« Cabana Envy in Dumbo? Prepping at 10 Jay & One Main StreetLevel: Heaven or Hell at New Atlantic Ave. Bar? »
October 5, 2007
Smith Street Diner Getting 'Trendy' Makeover
It's the end of a deep-fried era in Boerum Hill—sort of. Signs have gone up on the shuttered New St. Claire Restaurant at Smith and Atlantic announcing that the Costas Family has exited the eatery game after "forty wonderful years." The St. Claire, which closed on Monday, hasn't served its last burger, though. According to an article in the Brooklyn Paper, the owner of the Carroll Gardens Classic Diner on Smith between Wyckoff and Bergen is expanding his empire. New proprietor Spiro Katehis plans to renovate the St. Claire over the next few months before reopening it. Katehis says he intends to serve the same sort of food but make the space "a little more trendy, make it feel more like a part of the street."
Diner disaster! St. Claire to Close [Brooklyn Paper] GMAP
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.brownstoner.com/mte/mt-tb.cgi/2486
Comments
that's a shame. i only got to eat twice at the st. claire, and it was great diner food both times. isn't the "carroll gardens classic diner" that one with all the chrome and flourescent lights -- and it has another name underneath it, like "salonike" or something?
Posted by: chuck at October 5, 2007 9:57 AM
Boerum Hill not C Gardens
Posted by: guest at October 5, 2007 10:35 AM
"a little more trendy?" after the house of detention re-opens, will the corrections officers still feel welcome?
Posted by: guest at October 5, 2007 10:40 AM
Never ate at the St. Clair, but glad to hear it'll still be a Greek diner...although I personally prefer old-school Greek diners (cheeburger cheeburger) with key-logo cups and red Naugahyde monster-sized menus and awful coffee to get you through whatever circumstances brought you there. "Trendified" Greek diners just make it harder to get the restorative vibe, sometimes forcing you to scan the menu for souvlaki just to make sure it even IS Greek.
I often wondered if the St.Clair was a great hangout for "million stories of the naked city," given its proximity to the jailhouse and all those bail bond places...any good late-night tales worthy of a good Susan Vega song (or Lou Reed song)?
Posted by: Brenda from Flatbush at October 5, 2007 10:41 AM
Nino's on Henry and Union also closed this week.
Posted by: guest at October 5, 2007 10:50 AM
What a bummer! The best thing about the St Clair was the cheesy fisherman's decor, especially in the "banquet room." If you brought a party of 5 or more they had no choice but to open up the banquet room.
Even if they don't share my sense of aesthetic irony, I wish them well in their new incarnation.
Posted by: Lothar of the Clinton Hill People at October 5, 2007 11:03 AM
Talk about a non-story; crappy diner that hadn't been renovated or well cleaned in decades goes out of business - new diner to take its place.
Geez talk about a slow news week!
Posted by: guest at October 5, 2007 11:07 AM
Ninos closed!!! What! That place, while it didn't have the best grub, was a scene. When I moved to BK 10 years ago, a friend of mine who lived in the neighborhood in the late 80s, early 90s told me to go to Ninos and to call him back. When I got there, it was a scene out of a mobster movie: a bunch of thick-necked guys on chairs in front; valet service; a huge room, that was sort of empty; and lots of Italian spoken.
I thanked him for the experirence.
In terms of the St. Claire: I loved that place. The food wasn't great, but they did know how to make an egg and their prices were reasonable. I heard that the owner sold the building and is moving back to Greece. I also heard that someone who is Muslim is opening a restaurant int he space and he needs to fully gut it out, because the Greeks cooked pork there.
Its just what I heard.
I hope it will remain somewhat cheap.
We need a good diner in the hood, because the diner on Smith, bet Bergen & Wyckoff is terrible.
Posted by: guest at October 5, 2007 11:38 AM
Brenda, I think closer to a Lou Reed song... definitely!
Posted by: bren at October 5, 2007 11:39 AM
The St. Claire was perfect. Just an old diner. Totally reliable. My husband I started going there when we started dating 17 years ago. Our five year old loved it too. The waitresses were absolute characters.
It was so old school the Costas family had their mother, still in her mourning black, working there. The kolokopithita(sp?) was delicious. I've never seen it anywhere else.
We went in the day before it closed and they gave us one of the fake fish on the wall.
We'll treasure it forever.
Posted by: bhiller at October 5, 2007 11:50 AM
gus, the owner of that diner owns like four apartment buildings on smith street....
Posted by: guest at October 5, 2007 11:56 AM
I heard that when the new owners took over, they gave two of the St. Claire waitresses jobs at the Carroll Gardens Classic Diner, so go down the street if you miss the "absolute characters."
Posted by: guest at October 5, 2007 11:56 AM
ps. that guys who owns salonike owns diners all over the city, mostly on the uws. he owns "new wave diner"... which i used to go to in high school...
Posted by: guest at October 5, 2007 12:06 PM
Nino's is more of a loss...there will always be Greeks running the diners across the city...but will the old italian spots like Nino's continue?
Posted by: guest at October 5, 2007 12:18 PM
11:38: I think you are recalling Nino's restaurant with the entrance on Union. That closed years ago. But Nino's the pizza/hot dishes/heroes part on the corner is what recently shut it's doors. I believe they once had the same owner and kitchen.
Posted by: Carol Gardens at October 5, 2007 2:27 PM
Yes, Nino owned them both. Used to live across the street
Posted by: guest at October 5, 2007 4:12 PM
they filmed a mafia rub-out scene for TV at Nino's restaurant before it closed.
Posted by: guest at October 5, 2007 4:13 PM
Is Nino's closed for good, or just renovating again?
I can't imagine them closing for good, when I lived on Henry Street there was always a steady stream of customers and police from the precinct across the street.
Posted by: guest at October 5, 2007 6:33 PM
wow...what a bummer...I loved ordering food in from there...and I remember the waitressing...one of them offered me prescription drugs once...it was hilarious.
I hope the employees work through whatever troubles they may now have. Very nice people, good food.
Posted by: guest at October 5, 2007 7:24 PM
I hear that Nino's was sold. I believe the Mazzola bakery people have something to do with the new restaurant that is going in. And the guys behind the counter were saying goodbye to customers the day before it closed, so I assume they don't expect to work there when it reopens as something else.
Posted by: Carol Gardens at October 5, 2007 11:18 PM
Had breakfast there twice, and it was really good! Enjoyed the classic 'American'diner atmosphere. It’s a pity we can’t go there on our next visit…
Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 10:56 AM
Post a comment
Please be patient while your comment is published. It may take a moment.