alafairnadia
Minister of Propaganda
Joined: 08 Aug 2005
Posts: 1775
Location: washington ave. btwn sterling & st. johns

yes, indeed! vandy near park. there’s also a cute, round sign that sticks out, but it kept swinging in the wind, defying the treo camera. in any case, I anticipate something yummy or a short life.

there’s still paper and building permits up in the windows.
According to the website, this bakery will be opening “early summer”: http://www.joycebakeshop.com

More from Carnivore: “Awesome! Hopefully the baked goods will be as nice as the design. looks like their hours will be 7-7 on weekdays.”

in other news, it seems half may reopen.

Find out more in the Prospect Heights Message Boards

vanderbilt products building Originally uploaded by horseycraze.

Uploaded by horseycraze in the Prospect Heights Photo Pool:

“the lot of the former vanderbilt products building. to be replaced by a condominium.”

Photo pool founder Frank Lynch: “Gang, the Vanderbilt Products building is now kaput. Underberg is kaput.”

“Get those lenses out: we can be the preservationists of the memories of what this neighborhood was pre-Ratner.”

popup image here.

A little Internet archaeology turns up the following:

Hot Bird
665 Vanderbilt Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11238
718-468-2473
Fast Food American

What’s at 665 Vanderbilt today? The former Hot Bird space is where you’ll now find the (recently renovated/repoened) Aliseo Osteria del Borgo.

Discuss: Prospect Heights Message Boards

Two reasons to go to Vanderbilt Ave. tonight.

1. The people from BEAST posted in the Prospect Heights Message Boards about a fundraiser tonight at 9 PM “to raise money for those suffering in the Gulf States.” Admission is a $7 donation, which includes one raffle ticket (oops, looks like they changed it to $10). Music by L.P., Tara Lynne, and Mark the Pirate from New Orleans, who survived the flood (along with his accordian). Raffle includes items/services donated by these Vanderbilt Ave. businesses (and people in the neighborhood):

Bicycle Station
Beast
Fermented Grapes
Delicacies
The Forest Floor
Acme Pet Food
Pieces
Music for Aardvarks
Artists Johnathan Frisk and Lawrence Quigley

Is there still time to donate goods or services? Not sure - check the thread for more info: FLOOD RELIEF FUNDRAISER AT BEAST (Link)

2. Also, a group of Daily Heights regulars are getting together to play Settlers of Catan, a board/strategy game that daniel says is “quick and easy” to learn. Read more in the Prospect Heights Message Boards.

By the way, this is a prelude to a regular game night will take place every Wednesday night at 6:30 at SODA (yes, adults playing games). Starts Wednesday, Sept. 21, so get out your Scrabble, Cribbage, Catan, Trivial Pursuit, Dominoes, Boggle, Pente…

sje writes in the mad hot Daily Heights message boards: “I heard the lease was signed today for a new Korean restaurant on Vanderbilt Ave. from a very reliable source. Very excited about it! … It’s supposed to open September, October at the latest … Corner of Vanderbilt and St. Marks. I heard tonight that it’s going to be Korean/Asian cuisine.”

crunkyteen adds: “I hear it’s a Korean bbq joint from the guy from Soda and the gal from Le Gamin [who is Korean-ed].”

ana.log says, “let’s hope it’s better than the Indian place. I was excited about those guys too.”

Link: Korean on Vanderbilt! [sje on “the boards”]
[photo: Korean football fans celebrate World Cup quarter-finals win]

OK, it was only 10:47 PM… but on a Sunday! What could possibly be so important?

Next time, we will stop in and ask.

Or at least make some color copies for only 65 cents apiece.

daveb writes in the Daily Heights Forums: “Does anyone know anything about the accident today (Sun. 26th) on Vanderbilt and Prospect? Looked like someone on a bike got hit. Saw a lot of blood on the ground and what looked like more than one person being taken away by ambulance. It didn’t look good.”

Follow-up from anonymous Guest: “I saw the accident (heard it and then looked). It looked like a young woman was hit by a car on a bicycle. It did not not look good for her. There were also a few people in the car that hit her, it was a hard impact, so I would not be surprised if the driver or other passengers were injured/shook up.”

“Say a prayer for the woman who was hit. I could not bear to stay and watch….it shook me up too much.”

UPDATE! Looks like the prayers worked. We just got an anonymous tip that the biker passed through a local ER today and is doing fine.

Links:
Accident on Vanderbilt [Daily Heights forums]
Elizabeth Padilla Killed by Ice Cream Truck on 5th Near Flatbush [Daily Heights]

The hits just keep on coming at Namaskar, Inc.

TODAY’S IMAGE: Muntu checks in with another eye-catching sandwich-board statement.

Namaskar, Inc. | 643 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238. 718-636-1967.

INTERESTING SIDE NOTE:

“In Sanskrit, ‘Namas’ means, ‘bow, obeisance, reverential salutation.’ It comes from the root Nam, which carries meanings of bending, bowing, humbly submitting and becoming silent. ‘Te’ means ‘to you.’ Thus ‘namaste’ means ‘I bow to you.’ the act of greeting is called Namaskaram, Namaskara and Namaskar in the varied languages of the subcontinent.

PAUL LUKAS writes in the New York Sun: “Which Brooklyn thoroughfare will become the borough’s next restaurant row? I have a hunch it will be Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights. All the pieces are in place: a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood, a commercial strip with plenty of cheap storefronts, and a paucity of decent dining options. And just as … Al Di La planted the flag on Fifth Avenue, Vanderbilt Avenue has Aliseo, the quirky Italian osteria that opened last year and, like all pioneering eateries, stuck out like a sore thumb in its benighted surroundings.”

BEAST: “Beast is being called a tapas restaurant … (but) It’s more like a pub with hearty, filling fare. The problem, at least for now, is that a lot of it sounds better than it tastes … the Guinness-braised short ribs (are) singularly tasteless … salsa-topped lamb kabobs have a bit more character … But it’s rather telling that Beast’s biggest winner is the burger, a tasty half-pounder served with a potato and blue-cheese salad. And for all of Beast’s arty pretenses (the menu sections are annoyingly labeled, “Earth,” “Ocean,” and “Land and Sky”), the burger shows the place for what it is: a pleasant neighborhood hangout.”

AMORINA (”Cucina Rustica”):“It’s a fun little space … But … Amorina does not have a wood-burning oven … observers have described Amorina as a direct challenge to the much-hyped wood burning pizzeria Franny’s (but) it’s not really a natural rivalry, because the different ovens result in two very distinct kinds of pizza.”

“And, unfortunately, that distinction does not play in Amorina’s favor. The crusts are uniformly leaden - so much so that I literally ended up with a sore jaw after chewing my way through several of Amorina’s pies. Remember the basic rule about pizza crust: It should be good enough to be eaten by itself as bread. Amorina’s crust - dense to the point of being impenetrable - doesn’t come close to meeting that standard. And that’s a shame, because many of the toppings are inspired …”

Link: Next Stop, Prospect Heights [New York Sun]

PHOTOS:BEAST pre-opening glamour shots, posted on The NYC Gay Hockey Association message boards

sje writes: I found yesterday afternoon that the corner of Vanderbilt and Bergen (in front of Daffodil Hardware) has been Rock & Stopped! This is done by an artistic duo who go by the moniker “Thundercut” (http://www.thundercut.com), and who are also ProHo residents, albiet secretive ones. They leave public artworks in many places, there’s a few beautiful cutout wooden seahorses and bubbles a bit further up on Bergen.”

“Rock & Stop” is cool, but wouldn’t “Stop & Rock” be even cooler? I guess you can interpret it any way you want.

sje writes: I found yesterday afternoon that the corner of Vanderbilt and Bergen (in front of Daffodil Hardware) has been Rock & Stopped! This is done by an artistic duo who go by the moniker “Thundercut” (http://www.thundercut.com), and who are also ProHo residents, albiet secretive ones. They leave public artworks in many places, there’s a few beautiful cutout wooden seahorses and bubbles a bit further up on Bergen.”

“Rock & Stop” is cool, but wouldn’t “Stop & Rock” be even cooler? I guess you can interpret it any way you want.

Isitan writes us: “This picture was taken right in the middle of where I live and my wife’s shop, which was only 3 weeks old at the time (Sunday, Jan. 23). I was just crossing the street and wanted to capture Vanderbilt Avenue transformed to a white asphalt. I’m afraid there’s no story attached to the image other than this.

OK! I think that’s the last of the winter photos…

Rumor has it that Foxy Brown was once a cashier at the Met Foods on Vanderbilt Avenue. CAPTAIN MARVELOUS investigates:

“Abdul of the Met says Foxy Brown used to bag there … the current cashiers proceeded to go absolutely nuts. They said she still comes in, but didn’t know she worked there.”

LINK:
PH Trivia Because I am Bored [Isa in the DAILY HEIGHTS Forums]

SCAN: Roxcafe.org

Photo shoot on in front of Caree Cleaners, corner Vanderbilt and Park Place, Sunday, April 24, 2005

photo credit: queen_of_pies

Show ProHo your PhoTo!
send it to: whatsnew@dailyheights.com

Revenue, thy name is Xerox?

Hmm… maybe. The situation: about 16 months ago, some people started a non-profit called “Brooklyn United for Innovative Local Development,” or BUILD, that appears to have been created for the express purpose of promoting and/or defending Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project.

Pretty much everyone who opposes Ratner thinks that he’s somehow behind the group. The BUILD people are acutely aware of their suspicion. From buildbrooklyn.org (yes, they have a real website now):

Myth: BUILD is financially supported by Forest City Ratner.

Fact: Since its inception BUILD has been supported by its members and community based supporters. BUILD’s faith in God and strong ties to the community has sustained and perpetuates our operations and advancement of our mission…”

Well… that’s nice. But not exactly what I would call full disclosure. I asked Dan Goldstein of Develop Don’t Destroy if anyone knows just a bit more precisely how BUILD gets its funding:

“It’s only been speculated upon. I do know that they have held fundraisers where Bruce gets his buddies to come and donate.”

“I also do know that Develop Don’t Destroy has raised all of its money from the community to this date, and we can’t afford an office on Vanderbilt.”

That’s about as far as we’ve got. We’ll post an update if we get any news from BUILD.

From the Daily Heights Camphone Patrol:
Lucas writes: Did you see the tall bicyclists yesterday? A group of about 5-6 people riding six-foot-tall bicycles up Vanderbilt. Hilarious. Tried to get a shot, but they were too far away for my wee camphone. I can’t wait until US cell manufacturers start providing multi-megapixel cameras. Sheesh.”

Lucas also spotted these unsavory characters, clearly up to no good (check out the scowl on Rope Guy as he gets camphoned): “Not sure what they’re doing up there, but it looks like they’re cleaning the exterior of the dry cleaning building. Maybe not. They weren’t thrilled to be captured on film. (’On disk’? What will people say now that film is being phased out?)”

…means outdoor drinking, of course! And at what better place than Soda Bar, which just doubled its backyard patio space (seen here, still sparsely furnished). Last summer, the occasional cat was known to emerge from that formerly boarded-up lot and greet our drunken, dangling fingers. We just hope she’ll come back.

Could the news get any worse today? Terry Schiavo dies. Gasoline and Home Heating Oil prices surge to record levels (did I call it? I called it.) And now, we find out that Diane Boisvert has closed her Vanderbilt Ave. gallery: “The gallery has closed its doors but it will remain online,” Diane says in a tersely worded statement on her website.

Diane opened the gallery in September 2002: “What charmed me most about the place was the storefront. It used to be an old antiques store, but I decided to use it as my studio and to open the doors to fellow artists and the public … I realized that this wonderful space had too much potential to keep it just to myself.”

She had dedicated the space to showcasing contemporary artists with “individual” and “intense” works: “People who move me and give me a punch in the heart, head and spirit.”

Vivian of Housebroken asked us to put the word out that Vanderbilt Ave. businesses will be doing their own First Saturday thing this weekend: “A lot of the businesses will be open until later and will offer special discounts.” Not sure of many specifics yet, but we know that Fermented Grapes will be doing a wine tasting from 4-7 pm with Daniel from Domaine Select Wine Estates, who “will pour some amazing wines from Italy and elsewhere. We will offer a 5% discount on wines from the tasting.” Do you have any other First Saturday updates or news? Let us know.

Oh. Did we mention that the Brooklyn Museum will also be open this Saturday night? Check out the schedule. Let’s see if Basquiat mania can push First Saturday over into another new attendance record.

REFERENCE: [Record 12,000 Crowd at First Saturday]

Nichelle points out that Amorina gets top billing in the latest “Openings & Buzz” column in New York Metro:

Albano Ballerini continues to remake burgeoning Vanderbilt Avenue in his own offbeat culinary image … he’s transformed a Brooklyn slice joint into a boutique focacceria. Pizza chef Ruth Kaplan, an Aliseo customer and avid home cook whose puffy, free-form pies got her the Amorina gig, has a toppings repertoire that runs the gamut from classic (tomatoes and mozzarella) to creative (dried cherries, nutmeg, orange peel, and crème fraîche)…”

Amorina (Cucina Rustica) | 624 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238. 718-230-3030.

[Photo: Kenneth Chen]

Nichelle points out that Amorina gets top billing in the latest “Openings & Buzz” column in New York Metro:

Albano Ballerini continues to remake burgeoning Vanderbilt Avenue in his own offbeat culinary image … he’s transformed a Brooklyn slice joint into a boutique focacceria. Pizza chef Ruth Kaplan, an Aliseo customer and avid home cook whose puffy, free-form pies got her the Amorina gig, has a toppings repertoire that runs the gamut from classic (tomatoes and mozzarella) to creative (dried cherries, nutmeg, orange peel, and crème fraîche)…”

Amorina (Cucina Rustica) | 624 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238. 718-230-3030.

[Photo: Kenneth Chen]

Lil’ thread today on Chowhound about India Palace on Vanderbilt Ave. Thanks to dirtgirl for the kind words about DAILY HEIGHTS’ Review/deconstruction of Traditional Indian Salad.

Still no details on the anti-Americanism ban of Haifa on Flatbush, but we haven’t given up hope yet.

Here on the dailyheights.com message boards, we have already learned that the beer is cheap, the cocktails are strong, the food is at least decent, and if you don’t pay your rent, allegedly, you may get your door drilled shut while you’re sleeping.

Now, careful reader Laura B points DAILYHEIGHTS regulars to the latest revelations: “Did you notice this fascinating bit of information in a recent Chowhound post about the new restaurant Beast: “The bartender told us that the place used to be a Black Panther bar during the 70s. According to her, the FBI shut it down, and when the owner of Beast first began renovations she found shell casings in the cash register and ancient Rheingold cans scattered on the floor…”

[Photo: Michelle Vignes]

UPDATE: According to the latest anonymous post on the lengthy Beast Bar thread on the message boards, there’s a quarter-page-with-photo write-up of Beast in Time Out New York, and “I hear that Zagat Brooklyn has also contacted you…”

Untitled. Unknown (2005), Vanderbilt Ave., Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, New York, USA; Mixed Media (concrete, wood, spraypaint, Sharpie, tinsel, various household furnishings)

UPDATE: In case you were wondering who draws all those little guys everywhere … ideashak has id’d the spraypaint artist as SOLER.