Happy Halloween!

from the gang at All About Fifth and the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID.

Heading out to the Park Slope Children's Halloween Parade? Here is the day's schedule:



3:00-3:55 Registration for the Costume Contest at "John Jay High School" (7th Ave btw 4th and 5th Sts)
4:00-5:00 Costume Contest
5:00-6:00 Musical Performance by Ethan’s Motley Rockin’ Show
6:00 Street Closures on Parade Route
6:30 Parade Starts at 7th Ave and 14th Street
7:30 Streets along the Parade route will re-open

News Round-Up

Freddy's Bar Finds New Home in Park Slope after Getting the Boot from Brooklyn Atlantic Yards Arena [No Land Grab]

A Guide to Brooklyn Venues [Drowned in Sound]

Best of Brooklyn [Soundalong]

Good Morning: Muffins from Blue Sky Bakery in Park Slope [Serious Eats]

The Long-Gone Fifth Avenue Theater [Here's Park Slope]

Picture: New Freddy's Bar co-owners (from l.) Matt Kuhn, Donald O'Finn and Matt Kimmett (Photo: Robert Mecea/Daily News)

Coming Soon! Five On Fifth

The Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID has just announced a new "Five on Fifth" initiative. Next Friday, November 5th, go to participating stores, bars or restaurants and get a special $5 deal or discount!

We'll work on getting the specific deals for you but, in the meantime, go to parkslopefifthavenuebid.com/fiveonfifth to see a list of participants and a Google Map.

Congratulations Kappa Sake House!

Check out their great new review in the New York Times.

Farmers' Market Footage

We happened to be at the Park Slope Fifth Avenue Farmers' Market this past Sunday and we caught some great shots of the vendors and shoppers enjoying the weather and the fresh food. We also got some video clips of the staff of El Pollitos cooking up some Mexican dishes with fresh ingredients from the nearby farm stands.

By the way, next Sunday's cooking demo (Halloween Day) will be by the chefs at Mama Rosa. It starts at 2:00 sharp! We hear the cooking demo will be scary...but in a good way.

Freddy's on Fifth

Back in February of 2010, we wrote about Ellis Bar's Penny for a Pint Friday Night Special and longed for some free time and a fist full of coins. Weeks later, we received word that Ellis had closed its doors for good. Maybe the pints were a little underpriced?

Anyway, good news, bar fans. Yesterday, Brownstoner reported that the now empty Ellis Bar space will soon be occupied by the famous Freddy's Bar & Backroom. Yes, the bar that lead the fight against the Atlantic Yards has been homeless for several months now but it looks like it finally found the right space, at the right price, right on Fifth Avenue.

This is certainly going to be interesting. For more on this interesting turn of events, read Brownstoner's post here.

Photo via Brownstoner

Travel to Alsace with Melt

Tomorrow (Tuesday, October 26th) from 5:30 - 9:00, take a virtual plane ride to Alsace, France with the gang from Melt and enjoy a wine tasting with 5 wines and 5 dishes for just $40!

Here are the wines and paired food that will be served:

TEMPURA FRIED SPICY SALMON ROLL
2008 HUGEL "GENTIL" SYLVANER BLEND

MODERN CAESAR SALAD
2007 BAUR "HERRENWEG" RIESLING

ARTISANAL HOT DOG w/With All The Fixings
2007 BAUR "SANG DU DRAGON" PINOT NOIR

BEER AND HONEY BRAISED OXTAIL w/Celery Root Puree
2008 NITTNAUS ZWIGELT

PASSION FRUIT PUDDING/White Chocolate Sherbet
2001 HUGEL VENDAGE TARDIVE RIESLING


For questions or to make reservations, call 718.230.5925 and leave a message or email: meltnyc@gmail.com

News Round-Up

The Other Livable Streets Showdown in Park Slope Tomorrow [Streetsblog]

Halloween in Brooklyn 2010: Parades, Parties and Fests [A Child Grows in Brooklyn]

Park Slope to Expand Historic District? [Brooklyn Ink]

Halloween Parade Costume Contest

We are really way too excited about Halloween. Sure, we hear it's generally a pretty bad day to be a store or restaurant owner, as much of the day consists of giving away candy and watching as your customers walk by in costumes without stopping. Still, call us crazy, but we can't help but feel that Halloween is the greatest day of the year.

Anyway, we've already posted details about this year's Children's Halloween Parade. Yesterday, Park Slope Parents posted the schedule for their annual costume contest, which will take place on Halloween, before the parade, at 4 pm in front of the Secondary School for Law, Journalism, and Research (formerly John Jay High School) at 7th Avenue between 4th and 5th Streets (rain location inside the school).

Be there or be...scared. Or something like that.

Photo: Susan Fox of Park Slope Parents, Halloween 2009 (The Brooklyn Paper)

Open Space Versus Parking on 4th (Street)

Recently, the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID joined organizations like The Old Stone House and the Park Slope Civic Council to discuss ways to close 4th Street, between 4th and 5th Avenues, to cars. This change would reduce the number of parking spaces available to the neighborhood but would, in turn, provide more park space to the community and create a central gathering place for events along the avenue. This is especially important, as the Fifth Avenue portion of Washington Park will undergo a year-long renovation in the coming months.

According to the Brooklyn Paper, the city's Department of Transportation has not made any final determination on the site, but a change could be coming in the near future. Although teachers interviewed by the Brooklyn Paper were upset about the potential loss of parking spots, we hear that the final proposal may be some sort of compromise, allowing teacher parking during school hours and open space at all other times.

So, what do you think? Good idea? Bad idea? Let us know, and try not to be as cranky as the commenters in the Brooklyn Paper article. Sheesh, people.

Roadify iPhone App

A couple of weeks ago, Park Slope tech start-up Roadify launched an iPhone App which should be of interest to every New Yorker. With it, you can get accurate subway station locations and schedule information for the buses and subways you use every day. Even better, the Roadify App has a social feature, through which members can share real-time information about public transit service. For drivers, the app even allows you to give and get the location of rare New York City parking spots.

We downloaded the app last week and it seems really great. Unfortunately, we tend to forget to bring those reusable shopping bags with us when we go to the grocery store and, lately, we keep forgetting to fire up the app on our way to work.

Is there an app for that?

More Pizza?

The space at 289 Fifth Avenue (between 1st and 2nd Streets) has undergone a lot of changes over the past five years. Most recently, SP Vino opened and closed and now, according to Brownstoner, the space is slated to become a brick oven pizza joint called "Pete's Pizzeria and Bar."

Now, of course, we really didn't need to link to Brownstoner on this issue because we noticed the sign about a week ago and we walked away scratching our heads. On the one hand, we were happy to see an empty space filled on the avenue. On the other hand, according to the BID's Business Directory, Fifth Avenue is host to at least 20 Italian eateries (between Dean and 18th Streets), many of which have pizza on the menu. I mean, it was just back in July that we welcomed Campo De Fiori!

So, how many pizza places is too many? Will you give this one a try? Which Fifth Avenue pizza joint is your favorite?

Photo via Brownstoner

News Round-Up

The Great Brooklyn Taco Tour [The Youngblood NYC]

Barcade Turns Six; Another Brick-Oven Pizzeria Planned for Park Slope [Grub Street]

Sweep the Streets and Party at Harvest Festival with Park Slope Civic Council [mcbrooklyn]

WHASSUP: Things Are Happening; Go to Them [FIPS]

* photo from The Youngblood NYC

Help Clean Up Fifth this Weekend

Since January of 2009, the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID has provided additional sanitation services along the avenue. As a result, the avenue appears to be cleaner than it has ever been. Yet, sometimes it is nice to get the community together to give the neighborhood some extra polish.

This Sunday, October 17 (10 am to 2 pm), join the Park Slope Civic Council for their annual "Fall Civic Sweep." Starting at 10 am at MS 51 (5th Avenue between 4th and 5th streets), volunteers can gather to help cover graffiti, pick up litter, rake leaves, mulch trees and plant daffodil bulbs.

You'll also be able to bring your unwanted electronic devices (old t.v.'s, computers, toasters, etc.) for recycling by Greg's Express. Plus, there will be refreshments, bluegrass music by Vincent Cross and Good Company, and the gang from Roadify will be on hand to describe their free service to get real-time information about open parking spots and bus and subway arrival times.

Finally, after taking your turn cleaning the 'hood, drop by Washington Park (11 am - 3pm) for the Harvest Festival for some pony rides, pumpkin painting and family fun.

After all of that, you'll be needing some rest and a stiff drink.

Halloween Parade Details

We just received the official press release about the Park Slope Children's Halloween Parade. Here are some of the highlights:


Come out with the whole family to participate in magical and memorable Halloween festivities! This year's theme is Fairy Tales, so come dressed as princesses, fairies, gnomes, ravens, and sprites or anything else that is inspired by Halloween!

Sunday, October 31, 2010
4 pm to 9 pm (rain or shine)

At 4 pm the Park Slope Civic Council's Halloween Costume Contest will begin in front of the Secondary School for Law, Journalism, and Research (formerly John Jay High School) at 7th Avenue between 4th and 5th Streets (rain location inside the school). Costume categories range from “best theme,” to “best classic character,” to “best use of materials.” Winners have a special place in the parade with banners to fly proudly. After the contest, stick around and let loose to a musical performance of Ethan’s Motley Rockin’ Show.

The main event—the Annual Park Slope Civic Council Children’s Halloween Parade—kicks off at 6:30 pm at the corner of 7th Avenue and 14th Street. The parade continues up 7th Avenue, turns left on 3rd Street and ends at Washington Park (formerly JJ Byrne Park), where the revelry will continue until 9 pm with musical performances by Paprika, Hearts of Steel, and the Famous Accordion Orchestra. The parade will feature oversized puppets, including a 20 foot mermaid, sun and moon goddesses, a giant wizard and our newest arrival, a giant dragon.

The day's festivities are made possible by The Park Slope Civic Council, the Park Slope Chamber of Commerce, The Park Slope Farmer’s Market, Park Slope Parents, the Old Stone House, the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID, and The Puppeteers’ Cooperative.

Welcome Back!

We're a little late to this story but we were such big fans of the television show, we just had to post something. According to Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn, a replica of the original "Welcome to Brooklyn" sign (originally featured in the "Welcome Back Kotter" opening) is now on permanent display in Brooklyn Borough Hall. Unfortunately, the original was stolen 33 years ago.

So, after watching the show's opening sequence, above, the term "The more things change, the more they stay the same" came to mind. I mean, there are no iPhones, fancy strollers or latte's in the opening credits of Welcome Back Kotter, but it all seems very familiar, doesn't it?

Fall Cooking Demo: Baluchi's Park Slope

Wow, 10/10/10 was quite a beautiful day. The temperature was just perfect for playing in the park, shopping at a farmers' market, listening to some music or even watching an open-air cooking demo.

Luckily, all of those activities were taking place along Fifth Avenue yesterday, between 3rd and 5th Streets. The gang from Balchis Park Slope drew quite a lot of attention as they demonstrated how to cook a very fragrant dish that they like to call "Home Away from Home Fresh Spinach (Saag) and Mushrooms (photos above). In case you missed it, we have provided you with the recipe, below:
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Serves 4-6


2 Large bunches of fresh spinach, washed, dried and chopped
2 Cups mixed mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 medium onions, chopped
4 Tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon whole cumin seeds
3 dried chilies
1/2 Teaspoon turmeric
1/2 Teaspoon garam masala
Salt to taste
Butter to taste
Fresh coriander for garnish

Pour oil into wide pan set over med/high heat. Add cumin seeds, chilies, turmeric and garam masala. When chilies darken, add onions and stir-fry for 6-7 minutes or until onions turn reddish in color. Add spinach, mushrooms and salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until liquid disappears (about 15 minutes). Cover and simmer over very low heat for 5 more minutes. Finish with cream and butter and remove chilies before serving. Garnish with fresh coriander.
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We didn't get a chance to post these last week, but here are some photos from October 3rd's cooking demo with the chefs of Belleville.

News Round-Up

Simply the best! Mile End leads Bklyn to top of Zagat Survey [Brooklyn Paper]

The Prettiest Things Come from You [What I Wear Daily]

Good Dry Cleaner/Tailor in Park Slope? [Brownstoner]

Kids Music Listings this Weekend: October 8, 9, 10, 11 [A Child Grows in Brooklyn]

Volunteer for the Park Slope Halloween Parade

Can you believe it? It's already time to start thinking about Halloween and in Park Slope, that means it is time to start thinking about the annual Children's Halloween Parade.

Like 2009, this year's parade will start on 7th Avenue @ 14th Street and then run down 3rd Street to The Old Stone House on Fifth Avenue (here is a video of last year's parade reaching Fifth Avenue). In order to make the parade a success, though, the Park Slope Civic Council needs a lot of help!

If you have some time to give, you can assist with the parade set-up, be a Marshall, and even help manage some of the giant parade puppets. To learn more about the available volunteer opportunities, click here.

Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Retired

Back in May, we reported that Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Julius Spiegel was retiring.

Last night was his official retirement party, after 37 years of public service. We dropped by to check out the festivities and to pay our respects. We just want to say, again, "Thank You Commissioner Spiegel for all you have done for Brooklyn's green spaces and enjoy your retirement!"

Photo: Commissioner Spiegel receiving a retirement gift from Borough President Marty Markowitz (why does the BP look like a ghost? Gotta get that camera checked.)

Daily News: Small Business Owners are Hurting

We've kind-of said it here before and we do hear merchants talk about the effects of the recession on their businesses but yesterday's Daily News article (Upturn is put down: We are hurting, New York small business owners say) really showed that the recession, although technically "over", is still very-much being felt by consumers and small business owners, alike.

So, restaurants look a littler fuller and the sidewalks and streets seem to be busier than during the dark days of 2009, but is that all an illusion? Are things really better? Have your shopping and eating habits been changed permanently by the recession or are your spending habits back to "normal"?

We'd love to hear from you!

A Little Jazz Drumming to Start the Week

We were checking things out on Fifth Avenue on Friday night when we heard some drumming coming from Puppets Jazz Bar. Lured by the beat, we dropped by and stayed for an early-evening Oktoberfest brew.

It turned out that one of the owners was practicing his chops on the drums before the evening's festivities began. We enjoyed the performance so much, we thought we would share some of it with you.

Sorry about the video quality, the camera was having trouble with the candlelight.

Oktoberfest, Part Zwei and More Cooking Demos

Okay, so the threat of an Armageddon-like storm kept Fifth Avenue pretty quiet last night. It's a shame because we certainly enjoyed the Kingfisher Beers at Baluchis Park Slope.

If you missed the festivities, don't worry! The rain should stop this evening, just in time! For details on tonight's events (which are pretty similar to last night's), check out yesterday's post.

Also, on Sunday, don't miss the second Fall Cooking Demo at The Farmers' Market on Fifth. Here is the schedule over the next few weeks:

Oct 3: Belleville
Oct 10: Baluchis
Nov 7: Stone Park
Nov 21: Palo Santo


Above is a brief photo slideshow of the September 26th demo by Fumiko Akiyama of Kappa Sake House.

News Round-Up

Brownstoner has got the Fifth Avenue beat nearly covered this week...

Restaurant of the Day: Blue Sky Bakery [Brownstoner]

The Mama Rosa Hate Parade [FIPS]

Park Slope's Long Tan Closing After 10 Years [Brownstoner]

Team Ratner Unveils Brooklyn’s Most Exhaust-Filled Public Space [Streetsblog]

Kitchen Reis Now Taqueria Reis [Brownstoner]