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NsPx wrote a review about Giardini Pizza on October 28, 2009 1:25 PM
It's obviously not going to compare with Lucali or DiFaro's, but as far as old-school pizza places go, Giardini's isn't bad. It's definitely tastier and fresher than a lot of the slide joints in the hood. We order a "grandma" pie about once a month, and it's always delicious.
We're upstairs renters like yours. Normally, when it begins to get cold outside (November-ish), we just call the landlord and she turns up the heat. Last year we tried that, and though it was tropical on the ground floor, there was absolutely no heat coming through. Turns out that, like eman1234 pointed out, the (old-school) radiators needed to be bled. After that, it was much, much warmer.
Posted by: NsPx at October 14, 2009 1:32 PM in response to Temperature in Tenant's Apt.
earlier this year, my wife and i put a reasonable offer in on a place that had been on the market for a while. as the sellers had alreay moved and were in a hurry to sell, they accepted the offer. a day later i got a call from the broker saying that someone else had offered 50k more (which would have put the offer well over the original asking price). we figured it was an attempt to make us bid up, and held firm at our offering price. sure enough, the broker called a day or so later to say that the higher offer had "fallen through." i have to think it's a common practice in the industry, and it probably works some of the time.
Posted by: NsPx at September 23, 2009 12:28 AM in response to Worst Broker Experience Ever
how is it possible that there aren't more good indian places in nyc? nothing in queens even comes close to what you can find in edison, nj.
Posted by: NsPx at May 27, 2009 1:12 PM in response to Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
NsPx wrote a review about Black Mountain Winehouse on April 21, 2009 2:08 PM
Good wine, great atmosphere, and the two time I've been there, the service was very nice if extremely busy.
I've eaten at the Carroll Gardens location dozens of times and have never had a bad meal or experience, which is amazing in NYC/Brooklyn. Good luck to them.
Posted by: NsPx at April 8, 2009 12:20 PM in response to Streetlevel: Cubana Cafe Coming to 6th Avenue
NsPx wrote a review about Buttermilk Channel on March 30, 2009 1:01 PM
Had brunch here with some friends recently. The food was solid but fell a little shy of the hyperbolic praise I've been reading. My short rib hash was tasty; the scrambles were kind of lackluster. I'll definitely go back and try dinner some time.
Nice apartment, but the square footage doesn't seem to add up to all that much space, and a couple of the photos look suspiciously distorted (I guess everyone's doing that these days, though).
Posted by: NsPx at March 19, 2009 1:07 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 135 Prospect Park SW, #F12
It's always been a special pleasure to stop by Vox Pop for some coffee or a SixPoint. It was obvious from the first that the place wasn't designed as a money-making Starbucks machine, and for me that was part of the charm. It's unfortunate when businesses aren't run in a manner that allows them to pay the bills, but it's cynical and petty to slander someone for trying to do something positive. Here's wishing Sander and everyone involved the best.
Posted by: NsPx at March 16, 2009 1:43 PM in response to Vox Pop Teeters On The Edge
NsPx wrote a review about Red Rose on February 26, 2009 12:47 PM
Agree with Chowhound, this is definitely old-school Carroll Gardens. The food, not so good - the one time I ate here the bread was stale and part of my pasta came out still frozen.
NsPx wrote a review about Zenkichi on February 25, 2009 12:28 PM
Ate here about 6 months ago - some of the food was very good, but the whole "blinds" thing almost killed me. I swear the waitresses must have raised and lowered the blinds 30 or 40 times during our meal, it was like a comedy routine.
NsPx wrote a review about Choice Market on January 28, 2009 12:28 PM
Fantastic food and a great vibe. The lines on a sunny weekend day are a bit long, but it's worth the wait.
NsPx wrote a review about Savoia on January 27, 2009 12:37 PM
Food's not bad, but calling it the best on Smith St. is quite a stretch.
hey, good food takes time, and chickory's food was consistently delicious. here's hoping they come back soon!
the only weird thing about chickory is that it started as a really nice little space, and every time we came back they had made it a little less inviting.
Posted by: NsPx at January 26, 2009 2:57 PM in response to Streetlevel: The Return of Chicory on Degraw
$64 million for a bandshell? seriously?
Posted by: NsPx at January 26, 2009 1:25 PM in response to Community Concerns About Marty's Coney Concert Space
I was bummed after the last re-design, but this one is totally useless. I wrote in to complain the first day it went up.
Posted by: NsPx at January 23, 2009 12:54 PM in response to Daily Gripe About NY Times
Totally agree. I'm a minor foodie I pick up food on Court Street several times a week, but I never once had the urge to go into this place.
Posted by: NsPx at December 30, 2008 1:46 PM in response to Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
NsPx wrote a review about Tanoreen on November 10, 2008 1:12 PM
The menu is appealingly diverse, but we had as many mediocre dishes as we did good ones - I would hesitate to call it the "best" Middle Eastern in Brooklyn. After all the superlative praise we'd heard, we were slightly underwhelmed.
NsPx wrote a review about Black Iris on November 7, 2008 12:46 PM
We've been going here for years. The food is consistently fresh and good, and the staff is very nice. Highly recommended for a very moderately priced meal.
Love the Hop Obama. Recently bought a growler of the Sixpoint/Gorilla Coffee Stout at Bierkraft. Amazing!
Posted by: NsPx at October 29, 2008 2:27 PM in response to Brooklyn Makes Good Beer
NsPx wrote a review about The Good Fork on October 28, 2008 1:26 PM
My wife and I love this place. The boat hull-ish front ceiling is amazing, the food is solidly delicious, and despite occasionally lackluster service, the owner works really hard to be friendly and accomodating.
As far as wait time, I find that it's generally impossible to go to a small, poplular place and expect to be seated in a timely fashion (Al Di La and Lucali, two places that I also love, are good examples). Some people like to scowl and bitch, but seriously, have a drink and relax - you're in Brooklyn!
Pretty sure i saw a family move in last month.
Posted by: NsPx at October 16, 2008 1:28 PM in response to 45 Third Place Not Moving
NsPx wrote a review about Em Thai on September 26, 2008 1:30 PM
Delicious food (try the em roti pancake thing) and really lovely service.
NsPx wrote a review about Zaytoons on July 24, 2008 2:15 PM
Decent food, nice people.
Thought it lacks in atmosphere, I think Fatoosh in Brooklyn Heights has the best falafel in the area.
I've been through all of these apartments. The basement, which has been somewhat manditorily tailored for a wheelchair user, is really blah and will never come close to what they're asking for it. The first floor, which is the biggest, has beautiful stained glass, though i also don't care much for what they've done with the kitchen/bathrooms. The second floor was my favorite, the master bedroom has huge windows that look out on the amazing building and the corner of Halsey and Nostrand, and an great iron deck. Aside from the silliness of having two small bathrooms, the gas fireplace looks chintzy and the living room is absolutely tiny. The third floor is similar to the second, but a bit bigger. The owners have gone to great lengths to restore the woodwork throughout, and it's very nice.
Posted by: NsPx at July 22, 2008 2:27 PM in response to Condos of the Day: 83 Halsey Street
My wife and I toured some of the apartments a few weeks ago. They were fairly large (the ceilings really are extremely high), and maintained a nice, simple quasi-industrial feel. The views from the upper-floor apartments, espcially the one that looks out onto Manhattan, were stunning. The first-floor apartments were huge for the price, but the view into and out of them is is kind of awkward. If we had the money we would definitely think about buying there, but alas, the $1000+ maintenance puts us out of the running.
Living in the neighborhood, I would say this isn't a terrible location. You have your choice of two F stations, it's a few blocks from Frankie's, and there's a nice new wine store across the street.
As for noise, well, even my tiny block in CG gets a lot.
Posted by: NsPx at July 17, 2008 1:23 PM in response to Condo of the Day: 505 Court Street
Responses to Author's Forum Comments
Ah, BedStuyTownhouse,
I happen to know who you are. And it's funny how you only tell the story that gains affinity with avid posters here at Brownstoner.com.
Did you mention how low your offer was? Did you mention how long you took in making the initial offer? Did you mention how a real estate broker accommodated your unreasonable request to show you the home at 9am on a Saturday Morning because you had a busy work week ahead of you and other medical appointments that day?
Or did you think because you didn't get your way in the matter and assumed that the broker was lying about the property being shown, that it was ok to come to a public forum and trash their business reputation and integrity.
Any broker commenting here knows that Article 12a of the Real Property Law of New York State outlines the 3 conditions by which we're to confer the public when it comes to presenting offers.
Did you mention the suspicious pre-qualification you presented in your initial offer from a long island mortgage broker with a sketchy background.
You folks have to get it at some point and perhaps listen to MOPAR in her remarks.
I've had respectable, full disclosure dealings with MOPAR. Our client made that sale difficult.
Maybe you should ask your attorney what rights you truly have and see if they've been violated in this experience.
How you feel an experience has gone for you does not qualify as someone being sleazy and unprofessional.
Every broker commenting, although from a REBNY experience, is also aware of the 6 fiduciary obligations we are required when we represent sellers.
The law makes it clear. Perhaps before you start ranting in this manner, you should acknowledge your responsibility for the experience you have.
NO ONE IS REQUIRED TO GIVE YOU A HOUSE JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT TO BUY IT.
A home shopper will always have to satisfy the sellers expectation and I'm sure each broker commenting here will agree.
As for BedStuyTownhouse, I'll make my concerns known to you directly by phone on Friday, 9/25/09.
I hope you post the narrative of that discussion here at brownstoner.com as well.
Posted by: bkemcee at September 25, 2009 5:32 AM in response to Worst Broker Experience Ever
And to StuyHtsHome,
I'm excited that you and your husband are still interested in the property.
Perhaps you might want to update the readers of this forum on the status of your purchase.
(including the incompetent brokers remarking who only specialize in selling apartments...and don't use the required Disclosure of Agency Relationship form by NYS Department of State in most of their transactions...in spite of the REBNY affiliation)
Of course, you have every right to walk away from your offer any time.
And you would avoid all the stress experienced if you only
FOLLOWED THE BROKERS INSTRUCTIONS...AND NOT WHAT YOU FELT YOU WANTED TO DO.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And from what I understand in MOPAR's experience, that agent was fired after failing to meet NYS Department of State.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kudos to Foul Play for giving a dose of reality to the REBNY endorsement.
Posted by: bkemcee at September 25, 2009 7:16 AM in response to Worst Broker Experience Ever
Stuyhtshome
It seems that you may be confused about the buying process. The broker doesn’t work for you. He’s representing the seller and it’s his duty to get the most money for his client. How this makes him a super slimy agent is beyond me.
How is this any different from buyers making multiple offers on several properties in order to get the best deal out there? Aren't they looking out for their best interest?
Don’t let your emotions get the best of you. It sounds a bit immature that you believe that because you made an offer that no other bids will be made or accepted after that. I think it’s quite reckless that you are maligning a broker’s reputation based off the fact that someone made a higher bid than you. You should be careful about making liable statements on a blog just so you can feel better about a situation. It seems like the only “crime” he committed was being late for an appointment.
And while you’re considering filing a complaint about this broker, you might want to think about if he’s going to file a complaint against you.
Also food for thought: If and when you do purchase a home and decide to sell one day, I bet you will appreciate the broker that you hire working to get the best and highest offer for your property.
Posted by: bklynliving at September 25, 2009 10:05 AM in response to Worst Broker Experience Ever
Same issue here when I was renting a downstairs apartment on bergen street. The landlady called me an idiot for telling her there was no heat in the apartment because her apartment was toasty warm. But once I convinced her to get Keyspan to check it out, it turns out the radiators needed to be bled. Then once the heat started to flow, she set the thermometer to 62 degrees.
Posted by: bh1234 at October 14, 2009 4:30 PM in response to Temperature in Tenant's Apt.
i used to take guitar lessons directly across from this place, and i just remember sitting there thinking, "man, is that building awful." you might possibly be able to make a building look uglier and more out of place, but it would take a special kind of genius. seriously, does scarano (or whoever designs for him) hate eyes?
Posted by: NsPx at November 9, 2009 1:02 PM in response to 21123 Revealed - And Exposed