Little Rus’ went Big
Posted on | September 22, 2009 | No Comments
Big Rus’ from Little Rus’ on Vimeo.
Now that summer is officially over we thought getting back to blogging would be fitting. See how we spent our summer (hint: a few weeks in the motherland — and you thought we were posers!). Look for more posts coming soon!
CB 13 update
Posted on | June 21, 2009 | No Comments
We had the pleasure of sitting in on a community board meeting a few weeks ago, and found that dispute over the proposed $64m renovation of Asser Levy park (changing it into an 8,000 seat concert venue) is far from the bitter end. Over 35 residents came to the meeting armed with petitions and pleas for the CB to be more vocal with the Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. The CB seems to have exhausted its voice with the Borough President, but residents’ complaints are quite serious and the approval of the plan would severely alter the neighborhood for the worse. Calls to Mr. Markowitz’s office concerning this article were not returned.
Of the many issues brought up by residents the most relevant seemed to be that their quality of life as it stands would be significantly affected for the worse if the project is allowed to move forward. Many of the neighborhood’s Jewish community leaders complained that the use would be in violation of a NYC Law that bans noise disturbances within 500 feet of a synagogue. Other more logistical complaints were regarding the increase of traffic and congestion, which would severely alter the quietness of the primarily residential area.
Although residents were quite vocal, the CB members seemed exhausted by the issue and lamely stated that, “We have done all we can.” This appeared to be their approach to many of the other issues regarding the neighborhood as well, and should spark a debate that new leadership is needed.
Meetings are normally held on the third Wednesday of every month at Coney Island hospital in the 2nd floor auditorium. More information will be reported from the next meeting.
Sochi on Banner Now Open
Posted on | June 9, 2009 | No Comments
- Kitchen shot
We took a quick look through a recent open House at Sochi on Banner, which opened the first weekend in May, and to say the least were unimpressed. The asking prices seem to be ridiculous (ranging between $320k - $1.2m), considering that you could probably buy the same space in the Prospect Park vicinity, or even some areas of Manhattan right now. On a per square foot basis, the average asking price is about $627, which is quite high given that the building is located right next to the Belt Parkway. The most shocking perhaps: check out the grande A/C units…where did they find these things? Maybe the developer got a deal from 1980.
The finishes that were chosen for the models were actually not bad, but poor installation and shortcuts on labor left dishwashers mounted sideways and large gaps between the floors and the moldings. Anyhow, our opinion is thumbs down on the location and construction quality and we would not be surprised if this project ends up in the hands of its lenders.
- Living room shot
- View out to an on/off ramp
Summer Dining
Posted on | May 24, 2009 | 2 Comments
- Paradise Garden
To start the upcoming season off on the right foot, we decided to check out Paradise Garden on Saturday night to get a feel for the mysterious and luxurious dining spot located on Emmons Avenue in Sheepshead Bay. The restaurant is rather plain looking from the outside, but that look is definitely deceiving. When you walk in the door the hall opens up into a comfortably sized and well decorated dining room that can seat tables of two or tables of twenty. In fact, the majority of the patrons were there for different parties ranging in size from six to what looked like about 40 people. With a sold-out restaurant, the service remained top notch throughout the evening and our waiter never let a glass go dry, even though he had a party of 30 sitting right next to us.
Perhaps the best part about dining at Paradise is the weekend entertainment. On Friday through Sunday nights there are five to six singers/performers that rock the house and draw you from your table down to the dance floor. The music ranges from traditional and modern Russian/Jewish/Georgian to American pop , and it flows so seamlessly that the hours fly by. What we thought would be a nice Saturday dinner turned into an amazing Saturday night filled with dancing, singing, and even fake snow falling from the ceiling as the music pulsated late into the night.
If you are looking for a new spot to check out that offers far more than just food on a plate, we recommend spending an evening at Paradise Garden (and don’t worry about the language, the wait staff were fluent in both English and Russian). It’s probably best to go with a group of four to six to get the most out of the experience, and make sure to wear your dancing shoes!
What to Order:
- Asian Shrimp Salad
- Foie Gras
Starters
- Asian Shrimp Salad: a tasty mix of Daikon radish, avocado, cucumber, and sauteed shrimp in a creamy wasabi-infused dressing (it was phenomenal)
- Foie Gras: the most interesting take we have had, it’s served with a raspberry demi-glaze on a flaky biscuit
- Grilled Shrimp
- NZ Lamb Chops
Entrees
- Grilled Shrimp: two kebabs stacked with fresh grilled prawns over rice and sauteed vegetables. Covered in an amazing teriyaki-like glaze
- New Zealand Grilled Lamb Chops: the chops melted in your mouth and the rosemary mashed potatoes complemented the smoky flavor of the meat perfectly
Fruit Platter
Dessert
- Fresh Fruit platter: after a rather extravagant meal the fresh-cut pineapple and watermelon were enough to satisfy the palette, while the strawberries and orange gave us enough juice to dance a few more hours
Drinks
- Go Russian-style and drink straight vodka or cognac
Location:
2814 Emmons Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11235
(718) 891-2020
Eye Spy
Posted on | May 12, 2009 | No Comments
Star City (courtesy CNN)
CNN has launched a platform to report on Russia, and likewise Russian communities around the world. Check out the article and first video. Most notably: three places for D-I-Y journalists to post videos about any subject that relates (nice)!
Turkish Delight
Posted on | December 18, 2008 | 2 Comments
Damn, we cannot believe our last post was pre-election day! Apologies on our end. Its been a month and a half of politics, a diving world economy, and the much needed Latin American vacation.
Anyhow, back to business we go (although in Brighton Beach we are seeing a slightly different story — will post soon). Given that we all should be penny pinching at this point, we thought it would be helpful to point out Brighton’s own turkish delight: Sahara on Coney Island Avenue near Avenue U. The restaurant is another BYOB in BK and has been in the neighborhood since 1987. Don’t be fooled by the lackluster decor, because the food here is no joke. With out a doubt, the best Turkish food we have had in NYC.
What to order:
Lebne - an interesting mix of curd style yogurt with nuts and spices
Lamb - the mixed grill (it speaks for itself and is enough for two)
Shepard Salad (goes great with the lamb) — fresh sliced vegetables with the right mix of olive oil and spices
Halva for dessert - a dried and lightly sweet sesame paste, and perfect with tea
*this all comes with amazing and fresh Turkish bread.
Location:
2337 Coney Island Avenue
Brooklyn -(718)376-8594
Coney Island Benefit Auction
Posted on | October 26, 2008 | No Comments
photo credit: Julie Rosenburg
This week as you all prepare your costumes for the Halloween parade, there is a another costume party you should be aware of: the 2008 Benefit for Coney Island USA. That’s right, the season of charity events has begun and the crew behind Coney Island USA are throwing a shindig that will surely bring out some interesting folk (by the way the dress code is “sideshow chic”). The event is open to the public for $40 per head and it will be hosted on Monday November 3rd from 7-10pm in Manhattan at:
Rebel NYC
251 West 30th street
(between 7th and 8th avenues)
And, the “Special Guest Honoree” will be the one and only George Shea who is the Chair of the International Federation of Competitive Eating. How can you miss this one?
The REAL McKane
Posted on | October 22, 2008 | No Comments
That’s right, Coney Island has its own John McKane (not McCain) and we are thinking we don’t need another. Last week the Bowery Boys blog posted an article about a 19th century McKane who was a politician in Coney Island who helped turn the desolate Dutch/Irish rural area into a swingin’ part of town. After doing a little research we found out this McKane makes the current presidential candidate look like an alter boy.
According to the Bowery Boys McKane:
[McKane] helped destroy the agricultural community of Gravesend and turned Coney Island into a garish tourist trap. He proffered licenses to anybody who wanted them — saloons, brothels, dance halls.
Another notable record from PBS states that:
In 1878, when hotel developer Austin Corbin was looking to expand his properties east of Manhattan Beach, McKane arranged to sell him land through a vote at a town meeting. With the help of 200 armed thugs who showed up at the vote, Corbin was able to make his purchase for $1,500, even though the property was known to be worth around $100,000.
And we thought politics were corrupt in this day and age!?
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