Well that certainly is a major downgrade for that space. Terroir was wonderful (neighbors, you really missed out on one of the finer places around) and now it's that god awful Two Boots pizza in a neighborhood so saturated with pizza already? So lame. And no outdoor space? Where will all the rug rats throw up and spit their food out?

Super lame they should have at least picked a spot with a garden and left the beautiful interior of Terroir for something a bit higher end.

How many more pizza places does 5th ave need? It's ine big pizza/burger/nail salon.

Didn't Two Boots close because it was mediocre? Why are they reopen img on the same neighborhood? It's right across from La villa and a block away from Brooklyn Central. Talk about a buzzkill of an announcement.

Traded in a James Beard winning wine bar for pizza that tastes like cardboard.

Agree that Two boots is garbage food aimed at kids and that Terroir was spectacular but what I really want to know is what IDIOT broker is listing the old Two Boots space for 16K on a SIDE street not even on 7th avenue. They clearly want an empty space for the next 5 years because even at half that price it makes no sense. Especially since a primo spot (where Subway was on 7th and Union) just opened up for less than 8K.

Terroir was good, but overpriced and that space just isn't comfortable. However, Two Boots is the worst. Their pizza is disgusting. I'm betting they'll close within 2 years.

A broker is asking $7,200 for the old postage stamp sized Boing Boing spot at Sixth and Union, so it's no surprise at all that they'd ask for $16K for the big space on 2nd that was Two Boots BK. One can argue the relative merits of this resto or that, but to my mind the problem is that there's way, way too many restos in the neighborhood. Period. There isn't enough population density to sustain them (and their high rents), so restos are dropping like flies and being replaced by outsider mini-chains that have no clue what the reality is here. Now they're dropping like flies, too (among others: BK Fish Camp, BR Sushi, Terroir, and probably Oyster Bar soon). Last night I saw something I thought I'd never see - al di la three quarters empty at 8:30. They've been the bellwether for something like 15 years. Four years ago you couldn't get a table there at 8:30 any night of week there without a wait. Strange times in the PS dining scene...

I think it's hilarious that everyone is bitching about Two Boots ruining the neighborhood, like they all did when they moved here.

I love people ripping on Two Boots, which was humming for a quarter of a century, and bowing down to a place that lasted 10 minutes. Never really ate at Two Boots, maybe once or twice, but if you are talking vibe, Terroir was a black hole, and the food was about as unique as a slice of pizza at Two Boots. Let's not prop it up as something that it was not. I'd step into Two boots for another beer in a second, but recreating that vibe is going to be pretty tough.

Terroir was rated one of the best wine bars in the U.S. and was helmed by a James Beard winner. To compare that to Two Boots justifies all the comments about people in Park Slope having no taste buds for anything of high quality.

Commenter logic:

Terroir was amazing, which is why it went out of business so fast. Two Boots sucked, which is why it was around for 25 years and only driven to close by an extortionist landlord.

My logic is more:

Park Slopers have no taste and love Sette, Two Boots and Tutta Pasta and ignore fine establishments like Terroir, Convivium, Applewood and now you're saying Al Di La.

Tutta Pasta is always packed. Does that mean it's the best in the neighborhood?

Walmart makes more than any other store, does that mean it's the best? Better than Sak's because they make 100 times more money?

McDonalds gets more customers than Shake Shack. Better burger?

Pizza is such garbage food why do so many parents think it's okay to just serve their kids a piece of bread with cheese on it? No wonder kids are so unhealthy, lethargic and obese these days. Ever heard of vegetables? fruit?

I personally think people in Park Slope are too ignorant to even know that Terroir was excellent. The fact that someone would compare it to Two Boots shows that in spades. The Terroir in Tribeca is always packed. So is the one is Midtown and the one in the East Village. Two Boots is a pizza slice joint of which Park Slope has MANY. We have very few nice places to go on a date with very few kids around and Terroir fit that bill perfectly. It's a shame we have too many people around who simply wouldn't know a classy joint if it hit them in the face.

I never cared for Two Boots but it filled a niche that's since been taken up by multiple burger joints.

What I cant stand is oversaturation. Two Boots, good or not, will draw traffic off of La Villa and Brooklyn Central (which is rarely full whenever I go by)-you can always justifiably blame the landlords but in this case I also blame the businessowners-long time PSers that wll be directly competing for customers of existing businesses.

The cornmeal returns!

Brooklyn Central is very good. Much better than Two Boots.
La Villa seems to draw a large crowd from outside the neighborhood so they might be fine. Two Boots attracts all the lazy Park Slope parents who just want to bring their kids somewhere easy and let them scream their heads off. That's why no one without kids ever set foot in the old Two Boots and my guess as to why their business fell off and they eventually closed. And at least that was a homey welcoming space with a yard NEAR where so many kids are. This just seems like a horrible fit for a Two Boots. My guess is they got desperate. Why not have rented the Subway spot on 7th and Union (yes, Subway is closing) since they have a nice backyard space and is for rent for $7995 a month? That's probably not that much more than the Terroir space and it has a 900 sf backyard.

Although then Roma Pizza would have probably been hurt badly.

Of course readers of this blog would defend Brooklyn Central. The food was better than average but the service was some of the worst that I've ever had at a restaurant. There is a reason why the turnover amongst the staff at Brooklyn Central is so high - hint: it's the owners.

Surprised to hear that Al Di La looked empty. I've actually noticed the opposite about it lately. Lots of people lined up waiting for a table and a packed house as opposed to most of the other restaurants in the neighborhood. Here is the breakdown as I've noticed it lately. *crowded doesn't necessarily mean the food is any good (looking at you Pork Slope)

Crowded most nights: Calexico, Bonnies, Naruto Ramen, Al Di La, Pork Slope, Mura, Blueprint, 200 5th, Stone Park, High Dive

Less crowded than a year ago: Blue Ribbon, Brooklyn Central, Snice (at night), Song, Ginza, Beauty Bar, Apertivo (at night)

Dead in the water: Grand Central Oyster Bar

Too early to tell: Lukes

Beauty Bar is closing, heard that a couple months ago.

Other places which are ALWAYS packed (often with a wait):

Talde
Fonda
Thistle Hill Tavern
La Botaneria
Rosewood (especially on weekends)
Moim

Also always packed:

Franny's
Sushi Katsuei on corner of 3rd and 7th (btw this is THE BEST sushi in Brooklyn) puts Blue Ribbon to shame.

Interesting that I'm just now noticing that many of the best, most packed places in the neighborhood are in fact on or near 7th Avenue not 5th. 5TH ave seems rather lackluster these days with a lot of chains coming in.

Has anyone tried the Burger Village that replaced Cheeburger Cheeburger?

They've left the outdoor area looking unfinished and ugly and there are only 1 or 2 people inside every time I walk by (as opposed to a line around the block for Bareburger) but I've also heard good things about it. Anyone gone yet?

Quite frankly with Shake Shack now in Park Slope, that's my favorite burger around.

And speaking of Pizza, Superstar Pizza just opened on Dean Street last week and Patsy's Pizzeria (the famous one) is opening 2 doors down from that also on Dean.

Stephen:

Aren't you the one last week who said AOC Bistro was becoming Two Boots since you saw them painting it the same color as the old Two Boots? What's up with your intel?

On a weeknight at 8:30pm, it is possible to get a table at Al Di La without a wait. Park Slopers are not known to be nightowls. Have you not noticed that EVERYWHERE is in fact dead by 9pm on a weeknight, with most everything closed or closing?

Now try going to Al Di La at 7:00pm on a weeknight (we did last night) and the wait was 25 minutes.

Try going on the weekend and you're likely to wait over an hour. We go to Al Di La regularly and trust me, they are not lacking for business. They own 3 restaurants now and they all do very well.

Rick - I was talking about the Terrior space. Read through the comments again and you'll notice that people were talking about Terrior/Two Boots as opposed to AOC closing. My intel is the fact that I actually live in the neighborhood, eat out regularly and walk my dog a few times a night up and down 5th Ave.

Village Buger seems like it doing ok. Much better than what was there before. How is Tutta Pasta still in business? Possibly they own the building?

These comments are hilarious and awesome. I love watching cranky people fight it out anonymously. I've lived here 33 years and probably went to Two Boots 5 times but hey, who the fuck cares?

Commentators on this blog are the some of the stupidest people I've ever had the displeasure of coming across.