via Time Out New York

Brooklyn versus Manhattan – the debate goes on.  Every year some media publication tried to re-raise the question of who reigns supreme as the better borough.  This year Time Out New York recently dedicated a whole issue to the topic breaking it down for you by the numbers.  Hey, even  Steve Lewis chimed in on Monday and I’m sad to say,  I think he is already over Brooklyn.  Booooo.

Although to me this is a no brainer – you can’t really compare the two -  Brooklyn has a totally different vibe compared to Manhattan.  Brooklyn is very chill while the City exemplifies why everyone moves here in the first place.   Each borough has is pros and cons…I love living in BK because I can experience the best of both worlds.  Most people who live in the city, never venture out.  I mean, after all, Brooklyn is allllllll the way out there.

So if for some reason you still can’t decide – Manhattan or Brooklyn – here’s some breakage downage for ya.

What you can find in Brooklyn:

• A prime seat the bar on a Saturday night
• Room to dance
• No cover charge
• Five-star dining for the price of a two-star restaurant
• A parking spot
• $1 Beers
• Cheap(er) Rent
• A lot of non-elevator buildings
• Independent retailers and restaurants
• An Ikea and a Target
• Todd P parties
• No lines… for anything
• A vintage bowling alley and arcade
• Lots of beer gardens
• The Yard
• Prospect Park
• The Botanical Gardens
• A $15 cab ride to LGA
• The Brooklyn Flea
• Mini Golf
• Places like The City Reliquary
• $1 ATM Fees
• A Brewery
• Overall low key vibe
• Musicians, artists, and…”hipsters”

What you can find in Manhattan:

• Bottle Service
• Doormen, velvet ropes, and guestlists
• Promoters
• Big name restaurants
• A yellow cab 24/7
• A $40 cocktail
• Better public transportation
• Can you hit 11 for me please?
• H&M, Zara, and Forever 21
• Whole Foods
• The Boom Boom Room
• A line to use the water fountain at the gym
• Hotel bars, lounges, and rooftop pools
• Lots of rooftop bars
• The Frying Pan
• Sheep’s Meadow
• The Cloisters
• A shuttle bus to JFK
• Barney’s Warehouse Sale
• Chelsea Piers
• Tons of museums
• An actual bank
• A Starbucks
• The hustle and bustle which makes New York, well, New York
• Celebrities, socialites, and guys who work in finance

And there you have it….Now what can you find in Queens?

Brooklyn We Go Hard // Jay Z & Santigold

It appears Hope Lounge has closed.  The doors have been shuttered for over a week and there are big dumpsters in the outdoor patio.  Not sure if they are just doing renovations or what but I did some digging and the ‘Hope Street Group’ reapplied for their liquor license on February 25th -  it’s still pending.

Hopefully, the venue will be back up and running for summer time.  Love that patio!

Hope Lounge
10 Hope Street @ Roebling

Hello…Fatty Cue

Fatty Cue, the Southeast Asian influenced-BBQ themed sister restaurant to Fatty Crab will be opening within the next week (March 21st or 23rd.)  They are hosted friends and family night last Sunday, and Brooklyn Based was there to give us the dish. Here is a little excerpt, “The make-you-own-pork-bun plate pictured above was also a big hit. Except it’s not so much pork as chewy, delicious brisket (which your Bubby definitely would not recognize) that comes with chili jam, mayo and assorted greens and red onions. The cucumber salad with sesame seeds was essential to keeping our palates cool enough to continue eating, let alone tasting.”  Ummmm.  YUM.

91 South 6th St @ Berry

Goodbye…Penny Licks

I cannot believe Penny Licks has closed for good! Can someone please tell me why? Fork in the Road reports the space will become Radish, a grocery store dedicated primarily to homemade prepared foods. Meh.

158 Bedford Ave (between N8th & N9th)

(N6) image via NY Mag

Pinkerton Wine Bar is officially open, taking over the old N.6 spot.  While the winebar might look the same, Pinkerton is only serving Wine and Beer with hopes to have small plates in the future. The interior and layout looks pretty similar except for new window treatments – which makes the place feel a lot more open – and emphasis on mood lighting.    The spot is quite romantic and off the beaten path so if you are looking for a mini-escape of the chaotic Bedford Ave. with your beau, this might the place for you.

I’ll be interested to see how this place does.  N6 was open for six years but never really took off in the way I hoped it would- and they served wine, beer, and food (although their hours were a little weird.)  I might be bias because the Bamonte’s are good family friends of mine, but I am still at a loss for a new brunch spot.  N6 Brunch was the BEST. Anyways – best of luck to Pinkerton.

On a side note: the landlord of 52 Havemeyer, the building Pâtés et Traditions is located, passed away last week.  No word on if her family will take over the building or not – if the building gets sold, Pâtés et Traditions’ rent could skyrocket – or the new owners could even decide to tear down the building.   You never know with the ever changing neighborhood of Williamsburg.

Pinkerton Wine Bar
263 N6th Street

This is the most upsetting news I’ve heard since the closing of Black Betty.   Williamsburg legend, The Bagel Shop, known for making every flavor of cream cheese possible, has been replaced for a Starbucks.  Williamsburg DOES NOT NEED A STARBUCKS.   We have Oslo.  Oslo > Starbucks anytime. The heartbreaking news delivered via John Del Signore/Gothamist.

Hip-ster olde tymers may recall the big Williamsburg Starbucks scare of Aught One, when anti-chain activist Reverend Billy rallied his troops to protest outside a rumored location at the corner of North 5th and Bedford. Funny enough, during the rally, the new tenants suddenly appeared to explain away the rumor—it was “Fabiane’s Pastry and Cafe, an Independent Pastry Experience,” on the way, not Starbucks. Nine years later, the ubiquitous coffee corp. has yet to find a foothold in the neighborhood, but all that may be about to change.

The owner of the popular Bagel Store on the corner of Bedford and North Third has confirmed rumors, first fanned on Eater, that he’s being pushed out for a Starbucks. Owner Scott Rossillo says his landlord, Yehuda Backer, first tried to double his rent, which Rossillo couldn’t afford. According to Rossillo, Backer told him that when the lease expires in November 2011, Starbucks will take over. (Backer denies this.) In an angry phone conversation, Rossillo explained the situation:

I talked with the landlord two weeks ago. He asked me if I wanted to stay and I said of course! Right now I’m paying $7,300 a month. He told me, okay, I’ll give you a break and only raise the rent to $14,500 a month. We can’t afford that, but he says that’s what Starbucks can pay. Right now I have to borrow money from my other store to cover the rent on this one! You can’t squeeze blood from a rock. He said I had until this Tuesday to decide. That day came and went, and then I heard one of his sons told the owner of the cell phone store down the street, “The deal is done. You should have expected this. It’s Williamsburg, you know.”Well, we’re not going to be raped. It’s like organized crime. Our landlord, Yehuda Backer, essentially said, “You’ve been here a long time, you’ve always payed your rent on time, and for that we’re going to double your rent.” When we moved in here in 2001 it was a dead man’s zone. Everybody wanted North 7th Street, as they still do, but nobody wanted to move in here; it was just a big empty warehouse. We were the first to move in, after that came King’s Pharmacy and Millennium Market. Now Duane Reade is going to open across the street from the pharmacy, and I’m scared for them! I know the owners, I know their families. They’re from around here, I’m from Bensonhurst. Starbucks isn’t from here.

Rossillo continued:

I’m the first one in this warehouse to have my lease up for renewal, and the others are going to face the same situation. The landlord said to me, “Scott, this property is going to be all big businesses who can pay me the price I want.” It’s very sad. You know, I’m the first on the plumbing line, so over all these years we’ve had lots of problems, and when things get backed up, it all comes into my space. You know what I’m talking about? And when this happens on the weekends, and Yehuda is upstate or having religious observances, I’ve always taken care of all this stuff by myself. Had plumbers working through the night. My wife always said to me, “Why don’t you bill him.” And I told her, “It’ll come back to us.” That’s the way I am; you take care of me, I take care of you.We’re upset, but we’re not leaving the neighborhood. We have another location, and we’ll reopen this one somewhere nearby. I’ve got a couple spaces I’m considering on the southside, where it’s a little more reasonable.

But Backer insists he has no deal with Starbucks at this time. When asked if he is negotiating with Starbucks, he told us, “I myself haven’t been in touch with anybody [about taking over the space].” Backer confirmed that he wanted to double The Bagel Store’s rent, telling us, “We gave him an offer and he refused. Taxes have gone up 20 times on this building.”

We’re waiting to hear back from Starbucks, but naturally, this wouldn’t be complete without a word from Rev. Billy, who says, “The definition of Williamsburg is that it is the birth of culture. The definition of Starbucks is that it is the death of culture. The definition of Billyburg is that it is the defiant, complex, always surprising birth of new culture. The definition of Starbucks is that it imitates cultures that are original and uses images of cafe society back when it was dangerous, i. e. Cabaret Voltaire, Paris, the beats… to sell its non-Fair Trade bad coffee. Williamsburg should break the windows every morning and surround the landlord with shame. Bring back the Bagel Store!”

I am going to go cry now.