I have received word from TWO different sources that Grand 275 (located at 275 Grands, obvs) is closing. Fear not -- it doesn't seem to be an issue with poor business or rent increases, but more that the owners are ready to do something new (hopefully in the same space?).
Apparently these last few nights have been packed. The final night of operation will be Friday. Get your drink on, one last time, at this super comfortable, friendly spot.
Many of you have emailed me in the last two days after trying to make a reservation at Il Torchio, only to be told the ownership had changed. This seems like a bizarre turn of events. Il Torchio, which opened less than a year, definitely had its growing pains. Many of you left comments about the price points, service and quality in the first month or so, but they really seemed to get their game together. In recent months, many people have emailed me and commented on how good the food and atmosphere were. And that makes this changeover all the more curious.
MARP, in response to my email asking what was up, said that they only knew that Il Torchio's owners decided they no longer wanted to own both the building and the restaurant. (And as for Los Pollitos, they brought on a business partner, hence the name and menu change.)
Anyone one dined under the new ownership yet?
TMZ is reporting that the Real World folks have signed a lease for the Brooklyn season of the show at the BellTel Lofts in downtown Brooklyn. The exact address is 365 Bridge Street, which means it's kind of in the middle of nothing. The problem with that is, it means the kids will be smack dab in the middle of the area where DUMBO, BK Heights, Boerum and yes, FORT GREENE come together. I admit that I've been sucked in to the latest season airing now. But I'd like to keep my distance from the "cast" via a shiny TV screen, thank you very much.
A source told me yesterday that he is hoping to open a bakery on Fulton, right near the Met. He reminisced, "When I was young, we'd go to the bakery every Sunday after church for a fresh loaf of French bread, soft and still warm from the oven. I'd love to recreate that here."
So would we!
Tentative plans include a June opening.
OMGYAY!
A CH resident is reporting that a news van has been camped out next door to his building on St. James Place asking about someone named Tameka Lewis. His diligent research led him to this article, which states that this woman was involved in setting up "client appointments" for "Client No. 9."
Read the full account here.
A bunch of you guys have emailed me today about this, and I admit that I slacked on posting. Then everyone else started posting, so I was even less motivated to photoshop this cute graphic together:
Anyway, yes! There is exciting news afoot! Apparently Leticia James has suggested linking the G at Fulton to all of the trains at Atlantic-Pacific! This is super news. How often have you really wanted to take the 2,3,4 but were too lazy (or running late) to walk down there or wait for the bus down Greene (which, btw, never comes) so you made do with the G to the A,C to another change or two.
Sign the petition here!
And more info here via Second Avenue Sagas.
I've kinda heard rumors about this, but Brooklyn Based has proof! The Masonic Temple on Lafayette and Claremont has become a hipster music venue! This is so sweet. Finally, a way to see a cool show in Brooklyn without trying to find a car service home late night!
The Temple's website can be found here.
It looks like my prayers are finally about to be answered. While I know there are far more practical needs for the neighborhood (cheese shop, bookstore, etc), I've been pining for a really pretty flower / plant shop since moving to the neighborhood. Today, I received word that Root Stock & Quade (who already have a well-established Park Slope outpost) will be opening a store on Myrtle in the old one-hour photo place next to Move With Grace (Myrtle near Hall)!!!!!! If this place is anything like Sprout Home in Williamsburg or GRDN in Boerum Hill, I am going to be one happy patron.
Looks like they also do garden design and event florals!
Received this email from a reader: I thought you might like to know that Cafe Martino might not make it. I had dinner in there tonight and chatted with Martin who runs the restaurant and he mentioned another couple months and he may have to close up. After 2 years, it seems like they are still struggling to bring enough business in. It's a shame, it's one of my favorites in the neighborhood, good food and totally reasonably priced. There's a new retail place opening up next door which could help, but without support from the locals I don't think they'll last. Maybe you could post something and encourage a visit.
I admit, I've never tried it myself! Now's the time.
UPDATE: Sorry! Cafe Martino is located at 559 Myrtle bt Emerson and Classon!
The blog for the New York Review of Books writes that a women who blogs as The Written Nerd has received a small business grant from the BK Public Library, and might be opening a bookstore in CLINTON HILL! She currently works at an independent book store in SoHo, so she has some experience already. Pleeeaaassseeeeeee! Bring us your bookstore!
Washington Ave will soon be home to another new hangout. Owner Joseph Falco is working on transforming 37 Washington (which has been operating as a pizza place for the last 14 years or so) into a brick oven pizza spot.
It'll be called Il Porto, and will offer pizza (brick oven and regular), other menu items, wine and beer, plus sidewalk cafe!
The restaurant will span both pizza storefronts on Washington, and will feature historical photos of the Navy Yard inside.
Estimated opening is sometime in April -- just in time for some warm weather First Fridays at RePop and openings at P.E.P.
Pretty cool.
Thankfully, the Starbucks rumors were wrong. They will NOT be moving into the storefront on Myrtle across from Kum Kau (at Washington). Instead, NYCPet.com will be moving in.
(photo by David Velez)
They already operate two stores in Park Slope and offer delivery and online ordering. Word has it that they will also be offering veterinary services!
We do have a few vets in the area already (at Kiki's on DeKalb and Brooklyn Vet Hospital on Vanderbilt), but anyone who has had to lug an overweight cat to the vet in an unwieldy carrier will surely appreciate the convenience of additional services in the area.
I'm sorry to say that we've all missed an opportunity to chill with crooner Michael Bolton at Steiner Studios in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Apparently, an NBC show called Clash of the Choirs did a live taping there from Dec 12-17! Does anyone watch this show? Is it on now? If it's not on my DVR, I probably won't see it. Guess it IS on now. Here's the NBC website.
(Thanks to Greenpointer and one of our readers for this!)
A top secret contact of mine was fortunate enough to attend Doug Steiner's birthday bash in the Brooklyn Navy Yard recently. Since we're all curious as to what it's like behind those gates, he offered to share his experience (under the pseydonym "Bill Bennet"): Thank you Lesterhead! I'm feeling super to be here!
Well readers, let me tell you a juicy story about last Friday night! Your faithful reporter, by the skin of his charm and suavity, got invited to a glittering party at the Steiner Studios in the ghetto-swank Brooklyn Navy Yard. The stars were out on November 30th both in the frozen night sky and on the red carpet!
Inside the scene was "thumpin', yo!" Our host for the evening and the birthday boy for whom the birthday bash was bumpin', the amazing Doug Steiner, had turned the ginormous main studio space -- twenty-seven thousand square feet of floor space with fifty foot ceilings! -- into a full-on dance club. The bar(s --three giant open bars!) were swarmed like a fat American tourist in the Congo, and rasperry vodka flowed like semen and ink at a writers' retreat. Beautiful go-go dancers shook their booties on raised platforms placed randomly throughout the space -- and when I say beautiful, I mean Booo-ti-foooollll!!! For the men, a hot blonde, a hot Latina, a hot African-American, and one dancer I couldn't quite place (Samoan islander mixed with Scottish highlander?) were bursting out of skimpy outfits, boobs and butts glistening with sweat! For the ladies guys in Greco-Roman wrestling gear pumped you up! as their rock hard muscles undulated like the enraged seas!
I was on pins and needles when my contact for the evening was approached by the birthday boy himself. I sharpened my conversation skills with a pocket pencil sharpener, grabbed an extra cocktail, and headed over to the pair.
"Doug, this is my friend Bill Bennet. Bill this is Doug Steiner."
Reader, I almost fainted on the spot.
Doug Steiner (who was being shadowed by his personal photographer) is a commanding five foot, six inches tall. Penetrating eyes peer out from strong brows situated just beneath his balding head.
"Hi," he said, and offered me a hand soft from lack of manual labor, but hard from giving "no"s to so many aspiring filmmakers. I gushed at how wonderful it was to meet him, and he, like Andy Warhol, acted dazed and indifferent, all the while projecting an inner confidence and intelligence that can only be described as "ineffable."
Naturally Mr. Steiner had too many guests to stop and chat with your humble reporter, and so he moved on through the crowd, shaking hands while the constant lightning from the flash of his personal photographer blinded the guests -- almost as much as the birthday boy's brilliance.
I made my way back to the bar to get my signature club soda and lime when a little man, who had obviously slipped past the velvet rope, had the nerve to ask if I was the designated driver. In the first place, I thought, I don't drive. I am DRIVEN. So I turned to him and said, "No. I'm in recovery." I thought it might give me a little Amy Winehouse chic. :)
Sadly my attempts to nose my way into the VIP rooms met with repeated rebuffs (and how buff! Mr. Steiner really knows how to pick a bouncer! ). So there's not much more to say. The plebes who milled around the dance floor mostly seemed to be indie movie company interns -- skinny, nervous young men with beards and sallow complexions -- or obese women in their 40s looking to pick up one of these trembling wall flowers in flannel. Occasionally a middle-aged entertainment lawyer would provide a spectacle, knocking back vodka tonics and leering at the go-go dancers. The high point of the remainder of the evening was watching one of the old, fat ladies groping a male go-go dancer's juicy package while her equally rotund friend took pictures on her mini digital camera.
Around 11 the gliterati started to fliterati into the night. I took my cue, downed the rest of my soda and lime and flew into the night to adventure and fun!!!
No word on whether or not the party moved to the Navy Yard Lounge.
Reader David filled me in on the disappearance of the clothing donation boxes: The clothes collection bins that have disappeared may be all due to the dept of sanitation asking them to be removed...... as you can see in this pic there is grease pencil writing and removal notices from the dept of sanitation - this clothes bin was on Park Ave and Vanderbilt Ave:
Wonder if they were being abused?
Informants have told me that there's a new fashion shop on Myrtle next to Polish Bar called Barking Brown. I'll check it out this week. Is the leather goods store opened by Pratt grads that was mentioned on Myrtle Minutes? Ah, yes, and it seems the store will be fully up and running as of Friday!
(Word has it there are some cute knit hats in the window.)
Dragon Garden on Myrtle at Hall closed a short while back, making me wonder what new, trendy restaurant would open in its place. Turns out it'll be a laundromat. What do you think? Do the neighbors nearby need one? (And as an aside, could we pass a law that requires all laundromats have card machines so I can stop buying rolls of quarters? Just saying.)
Received this tip-filled email from a reader: I was at a town hall meeting with tish james and heard from the pres. of pratt that they have taken over the kentucky fried chicken spot!!! It is going to be a 6 (or more) story building with retail on the ground floor. The space is actually still owned by the person that owned the KFC, but pratt worked some deal where they get the land and the owner gets the building... Don't quote me on that, I'm super tired and I definitely didn't give them enough attention. : ) The other bit of gossip on this front is that the owner wants some kind of pharmacy on the ground floor. Although I really hate box store pharmacies, this is something that area does need.
More gossip...
The bodega on the corner of grand and clifton is interviewing chefs for a brick oven pizza joint! I will probably be close to a year till they open, but worth the wait.
Terri, of Choice fame, is on hold with the spot on greene bec. of permit issues. They hope to open in the next few months.
The 6-story building sounds promising and not too tall. It IS amazing how much unused space exists on Myrtle (more on this later).
Easy Being Greene and Brownstoner have posted about the new restaurant opening on the corner of Cumberland and Lafayette (once rumored to become a 7-11 and/or a Thai restaurant). Just wanted to give my two cents: I'm really psyched about this place, since it's something NEW and not another French restaurant.
This just in from a reader: Not sure if you've heard this one before or not but according to my favorite waitress at Kum Kao, the space across the street from them (the one they own on the corner) will become one of the following: Either a pet supply store or (drum roll please)...a Starbucks!
Take it however you like, I thought it was potentially good gossip.
I believe the original gossip was that it was slated to be some sort of health food store or restaurant. Hmph -- there goes the neighborhood.
Clinton Hill Blog published from 2006 - 2010. Please enjoy these archives - a love letter to the neighborhood.
