Recently in Neighborhood Category

Lunchtime in the neighborhood is generally a perfuntory affair for me: falafel at Zaytoons, a slice at Vinny's, the occasional banh mi at Nicky's when I'm up that way. But my craving for sushi had to be satisfied on Monday, and that took me and my dining companion to Cube 63 on Court Street in Cobble Hill. Due to my pregnancy, I hadn't consumed sushi for a long, long time, and the restaurant's lunch menu was a nice way to ease back into the world of raw fish. Of particular interest is the tea menu, their version of the bento box, which ranges (if memory serves) from $6.50 to $8.50. Above is my tea lunch, which in addition to all the lovely little delicacies you see here, came with a whole pot of green tea. Below is what my dining companion chose.

As seen on Henry Street. Note to self: If I had a car and that car had an alarm, I'd definitely refrain from parking said car on Henry. (Don't miss the "friendly" notes tucked under the car's windshields, just in case the owner was unsure of how a dog with that much backup got on top of his/her car.)

You may have noticed some different artwork in the windows of businesses along Smith and Court streets. It's all a part of Windows Brooklyn. Two personal favorites--the "how much is your rent?" (my title) installation at Brownstone Treasures/Yesterday's News, above, and the "old-photo peepholes" (my title) at Hasker.

Kill your television this Saturday, April 26th, and head over to Camp on Smith St. Eric Shans will be DJing all the best britpop and indie tunes for you.

Not convinced? Go check out his mix he did for us a little while back, "A Snow Flake Falls In Brooklyn".

Snapped in front of Area Play on Smith Street.

Anybody on the south side of Carroll Gardens has certainly noticed the sushi restaurant space formerly known as Fujiya is undergoing some major renovations. According to a guy on site, it's going to be a gourmet grocery store, with involvement by the people who owned the Key Foods. Another source mentioned the store will have hot premade meals. So Carroll Gardens finally gets its full-service grocery store? Hopefully it will be a compliment to the other small stores on this side of the hood and not a threat and everyone will be happy.

Our first child Devin was born yesterday evening. Being the proud father that I am, I couldn't resist the temptation to post his pic. Erin and Devin will be back from the hospital tomorrow and we will resume our regular posting schedule in the next few days.

Though an equal opportunity religious icons store (saw a few Buddhas), most of the stock seems centered on Latin American Catholic imagry, plus a healthy dose of mysticism. So next to your more traditional rows of Jesus and Mary icons and Catholic prayer candles, there's a whole shelf devoted to a variety of oils that ward away evil and the like. I checked it out on Saturday and then came back for some photos on Sunday (when it was closed, naturally).

Anyway, if you're looking for any religious icons, Columbia Street has your one-stop shop.

After months of waiting, and untold journeys to Sweet Melissa Patisserie for sugar fixes, The Sweet Melissa Baking Book hit my kitchen the other week. I immediately cracked the spine at the index to search for my favorite  treat ... and there it was: "madeleines, chestnut honey, 62-63." If you have never had a Sweet Melissa madeleine, then you need to get up immediately, scrounge $1.25 in change, and proceed straight to the bakery. Forget Proust, from  henceforth when you think of madeleines, the name you'll murmur will be Melissa.

Madeleines are cookies that are also cake. This should be an adequate explanation for the necessity of their existence and of the dire urgency for eating one at the absolute earliest. Could pages 62-63 do justice to these sublime little shells of baked goodness? With my boyfriend's birthday just coming up, I decided to forego the cupcakes (so 2007) and try out her recipe.

After a $30 stop at A Cook's Companion for madeleine molds, a ten minute wait at Sahadi's for hazelnuts (also called filberts, FYI), a tense deconstruction of 6 eggs (ok, actually 8 but that is only because I am terrible at separating egg whites), and two hours of refrigeration, the madeleines were ready to bake. Fifteen minutes later 24 perfect chestnut honey madeleines lay cooling on the kitchen counter. Moist, sweet, and perfect for dusting with sugar. Though my version was not quite as good as the one Melissa makes in her bakery, I place the blame squarely on my shoulders. Her recipe was clear and easy, and the cookie/cakes were believably baked by a pro.

To get your own copy of the book (and maybe one or two madeleines) swing by her book party at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, 2 April at the Park Slope location.

So we hit up Schnack Sunday night to say goodbye. And although one of the employees confirmed the restaurant was closing, he said he didn't know when. Did I mention that when we showed up at 6 p.m. we were the only ones there? Two more tables trickled in after we ordered.

For our goodbye meal we bucked our usual fries and went with onion rings. They were missing some of the seasoning I remember, but were otherwise satisfyingly crisp and just greasy enough. An hour or so later, it hit me that pregnant women probably shouldn't eat onion rings if severe heartburn is in any way bothersome (it is), but I can't blame Schnack on that.

Burgers were, as always, tender, juicy and delicious sandwiched between their fluffy white mini buns and coated in that addictive Schnack sauce.  You can say many things about why Schnack has fallen from its perch, but it's not the quality or tastiness of its slider. I think you could even make a pretty convincing argument that Schnack helped kick off the New York slider trend and did so with quite a bang.

So what is the reason for its descent from glorious burger haven to rundown, just-about-to-be-closed burger shack (besides reported loss of lease)? Well, I think raising the prices was a mistake. Or at least it was a mistake when patrons have to put up with generally incompetent service, unsurprising moments like flat draft root beer ($3.50 each), and an overall feeling that no one has cared about what condition the dining room is in, in quite some time. That, and no more beer at the restaurant that pioneered the beer shake (you can bring your own). Just like our root beer, the fizz is gone.

There are rumors that it will relaunch in a new location, and I hope if and when it does, a few lessons are learned.