From a reader:

In the last few days I’ve see notices on the Pratt campus saying that access to campus by non faculty and students would be prohibited until further notice, due to ongoing construction.  I wonder if this is a temporary change or, as I’ve heard rumored, as the fist step in barring the general public from entering campus ground.

This struck me as worrisome, since I’ve been a visitor to the campus grounds for ten years now, and use it as a pleasant walk to Myrtle, as a convenient Bicycle cut-through, to use the Sovereign bank ATM back before there were other ATM locations in the neighborhood, and most recently, as a lush spot to take my 11-month-old daughter.

I wonder if it has anything to do with the Union Carpenters protesting at the Dekalb Ave gates, or if this is the first step towards a new access policy.

What has the all-knowing all-seeing neighborhood blog heard?

Sadly, the all-knowing all-see blog has not heard a peep, but I do deeply hope this is construction-related.  I can’t imagine the school would want to restrict their well-loved sculpture garden from the neighborhood at large and I am a firm believer of campuses and their student and faculty communities being well-integrated into the neighborhoods they inhabit.  I can understand security concerns in the evening, but it would be a real shame to close the gates all day.

Has the campus always been accessible to the community?

Owner Gorian on the left, and chef John on the right

Aqualis Grill, a Mediterranean seafood restaurant, will be opening sometime during the week of June 29th, at 773 Fulton Street, the former home of Epoca.

I just had the pleasure of meeting Gorian Papa, Aqualis’s owner, and John Tsakinis, the restaurant’s chef. It’s no accident that the restaurant is Mediterranean: Papa was born in Albania; Tsakinis is first generation Greek, his family hailing from the island of Kos, in southern Greece. Kos’s cuisine is known for its seafood and grains; the cuisine also has a Turkish influence given its proximity to Turkey. You may have heard of Kos – it was home to Hippocrates.

Tsakinis has a lot of experience in Greek/Mediterranean kitchens — first and foremost, his Mother’s — but also in Manhattan’s Avra, Kellari Taverna and Kellari’s Parea, where he was Chef de Cuisine.

Papa and Tsakinis were finalizing the menu when I stopped by. Here’s an idea of what we can look forward to: several whole fish dishes, fillets, shrimp, scallops, farmer’s market salads, and Mediterranean-inspired appetizers, including spreads with pita.

I can’t wait to stop in for my first meal!

Aqualis Grill

Opening:  Week of June 29th, exact day TBD

Hours:  Tuesday – Friday dinner will be served from 4pm -Midnight

Saturday and Sunday the restaurant will be open for brunch, lunch and dinner

Address:  773 Fulton St.

No need to repeat info when it’s been covered in other places already – let’s see what else is going on in the hood:

• MTA Bails Out Forest City at Atlantic Yards after Public Bails out MTA [Brownstoner]
• Greenlight Bookstore to Open in September [The Local]
• Favorable Review of the BK Flea [Myrtle Shuffle]
• Farmer in the Deli to Open New Shop at 336 Myrtle [Myrtle Minutes]
• High End Shoes Come to Willoughby [The Local] and Features Astroturf [Brownstoner]

The long-empty space at the ground level of the Chocolate Factory rental building is finally being filled!

The store, which will take up both the front retail space and the side space where Kiki’s doggie day care and boarding used to be, appears to be a grocery store.

They also have a very basic website set up.

I wonder what the prices will be like.  It would still be a hike for many of us, but still closer than a trip to Fairway.  I bet the building tenants are psyched.

Fresh Fanatic
corner of Washington and Park

A few readers sent in photos of a new deli opening on Myrtle between Vanderbilt and Clinton named after the leader of our country:

I wonder how many places like this have opened up around the country (and world), and if Obama feels weird seeing them.  At least it’ll be open 24 hours!  (More than I can say for most places in the neighborhood.)  No word on whether Hope will be available.

In related news, I shook President Clinton’s hand last week at a conference where I was speaking.  I have long been a fan of Bill, and I was thrilled to have the experience.  However, I couldn’t help but think that it would have been much cooler to shake Obama’s hand.

I noticed recently that I could not log in to the CHB Twitter account from my phone, and assumed I was just using a crappy app.  However, it seems that our account was suspended due to “suspicious activity.”  Twitter has not responded to my query yet (which I submitted a week ago) – the status is “in process.”  Apologies!

Did anyone see ay funny spam posts on it that might signal a suspension?

(eastern CH)

If a tree falls in the forest and no one’s around, will it make a sound?

Why is the sky blue?

Why did the chicken really cross the road?

Great mysteries and thought-provoking questions, all. Well, I’d like to add another one to the list:

Why is Indian food restaurant Kinara’s practically a ghost town at lunch?

Hey again, everyone, it’s Van and Tillie of Lunchtime With Tillie fame, here to reflect on another one of our daytime dining excursions, this time to Kinara’s on Myrtle Avenue.

On this day, in particular, Tillie and I had been sitting inside all morning napping and playing, but kind of hesitant to go out because it was one of those weird is-it-or-isn’t-it-going-to-rain days we’ve been having lately. And something about me is that I’m not really one of those throw-caution-to-the-wind kind of dads when it comes down to the weather. I guess that comes from being told as a kid that if you go outside and get caught in the rain without an umbrella or with your hair wet, you can catch pneumonia. My beliefs aren’t that extreme any more, but I still try to be careful!

Anyway, we caught a break with the sun coming out right around lunchtime, so I decided to pack Tillie up and head down Myrtle to one of my favorite Indian food spots, Kinara’s. Aside from the food there, which I personally love, the restaurant has another very appealing aspect to me, especially in the nonworking era:

Everything on the menu is 50 percent off from noon to 4! Yes, you read that right: Everything!

I remember when the restaurant first came to the neighborhood by way of Park Slope. I had eaten at the original there with friends and enjoyed it. When one opened here, there was a chalkboard announcing the half-off-the-menu deal, which I thought was going to just be a grand-opening special. But here we are, a couple of years later, and it’s still going strong!

When Tillie and I got there this day, there was only one other couple in the place that looked to be wrapping things up. Tillie and I rolled up to our usual spot, I took my seat and was promptly handed a menu, which I promptly handed to Tillie! I had no need for it since I get the same thing every time: lamb rogan josh (lamb chunks and tomatoes cooked in a cardamom sauce) and nan. Sometimes, I throw in samosas for an appetizer, but I didn’t feel extra-gluttonous that day! The menu was put to better use by Tillie, and since we’ve been there a couple of times, the waiter knew she liked to play with it and didn’t bother trying to get it back.

There was only so much Tillie could do on her own with the menu while I waited for my food, so I grabbed it and played a little peek-a-boo with her, which she got a kick out of as evidenced by her shrieks of excitement. I get a little worried about that sometimes — you know, possibly disturbing others — but really, when that couple left we had the whole place to ourselves, so it was party time in Kinara’s!

My food arrived — the rogan josh, nan and a bowl of jasmine rice — but what about Tillie? She ate before we left, so I knew she was good there, but I couldn’t leave her to her own devices, while I wolfed down my personal feast. So I managed to still keep the peek-a-boo game going and also give her water from a straw, which is something her mom does with her when we’re all out. It’s just as it sounds, water from a straw, but she really gets a kick out of it, and who am I to judge what makes an 8-month-old happy?

In between games and enjoying my dish (with the lamb practically melting in my mouth, it was so tender), we got to bill time. My tab for all the food I ate, plus a coke, was $9 without the tip. It was worth every penny, even if it would’ve been full-priced!

Now, I know Indian food might be kind of heavy for some in the day, but you don’t have to eat like I do. The appetizer selection is pretty big and you can grab a couple of those, if you’d like. Or, here’s an idea: Go out there with a couple of other parents and kids, and get a few tiny dishes to share. There’s plenty of space in the restaurant. Plus, I hear curry-flavored food can help a child develop a palate for different spices, which is next on the agenda for Tillie. I think she’s ready to move past the water and straw!

The CUNY Grad School of Journalism has just launched a special online neighborhood report called Brookyn Bridge Cultures.  The purpose?  Exploring the rich cultures and populations of Brooklyn’s neighborhoods, as well as spotlighting immigrant communities and their contributions. to the borough.

The site offers a very nice profile of Fort Greene’s Madiba, including the establishment’s history and interviews with the owner about South Africa and the restaurants’ most popular dishes.

Madiba, (photo from the NYC News Service, CUNY)

The full report is available online here!

Several people have been asking about how to help out the Myrtle Avenue victims.  The Local has a list of upcoming events and ways to donate here.

Here’s an event that sounds especially nice, and will provide a place for everyone to come together:

Let’s Lend a Heart & Helping Hand
To 491 & 493 Myrtle Avenue…

SUNDAY, June, 28 2009
5PM – 7PM
Chez Lola
387 Myrtle Avenue (by Vanderbilt)
Fort Greene, Brooklyn

Chez Lola will be hosting a fundraiser for the tenants of 491 and 493 Myrtle Avenue.

If you have services to provide, clothes to spare, furniture that is collecting dust, come on by to Chez Lola on Sunday and let us know. Please do not bring it. We can take down your contact info and approximate location and help coordinate the transfer of goods. You can also go online to www.bistrolola.com as of Thursday (June 25, 2009) to post any services/materials you’d like to provide.

The Office of Council Member James will be assisting Chez Lola in these activities, and will be on-hand at this Sunday’s event.

Chez Lola will be serving light food and refreshments.

Please bring your check book, wallet, donating spirit and helpful hand to give our neighbors get their lives back together!

Please make checks/money orders out to Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project.

Specify “491 & 493 Myrtle emergency fund” in the memo field. MARP has offered to temporarily hold your donations until they can be disbursed to the affected tenants.

For more information concerning the event and fundraising, please call at 718-858-1484 and ask for Edit.