The old Tea Lounge space at 254 Court Street is currently in chrysalis phase, but appears to be slowly emerging as a beautiful butterfly of a natural foods restaurant, “Karloff.” Classy typeface!
About Jonah
The Invisible Dog to Host Season-Closing Party This Sunday
Everyone’s favorite neighborhood gallery/performance space/art studio The Invisible Dog at 51 Bergen Street is hosting a party this Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm to celebrate the end of their successful first season. This, straight from the dog’s mouth:
We will provide free wine as a thank you for your generous ongoing support. You are invited to bring anything you please! Food to grill in our newly opened garden, instruments to play and sing for our friends (yes, singers and musicians are more than welcome!), whatever you would like. The building will be open to all, including the exhibition space on the 3rd floor as well as the 1st floor space and the garden.
Additionally, as a very special one-day-event, the Recession Art Show will inaugurate their new program of solo shows by presenting a piece by Recession Art Alumni Alison Wilder. To be performed in The Invisible Dog’s elevator shaft, Wilder’s piece “Why neutral” conflates kitchen implements and celebration signage while doppelgangers provoke each other in the back yard. The installation includes sculpture by Alison Wilder, and video by Rachel Schragis and Alison Wilder.
Emmanuel Bernardoux, recent artist-in-residence at the Invisible Dog, just finished his experimental film thE cagE (E), shot entirely on location at the art center. Check it out!
Local Banh Mi on This American Life
My friends all know that I love a good banh mi (aka Vietnamese sandwich). When I lived on Atlantic Avenue I was particularly partial to Nicky’s at 311 Atlantic, though Hanco’s at 85 Bergen was always a close second.
Hanco’s Park Slope location was featured this week on hipster haven This American Life, which tells the story of the identical menus at Hanco’s and Henry’s, a banh mi shop just blocks away. The Brooklyn Paper reported last year on the similarities between the two sandwich shops, calling it a “war” in which “the collateral damage is delicious.”
This American Life’s newest episode is available for streaming here.
Flickr Photo by consumedithis
Explosions on the Ground
And here I thought hooligans had broken into the empty lot across the street to set off M-80s. It turns out the explosions heard throughout the day yesterday in Carroll Gardens were an electrical issue. The 76th Precinct explains:
During the past several hours, several “booming” noises have been heard throughout Carroll Gardens and parts of Red Hook. We have heard them here at the station house as well. Obviously, this has concerned many residents of the area, as 911 and the Precinct switchboard quickly become inundated with caller reporting explosions, fireworks and gunshots. We have been informed that the booming noises are caused by the electrical transformers, something to do with the heat and the demand for power. We have surveyed the precinct along with the Fire Department. None of the transformers or manholes have actually “exploded”, or gone on fire, and there are no reports of power outages within the precinct, and the noises heard are definitely not caused by gunshots or fireworks.
Con Ed Complicates Congress
A friendly CHB tipster sent us a pic this morning of Con Ed’s street work at Congress Street between Court and Clinton. The tipster said it appears that nothing is happening at the site. Has anyone seen them working? Con Ed, do you read Cobble Hill Blog? Help us out!
From the tipster:
Photo of Con Ed’s interminable street work on Congress St between Court and Clinton Streets (since at least July 6th, but I forget the actual start date, which I think was before July 4th) doing who knows what. In addition to blocking street parking with orange cones, and signs warning of no parking, there is also a person present at all times (sometimes in a car, sometimes out as shown in one photo) watching the street. There are big electrical cables on the north side of Congress St that protrude out of one person-hole cover and into another down the street. Someday it will end, but it also seems that no work is going on. Has Con Ed forgotten to finish this project?
Well? Have they? Con Ed, what’s the story?
Jodi Arnold NYC Opens Atlantic Ave Boutique
This Saturday, July 24th, contemporary women’s fashion designer Jodi Arnold will celebrate the grand opening of their newest retail location at 347 Atlantic Avenue (at Hoyt). Ms. Arnold, a neighborhood resident, is thrilled to have a location in the hood:
“Brooklyn isn’t as transient as other parts of the city; it reminds me of home. Most people wouldn’t put Brooklyn and Birmingham in the same sentence, but they both have a sense of community and warmth. This lack of pretense – what I call “soul” – is the essence of our brand.”
Jodi Arnold NYC’s grand opening sidewalk party runs from 1 PM to 5 PM this Saturday. In the meantime, check out the photos provided by Ms. Arnold of her new retail space.
Bastille Day on Smith Street
This Sunday brought the sand to the street for the annual Bastille Day Pétanque Tournament. Aided by their Lillet- and Ricard-sponsored white hats and accompanying libations, participants braved the potent July heat for a chance at silver-boule’d glory.
For the uninitiated, pétanque is a French version of bocce played on a sand court with metallic boules – check out a how-to video here. One slightly inebriated participant, Matias Chiota, described pétanque as “the hottest game in the universe.”
More pictures after the jump.
Seersucker Adds Brunch This Weekend
Seersucker at 329 Smith St was recently featured on CHB – and this weekend, they’ll continue the neighborhood’s rich tradition of weekend brunch. Your friendly correspondent is most excited about the confirmed-as-delicious biscuits and sausage gravy, but the menu will also feature fried green tomatoes in a number of different forms, as well as a country style pork hash and a number of beer and wine-based beverages – Seersucker doesn’t have a full liquor license yet, so Bloody Mary enthusiasts will have to try to the Red Hook Red Eye, a potent mix of Sixpoint Sweet Action and spicy tomato juice.
Well-Suited: Seersucker Review
As my wife and I were seated at the last available table at Seersucker at 329 Smith Street, the White Stripes echoed above the clinking of glasses and genial laughter. How appropriate that son of the south Jack White would invite us into this gourmet southern culinary experience. Our meal at one of the newest additions to Smith Street was delightful, made all the more pleasant by the impeccable, friendly service.
Read the full review and see pictures after the jump.
Today in Cooklyn
NYC set a record high for July 6th temperatures this afternoon, clocking in at 102 degrees when measured in Central Park. And given the heavy humidity, the heat index was as high as 109. Whew! Still short of the all-time high of 106.
It was even hotter inside this parked car. And at 4:30 even!
Nabe Chatter