Ditmas Park, assuming that the right spot can be found, is inching towards getting an old fashioned ice cream parlor.

Private chef Lisa Eisen and Prairie Rose Free, both Ditmas Park residents, have been diligently working on a business plan for an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, with an updated twist; offering small batch, hand-made ice cream and grown-up cocktails and sundaes, all under one sweet roof. It will be called The Old Fashioned, they email.

About a month ago Prairie applied for the Make Your Mark Contest with their shared business idea – and won one of the three grand prizes!  Prairie and Lisa were granted $5,000 in seed money to start their business and the opportunity to have a very memorable photo shoot with the legendary photographer, Annie Leibowitz. We’ll link to the image when it’s up.

In the meantime – bookmark their site – the logo and splash page for The Old Fashioned is up (designed by John Shannon, also a Ditmas Parker), and we promise to keep you up to date on their progress.

Solo does not have a yard, and Vox Pop has a neat front yard drinking space. Both are chill, easy going, and you’ll probably end up talking to somebody you vaguely recognize. Both have music all through the week.

Lounge 773 is where everyone goes to escape everyone else. It has a small back yard hideaway, with 4 plastic Adirondack-style chairs, the spit they roast a pig on every now and then, and a BBQ. It is leafy (look up), shaded, and very private. Inside, it is the only place around with wooden booths. Run by Billy Cane (not to confuse with Bally Kana who runs Solo). BTW – Tomorrow they will be roasting 2 pigs, so make sure to stop by, say hi, and have some. Starting around 1pm.

Shenanigans about a 5-7 minute walk up Coney towards the park, take a left at Caton and it is across the street from the large empty lot (formerly a fork factory, we’re told). It has a large back yard, strung with large colored bulbs, cheerful attitude, and projects a general feeling of happiness (it’s been in the same family for over 20 years, and they work there). Definitely a new favorite of ours, and it is positively dog friendly. Saturday night Karaoke (10pm-3am, except this Saturday), and they also have BBQ in the back. The space is large enough to have a party.

Then, once you make your way back to Cortelyou, stop by the Castello Plan. Yes, the wine bar has an amazingly good selection of beers and decadent bites to go with it. And you can sit outside in the back.

Rum Tasting  w/ Dave Mahler (of Southern Wine & Spirits)
Wednesday June 9th at 8pm
6 Different Rums from Traditional to Sipping & Snacks
$25 per person. Limited availability.

Sign up online at www.sycamorebrooklyn.com or call 347-240-5850.

Meredith sends over this image by Matthew Schuerman, and encourages everyone to stop by Kings Candy & Nuts on Newkirk Plaza (on the West side of the plaza, roughly halfway between Subway and Chase:

This store offers a number of interesting Turkish provisions (such as jars of our new favorite honey and nut condiment, perfect for yogurt, plus it looks like evil eye amulets in a jar!). They also sell simits, which are Turkish sesame seed studded bread rings, perfect breakfast on the go. They’ve also got the more obvious staples such as organic milk and yogurt, and of course the eponymous candy and nuts.

It’s a friendly small business and we, two Turkophiles, hope to see them to succeed!

Do stop by!

Kumo Sushi on Cortelyou, which looks quite nice inside, tells us they may open as early as this weekend.

The full menu is here (.pdf) [Corrected], and it’s everything you’d want and expect from a moderately priced sushi joint: The “Sushi Regular” is $13, the Bendo Box and lunch special both start at $8.50. They have a large selection of rolls along with noodles, teriyaki, mochi, and more.

All in all, it doesn’t look to have the high-end culinary ambitions or novelty of some of its neighbors — Purple Yam, Cafe Tibet, Mimi’s, the Farm — but I think that’s OK: a solid, pleasant, moderately-priced sushi place sure would would be a great addition.

FOR HIP BROOKLYN MOMS

SYCAMORE
1118 Cortelyou Road, Brooklyn, 347-240-5850

By day it’s a sweet flower shop, by night it’s an American whiskey bar with a Southern flavor. Ultimately, Sycamore has become the nexus of the new Ditmas Park, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a family-friendly spot, but the cast of “Hair” recently did a nude photo shoot here ­— which keeps things interesting.

* DRINK: The Sycamore Julep, $8

* BYOF: On a recent Sunday, one group of intrepid urban picnickers bought a bottle of pinot grigio at the bar and then tucked into a cooler packed with turkey sandwiches, Kettle chips and crudités. A few feet away, a couple delved into a spread of Middle Eastern fare from Mimi’s Hummus, a tiny spot across Cortelyou Road that often has long waits for a table. “People come from around the block and bring their dinner — they don’t want to be cooped up at home. We’re not dictating what they bring. It’s really whatever makes them happy,” says co-owner Justin Israelson.