jotlefi jane writes: “At 8:15 am this morning, as I walked my daughter to daycare thinking of nothing but coffee, I noticed something peculiar. On Carlton between Prospect Place and St. Marks, three 20-something white males were pacing about armed with water guns.”

“One had a Giant Super Soaker attached to his back and clearly ready for firing, another had a small hand ’soaker’ and the third hid his weapon in his pocket. They were hanging outside of an apartment and I heard the boss with the Super Soaker say, ‘there’s no answer.’”

“Hmmm, wish I knew just what they were doing. Soaker Swat team? Bachelor party antics? At 8:15? On a Wednesday? And what poor soul they were looking to soak. Still wondering.”

1. JoshB informs us that the NY Times dining section just reviewed The Islands in their $25 and under column. Excerpts:

“The quirks make the Islands feel like a home kitchen. Ms. Letchford, a longtime professional chef, and Ms. Reid, who worked in the corporate world, sometimes sip wine as they mince and chop. They quiz customers about their spice tolerance and tickle their children.”

“But quirks don’t make it worth the visit; the food does. The women prepare meals with such unwavering care that the one night my friends and I received anything subpar - a partially cold roti and Calypso shrimp sauce with an irksome texture - Ms. Reid apologized without any of us having to complain…”

“If you don’t feel like waiting for food downstairs or outside under a canopy of fairy lights, there are steep stairs leading to a dining loft, lighted with candles and decorated with seashells, parrots and floral prints. It feels like a secret hideaway, with just four tables and ceilings so low that most diners slouch to their seats. Once there, you’ll want to sip brown-bag wine or beer, or homemade concoctions like gingery limeade sweetened with brown sugar, and sorrel so heavily steeped and spiced it seemed spiked.”

2. The Blog That Stirs The Drink writes about cashing in the Dinner for Four at The Islands Grand Prize he won in that DAILY HEIGHTS happy hour/raffle that you missed:

“The food was really, really, really good. Did I mention I liked it? They gave us complimentary rum punch, which was very tasty and a nice refreshing change from the party punches I usually drink, which are usually pretty nasty and make you go blind if you drink too much of it. Then we got our appetizer plate with BBQ chicken, plantain and some kind of fried cod thing. You know, I’m not going to go into this whole thing, because reading about a meal someone had is like reading about a dream they had. In other words, dull. So, I’m just going to say I heartily recommend this establishment. I’m not just saying that because I ate for free, either.”

ALSO NOTABLE: Also in the NYT: A brief take on Delicacies.

Susan writes: “Ever wonder what the inside of the old Cathedral high school, corner of Washington and Atlantic, looked like? Foxton’s has listed a condo in the building. 13 photos of the interior of the lobby and floor plans for an interesting (and pricey!) 2-bedroom bi-level apartment. The curved wall details and open second floor in the architectural rendering give it a mid-century modern feel. And the gargoyles on the building are fascinating.”

Lucas writes: “Were you aware that Sean “Puffy” Combs’ mother is the owner of Mama Duke (Flatbush/Bergen)? Oh, yeah; it’s in the latest edition of ‘Brooklyn!!’ Tagline: ‘Where New York City Begins.’ (? Uh ?)”

“Page three: ‘…Mama Duke’s owner is none other than Janice Combs, loving mother of a son named Sean, whom headlines tend to refer to as P. Diddy.’ Besides noting ‘regulars’ like Rosie Perez and Johnnie Cochran (er, how long ago was this written?) the piece does reveal that the chef is ‘privy to the treasure trove of original recipes belonging to the original Mama Duke, Jessie Smalls, Janice’s mother, whose homemade victuals were savored throughout Harlem in her day.’”

“Then the piece ends with perhaps the worst closer in publishing history. I can’t remember exactly, but it was something along the lines of, ‘And that, you can see, means everything has turned up just puffy.’ (In reference to Mama Duke’s being owned by Sean Combs’s mom.) (I guess.)”

“Anyway, word is, the BBQ is outrageously good. Maggie says it’s kickass. So there you go. The Combs are straight-up Midas all the way. Gold, gold, gold.”

I rummaged around the Pulp Pile at Ozzie’s but couldn’t find a copy of “BROOOOKLLYYYN!!!!1″ magazine. Lucas says they list their website as www.brooklyn-usa.org, which is of course Marty Markowitz’s home page. PICTURED: Marty congratulates participants in a sweet potato pie cook-off judged in part by John Cabbell of Mama Duke.

Still skeptical? Looks like the Russians beat Marty to the punch. Go read this story about the Mamochki (mother) of “Reppyera Paffa” (”Rapper Puffy”).

Mama Duke Southern Cuisine | 243 Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11217. 718-857-8700.

[Icon: Mr. Icon]