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I don't understand how anyone can open a cafe/fine foods business in Park Slope. From the start, there's dozens of similar places, a recession and high priced real estate.
Then, there's financing, which, no doubt, involved a business plan and a visit to a loan officer. Finally, there's a failure rate of recently opened food establishments of 30% or more. My initial impulse was to call this venture courageous, but upon closer reflection, wonder whether the entrepreneur might have done well to listen to 1842 and find an neighborhood with a real need for a business like this.
Posted by: anonymous552 at November 6, 2009 9:52 AM in response to StreetLevel: Lucas Fine Foods Coming to Union
anonymous552 wrote a review about Fez on July 22, 2009 9:10 AM
We've enjoyed eating at Fez since it first opened. It is a labor of love for its native Moroccan owner, who has developed a fine menu and a lovely setting.
Oh no, another Orhan Yegen joint? A talented chef, he is well known for berating and insulting his guests. And for opening and closing restaurants faster than anyone else in the biz.
Posted by: anonymous552 at June 25, 2009 10:51 AM in response to Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
With regard to the $70 tasting menu at Brooklyn Fare:
there is a very good precedent for this type of arrangement...suburban Philadelphia gourmet shop Talulah's Table does something similar. Each evening, after the shop closes, one lucky party of 12 can partake of a chef's tasting menu for $120 per person (including tax, gratuity and corkage fee on BYO). Reservations are accepted 365 days in advance and can only be made at 7 AM, when the phone lines open.
http://www.talulastable.com/dinners.html
Reviews on chowhound have been outstanding.
So, at $70 and BYO, this might be NY's biggest bargain.
Posted by: anonymous552 at June 25, 2009 8:59 AM in response to Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
The Marshal usually gets involved when rent isn't paid.
And, the rent must go unpaid for several months in order for a landlord to get a ruling to close. I'm not a lawyer, but that's what happened to a restaurant in the Village where a friend worked. The City Marshal came in at 6 PM, kicked all the customers out, told employees they had five minutes to vacate (whereupon they grabbed everything of value) and shuttered the place.
Posted by: anonymous552 at May 18, 2009 9:18 AM in response to 5th Avenue Cafe Not Long for This World
The family that ran Grace was a lovely family.
I particularly enjoyed greeting the man on the modified Vespa who did deliveries for them.
I hope they can rebuild.
I guess it's petty to worry about my five shirts.
Posted by: anonymous552 at March 26, 2009 3:28 PM in response to 9th Street Fire Guts Grace Cleaners
I can confirm that this place is owned by the same owner as Fez Cafe and serves most of the same menu she offers at Fez.
Ingredients are fresh, mostly organic. In addition to the falafel, try the zatter bread, the assorted appetizer platter and the couscous.
Posted by: anonymous552 at March 26, 2009 9:22 AM in response to StreetLevel: New Falafel Joint for Union
anonymous552 wrote a review about Moim on February 19, 2009 9:09 AM
We like Moim and cannot comment on the irregularities noted above.
Want to point out that Moim now has a $25 prix-fixe dinner that includes two courses and a drink. This menu is offered, I believe, on Monday and Tuesday evenings only.
anonymous552 wrote a review about Petite Crevette on February 9, 2009 12:08 PM
Have you confirmed that PC is still open and that Ganic is still in the picture?
Some recent rumblings about a possible shutter on this one...or that Ganic has hit the road.
Water is the enemy of the homeowner.
Do not ignore this sound.
If there is water, even a small amount, lurking behind this wall, you will have problems in the future: think mold, mildew, ruined sheetrock, etc.
The easiest thing to do is to have a good handyman (or woman) remove a small piece of sheetrock (I presume you are hearing this tin tin tin behind an interior wall) carefully. He or she will then inspect with a flashlight, looking for the source of the drip. If it is water, you will need the wall opened up. If not, provided your handyperson has been careful in removing the piece of sheetrock and it came from a cosmetically inapparent area (say, behind a sink or toilet), it can be replaced, taped, spackled and painted to look like new. Just don't ignore it.
Posted by: anonymous552 at February 4, 2009 10:29 AM in response to Water Dripping Sound in the Wall
Avoid electrical radiant systems, stick with plumbed systems (ie those that circulated heated water in a closed loop).
We put an electrical system in our home because of the cost factor. Despite a high BTU rating, little heat radiates through the terra cotta tiles installed above the system, even when the thermostat (220V, btw) is turned up to 100 degrees. Spend the extra money, work with a licensed plumbing contractor who has installed them before and you'll be very cozy in the winter.
Posted by: anonymous552 at January 26, 2009 1:16 PM in response to Cost of Radiant Heat?
I stopped reading OTBKB years ago. Louise fancies herself an arbiter of all things important. She also fancies herself a writer. Most of her blog consists of cut-and-paste features from other blogs or nytimes.com
And then there's the annoying stories about her lovely family, particularly her hubby and kids, with their cute nicknames. They're gonna need some heavy-duty therapy when they grow up.
And then there's her gawking and looking through closed shutters at PS "celebs" homes and new stores and restaurants.
Puullleeeeze! Spare us.
Posted by: anonymous552 at December 18, 2008 9:04 AM in response to The 100 Best Things in Park Slope
On the positive side, they're shooting an episode of Ugly Betty in the Slope today. Which means you'll be chased and assaulted by a group of production assistants (certainly NOT employed from the community) if you try to walk from the subway down Seventh Ave. to buy some wine and food for your dinner tonight. And, perhaps, you'll have to move your car.
And, perhaps, there will be lights, sound trucks and that ubiquitous convoy of trailers, along with that wonderful long table full of food for the crew and cast. I'd rather be chased by a pit bull. Let them film in Vancouver or Toronto, not in my back yard.
Posted by: anonymous552 at December 5, 2008 10:30 AM in response to Good Times in The Slope
It's mandevilla.
And, have you seen the late-blooming anemones in front of Jennifer Connelly's house on PPW? November 7 and they're still gorgeous.
Posted by: anonymous552 at November 7, 2008 10:00 AM in response to Closing Bell: Late Bloomers
Insertsnappynamehere: Obama will, no doubt, be remembered as a great president. How, 66 days before his Inauguration, can I, a white male, say that? Just think of the disasters of the past eight years and imagine how Obama would have handled each. Start with Katrina. Would Obama shut himself in the White House and leave the job to clueless FEMA individuals?
I doubt it. How about Iraq? Would Obama launch an invasion of a sovereign nation, albeit one headed by a homicidal maniac, without accurate intelligence? I doubt it. We could go on and on. Suffice it to say, Mr. Obama is intelligent, humble and sensitive to his fellow human beings. He is the right man for the job at the right time. He will appoint intelligent, competent leaders to cabinet and other leadership positions (unlike the current occupant of the White House). His Vice President will take a leadership role on the world's stage. Our image on this planet has already improved 1000%. That will translate to better trade relations and an improved economy. And, finally, we can expect Obama to have at least two Supreme Court nominations during his term. That court, which should be the last bastion of objectivity in this country, has been transformed, since Bush v. Gore, into a partisan entity. Obama will, no doubt, restore sanity to the Court.
Finally, let me say that one of the high points, among many highs, for me last evening, was Mr. McCain's classy concession speech. The speechwriter who penned those words should win a Nobel Peace Prize.
Posted by: anonymous552 at November 5, 2008 9:52 AM in response to If There Is Anyone Out There...
The home depicted in the photograph accompanying the article in the Times was decidedly NOT a brownstone. It was a brick structure. The Times editors goofed on this one.
Posted by: anonymous552 at October 22, 2008 11:31 AM in response to A McCain Outpost in Blue Park Slope
Send them all to Vancouver or Toronto.
Filming in our neighborhood benefits nobody.
It just disrupts our lives.
They don't even hire our kids as PAs anymore.
When I see a kid with a walkie talkie and a laminated card around his neck telling me I can't walk along the park on my way home, I ignore him and walk right across the set.
Let them film on our schedule, not theirs.
Posted by: anonymous552 at October 8, 2008 10:02 AM in response to Stars in the Park
anonymous552 wrote a review about Sette Enoteca e Cucina on September 3, 2008 9:44 AM
When Sette first opened, its chef was a woman who had excellent credentials and who created a pleasant, if not innovative, rustic Italian menu. Since she left, the restaurant has, indeed, gone downhill. There are a dozen better places for Italian in the neighborhood for the same price. The shakedown in Park Slope restaurants has just begun: how can one expect the number of restaurants (and the redundancy of restaurants) in the area to continue to thrive?
The benefit concerts always have fences (Manu Chao, twice, and Feist are recent examples), as well as privately-contracted Nazis-er-security guards. Like the others have said, if you want to see these concerts, buy a ticket. Otherwise, celebrate the dozens of free concerts Celebrate Brooklyn puts on each year.
The set list will be on bobdylan.com soon.
There exists a dichotomy among Dylan concert attendees: some hate the fact that Dylan, at 67, just croaks some words and plunks some keys. They also hate that he changes arrangements regularly, refusing to reproduce studio versions of his "greatest hits."
Others accept his age and his infirmities (look, Isaac Hayes put on a good show to open this year's Celebrate Brooklyn and basically sat at his keyboard and mumbled some lyrics. We rejoiced his appearance and now mourn his death) and enjoy a Dylan concert for what its worth. I was there last night and appreciated the musicianship of his band, particularly his drummer and lead guitarist. Although several of his songs were unrecognizable, his interpretations of Blowin' in the Wind and Like a Rolling Stone were unique. Beyond the Horizon was well-executed and I don't think a soul in attendance didn't sing along to Rainy Day Woman (..."everybody must get stoned...").
Posted by: anonymous552 at August 13, 2008 11:10 AM in response to Fencing In Bob Dylan
anonymous552 wrote a review about Cousin John's Café & Bakery on November 16, 2009 10:01 AM
There's something to be said about Cousin John's being the original bakery in Park Slope. Even the reviews on the wall date from another century. Having shopped there for more than twenty years, I'm pleased to say the quality has not slipped one bit. And, Cousin John's always hires young people from the area, teaching them retail skills and customer service. They are almost always cheerful and helpful.