Neighborhood: February 2006 Archives

I know some will quibble with my assertion, but I truly believe that Genny is on the way in and Pabst is on the way out (no doubt helped by Pabst's current lack of a Brooklyn distributor, as I hear it). The trend-setter is Abilene at 442 Court Street, where they've replaced the erstwhile hipster go-to beer with the raging bandit from Rochester, New York ($2.50 per pint). See the similarities and decide for yourself.

Pabst
1. Tastes like shit unless it's super cold.
2. Makes you the fool of the room (aka, the guy still wearing a trucker hat) if you pay more than $3 for it.
3. Has a cool retro can.
4. Allows easy segue from conversation about the newest artist-DJ-indie rock collective to that time in college when you puked your guts out on this really hot senior.
5. In the spirit of the There's a Category for Everyone Olympics, Pabst has won taste tests, including a bronze medal in the American-Style Premium Lager division of the 2004 Great American Beer Festival.

Genesee Cream Ale
1. Tastes like shit unless it's super cold.
2. Even your grandpa would be embarassed to know you spent more than $3 on the swill.
3. Not only does its can look retro, so does its website.
4. Allows easy segue from the conversation about how your Chuck Taylors are waaaay cooler than that dude's over there to that time in college when you puked your guts out on this really hot senior.
5. You doubt? According to its own website, the brew pulled in a gold medal at the World Beer Competition in that tasty American-Style Lager category.

Let the ironically hip, I-really-want-to-convince-you-I-spent-some-time-in-a- western-Pennsylvania-steel-town beer wars begin. (And I can say this because indeed I have spent some time in just such a small w-PA town.)

Cheers and may the best cheap beer win!

In all this talk of warm, fuzzy neighborhood restaurants, turns out I missed one of the nicest: Caserta Vecchia at 221 Smith between Baltic and Butler streets. I'd never walked in because it looked too much like a restaurant my grandmother would like. And while I like both of my grandmothers, our taste in where to go out to eat doesn't always line up. I was wrong in skipping Caserta, but I was right about one thing: My grandmother would have liked it--and it just might have been her friend flipping the dough in the back. According to the take-out menu, Grandma Maddalena was one of the first female pizza makers in New York, and they've got a great photo of her tossing a large pie into the air.

And about those pies. The emerge from a brick oven with a thin chewy crust. In comparison to Grimaldi's or Totonno's the crust is thicker and doughier, and while I missed that first familiar crackle, a slightly thicker crust holds up better in the long haul, and I think it'd also be robust enough to make an excellent delivery pie.

In old-school Brooklyn pie form, ingredients judiciously top the 12-inch personal-sized pizzas, but the quality shines through in each bite. We sampled the classic margherita and the arrabbiata, topped with mozzarella, tomato sauce, sausage, peppers and pecorino. The rich, creamy fior di latte, or  "flower of the milk," mozzarella on both pies certainly pushed the meal into simple pleasures territory--a reminder that something done right with quality ingredients doesn't need to turn somersaults on your plate, it simply needs to taste like that Platonic ideal we all carry around in our heads.

Though the margherita was solid, I preferred the arrabbiata for its variety of tender spicy sausage and roasted peppers. And I'll be back to sample more  of their varieties (18 in all). Right now the profumata (fior di latte, roasted garlic, onions and Gorgonzola) and the campagnola (fior di latte, cherry tomatoes, proscuitto di Parma, arugula and shaved parmigiano) are looking nice. That said, most of the people in the restaurant were ordering off the full Italian menu, and their food didn't look or smell too shabby (when an appetizer of steaming mussels whizzed by, I had to smack Dennis' hand back in his lap).

Best of all, Caserta Vecchia delivers to the southern side of Carroll Gardens and are nothing but neighborly on the phone and in person. And while I wouldn't call the service flawless, it was certainly loving, which is--after all--what I've been looking for in the first place.

For more great Brooklyn pizza, try Slice.

My go-to place for Brooklyn T-shirts and sweatshirts is Enamoo on Smith Street, but the other day I wandered down Atlantic Avenue and into Artez'n. Moderately silly name aside, the store stocks some great Brooklyn T-shirts including this new addition to my wardrobe.

I know many people shop at Brooklyn Industries for their Brooklyn-laced goods, but I hesitate to shop there since I looked at the tag in my jacket and found it reads "made in China." I have nothing against making things in other countries, but it just seems wrong to have a Brooklyn-emblazoned piece of clothing made in China.

As of yesterday afternoon, there was still dried pasta, canned goods (tomato sauce, soup, etc.) beans, and the occasional cleaning product on the shelves. It's looking pretty grim. I can't decide if it's reassuring to find out that it is really is as dirty as I'd always suspected.

So we have friends who are most likely moving to New York from our last home state of Georgia, and they've been peppering us with questions about which Brooklyn 'hoods are best and why. Certainly, I have my prejudices (go CG, go!) but I thought it might be nice to solicit feedback from folks about what they love in their neighborhoods. So, how 'bout it? What do you love about your swath of Brooklyn?

Just kidding--but damn there is a lot of change in the air. The rumored closings and corporate re-openings are starting to clog the blogosphere and the inbox.

One place that I do know FOR SURE is closing is Zipper on Smith Street, which makes me sad because I love Zipper and the people who work there. I wish them the best.

And now for the unconfirmed rumors and hearsay...

--Of course, there is the Key Food on Court Street, rumored to be closing and re-opening as a CVS. I will only sanction this activity if the store stays open until midnight.
--Rumor-mill 423smith is also throwing the M-word around (this after suggesting that the kings of coffee want to reform the Western Union location).
--Blockbuster on Court rumored to become pharmacy. I never rent from Blockbuster, which is a pretty dirty rotten chain, but I am questioning the need for every block in the neighborhood to have a pharmacy.
--JFC Paint on Court closed, rumored to become bank. Again, I am happy to see that neighbors have such an overwhelming need for money storage facilities, but how many of these babies can we sustain?
--Pet store on Court Street near Sweet Melissa closed, no word on a follow-up.
--Village 247 never opened in 2006. No word on its successor.
--Thankfully, I missed the collective neighborhood heart attack that occurred with rumors of the Cobble Hill Cinema closing. According to its marquee, this is not the case.
--And then, there's the OTB, whose closing has brought swirling rumors of corporate takeover for what seems like months. I've heard KFC clucking the loudest, but considering that stop-work order, who knows its fate. According to Amanda, it's going to be a french bistro called Huitres.

Perhaps Brooklyn is only catching up to Manhattan's fast-paced open-and-close lifestyle.

The Art Lot on Columbia always has some interesting art. Last week, I caught these shimmering swans by artist Tina Aufiero, which seem very Valentine's Day-esque. Click to enlarge the photo to the left for more info about the artist.

ABrooklynLife is still shaking the Mexican sand out of her clothes but should be back in business shortly.

My apologies for the photo. I actually took a much clearer one, but this one appealed to me--kinda makes the place look haunted!

As I'm sure many neighborhoodies have noticed, Dunkin' Donuts has not set out to invade Carroll Gardens alone. Knowing the terrain would be difficult, the Double D enlisted the help of his good friend and often shop mate Baskin-Robbins. It goes without saying that there is some great homemade gelato in this neighborhood, and I sincerely hope those businesses don't suffer. My optimistic belief, given the love the neighborhood has for its local, family-run businesses, is that most Brooklynites will continue to patronize their old favorites (or, who knows, maybe some entrepreneurial spirit will open up an independent coffeehouse/ice cream stand nearby).

This brings me to a potentially heated debate, What is it about Dunkin' Donuts coffee that causes some people to love it so ferociously? I have friends and acquaintances who swear it is the best coffee in the world (no, they do not live in the neighborhood). Now, I've had a lot of fabulous coffee in my day, and I am happy to assure anyone who asks, it does not taste like DD's coffee. I'm betting it's all the sugar and half-and-half they pour in for you. Are there any DD lovers out there who care to explain the phenomenon.

And don't miss the NYDailyNews article about how the owner of our neighborhood's DD wants to blanket the area with the chain. He used to live in Carroll Gardens, but I'd like to think his Staten Island residence cancels out his neighborhood cred. I'm just guessing here, but who thinks that Mr. Ungaro might have gotten his franchise start-up costs from the sale of his family's brownstone? I suppose that turn-about would be fair play.

Brownstoner's two cents.

ABrooklynLife had dinner last night at Aroma in the East Village (menu here), and was struck by the intimacy the owners develop and maintain with their patrons. At first, it seemed that owners Alexandra Degiorgio and Vito Polosa simply had a lot of repeat customers and knew how to treat them well, and in many senses this is true. But towards the end of our superb meal, a couple sat down who had obviously not eaten at the restaurant before. Within minutes of their arrival, both owners and the waitress had been over to the table to talk about the menu, the wine list, the space itself; and by the end of the late-night meal, everyone was chatting like old friends. While we ate, at least 15 people walked by the outside of the restaurant and simply sent a friendly wave to those inside. The neighborhoodiness of this restaurant--clearly influenced by Vito and Alexandra--was so overwhelmingly warm and inviting that you have to wish this inventive Italian restaurant masquerading as a wine bar the best of luck and add it to your list of places in the E. Village to visit more often. But it got me thinking, Are there any restaurants in Brooklyn--specifically the Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill triangle--that have this kind of vibe, one so heavily influenced by such fiercely passionate owners?

Carroll-Court Pharmacy owner to work at Eckerd NYDaily News
Stone Park Cafe grills up a tasty burger Gothamist
Barbecue in January--no jacket required NYDaily News
Frey is fiction, in Brooklyn at least. Library Journal
Brooklyn woman fined for bag on seat WNBC
Play Brooklyn the game Team XBox
Brooklyn filmmaker gets props NY1
Brooklyn street to be named after Bob Marley RJR FM
Love for Brooklyn Casket Co NYTimes
There's a comic book artist in our midst NYPress