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All Posts Tagged: ‘brighton beach’

NewsFeed

7/15/08

9:00 AM

Adventures in Eating in Brighton Beach

Metromix's Joshua Bernstein stops for a snack.Photo courtesy Metromix

The eater's paradise that is Brighton Beach has never been sufficiently appreciated. Summer typically brings any number of tributes to Coney Island, its freaks and dying amusements, but the teeming strip of Odessa under the El seldom enjoys the media's attention. That's one reason why Metromix's "Dollar Grub" tour of Brighton Beach Avenue is so welcome. Joshua M. Bernstein wasn't content to eat a couple of pelmeni and marvel at the M&I International Food. No, the guy walked down all of Brighton Beach Avenue, eating as he went, and taking pictures. Of all the features we can remember on Brighton, this is the one that conveys the neighborhood best, thanks to a 37-image slideshow and a willingness to drink a lot of bad sodas and eat mysterious pickled objects.

Dollar Grub: Brighton Beach [Metromix]
Related: Riding the B Line: Our Favorite Brighton Beach Spot

More: NewsFeed »brighton beach, brooklyn, joshua bernstein, metromix

Trimmings

6/25/08

1:00 PM

WTF: Tatiana’s Headless, Topless Women

Maybe this will make sense after a few more shots of vodka.Photo: Daniel Maurer

Brighton Beach’s Tatiana isn’t one for subtlety — the stage show is the kind of thing the guys from Knocked Up would definitely drop acid to, and the glass etching at right, of a woman with one breast bared, is par for the course. But situated in the restroom lounge — near a case displaying precious, rare vodka decanters from, um, the Anheuser-Busch Collection — is a piece of sculpture that’s not quite David Altmejd. Did an artist want his PVC-clad girlfriend to know that she “lights up his life”? Or that she’s “kind of shady”? Whatever the meaning of this, we’re glad Tatiana didn’t have to sell it to the Whitney when she was forced to dig deep for her boardwalk permit.

More: Trimmings »art, brighton beach, tatiana

NewsFeed

5/12/08

12:39 PM

City Holds Tatiana’s Boardwalk Permit ‘Hostage,’ Supporters Claim

Under the boardwalk...they'll be setting fires....Photo: Wireimage

Now this is what representative democracy is all about! Brighton Beach landmark Tatiana finally has a boardwalk permit again, after paying out $68,000 in cash and $50,000 in insurance money to the city for a fire it didn't cause. “The city was holding her permit hostage until she agreed to a settlement," State Senator Carl Kruger tells the Post. "Without the permit, her business is dead, and the city knew it.” A 2003 fire believed to be caused by homeless people damaged the boardwalk, and the city wanted owner Tatiana Varzar to pay for repairs before renewing her permit, which expired in October. Varzar and local pols believe the city strong-armed her, but the city claims that Varzar was compelled by law to have insurance coverage for her part of the boardwalk. The city sued Varzar in 2006; the settlement — and the permit — comes just in time for the summer season. Besides support from Kruger, Varzar also has Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz on her side, who calls her “an immigrant success story whose restaurant has truly enhanced the vitality of Brighton Beach for New Yorkers and visitors from around the world.” And why not? As the Post points out, Varzar has contributed to both Kruger and Markowitz’s campaigns over the years. We’re glad that she’s getting her money’s worth.

City 'Strong-Armed' Restaurateur Over Permit: Pol [NYP]

More: NewsFeed »boardwalk, brighton beach, russian, tatiana

Ask a Waiter

3/25/08

6:30 PM

Julia Dubovichka of Tatiana Explains ‘Eggplant Caviar’

Photo: Melissa Hom

It’s Brooklyn restaurant week, and, as we’ve pointed out, there are a host of options. Perhaps the most distinctive one — and perhaps the one that involves the longest commute — is Tatiana, the Brighton Beach institution that doubles as a boardwalk restaurant and a lavish nightclub where the performances are every bit as mind-blowing as the ones you’ll find at the Box, even if they’re lighter on the S&M. We asked a waitress who’s been there seven years, Julia Dubovichka, to tell us which balcony (the one with the waterfall or the one with the fish in the floor?) is most suitable for our birthday celebration.

More: Ask a Waiter »brighton beach, tatiana

Neighborhood Watch

11/ 7/07

3:00 PM

Danny Meyer Appoints Female Sommelier at the Modern; Pichet Ong Will Show You His Moves in the West Village

Brighton Beach: Brooklyn firefighter Jeffrey Scotto won the sixth-annual World Cares Center Iron Skillet Cook Off this week with this recipe for boneless rib-eye braciola and escarole salad. [NYDN]
Chinatown: Zagat might recommend the soup dumplings at Goodies, but you’re in for a treat if you opt for something the staff is eating like “winter melon soup and a plate of stir-fried pork liver and stomach.” [VV]
Midtown West: Danny Meyer has appointed a new executive sommelier, Belinda Chang, to oversee the wine program at the Modern and his restaurants in the Met. [NYS]
Tribeca: Apparently Craig Béro has opened a Tribeca Time Machine called the Cosmopolitan Cafe around the corner from his other restaurant, the Soda Shop. [NYT]
Union Square: From Quattro’s Game Farm’s stand at the Union Square Greenmarket on Saturdays, “you can place an order, leave a deposit, and pick up your fresh bird on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.” [NYS]
Upper West Side: Danny Abrams's second outlet of the East Village’s Mermaid Inn has opened on 568 Amsterdam Avenue near 88th Street, and you get a free cup of puddin’ with dinner. [NYT]
West Village: Pichet Ong will give a demonstration at the next 4foodies, tasting on November 19. [4foodies]

More: Neighborhood Watch »4foodies, belinda change, brighton beach, chinatown, cosmopolitan cafe, craig bero, danny abrams, danny meyer, goodies, iron skillet cook off, jeffrey scotto, mermaid inn, midtown west, pichet ong, thanksgiving turkeys, the modern, the soda shop, tribeca, union square, west village

The Orange Line

7/30/07

11:02 AM

Riding the B Line: Our Favorite Brighton Beach Spot

Somewhere in the world there may be a train line that covers more gastronomic territory than the B and V subway lines, which start in southernmost Brooklyn and end deep in Queens, but if there is, we don’t know about it. For the next twenty-odd weeks, we'll be riding the B and V from Coney Island all the way to Forest Hills, jumping off frequently to rave about our favorite restaurants and food stores near the subway.

This week, the Brighton Beach / Brighton 6 Street B stop

More: The Orange Line »brighton beach, taste of russia

Neighborhood Watch

6/22/07

3:26 PM

Brooklyn Heights Barge to Feature a Fake Beach, With Hamburgers

Astoria: Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden opens at 3 p.m. today and next Friday for teacher appreciation days. The public is welcome, and the BBQ’s sure to be fired up. [Joey in Astoria]
Brooklyn Heights: A swimming pool in a floating barge off the waterfront will take its maiden voyage July 4 and feature a man-made beach and concession stands. [NYP]
Chelsea: Hotelier André Balazs may have a hand in restoring the Chelsea Hotel. [NYP]
East Village: You need to send a recent photo of yourself if you plan on applying for one of the many positions still open at Tailor. [Eat for Victory/VV]
Flatiron: Former CBS news anchor Bob Schieffer will step in as front man to country band “Honky Tonk Confidential” on June 27 at Hill Country barbecue. Songs he’s written include “Little Lulu and Sister Hot Stuff” and “TV Anchorman.” [NYP]
Lower East Side: A tipster reports that Kossar’s Bialys has unveiled plans to sell hand-cut sushi from kosher vendor Eden Wok. [Grub Street]
Midwood: Dom De Marco’s scarlet letter from the Department of Health has been covered in expressions of support in the wake of DiFara’s most recent close. [Eat for Victory/VV]
Times Square: Brighton Beach’s Ladder Co. 169 brought home victory last night at Gallagher’s Fire Department grilled-steak-off fund-raiser. [NYDN]

More: Neighborhood Watch »andre balazs, astoria, bob schieffer, bohemian beer garden, brighton beach, brooklyn heights, chelsea, chelsea hotel, difara, dom demarco, east village, eden wok, flatiron, gallagher's, hill country, kossar's, lower east side, tailor, times square

Openings

6/19/07

9:00 AM

Zak Pelaccio Goes on a Shopping Spree for Borough Food and Drink

The stuff on the shelves is for sale, tooPhoto: Melissa Hom

For city gastronomes (we won’t say chowhounds), there are three reasons to be excited about Borough Food and Drink, the Jeffrey Chodorow and Zak Pelaccio gastropub opening this week. First, there’s Z-Man’s return to the kind of freewheeling, Eurocentric fare that he used to do at Williamsburg’s Chickenbone Café, back before he became an Asian-food guru. (Pelaccio created the menu and trained the staff but will not be cooking at the restaurant.)

More: Openings »astoria, black bull, borough food and drink, brighton beach, calabrian pork store, flatiron, jeffrey chodorow, m&i market, peppa's, zak pelaccio

Neighborhood Watch

5/29/07

3:00 PM

Brighton Beach Restaurant Manager Fights Thief, and Loses

Brighton Beach: Manager of Little Odessa restaurant Tatiana wrestled a thief with gun, but the intruder got away with holiday-weekend earnings of $100,000 after brandishing a knife. [NYDN]
Chelsea: There’s speculation that Little Seoul has closed, but it sounds like the restaurant just took a long weekend. [Blog Chelsea]
Greenwich Village: Hopes that Cedar Tavern would return from the condo-development grave seem dashed, though neighbors don't seem too disappointed. [Gothamist]
Park Slope: Bierkraft’s free “Bizarro” beer tasting at 7 p.m. tonight includes cheese pairings. [Brooklyn Record]
Prospect-Lefferts-Gardens: Met Foods open! [Across the Park]

More: Neighborhood Watch »bierkraft, brighton beach, cedar tavern, chelsea, greenwich village, harlem, little odessa, little seoul, met foods, park slope, popeye's, prospect-lefferts-gardens, tatiana

User's Guide

3/19/07

9:00 AM

Take the Cab to Deepest Brooklyn for Restaurant Week

If you're in the neighborhood, and craving chicken...Photo: Robert K. Chin

The bargains at Brooklyn Restaurant Week, which starts this Monday, aren't quite as overwhelming as the Manhattan version. The deal is the same — three courses for only $21.12 at any of the listed restaurants — but few of these places are hugely expensive to begin with. Look at it this way: What you save will cover the cab fare. What follows are a few of the more far-flung Xs on our own personal Brooklyn treasure map. Generally, these aren't destination restaurants, but this week they should be.

More: User's Guide »bay ridge, bensonhurst, brighton beach, brooklyn, brooklyn restaurant week, gravesend, l & b spumoni garden, la maison du couscous, los pollitos II, park slope, sahara, tatiana

User's Guide

10/24/06

2:10 PM

Has Assimilation Ruined the Knish?

David Katz, a writer given to elegiac moods, just published a column on knishes in the Jewish Quarterly. He decries the decay of the knish, which under the pressure of assimilation went from a delicate mashed-potato pastry to a tough square of deep-fried dough. "There's a word for these street knishes, which are still sold today, and that word is vile," Katz pronounces. The column concludes with a paragraph of praise for Yonah Schimmel's old-time knishery, noted by us recently in our pre-obituary for Gertel's last week.