El Gran Castillo De Jagua to Move into Z-7 Diner Space up Flatbush

It's been known for a few months that the landord who owns the building that's home to Dominican restaurant El Gran Castillo De Jagua has been trying to push them out, and it appears as if he's accomplished that task. They'll be closing up shop at the end of March, but luckily, they're not moving far.

Over the weekend 7-Z Classic Diner, the mediocre eatery that replaced the popular Parkside Diner in 2012 on 7th between Park and Sterling, shut down, and signs were put up in the window saying that "El Gran Castillo de Jagua is relocating to this location." I took a short walk to Gran Castillo, which has occupied the corner space six storefronts away for the past 40 years, and a manager told me that they'll be leaving the space on March 31.

It was previously rumored that they'd be moving into the gutted space up the block last occupied by a mattress store if forced to close, but this is actually far more promising news, for obvious reasons. It's still a decent-sized space, and there's already a long counter and a full kitchen. It appears as if the Z-7 folks packed up pretty quickly and left most of their equipment behind, so hopefully the closure doesn't last for too long.

This stretch of Flatbush Avenue is one of the most-coveted stretches of real estate in the city at the moment, and landlord Stuart Venner of Vlacke Bos Realty has been in the process of booting out other tenants of this prime corner, including a barber shop and bakery Little Miss Muffin ‘N’ Her Stuffin', for months. An emergency care facility is slated to move in the space next door that has been vacant since 2011; hopefully the fact that temp signage has been up for 10 months is not an indicator that this corner will remain vacant for years as well.

Gran Castillo has been the anchor of this block for decades, but it's nice to see that they'll just be moving a few storefronts up. The manager assured me that the menu will remain exactly the same.

Bonnie's Grill Adds Hot Dogs, Ribs to the Menu

Bonnie's Grill, a Fifth Avenue mainstay for spice-rubbed grilled Black Angus burgers and Buffalo wings since 1999, added a couple of new permanent items to their menu on Tuesday: namely, ribs and hot dogs.

At the narrow restaurant, dominated by a long counter and a grill constantly inundated with flaming burger patties, at least 90 percent of those who visit buy wings or burgers, and the bustling staff has always seemed perfectly okay with the limited menu. But these new additions are the first non-sandwich items to be added in years.

The ribs are St. Louis-cut spare ribs made with Berkshire pork, slathered in homemade barbecue sauce and sold at $15.95 for a half-rack with your chouce of fries, salad, soup, chili, or cole slaw. They're most likely not smoked, but slow-cooked ribs still can taste pretty darn good.

Grilled hot dogs are also made with Berkshire pork and are applewood-smoked. I tried one and it was clear that this was a pretty high-quality hot dog: it had natural casing, was closer to the size of a bratwurst than a standard hot dog, and was nicely smokey and not too agressively-spiced. A manager was unable to tell me what company produces them, but my guess is that they're from Schaller & Weber or a similarly well-respected German butcher.

You can get them plain on a New England-style bun for $6.95 with a few pickle chips and and side, and poblano pepper relish or Reisling-braised sauerkraut cost $1 extra. For $7.95, they'll top it with their vegeterian chili, cheddar, and raw diced onion.

Joe's Pizza on Seventh Closed for 'Renovations'

Joe's Pizza, the traditional pizzeria on Seventh between Carroll and Garfield, has closed up shop, with a sign in the front doorway saying that they're "temporarily closed" and reopening soon.

The pizza here is good if not spectacular, and the space is no-frills and old-school. They've never really stood out from the pack, so the owners probably decided to invest in an upgrade more substantial than a new sign, which is a couple years old at this point. Construction paper is up, which also indicates that something is actually going on inside (as opposed to the owners bluffing, which is somethimes the case).

Closed for Business: The Walk-In Cookbook, 72 7th Avenue

The Walk-In Cookbook, the experimental gourmet shop that opened last August on Seventh Avenue between Lincoln and Berkeley, closed down today. Owner Filip Nuytemans sent an email around to their mailing list announcing the closure a couple hours ago; here's that it said:

We have enjoyed providing you with our recipe offering hoping to have brought something new and different to your dinner table.  Unfortunately, we are unable to make our concept work in brick and mortar and we are closing the store today.  We would like to thank you for your support, it has been a pleasure getting to know many of you.  Our best wishes to you and your families for a great 2014.
The Walk-In Cookbook Team

The shop took a unique approach to cooking a meal: they provided you with the recipe and all the ingredients needed to cook a meal from scratch, down to the teaspoon. The ingredients for about 15 rotating meals, from fish tacos to green chicken curry, were available at any time, along with a handful of pantry staples.

It was a good idea, but never really found a niche in the neighborhood, and not many predicated that it would even stick around as long as it did considering the fact that it was usually empty. Those looking to cook a meal can usually find everything they need by going to the supermarket, and the fact that shopping here would result in no waste wasn't enough to change people's habits.

Trois Pommes Patisserie is For Rent

The storefront at 260 5th Avenue between Garfield and Carroll, home to Trois Pommes Patisserie since May of 2007, has been put up for rent. Halstead is listing the space for $8,500/month.

Pastry chef Emily Isaac opened the bakery, which fires up the ovens at 5:30 am every morning, after a four-year stint as head pastry chef at the famed Union Square Cafe, and her pastries, cakes, tarts, cookies, croissants, and quiches have a devoted fan base. The shop had a moment in the sun about five years back, when her whoopie pies were featured front-and-center in a New York Times feature, setting off a citywide trend, and last year her Cronut interpretation sold like hotcakes as well.

While some might feel that there are too many bakeries in the neighborhood, my personal opinion is that there can never be enough, especially when they're helmed by someone with as much skill as Isaac. So stock up while you can, because it might not be around for much longer.