across the park

Subway Coming to PLG

Last week we posted about a vacant storefront that we misidentified as being on the corner of Flatbush and Chester Ct.  It is actually on the corner of Flatbush and Beekman, one block closer to Lincoln Rd.  A commenter, who spoke to the workmen in the space, confirmed that the storefront will soon be home to a Subway.

After pondering the imminent Subway for a day or two, we've come to think that having a Subway in the nabe won't be such a bad thing.  At first we were disappointed that a big chain was coming in, but we'll admit it: we like Subway.  The veggie burger thing thing that they have is quite good, and some Subways even have full blown salads.  For us, Subway is not a bad option when in a pinch.

Subway will not be an addition to the nabe along the lines of K-Dog or Enduro, but anything that's not a nail or hair salon is a welcome addition.

Carribbean Sweet Hand - Indeed

When we last posted about Carribbean Sweet Hand, a kind reader helped mitigate our confusion surrounding the name.  Turns out that telling someone that they have a sweet hand is the same as telling them that they can cook well.

Schooled us.

We tried CSH a couple of times and found it to be run of the mill Carribbean.  But then we ducked in the other day when we were really in the mood for doubles.  Though CSH does not yet have doubles, we were pleasantly surprised when we tried a cheese roll (or was it a cheese stick?  If you ask for it they'll know what you are talking about).

It's a baked (or maybe fried...) thing of pastry-ish bread that has cheese on the inside - the consistency of the cheese is similar to provolone.  But the cheese is seasoned with curry and other good stuff.  It's quite delicious.

Also available are beef sticks - the same thing but with beef instead of cheese.  We can only vouch for the cheese stick, which was damn good.  Well worth the $2.

Parkside Ave Sprouts Internet Coffee House

Because the security gates were down, we were unable to gather any additional information on this place but for its name, "Internet Coffee House," which we assume will sell coffee and internet.  It may not be open yet, or it may just not be open on Sundays (which would be strange).

Very interesting.

Could this place be competition for K-Dog?  That will ultimately depend on whether Internet Coffee House can offer a quality product.  We enjoy K-Dog and cannot see ourselves becoming disloyal unless ICH offers something really stellar.

Anyone know anything about ICH?  Check it out on Parkside between Flatbush and Ocean.

Now Meytex Cafe: New Face of Meytex Lounge

Apparently attempting to shed its image as a "scary bar," Meytex Lounge has converted itself into Meytex Cafe, complete with an exterior facelift.

The sign looks pretty darn good - as with the bodega on Lincoln Rd., Meytex was able to get the new sign with the assistance of a storefront improvement grant administered by Prospect Lefferts United for Services (PLUS).

Meytex has also redesigned their menu - the fried chicken, their best item in our opinion, is now featured.  We hear that the inside of Meytex will also recieve a makeover, timeframe tbd.

Fried Chicken Here to Stay

We got excited when we saw that the sign was being taken down from the nasty fried chicken place on Flatbush that we couldn't even hold the camera still, hence the blurry image.

We asked one of the guys working on the facade, "is something new moving in?"

He said, "Yes. Kennedy Fried Chicken."

We said," Oh."

And our excited quickly faded.

Lincoln Rd. Bodega Gets New Awnings

If you hang out in Prospect Park, you probably noticed that the bodega on the corner of Lincoln Rd. and Ocean Ave. received a makeover recently.

The store owner and property owner added new gates and awnings with the assistance of Prospect Lefferts United for Services (PLUS).  The new paint job looks a lot nicer than the odd mustard hue that once adorned the corner - from what we're told, all of 99 Ocean will be repainted with the new color (tan/salmon wouldn't have been our first choice, but it's a start).

Now, if only the proprietors would lose those big ads in the window...  looks a little silly to have sun bleached newsprint juxtaposed with sharp new awnings.

As this store isn't on our way home, we still have virtually no idea what caliber of groceries they sell.

Something's Brewing at the Ol' Meytex Lounge

Back in the day, we weren't too fair to Meytex Lounge.  In fact, we called it kinda scary.  Since then, we've eaten at Meytex a couple of times and gotten to know the owner, whose name is Marcy.

We were walking by Meytex the other day and noticed that some of its scary features will soon be history - most noteably, the darkened glass has been removed (mostly).  Looks like a new sign is in the works as well.

If you go to Meytex, even just once, try the fried chicken.  It's awesome.

Sushi Tatsu Captured on Film

We took a stroll by Sushi Tatsu (Flatbush and Hawthorne) to see how things are coming along, and it looks like they're near ready to open.

Very exciting.

However, even more exciting than culinary implications is the question that must be on many minds: is this the tipping point?  Will more restaurants make their way in?  Will we soon have local thai?

Our guess is yes. 

Time will tell.

On the Way: Sushi?

Just pulled down off the wire: Sushi coming to PLG.

We intercepted some chatter on the Lefferts Yahoo! group positing that Sushi Tatsu, already located on Flatbush Avenue near Carlton, is opening a store on Flatbush in the location of the former China City.

We find this news to be awesome.  We're not huge fans of Sushi Tatsu, but it's a certainly doable source for raw fish- and nothing does us finer on a cold winter night than a hot bowl of miso soup followed by some sort of teryaki.

Anyone know the expected grand opening date?

City Jerk: Good Chicken

Back when Fireside Grill closed and City Jerk opened in it's former spot, we weren't too psyched to see a new spot for Caribbean food open up.  In our opinion, we've got enough of it already.

However...

We recently discovered the City Jerk has excellent jerk chicken.  The bird is high quality and the thighs are super meaty and moist.  The jerk seasoning and strong but not overwhelming.  We went twice in one week and it was excellent both times.  We're getting to be regulars.

Though completely subjective, we feel that the chicken is better enjoyed intact rather than chopped up into pieces with a cleaver.  The latter is the default mode of serving at City Jerk, so if you don't want it all hacked apart you have to custom order as such.

Seriously - it's good.  Located on Flatbush near Midwood.

Eat.