across the park

Sweet Hand. Yeah.

Last time we checked in with Washington Ave. between Lincoln Rd. and Lefferts Ave., we were lamenting the departure of Lenny's Roti Shop.  And even before that, we discussed the fact that the space next to Lenny's was "under renovation" for about seven years.

Much to our surprise, the space previously occupied by Lenny's lay vacant while the perpetually renovated storefront next door will soon (relatively) be occupied by a tenant.  Based on the new signage, our best educated guess is that the place will be a roti shop named "Caribbean Sweet Hand."

The phrase "sweet hand" is one that we have never heard before (except upon viewing a newborn, perhaps - and in that instance the word 'little' is usually inserted).  Does the phrase have any sort of cultural significance?

Anybody?

Area Grocery Store Brings Joy

The Met Foods on Bedford and Clarkson Aves. has officially opened.  Compared with other area grocery offerings, it is unadulterated Nirvana (it will be super special once they get their sign up).

At the time of our visit, the store's deli, fish and bakery areas were not fully installed.  Most shelves were stocked with a selection far superior to, say, the Associated on Flatbush.  The store was super clean (we're hoping not just because it's new).  We have high hopes.

Sorry for the slightly whacky photos - we succeeded at getting in and out unnoticed.   

And to pre-empt the critics:  Yes, taking the bus down to Stop n' Shop is too much effort for us.

Seriously, this appears to be a decent store.

More Papas News

Not long after we noticed a broader selection of cheese (including gorgonzola) did we notice large-scale renovations taking place at Papas & Son's.

Owner Francisco, who was featured on NPR not too long ago as a store owner seeking to ride the wave of gentrification, is turning in old dilapidated shelving for new ones.  Workmen could be seen ripping up the floors inside the store this weekend.

Hats off to Francisco.  Though some have doubted him, we think that his slow and steady approach to remaking his store will pay off.  Big time.

Pictured above is Papas' old facade.  We don't have a newer picture immediately available - so use this one to compare and contrast with what you see on your way home tonight.

CSA in PLG

Farm fresh organic produce! Yay!

Here's a link to the CSA website: www.plgcsa.org.

What is a CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a partnership between a neighborhood and a local organic farm. We’ll get a healthy variety of freshly picked vegetables delivered right to our neighborhood, and the farmer will have guaranteed customers for the season.

Our CSA will be working with Woodbridge Farm in Salem, CT. The farm is family-owned, certified organic, and committed to sustainable agriculture. All of our vegetables will be hand picked and delivered the same day at the peak of freshness, taste, and nutrition.

The veggies will be delivered to Maple Street school, and will be available for pickup every Tuesday from 4-7pm until mid-November.

What does it cost?
A full share ($500) is enough produce for a family of four, and a half share ($275) is for smaller households. Over 24 weeks of the season, a full share is just $21 per week and a half share is $12 per week. Discounted full shares ($350) are available for low-income members.

Supermarket's Coming to Town

We caught wind of a potentially exciting develpoment: a new grocery store.  Located on the corner of Clarkson and Bedford Aves., an old grocery store is currently undergoing renovations.

No real word on what this place is going to be like.  Rumor has it that it will be a Best Foods - unfortunately, that name doesn't mean too anything to us.  We hope, however, that anyone with the motivation to renovate a large space like this has a mind for business and will create a decent (aka WAY better than Associated, Western Beef, etc) supermarket.  It's on the southern edge of our PLG range, but if it's worth it we would be more than willing to make the walk.

New Western Beef Smackdown

Way back during out first month of writing ATP, we posted this tidbit asking our readers to weigh in on which was the better: Western Beef or Fresh Direct.  We voted for Fresh Direct.

The murmurs about frustrations with Western Beef seem to never end, understandably.  Someone posted to the Lefferts Yahoo! group begging the question, if Western Beef can clean up elsewhere, why not here?  Says the poster:

"I used to live in Williamsburg in the early 90's when there was a rundown Western Beef serving the neighborhood.  In the span of a few years the place was completely transformed into a great place to shop."

Given WB's history in Williamsburg, it seems reasonable to suggest that they clean up their 44 Empire Blvd. store.  The poster offers a couple ways to make your voice heard:

Email: bethd@westernbeef.com

Online feedback form: http://www.westernbeef.com/contact.htm

Our best guesstimate is that the direct email address is the more effective option.  In our opinion, WB could be a great place to shop if only management would listen to feedback coming from PLG, where everyone either gets in their cars or gets on the internets for their groceries.

Washington Ave. Deli: Open

We noticed this past weekend that the new Washington Ave. Deli/Grocery is now open for business.  Based on the wall of do-rags in the window, we're not expecting much.  It is slated to be open 24 hours, however.

The last deli in this spot had a pretty sketchy vibe.  We'll have to see how this one pans out.

One Cold Easter

Easter Sunday got a whole lot colder when we noticed a "for rent" sign on the gates of an ATP favorite: Lenny's.  At first we thought the sign might be on Fedelia's Unisex (incidentally, Fedelia also serves it up at Lenny's), but it's pretty clearly placed on Lenny's.

As much as we love Lenny's, we can see some advantages to the presence of a new proprietor in the space.  While Lenny's has excellent food, they've been sitting in their tiny hole in the wall, leaving the large, partially built out restaurant space next door completely unused (unless you count the guys who grill corn outside during the summer).  It could be great if someone would take over Lenny's and expand into the space next door, offering great seating in addition to the great food. 

Washington Ave Deli/Grocrey

If we weren't too lazy to go outside again, we would never post this embarrassingly poor photo of the deli currently under renovation on the corner of Lincoln Rd. and Washington Ave.

What is hard to see in this photo is that there is actually a substantial amount of work going on inside the store.  They've moved the checkout area, and they've torn up the inside pretty good.

We're not going to miss the old deli.  They sold approximately nothing except for bottled water, candy and ice cream.

Pretty Dang Good: Famous Seafood a Keeper

Unfortunately, we did not have a camera on us when we took food away from Famous Seafood.  When we walked in we were immediately struck by how clean and bright the place is.  We also noticed immediately that it didn't smell fishy, indicating that we were about to receive fresh seafood cooked in a real, properly ventilated kitchen.  The menu states that all frying occurs in 100% corn oil.

We had orders of fried whiting and fried catfish with sides of coleslaw and mac and cheese.  Both entres came with fries.  The fish was very fresh, lightly breaded and nicely seasoned.  It was also impressively non-greasy.  The sides were also pretty good.

The single disappointment was the french fries.  They were kinda squishy and stale tasting.  A friend with history in the fastfood industry explained the potential problem: when frozen fries are left out to defrost for too long before being fried, they take on a kinda gross taste and nasty texture.  We think this may be the culprit - and luckily it's easily corrected.

The menu also includes steamed fishes and a ton of shellfish, including lobster (steamed or fried, however that works).  They've also got house salads which looked pretty decent.

Thumbs up for Famous Seafood.  Crisp and fresh fried fish is a welcome addition to the hood.