lapmax75's Profile
- Birth
- 2004
- Brooklyn
- Carroll Gardens
- House
- 38
Author's Comments
This has to be the worst name ever. I feel badly, because we all want our area businesses to succeed. Maybe another place will open nearby called "goiter."
Posted by: lapmax75 at September 16, 2009 11:22 PM in response to StreetLevel: Accessories Boutique Opens on Court Street
lapmax75 wrote a review about Fort Defiance on August 30, 2009 9:35 PM
saarinen - that's why Good Fork is so great. I wonder why it hasn't been Restaurant of the Day, despite all its praise. The owners were even guest competitors on Throwdown with Bobby Flay recently - they seem like really nice people.
DIBS - I'm a latecomer to the posting, but I wanted to say that the work looks great. And hey, if you and The What get arrested for drinking on your stoop, I'll represent you (yes, I remember those stories someone posted last year). Seriously, congrats.
Posted by: lapmax75 at August 16, 2009 11:56 PM in response to DIBS Refinishes His Facade
lapmax75 wrote a review about Jake's BBQ on July 13, 2009 5:00 PM
This is not "gourmet BBQ," if you know what I mean, but it's solid. The owner is indeed a "student" of BBQ, constantly researching cooking methods and better ways of doing things. All of the meats are, therefore, very well cooked and flavored. It's excellent comfort food. The cornbread is great too. I've never had a bad meal here, and the portions are big. Order out and love life at home.
Rob - freakin' hilarious.
Posted by: lapmax75 at July 2, 2009 3:41 PM in response to Sarah Jessica Parker to Slope?
lapmax75 wrote a review about Brooklyn Bread Cafe on July 1, 2009 12:32 AM
The breads are great. Consequently, the bagels and sandwiches are excellent. Good italian meats, peppers, etc. Otherwise, this place has some infuriating problems that keep it from being really good.
The pastries and other desserts are easily the worst of any place in the neighborhood. They look nice in the store, but I'd like to hear if anyone says that they've actually liked the desserts. "Adequate" is about the best that they get.
The staff has its problems, too. They're usually friendly, but they often struggle to get orders right, especially when there's more than one customer at a time (and, that's when they kick it in to low gear and get inexplicably slow). It's maddening.
Without going anywhere near a debate about whether private is better than public or vice versa, my experience this year with Brooklyn private school applications has been this: huge demand for private school, very few spots available, and no break whatsoever in tuition or acceptance consideration due to the economy (indeed, the opposite is true: higher tuitions and more competition). What recession?
We applied to St Ann's, Packer, BHMS, BFS, Poly, Berkeley Carroll, and Hannah Senesh. We were either wait listed (majority) or accepted. We had no rejections - we theorized that wait-listings were up due to an uncertainty by the schools as to whether they'd be alright in the downturn. What a laugh that turned out to be. It's April 23rd and not one call from any wait list has come in. Make your own conclusions.
Posted by: lapmax75 at April 24, 2009 12:05 AM in response to Applications Steady, Aid Up at Private Schools
lapmax75 wrote a review about Buttermilk Channel on March 30, 2009 1:21 PM
Dinner is excellent. I've been here about a dozen times, including during the opening week, and the wait staff has been very friendly and attentive every time. The food is always good - my family has tried everything on the menu. It's nice to have a "real" restaurant in this part of the hood other than Frankie's, which is usually characterized by an obnoxious waitstaff who think they're doing you a favor by serving up such a chic dining experience in this neck of the woods. Freakin' posers. Le Petit Cafe has good food too, but their service sucks and it isn't the same kind of dinner place. Buttermilk is the real deal. They're also very accomodating to families - we try to go at 5:30 to prevent horrifying other diners, but on the rare occasion that we go a bit later, the staff is great.
What's the problem? Every place has a secret to its flava, like the Difara's bacteria.
This is pretty upsetting. I've always had good meals here. Ridiculous.
Posted by: lapmax75 at March 27, 2009 11:25 PM in response to Korhogo a No-Go
lapmax75 wrote a review about Tom's Restaurant on March 27, 2009 12:58 AM
I think that quite a few commenters are missing the point. This place is not about the unique "fare" or being some kind of extraordinary diner. It's about the great feeling you get when you combine a nice Brooklyn story with good, hearty comfort food - the nice story being about a place, and its owners, that's been around forever and hasn't surrendered its/their throwback identity to the asshat gentrified crowd (like so many other damned things have). This doesn't really explain the lines - DIBS is right on with his comment about the inexplicable obsession that the Brooklyn transplants seem to have - but it does explain why people would want to check it out.
FSRQ - thanks man.
Here I was, thinking I could cocoon myself in my 20x90 rectangle by setting up a nice garden, putting up a big-ass stone wall, rationalizing away the proximity to the "edge" of the neighborhood, etc. and along comes the double whammy: the Pez building (Biff, that rocks) and FSRQ.
What I'm really looking forward to now is all the extra cars that will need spots once Pez is open for business.
Posted by: lapmax75 at March 25, 2009 11:06 PM in response to Development Watch: 100 Luquer Street
Come on Roll & Roaster! What a missed opportunity!
Posted by: lapmax75 at March 13, 2009 12:13 AM in response to Confirmed: Arby's Planning to Take Gage & Tollner Space
lapmax75 wrote a review about Korhogo 126 on March 1, 2009 12:38 AM
I've been eating here since it opened, and more accurately, since it was called Bouillabaisse (both at this location and on Atlantic Avenue). It's excellent. I have no idea what the first two commenters are talking about. Perhaps the restaurant let its guard down during Restaurant week or on New Years (although, I doubt it). The food is unique and extremely flavorful, especially the seafood stew and bouillabaisse. The space is intimate and appealing. Give it another shot, people.
lapmax75 wrote a review about Red Rose on February 27, 2009 12:09 AM
This place IS comfort. The food has been consistently good for decades and the portions are ludicrous. The owner cares sincerely for every person who walks in there, and that's reflected in the service. It's also nice that they own the wine shop next door, ensuring excellent Italian and Sicilian reds on any given night. This is old school neighborhood Italian food - it ain't Babbo, it ain't freakin' Po; it's heavy, it sits in your stomach, and it's good. And, when you get the bill, you say, "what??? Shouldn't there be another digit in there?" Show me a place that can make something like its pork rollatini, preceded by a smorgasborg of fried bombs like dad's riceballs or his spadinis, and and I'll defer. Until then, get the hell outta here.
I used to park illegally on that street when I needed to run in to D'Agostino's. I distinctly remember thinking to myself, "I'd pay at least $12,500/mo to live here and have unfettered access to overpriced produce. If it ever became a CVS, though, I wouldn't pay a dime over $9,500."
Posted by: lapmax75 at January 14, 2009 11:07 PM in response to No Takers, 43 Love Lane Now For Rent As Well
Do you think that BBR is splitting commissions with those ladies pictured in Carroll Park? What a pathetic listing. "Hey, spend 3mil because we have Frankie's and the gals. Oh, and check out my faux-artsy photo of the subway stop. I took it on an angle - bet ya thought it was taken by a pro, huh?"
Posted by: lapmax75 at November 8, 2008 12:21 AM in response to Open House Picks
lapmax75 wrote a review about Le Petit Cafe on October 10, 2008 6:21 PM
The food is very good for what it is (no big gourmet meals - just a good, diverse menu for the family or a casual dinner), and the baked goods are excellent. The space is beautiful, and especially nice for private parties. The service, however, fluctuates between being passable to AWFUL. The owner (Tommy) pretty much knows it's a problem. Hey, when most every waiter/waitress is a relative, things don't work out well sometimes. It's usually worth the wait.
Also - there's really no other cafe like this in the immediate area. It's great to have it.
Johnny come lately here. I'm an undecided voter, so this comment doesn't come from intense support for one candidate or the other: I think it's simplistic and naive to think that the election of one ticket or another "could complete the utter destruction of this country," or that the Republican Party's economic approach has single-handedly led to the current crisis. There are too many variables involved. It's easy to blame it all on them, and say that McCain has voted 90% of the time with "Bush," so naturally our country will keep going downhill if he's elected. Easy, but lacking in reality I think. Every time we have an election each party casts their differences from the other in apocalyptic terms (ie: "vote for us or you will be doomed"). Please. This whole 90% thing is also silly to me - McCain voted 90% of the time with his party. The Obama campaign wants to simplify that to mean 90% with Bush. Come on - Obama has probably voted 100% of the time with his party. Does that mean he always votes with Howard Dean? That's unfair to say, too. I seem to remember a lot of people blaming Clinton for the bursting of the tech bubble, and even attributing the real estate bubble to him as well. I defended him then and now on these points, mainly because you can't consider these types of issues in black and white. It's all gray - but the campaigns don't want you to think that way. Don't drink the Kool Aid.
I recognize that this post has said and offered practically nothing, other than perhaps some extraneous philosophical observations about our political system. The economic issues are so complex that I'm not convinced either party has it right, or that either one won't do what it takes to fix it if elected (like Bush is doing right now). This election may just come down to foreign affairs to me. And yes, I know the debate there too.
Posted by: lapmax75 at October 9, 2008 11:51 PM in response to Dow Closes Down 679 Points
lapmax75 wrote a review about Junior's on September 22, 2008 1:25 AM
Eating the cheesecake since birth must blur objectivity: I think that you people blaspheming the cheesecake are just nuts. As for the food, it's heart attack-inducing slop - just the way I like it. Sure it's overpriced, but the place is just cool. And the waiters are usually great.
Fighting these tickets, which I agree should never be issued, comes down more to a practical question than a legal one. I'd bet that with the proper research and court challenges, we could prevail here (I haven't researched how the courts have interpreted the definition of "public place" yet, though). The problem is cost and procedure. Your first "hearing" will be in the summons part of the NYC Criminal Court, which is not exactly the highest court in the land. At this hearing there will be a retired judge who is now sitting as a hearing officer ("JHO"), and who acts as the prosecutor as well as the judge (these offenses are so minor that the system did away with having ADA's appear initially). This JHO won't care about consitutional challenges. He may agree with the argument that these areas were not public places, in which case you will win and that's that (no precedent will be formed, and your satisfaction will be singular). If he disagrees, then your options are: 1) pay some paltry fine, or 2) come back to court (perhaps 2 or 3 more times) for a "trial." You may still win an individual victory eventually at trial. If you don't, then you have to get into the appellate process, which is limited for such minor offenses but still requires legally briefing issues. All the while you are paying attorney's fees.
So, once again we see that "the system" is not geared towards determining right or wrong, but rather to accomodating those with financial resources to litigate. This is why very few lawsuits proceed on "principle." If anyone out there wants to bankroll the ole' Brooklyn Boozing Ticket defense, I can certainly recommend someone to help.
Posted by: lapmax75 at September 16, 2008 11:50 AM in response to More Tickets for Stoop Drinkers
lapmax75 wrote a review about Lucali on August 8, 2008 12:12 AM
This place rocks. I grew up with Totonno's, moved to the hood and was happy enough with Patsy's, but now we're really set. Esposito's deserves an equal nod for the incredible pepperoni (and every other sausage product they make). It's too bad about the wait times but "Carol Gardens" at 5:12 is right - at least the neighbors can strategically get themselves in.
It wasn't extremely cost prohibitive because we did all of the planning, drawing, and designing ourselves of the garden layout, the patio, and the grill area (and the house, BTW). In addition, we tried to use recycled materials, whenever possible, like the slate roof tiles which were about to be thrown in the dumpster by our contractor and some others as well. We picked and bought all of our new materials ourselves, so there were no "middle people" that we had to go through. Also, there were no real hidden costs. So, all told, it was pretty affordable. Just the cost of the new materials,labor, and the plants. Plus, If you can do most or all of the planting yourself, that will also save you some cash. Good Luck!
Posted by: lapmax75 at July 30, 2008 11:38 AM in response to Garden of the Day: On the Edge of Carroll Gardens
Thanks again Biff!
Posted by: lapmax75 at July 29, 2008 8:34 PM in response to Garden of the Day: On the Edge of Carroll Gardens
Thanks so much everyone! Biff, the bench is there because we haven't gotten around to finding the right bar stools yet... A beer tap is coming for the countertop (Brooklyn Lager tap handle, of course). Spunky123, the landscaping was initially done by Shannon Florist on Fort Hamilton Pkwy; the contractor got the yard cleared and ready, and laid down the cement for the patio. He did a great job, but really shined when it came to the house reno itself: Alex & Tom Construction. Mysideofstuy, the built-in grill is a Bull (see bullbbq.com. We have the Angus) and the doors and sink/wet-bar came from All Valley BBQ in California (allvalleybbq.com). The countertop and "island" were custom made by the carpenter. The materials are pretty simple: treated wood, wonderboard, brickface and granite tile. Dittoburg, we are wondering that ourselves. I'm embarassed to say I've been lax about testing for the actual pH level. FSRQ, of course you're right! Park Sloper, my husband will love to hear that - testosterone abounds on that thing. Bed Stuy Bully, I think I answered your question.
Thanks again so much for your wonderful comments.
Posted by: lapmax75 at July 29, 2008 12:49 AM in response to Garden of the Day: On the Edge of Carroll Gardens
I've heard that using an outdoor fan works. The word I received was that mosquitos can't land on you when there's more than a 3 mph wind. I have no idea if this is true, but it sounds cool. Of course, I realize that I might be a total moron for even thinking this is true.
Posted by: lapmax75 at July 19, 2008 10:36 PM in response to Best way to deal with mosquitos?
Responses to Author's Forum Comments
I doubt it's SJP. She's very Manhattan and that's not an insult or compliment just an observation. I agree cmu she looks like Mister Ed but her appeal has never been about her looks. Which is way preferable to succeeding only based on one's looks.
Posted by: traditionalmod at July 3, 2009 10:50 AM in response to Sarah Jessica Parker to Slope?
Agreed, Heather! Because they all use the same plastic surgeons. That's not just a snarky joke, it's for real, that's why they look alike.
Posted by: traditionalmod at July 3, 2009 10:53 AM in response to Sarah Jessica Parker to Slope?
Oh for me it's not so much as 'conventionally pretty' (I love Judy Davis for example, smashing gal) but find SJP quite off-putting; maybe it's five-too-many episodes of S&TC which I found boring and prdictable; SJP's character to me was repellent, an unbelievable combination of little-girl-cutesiness and annoying worldliness. Totally un-sexy.
Posted by: cmu at July 3, 2009 1:30 PM in response to Sarah Jessica Parker to Slope?
A friend of ours is renovating a brownstone for a hollywood couple (writers, not actors) who bought in Brooklyn Heights. He had told us that when his clients first bought in Brooklyn, they had dinner with SJP and MB who were very interested in leaving the WV and were thinking of looking in Brooklyn as well. This was maybe a year ago or a little longer than that. So I don't think it's out of the question...
Posted by: columbiatch at July 3, 2009 4:43 PM in response to Sarah Jessica Parker to Slope?
Rob is famous, lives in the Slope and is much funnier than SJP.
Five minutes may be all my online time today, so buy for now. (I meant "bye", but "buy" fits the RE topic.)
Posted by: BklynSoFar at July 3, 2009 5:00 PM in response to Sarah Jessica Parker to Slope?
The irony of seeing moving to Brooklyn being treated like exile in Siberia in the Sex and the City movie is not lost on me
Posted by: Crownlfc at July 4, 2009 3:09 AM in response to Sarah Jessica Parker to Slope?
Granted, I'm usually not home during the day, but I've seen very little work going on. I occasionally leave late, or get back in the area during the day. Not much to see. This isn't bad news - I'm not looking forward to the parking issues once people start moving in.
Posted by: lapmax75 at September 28, 2009 9:25 AM in response to Development Watch: Slight Progress on 100 Luquer