Saturday in the Heights
Took a walk down Montague after going to the gym today to see if anything new was happening on that slightly depressing strip. And as it turns out, there were a few sparks of new life. Of course, I don't get up to this neck of the woods too often, so if any of this is months old, I'm sure someone will give a deserved Heights smackdown.
First off is Five Guys, a hamburger chain from DC that's been getting hyped like the second coming. Frankly, as you can see, it's in kind of an odd space and plastering the front window with those signs makes it look more like a Rent-to-Own store than a scrumptious burger place. Also, they pride themselves on their patties
being well-done, which is just kind of wrong to me, though there seemed to plenty of customers inside scarfing their food with contented looks on their faces. I believe Crafty is going to be trying it soon, so I'm dying to hear her review.
Next up, a Housing Works thrift shop in the space that used to be Fishs Eddy, I think. I love thrift stores, and HW is a kick-ass organization--plus that green mannequin sure is purty.
Then, we come to the unfortunately named new "Asian bistro" Tenda. I'm sure the name has some clever meaning in another language, but the first thing that comes to my mind is that it sounds like something Poochie the hip-hop dog from "The Simpsons" would say.
Keeping with the Asian theme, here is Lantern. A Thai restaurant. In a space that housed at least one Thai restaurant before. In a neighborhood where there's already too much Thai. Personally, I think Brooklyn Heights is ready for an izakaya, don't you? That's pretty much it, although I did also notice a Tasty D-Lite closing and a Ricky's makeup opening (all those drag queens in the Heights can finally shop closer to home).
Bonus sighting closer to my home: A new vegetarian restaurant on Court, next to Miriam. It's called Jill's, and though the description on the menu, "a fusion of raw and kindly cooked food," made my throat close up a little, I do have to give them credit for designing a cute, stylish space. Maybe this will be the place where I have my first $12.50 macro bowl. But not today.
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Nice scouting. I noticed that vegan place the other day, too. Are there enough vegans in the Cobble Hill house to support it?
I've never seen more than one or two people in the vegan place, so I'm not sure that we do have enough vegans to keep it up.
Re: 5 Guys, I'm a big fan.
I was lucky to Five Guys it up with Crafty yesterday. It was the perfect meal to end a day at the beach. If you happen by this week check the cork board with customer comment cards. After Denis' clever suggestion I wrote "If Five Guys jumped on my back, I wouldn't beat them off. It's THAT good."
5 guys is the bizz-omb! It's everything DQ aspires to be, but doesn't quite make it as well as 5 guys. It's that GOOD!
5 Guys is good & greasy. I don't know if they'll be successful in the Heights, though. Most places on Montague Street deliver and 5 Guys doesn't. That might be their downfall.
ya'll know how i love my hamburgers, so my little bro actually introduced me to the original Five Guys in DC recently. The fries -- excellent (esp. with the vinegar provided) and GINORMOUS. served in a brown paper bag about five times bigger than Burger Joint's. The burger ... tasty, but the patty's pretty standard. Can't wait to hear what you think, ABL!
oh. now i just read the other comments. how inconsiderate of my to have skimmed them before. i see you are fans, ABL. YOU WOULD BE. ;)
she lives!
I just tried the place out. First off, they must have about 9 people behind the counter. It seemed like they were all training because the girl on the grill was the only one working and instructing the rest of the crew. There was an Asian guy who stood staring at 4 burgers for 2 minutes and 43 seconds (I timed him) without touching them. Mine was one of them and all it needed was BBQ sauce and to be wrapped up. OK, I understand they just opened so I will let this go. As far as the taste, the burger was OK (all burgers are cooked well), nothing to write home about. The fries were very good. I think that Henry Street Ale House has a better tasting burger (you can get it cooked the way you want it also), and their fries are almost as good but not as crispy as Five Guys. I will try them again. They seem like a clean operation.