We found these five pooches on Twitter and we think they’re the five cutest in all of Brooklyn. Agree? Disagree? Know a cuter one? Tweet us – @brooklynbugle or comment below.
Local blog Stuff I Ate raves about Court Street mainstay Queen in a recent post. With many new eateries opening in the area, the red sauce Italian-American is still a go-to for a solid meal in the area. Do you agree?
Stuff I Ate: We have a new favorite restaurant in Brooklyn Heights: Queen!
This is especially delicious considering 2 of our favorites in that area closed (Ciao, La Traviata– I miss your shrimp fra diavolo!)That’s just about all you need to know when it comes to Queen, a long-standing Italian restaurant on Brooklyn’s busy Court Street. It’s less than a 2 minute walk from a bevy of subway lines, so you really have no excuse for not trying it!
Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/63847
NYC mayor-elect Bill de Blasio is still pondering whether or not he and his family should move into Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the city’s chief exec since 1942.
It was Robert Moses’ idea. Yeah, that guy.
Mayor Bloomberg didn’t live in Gracie Mansion mostly because he’s Jed Clampett rich and the size and location of his five story Upper East Side townhouse is far more happening than that little house in Yorkville overlooking Hell Gate.
Previous mayors since LaGuardia have taken advantage of the mansion with Rudy Giuliani being the last one to occupy the space. However he did leave some pretty bad karma there before moving out while still in office (pre-9/11).
So what should de Blasio do? He’s THINKING OK?
“Well, I’m still reticent because the family hasn’t spoken,” he said recently. Dude, what are you some sorta commie? You’re going to be the mayor. Stand up!
Thing is, he shouldn’t have to think. Brooklyn is currently the center of the universe. That’s one reason.
Another, he ran a campaign on middle class values, ending stop and frisk and other neighborhood friendly issues. Moving into Gracie Mansion will not be like the Jeffersons moving on up to the East Side with everyone from the ‘hood rooting for them.
If the de Blasios move into Gracie Mansion, they become “them”.
Bill, don’t be a schmuck, stay in Park Slope with the people.
The election of Bill de Blasio as mayor of New York is a “major setback” for the polices of Mike Bloomberg and George W. Bush says author/Brooklyn Heights resident Diane Ravitch in a new blog post. Saying that, de Blasio “understands the failure of the Bloomberg education policies,” she outlines 5 things the new mayor should do to make schools better.
They are:
First, he must restore the contiguous community school districts, each of which has a superintendent to oversee the condition and progress of the schools.
Second, the restoration of neighborhood schools would eliminate the byzantine “choice” process that Bloomberg initiated, whereby parents of children applying to middle school and high school visited schools, listed a dozen choices, and hoped for the best.
Third, de Blasio should assemble a team of expert educators—recruited from the ranks of the city’s most respected retired educators—who will take on a double assignment.
Fourth, de Blasio should follow through on his campaign promise to set higher expectations for the city’s charter sector. The policy of co-location does not work.
Fifth, and far from last, the new mayor should de-emphasize testing and accountability.
Ravitch adds that the key to success is finding a chancellor who agrees with de Blasio’s vision. She says that person, “should be an experienced educator who shares the mayor’s view that the needs of children really do come first and that data are far less important than the restoration of respect for learning, respect for educators, and the realization that a new day has dawned for public education in New York City.”
Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/63760
When we think “spa day” we think Karl Junkersfeld. Okay we don’t, so it’s extra special that our man with a cam was courageous enough to visit the new Sephora in Downtown Brooklyn and file this video report.
Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/63598
The music world lost a legend today, Brooklyn born rock legend and lead singer of the Velvet Underground Lou Reed died at the age of 71.
On January 7 1987 Reed and former VU bandmate John Cale played St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church. Here’s our report posted on the 20th anniversary of the performance in January 2007:
On this day in 1989, Velvet Underground founding members John Cale and Lou Reed paid tribute to their friend and co-conspirator, Andy Warhol by performing Songs for Drella at St. Ann’s Church on Montague Street.
The songs were written as an homage to the artist, who died suddenly in 1987. “Drella” was Reed and company’s nickname for Warhol — a mix of “Dracula” and “Cinderella”.
The performance at St. Ann’s was a workshop version of what NY Times music critic Jon Pareless called a “quasi-biographical song cycle.” The duo would later refine it and play the Brooklyn Academy of Music in December 1989 and tour the world with Drella. An album was released in 1990.
I had the privilege of seeing the show at St. Ann’s and found it to be a very moving tribute to Warhol. Reed’s emotions were still quite raw regarding the loss of his friend, who had died almost exactly two years before. The duo had also suffered the loss of former Velvet Underground bandmate Nico in 1988 which added another layer of poignancy to the event.
After the project, Cale vowed never to work with Reed again. However, they did reunite the Velvet Underground in 1992 for a European tour with U.S. dates to follow. Reed and Cale had another falling out and broke up the band before reaching the States.
New York Times: Songs for Drella, a Tribute to Warhol by Jon Pareless
Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/63436
New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced a crack down on businesses hiring firms to provide fake rave Yelp reviews recently, fining some as much at $100,000. The practice is called “astroturfing” and black hat marketing firms offer the service of “sock puppet” reviewers to restaurants to boost their overall Yelp ratings.
As any casual user of the service knows, there always seem to be 5 star reviews for establishments of questionable quality. The Guardian has a great piece on how to spot fakes. Hyperbole, naturally, is one factor. We’ve added another – a cluster of reviewers claiming to be from another state. How about several reviews from another state?
Take the case of recent posts regarding Montague Street’s Taperia, which just opened this month. Three reviewers claiming to be from Florida have raved about the place. One account was created in the last two weeks.
RELATED: KARL JUNKERSFELD HAS FUN AT TAPERIA [VIDEO]
Sure, it’s totally plausible that these folks are real and truly love Taperia and that the owners of the establishment have no involvement whatsoever with their online activity. As a matter of fact, it would be great for the neighborhood if those reviewers were really that jazzed about the place.
You decide if this one from “Michelle V.” feels legit:
A wonderful place for tapas in the city. The new Chef Hector Diaz did an amazing job with the new look and menu. Gotta say its worth a night out, every night! Yummy!
Or how about “Esteban O.”, another Floridian:
Driving thru and needed a “tapas fix”. The scallops and foie gras were EXCELLENT! The roasted figs were perfectly done. We washed it down with Cornessa 2008 and Rias Baixas. Looking forward to my next time here at ‘Taperia”. This chef really knows what he’s doing!
Reviewer “Undercover A” seems legit to us, mostly because their other neighborhood reviews ring true:
Meatballs are good, filled with manchego cheese, maybe a bit chewy. Chorizo is OK too. Solid wine selection ($8/9 by the glass). Flights at the bar would be a great idea. Very friendly environment and plenty of energy. Shout out to Cassie … We need this place desperately in the Heights! Welcome!
Then there’s “Matthew P.” who we not only know in real life, but is an occasional contributor to BHB:
Atrociously bad food. Imagine if a diner served tapas and you’d have a good idea of the quality and flavor. Nothing was good. Nothing. Not a single thing. Really. I kid you not.
Worst sangria I’ve ever had and ever will have. You know you’re in trouble when it comes out in a pint glass. With each sip I marveled how it not only tasted nothing resembling sangria, but was so plain.
Oh, and the prices are quite high for such small plates. Montague Street’s curse of bad restaurants continues. We must have been very bad in a past life.
Don’t say you weren’t warned. And it also appears some of these 5 star ratings from first-time reviewers are bogus.
Also, Yelp has filtered at least 3 reviews of the eatery so far.
Recently, a Harvard Business School study claims that 20% of Yelp reviews are fake.
While it’s unclear who is behind the hyperbolic raves for this and many other restaurants on Yelp, this story wouldn’t be complete without shedding light on what restaurateurs think about the service who solicit ad dollars from them. In a word – extortion. Yelp, of course, denies this.
Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/63282
It seems like only yesterday that we welcomed Mark di Suvero‘s Sculpture “Yoga” sculpture to Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1 for a limited run of “about a year”. Sure, for the first few weeks many of us thought the thing was totally WHACK (as we believe is the vernacular). But over time, we grew to love it. Kids loved it too.
And now… it’s gone. What a bummer.
Karl Junkersfeld reports:
While taking my daily walk through beautiful Brooklyn Bridge Park, to my dismay, Mark di Suvero’s innovative sculpture called “Yoga” was being disassembled and placed on a flatbed truck to be transported to destination unknown. After repeated observations, I am going to miss this wonderful piece of art. Thank you both Mr. di Suvero and Brooklyn Bridge Park for what little time Yoga and I had together. The pleasure was all mine.
Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/63347
Thursday night, the Nets retired Jason Kidd’s #5 in a well deserved pre game ceremony. His jersey was retired to the rafters of Barclays Center prior to a pre-season game against the Miami Heat. The Nets dominated Miami 86-62.
While most of Brooklyn Heights is littered with graffiti from no talent taggers, the city was quick today to remove the Twin Towers tribute at the Fruit Street Sitting Area created by world famous street artist Banksy earlier this week.
It had quickly become a beloved part of the neighborhood with many rushing to take photos of it while pausing to remember those who perished on 9/11/01. However, the Parks Department has a different point of view. After all, we can’t have world famous artists defacing our neighborhood, right? That right is reserved for no talent punks as evidenced by the countless number of meaningless tags in and around Brooklyn Heights.
So with no consideration of this being a new, notable addition to our landmarked district, the Parks Department destroyed real art. Heckuva job fellas!
The NY Post has created a time lapse image of the destruction.
Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/63246
