"Pharmacy" Coming to 160 Park Place?

It's been about eight months since New Hapy Taco, the hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant on Park Place between Seventh and Flatbush Avenues (but ostensibly on Flatbush), closed for good after being shut down by the Department of Health. Well, the space has finally been rented, and an intriguing work permit went up recently on the facade (obscured by the roll-down gate in the photo above).

It reads "PROPOSED ALTERATION TO EXISTING COMMERCIAL PHARMACY SPACE," and it also provides for the construction of interior partitions and a new store front.

I'm not sure why the storefront is being called a "pharmacy space," and I'm not incredibly fluent in DOB-ese, but this seems to indicate that the next occupant of the space will in fact be a pharmacy of some sort.

It already seems to have a couple obstacles working against it, though: the space is very small, a giant, 24-hour Duane Reade is literally right across the street, and another large pharmacy, Kings, is a two-minute walk up Flatbush. Maybe "pharmacy" is a catch-all that also incorporates different types of businesses (sort of like the way Culture's permit read "Coffee Shop")?

Time will tell.

Your Long-Awaited Calexico Update

It seems like ages since news broke that an outpost of Calexico, the beloved Cal-Mex restaurant that started as a cart on Wooster street and has since grown into a mini-empire, would be opening in the space last occupied by Blue Ribbon Sushi, on Fifth Avenue between First and Garfield.

Since then, I've made several attempts to contact the owners, the Vendley brothers, to no avail, and a tweet sent out last weekend was met with silence. Several calls to their various outposts (currently two carts and two Brooklyn storefronts, with one more, on the Lower East Side, on the way) also were met with silence, as well as emails. Until yesterday.

I gave the Red Hook location another shot-in-the-dark call, and after being placed on hold, I finally got some news:

"It'll be opening in March," I was told. "They had to push it back because they're working on getting the Lower East Side location open, but after that the one in Park Slope will be opening."

Obviously these timelines are never set in stone, but it's nice to finally be able to get confirmation that our long wait will eventually be rewarded!

"Gather" Opening January 22 in Uncle Moe's Space

It's been well over a year since Uncle Moe's, the burrito and taco shop on Seventh Avenue between Ninth and Tenth Streets, closed up shop after 20 years in business. Back in September I learned that "a cafe" was planned for the space, and now finally details are available about what we can expect: It'll be called Gather, will specialize in prepared foods, and should be opening by the end of the month.

When I dropped in over the weekend I had the opportunity to speak with the chef, who's very excited about finally getting the operation up and running. Construction is complete, and it seems as if just a few last minute details are needed before they open, which should be "by January 22nd," she said.

As for what to expect, there's not much in the way of seating but a large counter featuring a selection of prepared foods that should make for a very solid dinner to take home on your way from the subway. The menu has already been posted online, and while soups and sandwiches are offered, the main focus is on proteins and sides. You can choose from options like chicken, skirt steak, and pork or beef stew, and complement it with a wide assortment of sides including mac and cheese, kale salad, and healthy veggies and such. There will also be daily specials. For breakfast, oatmeal, granola, breakfast sandwiches, and pastries will be on offer, with coffee from Intelligentsia and tea from Kusmi.

All offerings will be made from scratch, using fresh, seasonal ingredients. With an emphasis on healthy prepared foods geared toward takeout, a seemingly cohesive business plan, and a real differentiation from anything else in the area, something tells me that this place will do quite well.

A Look Inside The New Franny's, Opening Soon

It was almost exactly a year ago when word first got out that Franny's, widely regarded as one of the best pizza-centric restaurants in the city, would be moving out of its current digs on Flatbush near Sixth Avenue and heading uphill to the space last occupied by Blockbuster Video, between Sterling Place and Eighth Avenue. This new space, long occupied by a great French restaurant named Michel's, is much larger than the current Franny's, and owners Francine Stephens and Andrew Feinberg plan on keeping the old space and turning it into a fine dining Italian restaurant called Marco's.

Since then, construction has moved along slowly and we haven't heard too much from ownership. But right after the New Year they gifted us with some photos of the new interior via Facebook.

There will now be two wood-burning ovens (above) instead of the current one, which will allow them to accommodate a much higher capacity than they currently do. It's a double-wide storefront, and it appears as if one of them will be dominated by a bar.

There's also a private dining room opening in the cellar, a very nice addition.

The facade is still under construction, but I'll be sure to get some photos as soon as it's revealed. They're planning on opening up within a month.

Checking in on Just Salad, Under Construction on Seventh Avenue

It's been about six months since Parkslope Eatery, on the corner of Seventh Avenue and Fifth Street, closed up after being reposessed by the landlord, and four months since salad chain Just Salad announced that they would be opening up a branch in the space.

Taking a peek past the papered-over windows, it's disheartening to see that not much has changed since then. When the Eatery closed they left literally everything behind (including baked goods in the display cases), and everything has been cleared out of the space, but actual construction on Just Salad doesn't even appear to have started yet.

Just Salad currently has six locations in the city (with four more on the way), two in Hong Kong, and one in Singapore. They offer many varieties of salads with lots of add-ons and options, and are popular with the lunchtime crowd. The website claims that the Park Slope location will be opening up this winter, and I'll take them at their word, but they've still got quite a ways to go.