The Brooklyn Restaurant Awards

The L Magazine presents its list of best restaurants in Brooklyn. Plenty to choose from, and to agree or disagree with (I’ll have to try Maison Premiere again – first time around I was very underwhelmed by their oysters, in particular their ability to properly shuck them).

Presumably, the L’s readership is hip enough to know where all of these great restaurants are – the article omits addresses.

No Longer an Alternative

Not an Alternative, the art space/co-working venue/activist hub at 84 Havemeyer, is closing as a result of a massive rent increase. The people there have done a lot of great things, most notably (for me at least) making the community’s fight against the 2005 rezoning a hell of a lot of fun.

PS – does anyone have a copy of the singing telegram video?

Monster Island to Close

Rumour has it that Whole Foods supermarket may open a branch in its place.

New one on me – it is worth noting that the site (on the west side of Kent Avenue) is not zoned for residential use. So absent a rezoning application, it won’t be a condo. But as far as I know, retail (or hotel, restaurant, club, etc.) are all as-of-right uses.

Monster Island will be holding a farewell block party on Saturday, 10 September.

MTA Has 99 Problems, But J/Z Ain’t One

Ha ha – the Wall Street Journal made a funny. Get it – J/Z, 99 problems? Collect yourself.

The news behind the very hip headline is big, though – Straphangers Campaign has rated the J/Z the best line in the subway system. No argument from me there – it’s usually not too crowded, runs pretty frequently and regularly, and as a bonus, gets sunlight most of the way. (Too bad the Journal’s photographer couldn’t be bothered to go beyond Broad Street – she might have seen the “pleasant East River views” and “scenic above-ground run in Brooklyn”).

Amazingly, the L line tied for 5th place (out of 20) in the survey. But – no surprise – the L is more crowded than average.