The Dunkin' Donuts Truth Cannot Be Denied
Yep, a big banner hanging above the old Leonardo's confirms the already confirmed rumors: The Dunkin' Donuts invasion of Carroll Gardens has begun. Shall we stage a boycott? Conspicuously drink cups of coffee from Le Petite Cafe, Brooklyn Bread, D'Amico or Giorgia's Place outside the offending store? I can't decide if this would be better or worse if we were discussing a Starbucks opening ...
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Ugh! I am going to carry my Brooklyn Bread coffee in one hand and my Le Petit Cafe crossaint in the other. This is so disappointing. You know that the Starbucks is going to buy out the yet to be opened Abiline before we ever step inside.
I'd like to know what's going on with Abiline. I'm guessing they didn't have enough money for liquer license bribes left over after that nice renovation.
I was curious about Abilene myself. As for Brooklyn Bread coffee, it is very expensive for what you get. Whats the price of the wraps up to these days, $14?
I think the bagels at Brooklyn Bread are the worst in the area. I rarely go in there for anything and their sandwiches cost more than a dinner at Joya.
I heard that space is cursed where Abilene is. I've lived here over a year now and haven't seen that place open for business one day.
Sorry to promote myself again but I have an exhibit at Mini Bar right now for everyone to check out (sorry it's just I don't know any other blogs catering to carroll gardens!) :)
...and what about the old OTB on Court? They've been doing demolition work without any permits and the city has already been there twice...not sure what the story is, but doesn't seem to be getting off to a very promising start.
Local talk is that the Abilene space is cursed - was Finn before and Hennessy before that - both bars that didn't succeed.
I saw that the old OTB on Court has paper up in the windows - maybe something is happening there finally.
I'm interested to see what goes up in the old Zombie Hut location and if anything will go in Sparky's location.
DD is opening an absolute monstrosity on Graham Ave in Williamsburg. Kept the horrid, yet fabulous faux cedar shakes, but put up brown and orange tin awnings on each window. And they put a drive-through window in the middle of the facade. It's like the took the worst of cool vintage tacky and uncool modern tacky, and somehow the sum is tackier than the parts.
So, overall you get a synergy of tackiness acting like a feedback loop?
Anyone remember Roberto Cappucchino on Court Street, down around Warren? Anyone else find him annoyingly condescending and rude?
I think I read right here on ABL that the OTB site is going KFC!? I used to bring my son in there on the Triple Crown days to watch the races. He was only 2, then 3, put I'd like to think some of it sank in. I'll never forget walking in there to put down a Derby bet and seeing a former jockey in there watching the races on TV. (Note: I don't know for sure if he was really a former jockey, but he was pretty old and no bigger than 5 feet/110 pounds.)
I walked past the OTB last night, and there was a city stop-work order posted.
"So, overall you get a synergy of tackiness acting like a feedback loop?"
More like the discordance of the differing tacky's amplifies the hideosity. There can never be too much of one flavor of tacky. Witness Cafe Capri just a few blocks down...
DD isn't the most asthetically pleasing of places... it's orange and pink for god's sake. i'm new to the carroll gardens 6mos now but, it has that 'hood feel that could rise up and put a place out of business if it so chose. go la petit and bkly bread!
"rise up and put a place out of business"
In pure South Brooklyn style!
Putting a place out of business in true South Brooklyn style requires a baseball bat and a couple of rusty bicycle chains.
So my friends and I are going to throw a raging party to stop... the gentrification... of Carroll... Gardens...
*cough
(Thanks for linking to my site, Jay! You're awesome!)
They're putting in a Dunkin Donuts in my neighborhood, too. It's funny to me that they put window shades in the DD pink and orange on every window of the building.
Roberto Cappucchino! Yes. I was thinking about that place the other day. He sure made people feel comfortable and welcomed ;)
My favorite was the letter he posted on the front of the store lambasting the hood when he shut down. Oh well.
What was the bar that was in the Abilene space about five/six years ago? Was that Finn? I forget. Even though we live near the Bergen stop, we often hiked down there for very late night drinks (this was when we only had Brooklyn Inn and pre-Boat). I kind of loved it. It seemed to cater to that very under serviced late night retarded man crowd.
We had many hilarious nights there.
As far as DD, the new corner space on Bergen and Smith is slated to be a Baskin Robbins / DD - or that was the word on the street. It seems like their construction has been slapped with a work stop thing. Nonetheless, it'll be a perfect match for the dominoes across the street.
Thanks for the response re: Roberto Cappuchino and the letter he posted when he shut down. Basically, for those not familiar with it, I remember that he lambasted the area residents for not appreciating true quality and that he wasn't closing because he was forced to, but because he didn't feel properly appreciated. Or something like that.
I remember once I went in there and ordered an omelete. He dismissed my order with a sniff and a "we don't make omeletes here". I Pointed to a dude eating what appeared to be an omelete, and said "can I have one of those?" To which he replied - "That's not an omelete - THAT is a frittata" (pronounced Free TAH TAH, with a rolling R). Painfully, I had to ask for a fritatta.
Way deep down, his heart was in the right place - he did try to lead a protest against that first Starbucks in Cobble Hill, but - excuse the expression - he was such a dick.
PS: Not sure I spelled omelete right.
What a great story!