September 5, 2008
Restaurant of the Day: River Cafe
"It’s routinely dismissed as a place for tourists wanting a room with a view. But when was the last time you tried it? ... the panorama from under the Brooklyn Bridge produces a blasé-busting, hyperventilating rush of civic pride," writes Hal Rubenstein for New York magazine. "Many people consider the River Café to be the best restaurant in Brooklyn, and it is probably the most expensive," Time Out New York adds.
"It's a special-occasion restaurant, and its patrons, many of them out-of-towners, do not book a table in search of culinary adventure — the kitchen aims to please but not to shock," says the New York Times. In a recent Chowhound discussion, NYJewBoy described the fare as "good 'safe' American cuisine." And MichaelZ sums things up: "It is not too touristy. It is a special occasion restaurant with great views... the food, wine, service and ambience combine for a fine experience. Go and have a great time!" Who else has celebrated a special day at the River Cafe? Did you enjoy it?
- Name: River Cafe
- Address: 1 Water Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
- Phone: (718) 522-5200
- Nabe: Dumbo
- Cuisine: American, Brunch Spot
- Median Entree: $98 for 3-course tasting
Value
5 - One of Brooklyn's best bargains
4 - Worth every penny
3 - A bit overpriced
2 - Very overpriced
1 - Total rip off
More Deets on Union Hall's Gowanus Venture
Our friends at Bumpershine and Gowanus Lounge have more info on the new Gowanus music club being opened by the gang from Union Hall that we reported on back in February. The Bell House begins hosting bands on September 18th in "a magnificent two-room music and events venue...crafted out of an old 1920’s warehouse once used as a printing press, but more recently used as a fly-by-night shipping company." The Bell House is located at 149 7th Street between 2nd & 3rd Avenues.
Photo from Bumpershine.
Streetlevel: New Asian Restaurant Coming to Smith
Another small step in the gentrification of Smith Street: Beauty parlor out, trendy restaurant in. According to a liquor application (and a sticker a reader spotted in the window), a new "Pan Asian Vegan" restaurant called Wildginger is slated to open in the storefront at 112 Smith Street formerly occupied by Kendel's Beauty & Barber shop. We don't know for sure, but it seems a safe bet that the new boite is part of this chain of restaurants a spin-off of the Williamsburg spot of the same name. Anyone know for sure? GMAP
Dip in the Brownstoner Flickr Pool
Come join us in the Brownstoner Flickr pool. Today's swimmer: midlakemarion's shot of a Prospect Park Tunnel.
Be@Schermerhorn Hits the Market
According to Streeteasy, condos at Be@Shermerhorn are now officially up for grabs. Our friends there have calculated that it's pricier than some of its neighbors: Be@ is $857 per square foot, while Toren is $756 and Oro is $748. The building has 246 units split between a 25-story tower and six-story "loft building." Prices for the 34 places listed on Streeteasy range from $345,000 to $1.095 million for a two-bedroom penthouse. Anybody making an offer here?
Be@Schermerhorn Website Fleshed Out, Still No Pricing [Brownstoner]
F. Martinella Mystery Solved?
Our friends at Lost City have the scoop on the F. Martinella deli opening at 117 Court Street that we've been obsessing over since last Fall. We reported that the sign promising a Boar's Head deli had been replaced by one advertising the Martinella company, in operation, it said, since 1949. Yet no one had heard of it, and it had no Web presence. Someone wrote in to Lost City with this bit of sleuthing: Boar's Head CEO's last name? Robert S. Martin. Its President? Michael Martella. Get it? Martin + Martella = Martinella. As for "F." in "F. Martinella"? Turns out Boar's Head was founded in 1903 by Frank Brunckhorst, or F. Brunckhorst. Nice one!
Nice Conspiracy Theory [Lost City]
Streetlevel: No Boar's Head for 117 Court Street After All [Brownstoner]
Real Estate Market Will Be Fine by 2011
That's what the National Real Estate Investor magazine says, anyway. Well, not fine, exactly, but they predict that another couple of years of "stagnant job creation and tepid economic growth" will yield better results come 2011. Dr. Rajeev Dhawan — one of the economists they consult — "is projecting real gross domestic product growth at a rate of 1.4% in 2008, decelerating to 0.5% in 2009 before beginning an anemic recovery to growth of 2.2% by 2010," they write. Banks will rebound, they say, and oil prices will drop, and maybe inflation will fall, and, after the rough patch, the world of real estate will recover. Even if that scenario plays out, here's the big question: Since the New York City market took longer to fall, does that mean it'll also lag on the way back up?
Economists Expect Real Estate Recovery in 2011 [NREI]
Sign of the Times. Photo by respres.
Night Falls on Astroland
Unable to come to terms with the landlord, Thor Equities, Astroland instead will close up shop. This Sunday will be the final day, says co-owner Carol Albert, whose lease ends in January. "My employees cannot live in a state of limbo any longer. It takes six months to pack up a three-acre amusement park that has been in operation for 46 years, so a Jan. 31 deadline means start packing yesterday. We are out of time," said her statement, printed in the New York Times. Albert and her husband sold the land to Thor Equities for $30 million in 2006, and later the company offered renderings of the mixed-use amusement park it planned to create, including shops and housing. The Alberts accuse Thor Equities of turning their backs on the amusement park in favor of creating retail and expensive residential projects, but Thor released its own statement: "Coney Island will be fully open for business in the summer of 2009 with amusements, games, shopping and entertainment galore." Apparently, that entertainment won't be Astroland, which employs 350 people. Sad as it is, there is one silver lining: the landmarked Cyclone roller coaster, which operates under a separate agreement, will remain in action.
Yet Again, Astroland Threatens to Close [NY Times]
Astroland Co-Owner: 'We Are Out of Time' [NY Observer]
Coney's Astroland to Die on Sunday [Gothamist]
Rides Into the Sunset [NY Post]
Photo by zin1223.
Friday Links
drench with your splendor me...Photo by agrinberg.
Toll Brothers Posts Loss as Revenue Falls [NY Times]
St. John's Bread & Life's $5M Rehabilitation Aids Poor [NY Daily News]
Dockside Night at the Opera [NY Daily News]
Brooklyn Must Prepare for Hanna Storm [Brooklyn Eagle]
Diversity Day in Brooklyn Is Reaction to Hate Crimes [NY Sun]
September 4, 2008
Thursday Blogwrap
Brighton Beach. Photo by J Blough.
Marriages From a Scene [CityRoom]
Bergen Street Sinkhole Update [Gowanus Lounge]
Favorite Tailors and Seamstresses [Brooklyn Based]
How Not the Get Beat Up in the Hood [Greenpointers]
New Brooklyn Book Spins Stuckey's AY Account [AY Report]
Long Island Restaurant Still Closed, Still Missed [McBrooklyn]
Will Gentrification Keep Burg Condos From Glowing in the Dark? [Curbed]
Closing Bell: Advice on Brooklyn Staycations
The Travel Channel takes on Brooklyn tonight, when Samantha Brown's Passport to Great Weekends covers art in DUMBO and sideshows in Coney Island, Boerum Hill restaurants and hipster chain stores. Will it cover anything we haven't already discovered? Have to tune in to find out. Only problem: it starts at 10PM, so it might interfere with one other rather important TV event starting at that time.
Photo from Travel Channel Web site.
Quote of the Day
On the claim people aren't buying in PLG, one neighbor who sold recently had about 40 couples come see his house, all young professionals mostly from Manhattan, in finance and banking and business. There is a ton of interest in PLG. So there, that's an actual true story anecdote, not a speculation from the outside looking in.
— by Traditional Mod in Open House Picks: Six Months Later
Today on the Brownstoner Backpages
Over on the renovation blogs, Greenwood Heights Backyard begins the search for a hardscrape contractor and South Slope Reno searches for doors and shades.
Here are some of the topics posted on The Forum today:
Seeking Contractor Specializing in Facade Repair
Best Methods and Products for Paint Stripping?
What Happens If We Repair Concrete Issue Without Permits?
Advice on Positioning Window Guards
Plumber Needed for Oil-to-Gas Conversion
Development Watch: Avalon Fort Greene from Above
When we went to the top of the Toren last week, we were able to get a bird's-eye view of the rental project that Avalon Bay is building across the street. The interesting thing to see was that the 650-unit building will be sited at the southeastern corner of the site. The L-shaped portion of the site that is composed of dirt will apparently be open space.
Avalon Myrtle Hit With Stop Work Order [Brownstoner] GMAP
Development Watch: 159 Myrtle Avenue [Brownstoner]
Foundation Push at Avalon Myrtle [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: 159 Myrtle Avenue [Brownstoner]
Myrtle Building Boom from Above [Brownstoner]
So That's What Avalon Myrtle Will Look Like! [Brownstoner]
Streetlevel: Yoga Studio Coming to Windsor Terrace
Yogasole, a studio offering Iyengar, Ashtanga and Vinyasa styles of yoga, will open this month at 254 Windsor Place in Windsor Terrace. They'll also house a yoga shop with "eco-friendly" products. "Along with apparel, we will also be carrying high-end, exquisite handmade jewelry that is made from natural substances and is a nod to the earth from which we’ve all come. Each piece is handcrafted and unique in its assembly and appearance, and is a gift to all who wear it," writes owner Evalena Leedy. Opening should be next week sometime, and it's pronounced yoga-sol-ay, by the way.
House of the Day: 511 3rd Street
This two-family brownstone at 511 3rd Street looks reasonably priced to us at $2,400,000. It's quite big (4,100 square feet) and has plenty of old-school charm. (The window layout on the upper floors also makes for an interesting facade.) As for comps, the far-smaller brick house at 516 3rd Street just closed last month for $2,850,000.
511 3rd Street [Bellmarc] GMAP P*Shark