The Absolute Best Restaurants in Sunset ParkWhere and what to eat in one of Brooklyn’s most eclectic and delicious neighborhoods, from a Cantonese banquet feast to a mole-poblano tamale.
Jean Nouvel’s Chelsea Tower Over Budget, Behind ScheduleJesus is waiting for followers in Sunset Park, lenders are waiting for Damon Dash in Tribeca, cute kitties are waiting for homes in Kingsbridge… and today’s boroughs report is waiting for you to click through!
neighborhood watch
In Greenpoint, the Rainbow Is Somewhere Under an Oil SlickIf you were Lady Liberty, they’d pay $150,000 to see if it was safe for people to walk on your head. That’s status! Plus news from Crown Heights, the LES, Clinton Hill, and Wash Heights, in the week’s final boroughs report.
Cock Loose in Sunset ParkThe noisy rooster of Sunset Park, the apartment-phobic tenant of West 57th Street, the crumbling misogynist statue of Kew Gardens … and other true tales, in today’s boroughs report.
neighborhood watch
Dutch Kills Residents So Mad They Could, Um, Berate the Zoning BoardDutch Kills: Seems that by the time they finish zoning this swath of Long Island City against tall hotels, it’ll already be chock-full of ‘em Ground’s been broken on too many to stop. [NYDN]
East Harlem: In other critter news, this story about a poodle named Miss Bea — rescued from a closet after so much neglect that her matted, dirty coat became “like a tortoiseshell” — will probably make you cry, barf, or both. [NYDN]
Hell’s Kitchen: We must say, we remain fascinated with the charmingly boring blog of this HKer who posts such daily banalities as photos of his dishes in local eateries and accounts of his walks around town. [Hell’s Kitchen NYC]
neighborhood watch
The Left Bank Moves to the Right VillageBedford-Stuyvesant: Can’t tell a hanging corner turret from a hanging corner bay from a tripartite bay? Read this post and you’ll never walk illiterately through brownstone Bed-Stuy again. [Bed-Stuy Blog]
Cobble Hill: Council member David Yassky didn’t want a middle school going in a Dumbo apartment tower (’cause it could block views of the Brooklyn Bridge), but he might support selfsame school sharing space with the jail here on Atlantic Avenue. Way to put the kids first, Yaz. [Brooklyn Paper]
East Village: The alley behind the new Avalon condo on 1st Street is supposed to become a boutique-filled “slice of the Left Bank,” but right now it’s just a dump. [Vanishing New York]
neighborhood watch
Flatbush Is Even Noisier Than Your HoodEast Village: Do a piercing salon, tattoo parlor, and bong shop qualify as the “community facilities” a developer said he’d rent to in return for being allowed to build bigger than code here on St. Marks? Discuss. [Neither More Nor Less]
Elmhurst: A skater boy rescued a newborn baby, umbilical cord intact, from a freezing Dumpster. Troubled young moms, New York law says it’s okay to abandon babies … as long as you leave them somewhere safe and warm where they can be found! [Newsday]
Flatbush: Locals here called in more noise complaints in the second half of 2007 than in any other Brooklyn hood. So does that make Flatbush the borough’s noisiest hood or just full of its noisiest kvetchers? [Ditmas Park Blog via NYDN]
Neighborhood Watch
Bar Blanc Is So Open; Good Chinese in Sunset Park? Try Crashing a WeddingDumbo: Admission to Taste of Spain at the Dumbo Arts Center from 6 to 9 p.m. tonight includes a wine tasting and tapas. [Dumbo NYC]
Flatiron: Boqueria is throwing a “Cava fueled fiesta” for New Year’s Eve. [Snack]
Prospect-Lefferts-Gardens: The empty space on the corner of Flatbush and Beekman will become a Subway, and one blogger isn’t so upset: “At first we were disappointed that a big chain was coming in, but … some Subways even have full blown salads.” Nice! Just like McDonald’s. [Across the Park]
Sunset Park: Sietsema may have had to crash a Chinese wedding to figure this out, but dim-sum go-to Pacificana is also good for dinner. [Eat for Victory/VV]
West Village: Bar Blanc seems to be in soft-open mode. [Eater]
Neighborhood Watch
Rockabilly Bar in Progress on the LES; Dévi Reopens With a DiscountAstoria: “A lot of people in town are excited” about the 7-Eleven that just opened on 30th Avenue and 30th Street, so much so that the Slurpee machine may have broken from overuse. [Joey in Astoria]
Clinton Hill: No more soft opening! Speakeasy from former Top Cheftestant Josie Malave opens tonight, and photos taken of the menu in the window reveal such inspired dishes as zucchini sticks and fettuccine with spinach and sun-dried tomato. [Clinton Hill Blog]
Flatiron: Dévi reopens tonight, and the dinner menu will be 20 percent off through November 20. [Bottomless Dish/Citysearch]
Little Italy: Papabubble’s grand-opening party went well on Saturday; as you can see from these pics, the “walls were fully stocked with fresh candy, open jars with samples were everywhere, and … stateside Papabubble proprietors, even put on a little candy making show.” [Down by the Hipster]
Lower East Side: Fat Baby and Spitzer’s Corner owners Rob and Will Shamlian seem well on their way to opening a rockabilly bar and restaurant at 133 Essex Street, minus a liquor license and a mechanical bull. [Eater]
Sunset Park: Pepper and salt fish are tiny fish deep-fried in a batter that puffs up like funnel cake; they go well with abundant mini-shots of beer, and conveniently both are served at Ren Ren on Eighth Avenue every day until 3:30 a.m. [Eat for Victory/VV]
neighborhood watch
Will Dave Walentas Dunk?Dumbo: Will local megadeveloper hero-villain Dave Walentas really subject himself to a carnival-type dunk tank at an arts festival Thursday night? [DumboNYC]
East Harlem: Mt. Sinai will offer free prostate-cancer screenings on Thursday. Says an official there: “Smart men get checked annually.” But what do you call men who get checked more? [Uptown Flavor]
Lower East Side: The city’s looking to remove those Essex Street stalls selling things like religious figures and Uzbek haircuts. [Vanishing New York]
Nolita: Dandies, fops, feys, and flaneurs are the hot new archetype here. Wilde! [Gridskipper]
Prospect Lefferts: Why can’t that annoying marching band practice on the other side of Prospect Park … you know, where Jennifer Connelly lives? [Across the Park]
Roosevelt Island: If you take a daytrip to this loo-deprived isle, you better hold off on the bottled water or cross your legs real tight. [Roosevelt Islander]
Sunset Park: Oh my God, you guys, could we really get a park alongside some of that desolate postindustrial waterfront here? That would be awesome. [Brownstoner]
Neighborhood Watch
Former Gertel’s Bakery Foe Turns Fallen Kosher Comrade on the Lower East SideHell’s Kitchen: Kyotofu has planned a sake dinner for August 26 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. that features five types of sake, a tasting menu, and cocktails for $60. [Grub Street]
Lower East Side: Moishe’s bakery at 504 Grand Street will soon serve wholesale products from recently closed-out kosher competitor Gertel’s. [Lost City] Spitzer’s Corner began its soft opening this weekend and was already chock-full of jolly drinkers. [Eater]
Midtown West: BLT Market (from this week’s Openings) won’t be serving dinner until Thursday, but here’s a peek at the interior to sate any premature curiosity. [Restaurant Girl]
Sunset Park: The taqueria Tacos 2004 draws legions of immigrants who come to twirl the waitresses across a teeny dance floor. [NYT]
West Village: Next Monday at 7:30 p.m. winemaker Alain Rochard of the Languedoc will host a four-course dinner and wine-pairing at Provence restaurant. [Strong Buzz]
Neighborhood Watch
Gilt Shows Midtown East the HandBattery Park City: Flurt frozen yogurt looks almost complete on South End Avenue. [Eater]
East Village: Wannabistro 26 Seats has just changed owners, but for now the menu will remain the same. [Grub Street]
Flatiron: The Gansevoort people plan to open another hotel on Park Avenue South somewhere in the Twenties. [Down by the Hipster]
Midtown East: Gilt will close for the last two weeks in August, before chef Christopher Lee debuts the fall menu. [Grub Street]
Sunset Park: Sunset Park locals fight to keep out Papa John’s pizza: “I feel like this is the neighborhood’s last stand,” says one pie protester. [NYT]
Upper West Side : Aix brasserie will host a six-course wine dinner next Monday night showcasing rosé. [Grub Street]
neighborhood watch
You Can Choose Your Friends, But You Can’t Choose Your Friends’ CondosAstoria: Tonight at the Beer Garden, it’s Harry and the Potters. Get drunk with your fellow nerds! [Joey in Astoria]
Downtown Brooklyn: New buyers into 110 Livingston will be relieved of common charges for six months if they can convince a bud to buy in the building, too. [Curbed]
Harlem: Rumors are flying that rich, new white residents want the name of Marcus Garvey Park — longtime site of the Saturday-night African drumming circle — changed back to Mount Morris Park. [Amsterdam News via Harlem Fur]
Kensington: Local watchdogs regret to inform you that the hood ain’t got much crime, save the occasional Peeping Tom or delivery-boy mugging. [Kensington Blog]
Northwest Bronx: When Bronx councilmember Joel Rivera didn’t show up at a meeting to address restaurant workers’ rights, the workers flooded his office with “menus” demanding he hear them. [WestBronxNews]
Sunset Park: Construction is under way here on … no, not a new luxury condo, but an actual public high school, complete with bright yellow squares on it! [IMBY]
Upper East Side: Old-timers oppose a bike lane on a stretch of 91st Street that’s become an unofficial park over the years. Younger locals support it. [Streetsblog]
The Underground Gourmet
Taco Mix’s Torta Cubana May Be Overstuffed, But It’s Also Sandwich
A good sandwich is a balanced sandwich. This, as any faithful reader of the Underground Gourmet’s sandwich dispatches can tell you, goes without saying. Good sandwich-making requires not only skill but also a delicate touch. Frantically stuffing a sandwich the way cartoon bank robbers cram bills into sacks emblazoned with $$$ symbols is considered bad form among the sandwich elite, and emblematic of what is wrong, culinarily and nutritionally, with our Supersize Nation. As Mario Batali once explained to the UG in between dainty bites of a toasted panino,
“The American tendency is to obfuscate the perfect simplicity of the sandwich by putting too much crap in it.” Despite prevailing carbophobic biases and the legacy of a certain diet doctor, Batali asserted, “The bread is the main event. There shouldn’t be more stuff inside than outside.”
neighborhood watch
You, With the Pet Raccoon! Time for Your Rabies Shot
Chelsea: When you buy into “the most coveted new address” in “New York City’s most desired neighborhood,” hot babes in fishnets await you on your couch. [Curbed]
East Harlem: Were you one of the two white thirtysomethings wearing scrubs who brought that injured raccoon to the 110th Street animal shelter Tuesday? Well, you better call the Health Department, because that little mofo was rabid! [Flatbush Gardener]
East Village: Complaints from upstairs neighbors have led to a ban on live music at Avenue B punk dive Manitoba’s, owned by Handsome Dick Manitoba of the Dictators [Brooklyn Vegan]
Prospect Heights: Those long-sought financials for the Atlantic Yards project are finally out. Now just try to understand them. [Brownstoner]
Sunnyside Gardens: Residents want to turn the pretty area into a landmarked historic district, but their state senator opposes the idea. [Queens Crap via Queens Gazette]*
Sunset Park: A high-rise threatens to obscure the view of Lady Liberty from one of the highest points in Brooklyn … and residents are fuming about it. [NY1 via Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn]
*Correction: An earlier version of this story suggested that Sunnyside Garden residents opposed the area’s historic designation while their state senator supported it. Also, the original item was found in the Queens Gazette, not the Queens Courier.
neighborhood watch
Even the Raccoons Move to BrooklynAstoria: More and more folks are discovering the quiet charms of Hallets Cove, the East River tributary just a short walk from Vernon Boulevard. [Waterwire via Joey in Astoria]
City Hall: Ever wanted to know what the old City Hall subway station looked like? Prettier than most others. And that’s why it’s closed. [Gothamist]
Clinton Hill: Looks like the raccoons that have been plaguing outer Queens are now encroaching on Kings County, too. At least they’re not buying up all the brownstones. [Brooklynian]
Dumbo: Avant-tots, rejoice! A bunch of “old German hippies” will design a super-cool playground for the southern end of the waterfront Brooklyn Bridge Park. [The Brooklyn Paper]
Inwood: The kids are climbing the walls at Intermediate School 52! Or is it just a really cool artist-student collaboration? [Wooster Collective via Razor Apple]
Sunset Park: Locals force a stop-work order at 420 42nd Street, a site whose plans were “self-certified” by the twelve-story tower’s architect. But will it last? [Brownstoner]
neighborhood watch
Tour Kanye West’s New Apartment
Brooklyn Heights: It’s either a yoga center with an aggressive marketing plan or a cult. You decide. [Brooklyn Record]
Gowanus: Demolition starts on land owned by the Toll Brothers. What happened to that mixed-use development? [Food of the Future via Gowanus Lounge]
Greenpoint: Why should bodega phone cards be dull when they could be completely offensive? [Holla Back NYC via Newyorkshitty]
Midtown: Kanye West’s new apartment (above), designed by Claudio Silvestrin, is beautiful. But where’s the master bath? [dezeen via Curbed]
Nolita: Sheetrock shipment arrives at 11 Spring Street. Just in time to cover up all that nasty interior artwork so the place can go condo. [Curbed]
Sunset Park: Expect a major ruckus as this pretty nabe of three-story homes wakes up to a new ten-story, view-wrecking, context-snubbing leviathan. [Brownstoner]
neighborhood watch
Christmas Trees Look Good in Chelsea, Struggle in the Slope• Chelsea: The Hotel Chelsea gets festive in the lobby. Or at least more so than the Allerton. [Living With Legends]
• Coney Island: So which is worse, Thor Equities or Forest City Ratner? [Gowanus Lounge]
• Flatbush: With Yvette Clarke on her way to Washington, the fiasco to fill her City Council seat begins. [Daily Gotham]
• Flatiron: No more feeling inferior to every other area of Manhattan with an H&M. But we’ll miss Daffy’s. [Metroblogging NYC]
• Park Slope: This place has questionable Christmas trees, at best. [Brooklynian via Daily Heights]
• Sunset Park: How long will one man’s fight against litter last? [Cloud Starchaser via Sunset Parker]
neighborhood watch
Relaxing, Fighting Fires in the South Bronx• Brooklyn Heights: Other community theaters do Fiddler on the Roof; this one gets all uppity with Into the Woods. [A Brooklyn Life]
• Morrisania: A century ago, South Bronx firefighters had it easy. [Brooklyn Ramblings]
• Prospect Heights: City takes steps to prevent tenants from moving into Robert Scarano’s crappy buildings. [Brooklyn Papers]
• Sunset Park: Mom from Park Slope beat neighborhood roosters, no question. [Sunset Parker]
• Upper West Side: What’s the point of living here if you don’t enjoy the CNN-obstructed view? [CitySpecific]
neighborhood watch
Let’s Just Call Every Land Deal ‘Atlantic Yards’ From Now OnBoerum Hill: There are twelve units left in the Smith; expect a fancy grocery store in the retail space. Will that make up for jailhouse views? [Brownstoner]
Carroll Gardens: Schnack heard the screams for highly processed flour and answered: White buns are back. [A Brooklyn Life]
Chelsea: A Jaguar ad plastered to the old McBurney Y makes us yearn for the days when the neighborhood’s billboards were all PSAs. [BlogChelsea]
Coney Island: With the sell-off of Astroland, New York’s favorite crappy beach might be the new Atlantic Yards. [Gowanus Lounge]
Midtown: When you see Christopher Meloni at the gym, do you think SVU or Oz? [Tales From the City]
Sunset Park: Neighborhood tree lighting conveniently scheduled for a time when no one can go. [Sunset Parker]
