The Victory on State and Hoyt is closed. I'm wondering if the block is cursed since Kili shut down recently too. Sarcastic signs on the door window is trying to drive traffic to Building on Bond, that is taking on the V staff.
You can still get coffee at the Little Sweet Cafe on the block (truly miniature), but V was pretty fun and I'll be sure to have a coffee for the Victory....at...eh ra...the Little Sweet.
Elsewhere, I got to stop by the Best Buy in the Atlantic Center and it feels sort of damp in a way. It has pretty hilarious reading reviews on BestBuy.com ("they should call this 'worst buy') but it's not quite as heinous as the slander. However, the selection isn't quite as expansive.
Brooklyn Fare is finally finishing up their expansion; yesterday I was full-on glory walking around the now double-the-size market: more meat, more brands, more selection, this is a serious supermarket now and ready to be the shit in an area that competes with the generic (Pathmark, which is awesome no digs at that, then Key Foods, Gristedes, Concord), the chic (Trader Joe's), and the upscale (Garden of Eden). Very stoked about this, all around amazing.
Photo courtesy of the NY Times, continuing their run of sympathy for the Brooklyn.
In honor, and become I'm lazy, here's The Living End:
I really dislike the Steelers. But for those who know me, I dislike the Jets even more. Sitting at the Berman Bothers household watching this unfold with a tallboy of Joose, basically a knock off Four Loko, I at least was content with the 24-19 result, even if I wasn't thrilled with the Green Apple artificial flavors...
Cold weather aside, our fair borough was particularly pleasant with some Apt. 138'ing on the holiday this week and Hana Cafe'ing for weekly sushi (apparently the Tuna Lover special wasn't all it was cracked up to be but man that spicy sauce on regular rolls is intensely good).
Brooklyn Fare's expansion is starting to show a little more; they are starting to stock the additional space with goods and the lines are getting longer and longer; they should figure out a way to create real lines so people don't end up fighting over who was first to purchase the 6.99 organic lentil chips (you'd think yuppies wouldn't yell at each other as much but it certainly happens there, it's almost more fun than going to Pathmark). Flank steak was on sale again which was great.
Getting rid of potato "eyes" while prepping meals is kinda gross for some reason; it's like a mini-cactus bug that grows out of the potato. It makes my hands stiffen up.
I need to eat in Fort Greene more often; somehow Flatbush acts as a larger divide than it really is and there's plenty of great food across the way, the most I've gotten out of it was Black Iris but definitely want to partake of the small soul food joint about a block or two east of Flatbush.
MikNic Lounge (misspelled MikNik by Gothamist) is opening up next week on Columbia to give some additional watering hole options slightly closer to Atlantic without having to usher all the way down to Moonshine. Singer/songwriters rejoice: live music and a backyard could make for a relaxing summer spot. The west side is certainly an area that could use some additional burst as people look for the next bustling area in Brooklyn to latch onto. It looks cute and true to that part of the neighborhood and we'll see what kind of vibe will inherit the space. Here's a sneak peek from their Facebook page below. I really dig Columbia and hope that more traffic will come around, there's a few staples like Alma but this might seem more like a Last Exit.
The MTA this week just didn't have it's shit together at all. I say that with utmost prejudice due to the fact that all of the things that required speed and or convenience of the subway this week were not supported by timely and consistent service. There's nothing more defeating about New York public transportation than seeing three B trains come through one station before you finally see a Q train, which is what you want. The look on people's faces are so volatile, the head shakes so terse and violent that you're afraid that they might have not gotten enough neck stretches earlier in the morning to warrant such movement. Couple that with the MTA dude on the front end at Dekalb who just belts out incoming trains as if he's on a radio show and proceeding to yell out the synopsis of The Kids Are Alright, and you have a recipe for putting on the iPodz.
Digital Dumbo is coming up, can't wait! 2nd anniversary of canoodling and rubbing elbows with all kinds of agency types. I might want to try to meet more than 2 people this time...
Walking to Atomic Wings on Smith was a bitter cold experience today but drenched in hot sauce not 25 minutes later I could call it a success. I know I haven't been writing so frequently as of late, but I have brand spankin' new employment and I'm putting as much effort as I can into setting up this year for even more greatness.
My better half did a run to Ikea with cohorts from the neighborhood and we built a cabinet together to house equal parts beach towels, extra sheets, and assorted papers (I can never bring myself to throw away my favorite college papers or studies). I realized that we live close enough to Ikea that it's not as much a chore to go there, although it's puzzling how tired I get after walking through the assortment of questionable wood and showrooms (the best has to be the 275 foot studio space, it's so awesome and incorporates the loft bed I bought used to provide my college roommate somewhere to sleep while we were living in Manhattan).
Jimmy Jazz is having a huge clearance sale and I may need to do a quick run; it looks so tempting.
Over the weekend a nightcap in Williamsburg at Hotel Dumond(?) was par for the course as was a donation run to the Salvation Army, where a group of young ladies who looked like the two older daughters in Dan in Real Life were giggling and doing a more serious shop there. Lots of good stuff and a long line for sure.
Brooklyn Fare's expansion is starting to show and it's really going to be sizable and comparable to the larger markets in the area; definitely a big deal as the one thing they could use is a little more variety of both produce and brands. Very exciting stuff though.
I also noticed that Dismemberment Plan is playing on January 30th at Webster Hall, and opening is Jukebox the Ghost. To round out the musical experience this weekend was some Lil Wayne on the radio.
