A 'Mirror' of the Neighborhood

I got into some hot water with a lady friend last weekend after completely flaking on a date. As this wasn’t my first faux pas, it was time to turn on the gentlemanly charm.

I treated her to some Moroccan couscous down at Kif on DeKalb Avenue, and after a heaping plate of lamb sausage and a well-deserved browbeating, we took a moonlight stroll through Clinton Hill only to discover the delightful little gem that is Mirrors on Grand.

Mirrors is an unassuming place. No sign hangs above the door, and aside from the small sandwich board announcing an impressive happy hour the spot calls very little attention to itself.

Inside, the bar is surprisingly spacious and modern. Mirrors is arranged to be equal parts pub and lounge, and accomplishes both of those goals with great success. Strangely, I didn’t see one mirror.

“The name is a supposed the ‘reflect’ the new face of the neighborhood,” explained Sean Jones, an enthusiastic customer. “I don’t know if I got it right, but I think that’s it.”

With that comment, the bar erupted in laughter and several patrons shared conflicting stories about the name. I realized that everyone in the bar was on a first name basis, so I asked how they knew each other.

Conversation quickly turned to growing up on this decidedly quaint block at the northern terminus of Grand Avenue. My date and I represented the full contingency of white clientele in an otherwise black establishment, but the wave of childhood stories in Clinton Hill seemed to be infinitely more important to the bar banter than race or creed.

“We like to call this place the Brooklyn Cheers,” said Freeno, the single-named veteran bartender. “These are the old neighborhood locals.”

Few present seemed to miss the rundown video store that once inhabited Mirrors’ current address, or the bodegas that have been replaced by posh coffee shops and baby clothing stores. These locals have fully embraced the fruits of the neighborhood’s rapid revitalization.

Lifelong Brooklyn resident Michelle Allen opened Mirrors on Grand in 2008 in a truly inspired effort to cater to the locals. The happy hour is a broke writer’s dream, with $1.00 PBR, $4 draughts, and a $1 off of all top shelf liquor. I also discovered the $3.00, 24-ounce ultra tallboy cans of Genesee Beer, which I plan to make a summer drinking tradition.

With its proximity to the Pratt Institute and the dearth of bars in the immediate surroundings, it is strange that Mirrors seems to be untouched by the art school crowd. The day of reckoning is surely right around the corner.

There is something wonderfully romantic about discovering a new watering hole nestled in the same streets that I have walked countless times. Mirrors on Grand has somehow managed to create a fresh atmosphere in an environment full of familiarity — an understandably difficult task.

My faith in the local character of the neighborhood stands wholly intact, and by the looks of this new bar’s warm reception, it will be the subject of youthful memories for generations to come.