrealistic. Sadly, Stinky is no longer a cute cheese shop. It has matured into a full-fledged market, sure to get better with age.

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New and Notable Products at the New Stinky Brooklyn

DiStefano Burrata alla Panna- A creamy mozzarella like cheese that has been injected with cream. From California.

Brooklyn Roasting Company’s Coffees- Stinky opens at 7 a.m. Monday - Friday.

Bittermens Bitters- A selection are sold that includes a xocolatl mole bitters.

Ascutney Mountain- One of the new cheeses in the shop. It’s a raw cow’s milk cheese made on a commune in Vermont. Unobtrusive and flavorful Johnson describes it as “sweet and nutty with a bit of a bite- this is one of New England’s finest.”

Early Bird Granola- It's made right here in Brooklyn!

And... Not new, but certainly notable. Look out for the selles-sur-chere for sale. A fresh “goat cheese hockey puck” that Johnson ages in one of the two caves in Stinky’s basement.