A blog about our Brooklyn neighborhood.
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Friday, August 6th, 2010
The folks at the Prospect Leffterts blog Hawthorne Street report that a woman who worked at the local place Enduro is opening another cafe on Flatbush Ave, around Lincoln Road.
Between that and Dallas BBQ…
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Thursday, July 15th, 2010
Ox Cart Tavern was supposed to open after July 4th, and that would be about now. No word yet from David on a final opening date.
In the meantime, the Catskill Bagels and Qhatra both have been delayed by plumbing issues. Who wants to bet that Madeline will open before either?
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
Opened quietly on July 3rd. It is as lovely as the Park Slope location, with an excellent range of toys for kids of all ages. Prices seem to have a range too.
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
Good news for commuters:
Alexander Hall, who is opening Cafe Madeline on Cortelyou with his partner later this year, writes in that I misheard him when we first spoke: The cafe will open at 7:00 a.m., not at 10:00, on weekdays, 9:00 a.m. on weekends. It will stay open til 7:00 p.m.
Sorry about the confusion.
Also, they’ve got a Facebook page up that includes some rather daunting photographs of the raw space: 
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
Toy Space on Cortelyou, next to San Remo has its awning delivered yesterday. The shelves look almost stacked. It can’t be much longer now.
Thursday, June 17th, 2010
Chef and co-owner of Ox Cart Tavern David Pitula tells me today that they are basically finished with renovating the Pomme de Terre space on Newkirk and Argyle, and the updated opening is the week after July 4th, assuming the full liquor license comes through. So no, not Junction 583, as we were all led to believe , but Ox Cart Tavern.
So the feel – a “vintage American Tavern”, with focus on drinks, but serving exceptionally good food too. There will be a TV screen for watching sports events, and they are talking about having music at the space as well. There will be two booths, in addition to tables and the bar, seating about 35. Pork ribs, chicken and steak burgers (don’t fret – veggie burgers too) will be on the menu (will post when we get our hands on it).
They will start with 6pm -midnight on weekdays, 6-2am on weekends, with kitchen closing around 11 or 11:30pm. There will be some nibbles for kids (in our opinion they are being way too accommodating), and the plan is to start serving lunch in the fall.
Can’t wait for what promises to be a lovely and lively spot! Pomme de Terre for not much longer …
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010
A neighbor reports that the date is to be June 18th! On Cortelyou, where Kestyn’s office used to be.
Thursday, May 20th, 2010
The gates were up at Catskill Bagel tonight, though it’s still unclear when they’re going to open.
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
(Image by urbancholita)
When we heard that Crop to Cup was coming to Cortelyou we thought – well, maybe the Catskill Bagel will carry it, but it is not the case.
According to Taylor Mork of Crop to Cup, it will be served at Qathra (not clear the spelling they’ll use, but it’s Arabic for “Drop”) – a market / food / coffee blend expected to open within the next few weeks – “with espresso bar and eventually a Hario pourover coffee bar!”
We hear that the deli has been completely gutted and and over the last 6 months reclaimed wood bar along with custom seating and shelving have been installed. The owners are Egyptian restauranteurs, and the food will be Egyptian once the kitchen is up and running, but according to Mork they will be starting out with “an espresso bar (plenty of standing and seating space), pastries and probably some sandwiches. We’re hoping to fire up the espresso machine this weekend”.
The location is 1112 Cortelyou Rd, currently disguised by “Super Deli”. We’ll have more and some pictures as soon as we get to peek inside.
[updated the spelling Qathra, not Katra]
Thursday, May 13th, 2010
Soho Cafe & Grill is renovating at 215 Church, with promises to open soon.
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
and open in late June, as a gastropub it seems.
Monday, May 10th, 2010
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.
Thursday, May 6th, 2010
A branch of Park Slope’s wonderful Toy Space will open on Cortelyou, filling a gap left by the late, and much lamented Belle & Maxie, which stocked high quality toys and beautiful kids clothes before it closed, Brooklyn Hearth’s Jan Rosenberg, emailed.
The owner of Toy Space, which is on 7th Avenue between 14th and 15th, has signed plans to open a new Toy Space at 1410 Cortelyou Road between Marlborough and Rugby, and hopes to be open in early June, she says.
If you haven’t been there, it’s really a great store, tilted toward quality and engaging toys, but also packed with a wide range and interesting selection of stuff.
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
Superior Deli opened last night, seriously brightening the Cortelyou & Rugby corner. The festive flickering lighting will remind us of Dyker Heights nightly, and will possibly help locate Ditmas Park from outer space.
Friday, February 26th, 2010
The man shoveling outside the Cortelyou storefront that’s going to be Kumo Sushi said they hope to open at the beginning of April.
He also said they’re not, contrary to earlier speculation, related to the Upper West Side restaurant of the same name (which gets pretty mediocre reviews any way), but that they have places in New Jersey. Stay tuned.
Sunday, January 31st, 2010
Market
1211 Cortelyou Road (between Argyle and Westminster, next to Mimi’s Hummus)
Brooklyn, NY 11218
phone & fax 718-284-4446
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Thursday, January 14th, 2010
We have not had a chance to independently confirm this, but a trustworthy neighbor emails :
I passed by the space at 1406 Cortelyou Rd. (btwn San Remo and New Neighbor) and noticed there was paper on the windows. I have been admiring this space for several months and wondered why it was vacant for so long. Well, the two men inside where beaming with pride when they told me they would be opening a new Japanese restaurant.
UPDATE – It’s true. A Japanese restaurant is coming to Cortelyou, though it may be a little while before the construction is complete. The owners have another Japanese restaurant in Midtown Manhattan, not sure of exact location.
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
February 12, 2010 is the opening date for the new wine bar, the Castello Plan, on Cortelyou and Argyle, next to the Market and Mimi’s Hummus. We can’t wait! Good luck Ben and Avi!
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Wednesday, January 6th, 2010
The Village Voice says that Market, next to Mimi’s will open on January 25th, and talks to owner Avi Shuker:
“We’re going to have cheese, olives, meats, coffee, chocolate, and specialty deli products,” Shuker says. He’s calling the store a “modern Middle Eastern local market,” explaining that while many of its products will be Middle Eastern, he’s sourcing its meats and cheeses from local companies. The 50 or 60 products available will also include jam, maple syrup, and couscous — but sadly for hummus freaks, while there will be tahini and “probably chickpeas,” Shuker says that the store won’t be selling any food from Mimi’s menu.
Market shares a space with Shuker’s [and Benjamin Heemskerk's] wine bar, which he says is set to open by the end of February. The bar will be called the Castello Plan, after the 17th-century map of Lower Manhattan designed by Jacques Cortelyou, a surveyor and the namesake of the road that Mimi’s and is brethren call home.
Sunday, December 20th, 2009
The farmer’s market’s Allison Whaley asked that we pass on word that, despite the snow, the market is open and key merchants are setting up shop. Gill’s fish and Jorge Carmona’s vegetable stand (it’s his last week!) are setting up shop now, and eggs and bread are expected as well.
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Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
New heights of local restaurant hype from Eater, which calls Purple Yam a “potential neighborhood gamechanger.” (Not too much, I hope.)
Grub Street has a little more detail.
The hype may be deserved: The food we had Sunday was amazing, and when we returned last night for dinner, there was a wait of at least an hour. (We consoled ourselves with Farm burgers and beer.)
Monday, November 2nd, 2009
They were working late there last night, and Time Out now lists them as set to open by November 11:
Purple Yam Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan made their reputation serving expertly prepared Filipino food at their now shuttered Soho restaurant, Cendrillon. Ditmas Park residents are the lucky recipients of their next project, a bamboo-accented Pan-Asian eatery serving small plates. Fans of the original can look forward to old favorites like pork adobo, alongside new additions such as homemade kimchi and a variety of noodles, including Korea’s japchae and the Phillipine’s pancit bihon (rice noodles cooked with pork, chicken, vegetables and stock). A selection of Asian beers, shochu and sake will be available to pair with the food. 1314 Cortelyou Rd between Argyle and Rugby Rds, Ditmas Park, Brooklyn (718-940-8188)
UPDATE: A neighbor notes the website says the place opens November 10, and adds lots more detail and great pics:
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
The person who answered the phone at Bagels by the Park, the bagel shop on the corner of Smith Street and Union Street in Carroll Gardens, confirmed today that they’d taken the former Giant Bagel location on Cortelyou Road, and that they’ll be open there in about two months.
Bagels by the Park is an unglamorous Smith Street standby — which is to say, a huge step up in quality from its predecessor, and an improvement from the bagels currently on offer on the strip, at least since Connecticut Muffin quietly did away with the H&H Bagels. They make them fresh in Carrol Gardens, and it’s unclear whether they’ll be making them here.
Their bagels get pretty good online reviews, while the reviews for the service and coffee are more mixed. (The contractor on Cortelyou had called it “Manhattan-style,” and I guess Smith Street is close.)
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