DailyHeights

noisefootprint just texted me that there is a new “Healthy Nibbles” awning on Flatbush and Prospect Place. Apparently it looks like a juice place, with organic snacks… appears to be taking over half of a storefront that has some boutiquey, leather-goodsy, framey type place with the art on the wall. Half of it shut down, and it’s reopening as a juice bar.

So this is practically across the street from the Happy Carrot juice/health food place, or whatever that’s called. And isn’t “NY Naturals” nearby? How much health food can one block bear?

Discuss.

Let me see if I can get this straight… Muk reports, that he heard from DeeDee, posting on Chowhound, who heard it from a “reliable source”, that Half Wine Bar is up for sale. “Does anyone know what the proverbial ‘dealio’ is?” Muk asks.

Discuss.

LINK: Half Being Sold?
[Prospect Heights Message Boards]

Half Being Sold?

Looks like Superior Suds, Inc. has given up on the bagel stand fronting their Flatbush Ave. laundromat. Fresh bagels and dirty socks–how could anyone resist?

This was a bit of a shock, given the limited number of decent bagel sources in the immediate area. Maybe someone’s gearing up for Yummy Bagels 2.0? There’s a “space for rent” sign out front, but I should have asked anyway…

Discuss: Yummy Bagels Not So Yummy

…in this week’s NY Metro, spinningpinwheel reports.

“Depending on how you look at it, Beast is either a not-strictly-Spanish tapas bar, an American bistro with a dark, pubby vibe, or a casual place to grab a burger and a beer over a spirited game of Tapper at the bar…” Read more…

Comments (104)

“Last weekend I went to Total Wine Bar on 5th Ave between St. Marks and Prospect (or right near there). It looked a bit pretentious at first, but the guy at the bar was really nice, he let us sample our wines before we decided to “commit” (his word), and both of the wines I tried were great. They had an interesting snack & cheese menu too… which I intend to sample soon. So for those of you who are looking for a good place for a glass of wine, I would recommend Total Wine Bar.”

Discuss: Total Wine Bar

From the New York Sun via Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn: “The Park Slope Food Co-Op is thought by many to be a terrifying place, a netherworld of rules and suspensions and withering stares if you forget to bring your own biodegradable shopping bag. The one time I’d gone there, as somebody’s guest, when I reached out to pick up a persimmon only to be scolded by a dutiful member, who must have been following me through the aisles the whole time. “Excuse me,” she said. “Guests aren’t allowed to handle the produce.”

Richard, leader of a recent Sunday afternoon orientation session, was so determined to present the Co-Op’s gentler side that he had set up a table with organic treats such as carrots and humus and peach nectar for 30 prospective members. Before getting into anything as off-putting as regulations or free-range ethics, he started off the meeting by telling us how much the Co-Op has improved his life. “My ingestion has really changed,” he said. “I’m juicing now!” Read the full text of this article…

Comments [here]

People of Prospect Heights: What is it that unites us as a neighborhood? Our sense of community? Our desire for racial harmony and sensible development? Or the fact that we all, at one time or another, are subjected to the mighty, meaty wind emanating from El Castillo de Jagua outside of the Q station on Flatbush Avenue?

Public opinion is deeply divided on the merits of the meat vent. According to a recent Daily Heights poll, 32% of Prospect Heights residents find the greasy blast “disgusting” (sample quote: “I hate walking around that corner and getting a blast in the face of The Fried Wind….”). However, 27% “love it”, and another 27% “actually kind of like it.” Muk says: “Sometimes I stand directly in front of the meat fan for 10 minutes and then run around the neighborhood being chased by stray dogs… I am very lonely man.”

Muk also proposes that this meat wind should get its own proper noun: “As a nod to the cuisine and the people of El Gran Castillo, I think it should be called (drum roll)… El Carneviento – crudely translates to The Meatwind. Pronounced ‘Car-nay-bee-yen-toe’.”

USAGE: “I thought El Ni�o was bad until I moved to Prospect Heights and was blown down Flatbush Ave. by El Carneviento.”

If you’ve never experienced it firsthand, the thick and greasy impact of El Carneviento may be hard to imagine. But since a picture is worth a thousand whiffs, you can click the thumbnail below for a gigantic image showing the congealed grease that has accumulated over years of continuous blowing.

Daily Heights regular Carnivore comments: “That is truly a glorious sight… The combined essence of thousands of pork shoulders and chickens… It’s almost religious!”

[Click here] for a lengthy discussion of The mighty, meaty wind emanating from El Castillo de Jagua

About that new Mexican place “coming soon” on Flatbush (chronically “3 to 4 weeks” from completion, if you ask the construction crew), Medusa asks:

“I live right near what was once City Lighting and we’ve all discussed how it’s allegedly going to be a mexican place and that we’re dubious about its ability to succeed but I’d like to open the topic up to what bits of decor are currently available for viewing. From what I see, there’s a neon ‘open’ sign with a peace sign in the ‘o’ and some pictures of Jimi Hendrix on the walls and some pink lighting fixtures that look tacky. Also, some primary color things on the back door ramp.”

“I was kind of hopeful when the new windows went in that the place might at least look good, but now I’m losing hope. It looks tacky. 80’s-esque maybe. It’s looking like it’s going to be yet another San Francisco-summer-of-love burrito joint. Is it going to try to compete with the Taqueria?”

lovemynabe2 says: “Too much money is being spent on this place for it to look cheesy. I think this place is going to be one cool joint. Spoke to the owner, Gregory, who owns a restaurant in the City. He appeared to be a sophisticated guy. Can’t wait for the place to open.”

Read more…

Carnivore writes: “My wife and I tried it Friday night. The place is called Sorrel. The menu is all prix fixe- 3 courses for $25. Mostly inexpensive but fresh seasonal ingredients. My wife got the spaetzle with snails appetizer and a chicken with Israeli couscous main dish. I got the cold mussel soup with saffron appetizer and the roast cod with potato entree. We both had the orange-rosemary pannacotta for dessert.”

“Most of the dishes were undersalted, especially the mashed potatoes (obviously not the desserts). The mussel soup needed more saffron. The skin on the cod could have been crisper. But overall, very good for $25. They definitely have potential, and I plan to give them another try when the kitchen has had longer to iron things out. The snails/spaetzle dish was the best thing we tried. The pannacotta was richer than I usually expect from that dish, but that wasn’t a bad thing- very tasty actually.

READ MORE: Restaurant Open at Carlton and St. Marks [Prospect Heights message boards]

rossmelanie writes in the Prospect Heights message boards: “Just walked by and it’s open. Was in a hurry, so didn’t get to look at the menu. Any one know anything about this place?”

In fact we do, thanks to Susan who checked in with this report: “Walked past the old Peralta Supermarket on Carlton and St. Mark’s place and saw it full of renovators. The Work Permit says it’s getting a kitchen update to the existing store.”

More details this post: Former Peralta’s to Become Restaurant