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Philly's Melt Kraft Coming to Almondine Space

2013-05-21T12:34:04Z

Almondine closed for good after Hurricane Sandy destroyed the bakery's Dumbo kitchen, and now Grub Street is reporting that a grilled cheese shop called Melt Kraft will be moving into the space, on Ninth Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues.

This isn't just any grilled cheese shop, though: it's on offshoot of Valley Shepherd Creamery, the New Jersey-based dairy that set up a highly successful cheese shop on Seventh Avenue in 2011, and there's already one in Philadelphia. The grilled cheeses made here will use cheese produced by the creamery, and they'll most likely be delicious.

Le Pain Quotidien Construction Underway in Moutarde Space

2013-05-20T12:03:11Z

In December of last year, Moutarde closed "for renovations," never to re-open. The deathwatch had been on for some time by that point, as the owners of the French restaurant, on Fifth and Carroll, had changed up the menu, oddly decided to only be open during the weekends, and last March put the space up for rent.

Last month word got around that an outpost of Le Pain Quotidien would be moving into the space, and sure enough, the rumor was confirmed and constrution has begun.

The storefront's exterior has gotten a coat of white paint, and as expected it looks like the company has decided to keep the facade's other details intact (which would make sense, considering how French it already looks). On the inside, it's still in the process of being gutted.

As is usually the case with successful chains, the buildout shouldn't take much time at all.

Carlton Park Out, Ideya In on Flatbush

2013-05-17T12:43:59Z

It's been a few weeks since Carlton Park (née M. Helen), on the corner of Flatbush, Carlton, and Park, suddenly closed up shop (under the guise of renovations), and never re-opened. A small sign on the doorway that went up about a week ago mentions Ideya.net, and sure enough, that URL is the website of a SoHo Latin restaurant that recently shuttered and will be re-opening in the space in June.

Ideya Latin Bistro is owned by owner Lauryn Small and chef Isaac Reyes, and their menu is Caribbean Latin, drawing upon Spanish, African, Jamaican, Argentinian, and other cuisines to create a really interesting menu of traditional items like salt cod fritters, pupusas, ceviche, and arroz con pollo, several vegeterian options, and a creative and intriguing brunch menu. Cocktails also look really solid, with seven varieties of mojitos and margaritas available by the pitcher.

Yelp reviews for the restaurant were largely positive, and Brownstoner learned that there will be "a few tweaks" to the previous menu, and some remodeling in the space. Overall, very intriguing.

Carlton Park, a high-end concept from Burrito Bar owner Greg Yerman, opened almost exactly a year ago after a lengthy buildout with a seasonal (if pricey and a bit uninspired) menu, and a rather awkward layout that was regularly being tweaked. It never attracted much of a regular following, even on such a prime corner, and never really filled up. Shame that it didn't work out, but Ideya, with its mojitos and garage-door walls, certainly sounds promising with summer right around the corner.

The Murder that Gave Lincoln Place its Name

2013-05-14T13:58:17Z

And no, it wasn’t the murder of Abraham Lincoln. Ephemeral New York dug up an interesting bit of history, explaining the reason why Degraw Street suddenly becomes Lincoln Place on the east side of Fifth Avenue.

In March of 1873, 41-year old Charles Goodrich was discovered dead inside his house at 731 Degraw Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. He had been shot three times, and his body was cleaned of all blood. The case made citywide headlines, and investigators soon learned that he shared the house with a young lady who he was frequently seen with, so they set about tracking her down.

They searched for the woman, a 20-something Massachusetts native named Kate Stoddard, for months, and she was finally captured after Goodrich’s ex-roommate spotted her on the Fulton Ferry. She confessed after detectives found some of his personal items in her High Street boarding house room. She also gave them her true name: Lizzie Lloyd King, and told the investigators that she had met Goodrich via personal ad and that they were married.

Turns out that Goodrich wanted to leave her for another woman, and that the wedding was actually officiated by a doctor, Goodrich's friend, as opposed to a minister. An argument ensued, and King murdered him. She spent the rest of her life in an upstate insane asylum.

The block’s residents were, needless to say, horrified to be associated with the crime, so they petitioned successfully to have the street renamed in honor of the recently fallen President.

Mega Glass and Sashes Up for Rent

2013-05-10T12:32:03Z

Mega Glass and Sashes, the family-run glass store on Fifth between St. Marks and Bergen, is on the market.

The storefront is up for lease at $13,500 per month, Park Slope Stoop found. The listing touts the proximity to the Barclays Center as well as stores like Lululemon, Bump, Sun in Bloom, and 67 Burger, and notes that "all uses will be considered."

Mega Glass, which specializes in windows as well as custom-cut glass, has been owned by the Garrastegui family since 1972, and before that it was owned by the Swir family for 60 years, since 1912. This place has been a glass workshop for a shockingly long time, and it's evident: I had the chance to check it out a few years ago, and it really seems as if the only changes that have been made in the ensuing years have been the addition of a TV and a laptop; even the glasscutting tools are essentially the same ones that were used in the beginning. It's one of the few craftsman's workshops left in the neighborhood, let alone in a prime spot on a major avenue. Shame it most likely won't be around for much longer.

Great Ghost Signage Appears on Fifth and Bergen

2013-05-09T12:23:25Z

As you might know, I have a special place in my heart for ghost signage: remnants of earlier tenants' signs that have been covered over, only to reappear sometimes decades later. Many thanks to reader Jay for sending over this photo of ancient signage recently revealed at the southeast corner of Fifth and Bergen.

Trade Winds Furniture closed down a little less than a year ago on that corner, and a new Scottish bar named Duke of Montrose is currently under construction in the space. They've already built a new facade (unfortunately doing away with the angled entryway that most likely preceeded Trade Winds), and recently removed their old signs, which had been whitewashed.

Underneath, at least on the Bergen Street side, is a sign for an old tenant, which in my guess was a poultry market. "--ARTERS FOR HOLIDAY POULTRY" (most likely"quarters", or chickens split into four pieces) is still clearly legible, as is "aime" up above, but the word after that is tougher to make out (unless "mebeeragqqt" is a word).

I've done some digging but have been unable to find any photos of this corner from a time when this sign would have been up. If anyone has any additional details on this former tenant, let me know!

Signage Up at New Union Street Japanese Restaurant, Amber Sushi

2013-05-08T12:01:39Z

Signage has gone up at the storefront that I first reported was going to be a Japanese restaurant back in November, on Union Street just west of Seventh Avenue.

The restaurant, to be called Amber Sushi, is replacing what was a nail salon before being vacated last year. Landlord Nick Kotsonis told me back then that the owners also own a restaurant on the Upper West Side, and there is in fact a sushi place of the same name on 70th and Columbus (as well as one with the same style of logo on 80th and 3rd and 28th and 3rd). However, this logo is completely different from the one on Union and a call to the restaurants revealed that they have no connection to this one.

Rather strange, but either way a new Japanese restaurant should be opening soon at 847 Union Street. Not exactly sure if we're in dire need of another sushi place, but if it's good it'll most likely do fine.

Beer Table Closes up Shop on Seventh, Replacement to be Revealed Soon

2013-05-06T12:00:32Z

Beer Table, the trailblazing high-end beer bar that opened on Seventh Avenue between 14th and 15th Streets a few years ago and has since spawned an outpost in Grand Central, closed up last week as planned, and will soon re-open at an as-of-yet unrevealed location.

"After the official closing, we intend to host a traveling dinner series, continue our catering and beer tasting services, and prepare for the next round of Table Beer," owners Justin and Tricia Phillips said via a release.
In their next location, they'll finally have a full kitchen and more seating, although it's unclear if they'll remain in Park Slope.

A new owner has already been lined up for the Seventh Avenue space, and while he'd prefer to not let the cat out of the bag yet, I can say that he has a couple other very successful and well-respected restaurants (one of which is nearby in Park Slope), and that this will be a slightly different concept than what he's best known for, considering the small space.

Closed for Business: Fortune Ave Inc., 333 Flatbush Avenue

2013-05-02T12:26:09Z

Fortune Avenue, the discount store on Flatbush Avenue between Park and Prospect, has closed.

The shop specialized in household items, off-brand toiletries, toys, and furnishings, and the majority of items sold there were very inexpensive. I dropped in a couple times looking for basics like candles, but could never find exactly what I was looking for. With no shortage of places to find these types of items nearby (Duane Reade, Target, etc.), their furtune eventually ran out (sorry, couldn't resist).

Ghost Signage Appears at Southpaw/ NY Kids Club Space

2013-05-01T14:16:55Z

You never know what's going to be lurking underneath signs when they get taken down. Sometimes it's just a blank wall, other times remnants of a previous occupant have been lurking underneath for years.

An example of the latter recently re-appeared on Fifth between St. Johns and Sterling, on the facade of the storefront that was last occupied by Southpaw, and where NY Kids Club is currently under construction. The letters themselves were removed, but you can still clearly read the words "discount center," which was the no-frills name of the long-running business that was in the space before the music venue moved in in June of 2002.