Right before the first seating. Lovely in there!

​It's finally here! The opening date went from March to April to May, the menu went from "new American cuisine" to "European- and Mediterranean-influenced cooking," and every dissolute former punk in Park Slope went from denial to bargaining to full-on, mouth-watering acceptance, but Fat Mike's Park Slope bastion of local cuisine (file under phrases we never expected to write) is finally here. There's already a Yelp review and everything, touting the space's "great personality," the "friendly and professional" service, and most importantly, the menu: duck confit with almonds and dates; Maine diver scallops with bacon and the ever ubiquitous ramps; beet salad, cookie plates, pannacotta, and even house-made burger rolls, apparently. An aging sell-out's dream, in other words. So far, this particular aging sell-out has only walked by the 7th Avenue and 16th Street spot, pausing to take furtive photographs of all the happy people eating their delicious dinners, but we plan to remedy that ASAP:

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​New signage up at Thistle Hill, the much anticipated bar and restaurant from NOFX's Fat Mike and a consortium of others, including 'inoteca's David Massoni and Niagara Bar's John Bush. When last we checked in, the spot, which is located in the former Olive Vine location at 15th Street and 7th Avenue, promised "new American cuisine in a comfortable, laidback setting"; now we look to be getting "European- and Mediterranean-influenced cooking," plus single-malt whiskey bottled right here in New York State. Best is how they describe the most famous member of their ownership group to the parents and innocent children of the surrounding neighborhood: "Mike 'Fat Mike' Burkett, a member of the seminal punk band NOFX." Urban Dictionary, it turns out, sort of agrees. Cash or credit; early April is the new opening date, moved back from March. Who's coming with?