Lil’ thread today on Chowhound about India Palace on Vanderbilt Ave. Thanks to dirtgirl for the kind words about DAILY HEIGHTS’ Review/deconstruction of Traditional Indian Salad.
Still no details on the anti-Americanism ban of Haifa on Flatbush, but we haven’t given up hope yet.
Here on the dailyheights.com message boards, we have already learned that the beer is cheap, the cocktails are strong, the food is at least decent, and if you don’t pay your rent, allegedly, you may get your door drilled shut while you’re sleeping.
Now, careful reader Laura B points DAILYHEIGHTS regulars to the latest revelations: “Did you notice this fascinating bit of information in a recent Chowhound post about the new restaurant Beast: “The bartender told us that the place used to be a Black Panther bar during the 70s. According to her, the FBI shut it down, and when the owner of Beast first began renovations she found shell casings in the cash register and ancient Rheingold cans scattered on the floor…”
[Photo: Michelle Vignes]
UPDATE: According to the latest anonymous post on the lengthy Beast Bar thread on the message boards, there’s a quarter-page-with-photo write-up of Beast in Time Out New York, and “I hear that Zagat Brooklyn has also contacted you…”
UPDATE: In case you were wondering who draws all those little guys everywhere … ideashak has id’d the spraypaint artist as SOLER.
Jose reports on Beast: "Deb (the owner) emailed me … Beast finally has a liquor license and will be fully stocked for Friday night."
Beast | 638 Bergen St. at Vanderbilt Ave.; 718-399-6855.
UPDATE: So, speaking of (hopefully) decent pizza in Prospect Heights… What’s the verdict on Albano Ballerini’s new place? What are your first impressions of this place? And don’t be fooled by that awning: the name of the place is Amorina.
As EXCOM notes in the Comments below, he/she just posted a mini-review of Cucina Rustica Amorina on Chowhound. Excerpts:
"Sausage and mushroom: a great, earthy slice. The sausage
(homemade?) and crimini mushroom combined beautifully. I think the same
fresh sauce as the Margherita ... nice extra virgin olive oil in
the background ... They do have wine ... The prices are more than fair for what you get. I
didn't see a pie that was more than $13, nor a slice more than $2.50."
(Actually, ALMOST everything is less than $13… we had dinner there over the weekend, and the octopus-containing pizza is $14.)
Amorina (Cucina Rustica) | 624 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238. 718-230-3030.
In BETWEEN WORLDS, Tracy Phillips "presents
a series of paintings that straddle the lines between youth & age,
abstract & figurative, dark & light, and comic & tragic.
They are ambiguous, simultaneously frightening and alluring. One might
wonder, are these depictions of today’s youth projected into some
unknown future, or a representation of an inner psychological state?
… The figures emerge from an
intuitive process, drawing on memory and imagination."
Diane Boisvert Gallery | 619 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238; 718-783-7156; daily, 1-7 PM.
During a recent visit to INDIA PLACE on Vanderbilt Ave., we discovered the Mixed Traditional Indian Salad w/House Dressing (SOUP & SALAD course, $2.50). Though there are no guarantees that you’ll be able to reproduce this dish in your own kitchen, we offer this as a rough guide to the ingredients:
-Iceberg Lettuce
-Sliced Tomato, ripe
-Sliced Cucumber, also fairly ripe
-Italian dressing (Kraft? Wish-Bone? The waiter wasn’t specific)
A lot of questions remain. On what part of the subcontinent can you find "traditional Indian salad" consisting of iceberg lettuce, tomato, cucumber and Italian dressing? And how far back does this tradition date? We may need to do a follow-up on this.
INDIA PLACE | Finest Indian Cuisine | 655 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238; 718-398-7776. Open daily. Take-out available.
Jose says he made it to the opening of Beast this past weekend: "The place is decked out fancy, with gargoyles, dragons and lions–oh my–scattered about as decorations. The space is big, with a back dining room and an open kitchen. The bar, however, is tiny: less than a foot deep. This means you have to spread out your book, food, paper, whatever. Not good."
Apparently the service left a bit to be desired ("First night jitters, I was told. Things would be ironed out") but the beer was free and the food was cheap (nothing over $13). "I got a lot of promises, too. Brunch. A bunch of beer on tap. Sidewalk cafe. Concerts. A liquor license by Thursday … It’s the wait-and-see game. I’m going back this weekend to see the progress."
Beast | 638 Bergen St. at Vanderbilt Ave.; 718-399-6855.
Stargirl writes: "I’m trying to help Soda coordinate this film night (it will probably be on a Tuesday night, beginning in mid-March) and am looking for interested parties to submit films to show (i.e. films you’ve made) – so… I’m looking for FILMMAKERS new and old to submit stuff … if anyone is an aspiring filmmaker (or knows of one) and would like to potentially get your stuff shown at Soda for the brand-spankin’ new Soda film night (movies should be in VHS or on DVD) you can contact me at [email protected]." Maybe PHer Seith Mann can show one of his films?
COMING SOON! THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS on Hot, Hot Vanderbilt Avenue.
As Emily pointed out, and I had already forgotten, this storefront (Home Heating Oil – Coming Soon) was the former home of The Nail Gazaasm (sp?), the name of which I think was derived from an old comedy routine. I wish I could remember the reference.