Foodies as the New Gentrifiers
The Brooklyn Paper has an article this morning about the gentrifying effect of upscale food establishments. The artists might get to a new neighborhood first, say the article, but in recent years, a new cafe or thin crust pizza restaurant is the sure sign that a neighborhood has hit its tipping point. “Food is the…
The Brooklyn Paper has an article this morning about the gentrifying effect of upscale food establishments. The artists might get to a new neighborhood first, say the article, but in recent years, a new cafe or thin crust pizza restaurant is the sure sign that a neighborhood has hit its tipping point. “Food is the new art in the urban cultural experience,” said Sharon Zukin, author of Naked City: The Death and Life of Authentic Urban Culture. “You used to have artists moving in and opening galleries, now there are foodies moving in and opening up cafes.” The examples are legion: K-Dog in Prospect Lefferts Garden, The Farm on Adderly in Ditmas Park, Northeast Kingdom followed by Roberta’s in Bushwick, Saraghina in Bed Stuy. Even Kensington made it only the foodie map recently with the opening of Brancaccio’s Food Shop. Of course, not all pioneering restaurateurs are met with success: Abigail’s proved too pricey for Crown Heights and Bread Stuy’s recents problems have been well publicized. Another other good examples you can think of? Surely the L Cafe in North Williamsburg and Diner in South Williamsburg deserved mention. Others?
Foodies Now Leading the Gentrification of Brooklyn [Brooklyn Paper]
So if Brooklyn = the new downtown, are we going to get new Brooklyn-centric subway service to deal with it?
I used to love to have dinner parties. But it’s pretty hard to shop for groceries in Manhattan and then assemble people from all over Brooklyn. The transportation issues are daunting.
I wish I could afford Sunset Park. Chinese and Mexican food — awesome combination.
Newsflash,
…Ferran Adria set to open Brooklyn outpost of El Bulli.
in a stunning bit of gastronomic news, the famed Spanish chef is set to open a new venture in Brooklyn at the corner of Atlantic and Pennsylvania in East New York where he hopes to gentrify and uplift the neighborhood by offering foamy bits of pan seared Bluefish and the frothy essence of other locally sourced morsels like Prospect Park Truffles
and Sunset Park Saffron.
Asked to comment on the foodie development one longtime local was quoted as saying; “well as long as it’s better than the Blimpies that used to be on that corner and as long as they have a dollar menu, I’m ok with it.”
…more to follow.
sunset park has good food
WHERE in Sunset park? I think there should be a lot of Latina comida!
sunset park has good food
Interesting concept. But I think food places go one o f two ways- either an old local place gets buzz- i.e., Ali’s- or they follow once gentification is well started. I don’t see too many restaurateurs looking to take too big of a chance. Restaurants can fail too easily. I think Zukin is right in saying its a tipping point- but neighborhood gentrification has to reach critical mass first.
> the gentrifying effect of upscale food establishments
Now THAT’s news! Fingers on the pulse.
So, as far as examples go, I nominate Pomme de Terre on Newkirk in Ditmas Park. I was just there for brunch again on Sunday. They are the one and only “gentrified” joint along that stretch. They make a damn good omelet, BTW.
Rob, I went for a walk to Saratoga Park this weekend (small park near my house, very pretty in the snow). No fewer than four people stopped to chat with me, and I also heard some absolutely amazing music coming out of a church — sounded like avant-garde jazz plus indie music combined to me, though they might describe it as gospel. Now that would not happen in an area like Park Slope, Cobble Hill, or even Bushwick.