Streetlevel: Nigerian, Not Thai, for Lafayette

useless.

will close in less than 3 months.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 2:48 PM

I think a Nigerian Restaurant will be a hit. I have lived here for 20 years. Keur N Deye was a success when it opened and if the food is as good as when Keur N Deye use to be I think it will be equally as successful. As a long time Fort Greener we just want to get our money's worth.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 2:49 PM

Who cares about the owner of the building? If this place serves good food it will do great. Ft Greene could definitely use another spot, especially since Habana Outpost will be closing for the winter soon. Nigerian sounds good to me.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 2:51 PM

There has been an awful lot of bashing new businesses opening up in the CH and FG, recently (not only on this blog). The most interesting thing about it is that they are reviews for businesses that haven't even opened yet. It's one thing to try someplace new and not care for the menu, service, etc. It's a completely different matter to give reviews with negative tones (and I'm being generous, here), about a venue that isn't even open for business yet.

This snarky, anti-community, attitude is completely out of place.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 2:59 PM

to 2:51...
fear not! Habana Outpost is staying open this winter with expanded inside dining!

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 3:07 PM

I wouldn't mind a Nigerian restaurant on Fifth Avenue in the Slope. Anything but another sushi joint. And yes, Keur N Deye was tasty.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 3:18 PM

It would be something different from the usual Thai, Sushi, Mexican, Bistro, etc fare. Years ago I use to frequent Joloff on Fulton and St. James. Don't know how they're doing now but I'd give this place a shot.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 3:38 PM

It's not so much that the old timer who owns the building is out of touch as it is he is completely greed driven. He threatened to put in a 7-11 superstore but I guess they realized he is a nut. It is sad that the owner will be go to such lengths as to deceive his own people as unless the place really has a smart plan they WILL close soon. My hunch is that when a restaurant has to put up a sign before they deliver a renovation look out. Remember the caribean bakery that is now an annex to the Smoke Joint. Their product was completely ill conceived and yes they bit the dust. Shame on the owner. Old timer who observes. Oh and shame on TB Real Estate. They closed on DeKalb to become a cappucino, gelato, muffin place. They apparently are willing to screw their own too!

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 3:42 PM

What's Brownstoner got against Nigerian food? Bet you've never been to Keur N Deye...

-sg

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 3:43 PM

not that it really matters but keur n' deye is senagalese, not nigerian.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 4:19 PM

Service at keur n deye = sloooooooooooow

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 4:23 PM

4:19

I stand corrected. :)

sg

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 4:25 PM

Ethiopian would be a much more popular choice than West African, but I agree that it's more exciting to see a Nigerian place open than another French bistro/ other standard neighborhood fare.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 4:36 PM

A restaurant in a former dry cleaner sounds like a recipe for eating carcinogens unless the site has been cleaned really well (which I doubt, judging by the sight of the space over the past few months). And especially dangerous for the new restaurant employees.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 4:58 PM

looks like an ideal spot for a methadone clinic.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 5:07 PM

hey 2:59, i don't care what you say, the decor at speakeasy SUCKS!

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 5:16 PM

What is Nigerian food anyway? I have a dear friend from Nigeria and we have been to a party or two where it was all nigerian food. Can you say boiled meat? and uncooked bread? Not to dis my friend - she is quite gracious - but seriously I almost broke a tooth

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 6:31 PM

I didn't think they ate much in Nigeria.

Should cut down on overhead.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 7:13 PM

7:13
That comment was tasteless to say the least...anyway, Nigerian food is, yes, a bit heavy and oily (palm oil)sometimes, but I think a lot of people will like trying it if they're not familiar with it. If it's prepared well, it's really tasty. Check out the wikipedia link on this thread for more info on the cuisine.

And PS to the person who wrote the landlord is greedy: no, the landlord is not greedy. The landlord got screwed by the bodega owners across the street who begged to take over the shop when the landlord decided to retire and close the dry cleaning business. The bodega guys signed a proper lease with a good number of stipulations, and at a very reasonable rent. They then went in and did unsupervised, unpermitted and unapproved demolition work that nearly collapsed the building (they cut out the central beam). Needless to say, there was a HUGE amount of work to undo the damage. The landlord really pulled through and we should wish them nothing but the best of luck with this new tenant.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 7:36 PM

DITTO 7:36 With a ignorant comment like that, he should stick to reading DC comics because this conversation is OVER his HEAD.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 7:59 PM

Thank you 7:59. There were some ignorant and racist comments in this thread. I wasn't going to comment on this thread because I know too much about the address in question but I simply had to after seeing 7:13's flip, nasty comment.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 8:09 PM

I wish somebody can explain to me how this landlord got away with these brand new, ugly gates when he is on a landmark block? Doesn't any other city entity take that in to account when giving him permits to open a restaurant or do renovations or anything. We all seem to have to pay a fortune for landmark windows in the area and landmark brownstone work and this is just plain ugly on a main drag. I know landmarks didn't approve these big, ugly gates.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 9:50 PM

I have been an regular reader of brownstoner for sometime now, and i have watched the comments on this site go from somewhat enlightend to absolute garbage and more recently racist as demonstrated with some of these coments. as with all good things i think it time to bid this site adieu.

Posted by: guest at October 16, 2007 7:04 AM

I don't think it's racist to wonder how viable a restaurant serving a little known and therefore little appreciated cuisine is going to fare in this location. In my experience, most people are not particularly open-minded about trying new foods, even in New York City.

Posted by: guest at October 16, 2007 8:23 AM

1. I wish we had a Nigerian restaurant--or any other African food-in Park Slope. Would enjoy some Ethiopian and Senegalese too. Hope this place does well.

2. It is not racist to question the viability of an African restaurant or to say anything less than positive about a neighborhood where black people live. Other than 7:13's obnoxious comment, if you really think the rest of this thread was too "racist" for yoou to visit this blog, then go find a nice gentle support group. And don't let the door hit you on your candy ass on the way out.

Posted by: guest at October 16, 2007 9:27 AM

Thank you 7:04.
Now, Brownstoner Blogowner, don't you think it's time you really "managed" this site a little better? There are downright lewd comments on the threads and discussions fall apart. I know it's easy not to have any obvious rule and not to have to read all your threads, but I'm tired as well of having to cull through some really vile entries to get through a simple discussion. The value of this site is damaged by the "bad apples". Maybe I'll stop visiting the site too.

8:23
I think you misinterpreted what 7:04 and a number of others were getting at. I don't think these discussion participants are taking issue with discussing "how viable a restaurant serving a little known and therefore little appreciated cuisine is going to fare in this location". The issue is that there are some obnoxious, juvenile, one-liner comments that are racist. The writer of these comments probably thought he was being cute but came off being a bigot.

Posted by: guest at October 16, 2007 9:28 AM

9:27
Uhuh...very pleasant. And anyway, there were a bunch of comments, not just the one big obvious "I can't believe he said that" one. Let's see..."Chinese HJ parlor"...LOVELY..."ideal spot for a methadone clinic"...also charming...
And, please, desist with immature online bravery and vulgar, ungenerous comments. It's a bad reflection on you (even as a "guest") and a bad reflection on this site. Why do you start your comment trying to sound reasonable and then devolve into Archie Bunker two breaths later? Shoots the whole reasonable human being out of the water...makes you sound like a drunk.

Posted by: guest at October 16, 2007 9:44 AM

"Why do you start your comment trying to sound reasonable and then devolve into Archie Bunker two breaths later? Shoots the whole reasonable human being out of the water...makes you sound like a drunk."

Anybody else find the irony in this sentence.

God, you're a psychopath lady.

Posted by: guest at October 16, 2007 10:50 AM

"Why do you start your comment trying to sound reasonable and then devolve into Archie Bunker two breaths later?"

Because it's actually possible for a reasonable person to disagree with you. Without being a racist--sorry, an "Archie Bunker."

Crying "Racist" has become a cheap, overused way of invalidating disagreement on this site (even now that we don't have bx3bklyn to throw it around very 5 minutes), and it's about time people started getting called on it.

Posted by: guest at October 16, 2007 11:18 AM

"Why do you start your comment trying to sound reasonable and then devolve into Archie Bunker two breaths later?"

Because it's actually possible for a reasonable person to disagree with you. Without being a racist--sorry, an "Archie Bunker."

Crying "Racist" has become a cheap, overused way of invalidating disagreement on this site (even now that we don't have bx3bklyn to throw it around very 5 minutes), and it's about time people started getting called on it.

Posted by: guest at October 16, 2007 11:18 AM

Eh, the way I heard, the bodega people were the ones screwed by the owner across the street. He tried to change the lease terms on them after belatedly getting the impression he could get more rent from someone else. And kept their deposit to boot. Talk about irrecoverably damaging the location is, allegedly, cover for the poor advice enabling his latent greed.

I don't wish failure on anyone taking the leap of opening a restaurant, but it's a tough business. It's filled with aspirants who've spent more time hoping than planning. I doubt it's going to be a long-term winner, though I hope I'm wrong. If the food and atmosphere's good, I'd definitely want to try it out.

Posted by: guest at October 16, 2007 4:01 PM

11:18 "Racist" wasn't being cried in relationship to your "Archie Bunker" attitude. Reproducing what I believe was your entry at 9:27:
..............
"1. I wish we had a Nigerian restaurant--or any other African food-in Park Slope. Would enjoy some Ethiopian and Senegalese too. Hope this place does well. [Okay, nice...]

2. It is not racist to question the viability of an African restaurant or to say anything less than positive about a neighborhood where black people live. [Okay, a little edgy but we're still listening.] Other than 7:13's obnoxious comment [Incorrect. There were other racist comments, such as the chinese hj parlor, the methadone clinic...], if you really think the rest of this thread was too "racist" for yoou to visit this blog, then go find a nice gentle support group. And don't let the door hit you on your candy ass on the way out." [And thus, the final coup de disgrace. Your true self seems to emerge...or at least your insecurities.]

I referred to your Archie-Bunker/acting-like a-drunk attitude shown in the shift from polite reasonableness at first to the nasty ogre and the closing with the tiresome go-away trope along the lines of the old "Yeah, if you think there are so many things wrong in America, go live in Cuba!" that some of us remember hearing a lot growing up.

Posted by: guest at October 16, 2007 7:08 PM

Sorry 4:01, but you heard wrong.

Here's as much of the background I feel can be brought to light:

The lease was written by a good lawyer and had decent set-out terms that most retail leases include. The renters needed to do things by the book (permits, licensed contractor, reserves, review by the building owner). The owner never tried to change any terms of the lease.

The renters came in but were grandly underfunded (both the deposit and the reserves for the work set out in the lease), hired some kids, I heard, off the "Sanctuary" condo job and the kids went crazy doing demo managing to cut out one of the buildings main support beams. The upper floors were unsupported at this point and the situation became critical.

The work needed to rescue-repair this one blunder cost a small fortune. The owner filed bldg. permits. The renters insisted the lease was still in force and tried to get in repeatedly. The owner when through the eviction process and was successful.

The owner had any NO intention of renting the space to any other person or entity before the massive damage caused to the building and the cavalier and at times aggressive attitude of the renters. And, as many of us know, the space sat empty for a l-o-n-g time, so the "greed" argument doesn't hold water.

Again, no matter what the bodega guys tell their clientele, the owner never even thought of trying to change any terms of the lease. It was all set out at the get-go and both parties signed the agreement. The renters never met their end of it AND greatly damaged the building. The landlord asked them to stop the unpermitted work they launched into immediately when they got the keys but they did not heed him…and then the big collapse occurred shortly thereafter.

Meanwhile, the owner won in court.

AND, ear to the rail...the rent is really reasonable for Fort Greene. The owner has never sought to bleed some new renter. The owners is even arguably under-market on the rent.

Posted by: guest at October 16, 2007 7:35 PM

11:48PM,
Don't worry...if anyone bothers to read this thread at this point, they'll probably see you illustrated the answer to your own ponderings. Or were you just being flip?

Posted by: guest at October 17, 2007 9:32 AM

Something is not quite right about the place.

First, there's this 4 ft. high fence that takes up almost half of the sidewalk, so you're forced to walk on the grate. Then there are all these tiny security cameras.

Is this going to be a club or a bar with crowds hanging outside?

I can't imagine that it's legal to put up such a fence in a landmark area.

Posted by: guest at October 24, 2007 9:57 PM