Brooklyn Food Conference

As a Brooklyn blog, we know that food is an important topic to our readers (our traffic goes way up every time we mention Taste of Fifth or other restaurant events). That's why we think you'll be interested in the Brooklyn Food Conference, which is taking place on May 12, from 9 AM to 6 PM at Brooklyn Technical High School.

 The conference FREE and will feature 175 workshops, an Expo with over 300 vendors, cooking demos with local Brooklyn chefs, kids activities, a youth summit, films, music, art and child care!

Go to bkfoodconference.org for more details, to donate or to get involved.

News Round-Up

Open for Business: Park Slope Academy of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, 518 Fifth Avenue [Here’s Park Slope]

Infidelity Popular In Park Slope These Days, Says Website For Cheaters [Gothamist]

Bronx Tale: Ex-Newser Paul LaRosa ’s Memoir Recalls Youth in Soundview Housing Project [Daily News]

No ‘Kemistry’ — Slope Group Votes No on Club’s Liquor License [Brooklyn Paper]

Also, this weekend: Nineteenth Century Baseball!

Fifth Avenue Customer Survey

Learn About Lending

Our friends at the Park Slope Small Business Forum are tackling the issue of funding your small business ideas next week. If you are a Park Slope small business person or if you have a great idea you are working on, you may want to drop by this free event. Here are the details:

How Crowd-Funding and Microlending Can Boost Your Business and Fund Your Dream Project.

Wednesday 2nd May 2012 from 7.30pm
Two Moon Art House and Cafe

Speakers:

Jay Lee is one of the founders of Small Knot, a local, social lending platform. Through Small Knot, people can invest in their own communities by giving a social loan to a locally-owned small business. Jay will give some background on Small Knot and explain how your local business can become a recipient of funds through Small Knot.

Tim Sutton is a filmmaker, educator and founding director of Video Kid Brooklyn - a film school for NYC youth. He is also the recipient of over $40,000 from Kickstarter, the world's largest funding platform for creative projects. Tim will talk about his experiences with the Kickstarter process and his formula for success.

Erica Dorn is the Business Development Officer for Accion, a microlending organization that has provided financing to over 20,000 small businesses. Erica develops strategic partnerships that provide emerging small businesses with expert coaches and PR opportunities in addition to credit-building financing to grow healthy businesses.

Find out how you can:
- Get your creative idea funded.
- Get support from your local community for your business.
- Get needed start-up funds to grow your business
- Learn tips and tricks on tapping into the social lending world.

Limited space, so please RSVP to weissj2003@yahoo.com

Networking from 7.30pm, speakers start at 8pm.

Shop Your Values Week

Starting May 3rd through May 10th, hundreds of small businesses throughout the city will take part in Shop Your Values Week.

Shop Your Values Week is NYC’s first week-long celebration of stores and restaurants that do good. How does it work? Shoppers take a pledge online that they will do their best to shop and eat at the participating ethical and sustainable businesses for the week. The businesses will be vetted through a survey process and qualified stores, bars and restaurants will give discounts and incentives to make being a "good" consumer even sweeter.

Find out more and take the pledge to participate at shopyourvaluesweek.com.

Merchants: are you are interested in participating? Click here to start the sign-up process.

Fifth Avenue Fair Coming Soon

Now that Taste of Fifth is done, our attention has turned to The Fabulous Fifth Avenue Fair, which will take place on Sunday, May 20th from Noon - 6 pm.

If you are a street vendor or small business and you want a space at one of the best street fairs in the city, download the application from Clearview Festivals or call them at 646-230-0489.

 In addition, discounted space is being offered to local artists and craftspeople to exhibit their own works. These discounted booths are $75, so act now. Space is limited!

News Round-Up

Park Slope Historic District Now City’s Biggest [New York Times]

Dizzy’s New Location on Fifth Ave. Opens for Business [PS Patch]

Dale Talde Talks About Asian-American Cuisine, Chefs He Admires Part 2 [Village Voice]

Why it’s Mostly Better to Shop Local [FIPS]

Photos from Taste of Fifth

What a great night! All told, about 400 people ate, drank and danced the night away at A Taste of Fifth Avenue last night. Thanks, Park Slope, for making it a big success!

Here are some photos we managed to take, from set-up through the end.

Tonight: Taste of Fifth!

Well, the night has finally come. Join us tonight at 6:30 pm at the Grand Prospect Hall for an evening of great Fifth Avenue food, drinks, music and dancing, all for a good cause.

You still have some time to buy tickets in advance via Brownpapertickets.com, but hurry! Pre-sale will close this afternoon.

Not convinced yet? Here's a list of the food and drinks that our participating restaurants and businesses will be preparing:

Al Di La: ​​​​Warm Farro Salad
Aperitivo Cafe: Philly Steak Sliders​ & potatoes
Blue Ribbon​: Smoked BBQ Ribs
Baluchi's​​​​: Chicken Tikka Masala, Bread,Spinach & String Beans
Backyard​​​​: Fig & Bleu cheese on flat bread
Bagel World: ​​​Shrimp Salad & Smoked Salmon​
Benchmark​​​​: Pastrami cured Short ribs, Truffled Kraut
Bierkraft​​​​: Beer made chocolate cookie & beer pairing
Blue Sky Bakery​​​: Assorted Mini Muffins
Bonnie's Grill: Buffalo Chicken Wings
Brooklyn Bread: Assorted Breads
Beauty Bar: Signature Cocktail
Caramelo: ​​​​Assorted Gelato Truffles
Chip Shop​​​​: Mac & Cheese
Coco Roco​​​​: Ceviche, Potato Balls & Empanadas
Community Market: Various
Eagle Provisions​​​: Home Made Kielbasa & Roast Beef
Edible Arrangements: Fresh Fruit Arrangement
El Pollito Mexicano: ​​Rotisserie Chicken
Fornino’s: ​​​​Meat Ball & Chicken Sliders
Fleisher’s Organic Butcher: ​Lamb Sausage & Dipping Sauce
Has Beans​​​​: Vegan Red Velvet cake & Choc Cake
KiKu Asian Bistro & Sushi​​: Sushi
Kos Kaffe: ​​​​Coffee & Short Breads
Lobo​​​​​: TBD
Los Pollitos 2: Rotisserie Chicken, Rice & Beans
M &S Prime Meats: ​​Fresh Mozzarella & Tomatoe & Basil
Palo Santo & Fort Reno​​: TBD
Piramide: ​​​​Guacamole
Pork Slope (Talde) ​​TBD
Side Car: Brandade
Sky Ice: Sweet & Savory ​​Homemade ice cream
Stone Park Café: TBD
Sweet Treasures: ​​​Assorted Desserts
Yayo’s Latin Cuisine: ​​Roast Pork, Rice & Peas, Flan
7-11​​​​​: TBD
200 Fifth: Roast Pork Sliders

April 28th: Family Fun Festival

Save the Date: Saturday, April 28th from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, drop by 4th Street and 5th Avenue for a great day of family fun, sponsored by Puppetry Arts and the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID.

Live music, food, games and Star Wars Characters. See you there!

This Week: A Taste of Fifth!

Just a few more days until A Taste of Fifth at The Grand Prospect Hall. Tickets are $35 in advance (via Brownpapertickets.com) or $38 at the door.

Come on out and try a little taste of what Fifth Avenue has to offer and raise money for local community groups. It's a win-win for everyone!

For every $35 ticket sold, $20 goes to the organization of your choice:

*Brooklyn Arts Exchange
*Brooklyn Pride
*Middle School 51
*Puppetry Arts
*The Fifth Avenue Committee
*Old Stone House & Washington Park
*Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID


Participants:

Al Di La
Aperitivo
Blue Ribbon
Baluchi's
Backyard
Bagel World
Benchmark
Bierkraft
Blue Sky Bakery
Bonnie's Grill
Brooklyn Bread
Beauty Bar
Caramelo
Chip Shop
Coco Roco
Community Market
Dizzies (Fifth and President)
Eagle Provisions
Edible Arrangements
Fornino
Fleisher’s Organic Butcher Carving Board
Has Beans
KiKu Asian Bistro & Sushi
Kos Kaffe
Lobo
Los Pollitos 2
M & S Prime Meats
Palo Santo & Fort Reno
Piramide
Pork Slope (a new restaurant by Talde)
Sidecar
Sky Ice
Stone Park Cafe
Sweet Treasures
Yayo's Latin Cuisine
200 Fifth Sports Bar & Restaurant
7-11

News Round-Up

Pinkberry to Cool Off Park Slope [WSJ]

Star Chefs plan Park Slope Pastry Palace [Brooklyn Paper]

"For Rent" Sign Back Up on Great Lakes/ Terroir Space, No Cause for Alarm [Here’s Park Slope]

Vote to Expand Park Slope HD Happening Tuesday [Brownstoner]

This Weekend: Escapemaker Local Food & Travel Expo

The weather this weekend is supposed to be spectacular! Take advantage of it by taking a stroll along Fifth Ave! While you are on your way north, do yourself a favor and keep walking to the Escapemaker.com Local Food and Travel Expo.

This is the second year for this event at One Hanson Place (Historic Williamsburg Savings Bank). Learn about affordable day-trip destinations, sample regional wines and cheeses and stroll through a "Made in Brooklyn" marketplace. Tickets are $13 and kids 10 and under are free. The event goes from 12-5.

 For more information or to order tickets, click here.

Save the Date: Spring Civic Sweep

Save the date, Park Slope. On Saturday, April 21, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. (rain or shine), the Park Slope Civic Council will be hosting its annual Civic Sweep program.

Make a clean sweep of your home and your neighborhood by picking up litter on Fourth, Fifth, or Seventh Avenues as well as caring for local trees. Meet up at the sidewalk in front of the Old Stone House & Washington Park, Fifth Avenue between Third and Fourth Streets on Saturday, April 21. 

For more details, go to parkslopeciviccouncil.org/civic-sweep.

More Restaurants Sign Up for A Taste of Fifth

Eight more days until A Taste of Fifth at The Grand Prospect Hall. Stone Park Cafe and Los Pollitos 2 have signed up to participate this week. Looks like a lot of great Fifth Avenue Restaurants will be making food for the event.

And, remember, A Taste of Fifth will raise money for local community groups. For every $35 ticket sold, $20 goes to the organization of your choice:

*Brooklyn Arts Exchange
*Brooklyn Pride
*Middle School 51
*Puppetry Arts
*The Fifth Avenue Committee
*Old Stone House & Washington Park
*Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID

Purchase your tickets online now before they are sold out!

Participants:

Al Di La
Aperitivo

Blue Ribbon
Baluchi's
Backyard
Bagel World
Benchmark
Bierkraft
Blue Sky Bakery
Bonnie's Grill
Brooklyn Bread
Beauty Bar
Caramelo
Chip Shop
Coco Roco
Community Market
Dizzies (Fifth and President)
Eagle Provisions
Fornino
Fleisher’s Organic Butcher Carving Board
Has Beans
KiKu Sushi
Kos Kaffe
Lobo
Los Pollitos 2
M &S Italian Deli
Palo Santo
Piramide
Pork Slope (a new restaurant by Talde)
Sky Ice
Stone Park Cafe
Sweet Treasures
200 Fifth Sports Bar & Restaurant
7-11

New NYC Map App

iPhone users: a new app co-created by NYC&Co (New York City's official marketing, tourism and partnership organization) and local start-up Citymaps is now available on iTunes.

Yeah, we know, there are a lot of map apps for the iPhone. So, what's different about this one? Well, for one, it's a local effort made by New Yorkers and we all know that maps are better when they are made by locals. Plus, it allows the user to navigate New York City using easy-to-recognize names and logos. Plus, it finds nearby deals on Groupon, Living Social and Restaurants.com.

We gave it a try and it seems to work pretty well, although the map didn't reflect the very latest businesses on Fifth Avenue.  Then again, who can keep up with the changes?

Download it via iTunes here.

Happy Easter and Passover

Happy Easter and Happy Passover from the merchants of Fifth Avenue and the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID.

News Round-Up

Park Slope Ice Cream Ban: Brooklyn Parents Write Parody Clarification [Huffington Post]

Does ‘Hollywood’ Take Your Parking Spot too Often? [PS Patch]

Beauty Bar [NY Times]

The Participatory Budget Votes Are In: Brooklyn Goes for Bathrooms [Thirteen: Metro Focus]

VIDEO: Chef Dale Talde Opens Up About His Restaurant Opening [Daily Meal]

Odd Twin Turns Three

Fifth Avenue's Odd Twin (164 Fifth Avenue) turns 3 on Friday! Congratulations, guys!

 Drop by between 6 and 11 pm for beer, sangria, discounted shopping and more!

Changes at Le Chandelier Salon

Le Chandelier Salon (264 Fifth Avenue) has been a mainstay of the avenue for 15 years. However, last night we learned that as of April 1, the lease for the salon was sold to the owners of Rompal Salon (which has been part of the Park Slope Community for 22 years). 


The change won't be too drastic, though. The staff of Le Chandelier will keep their jobs and the spot will be transformed into a full service salon. So, over all, it's a win-win for the avenue. 


Renovations should be completed by mid-May,

Taste of Fifth Update

Just over two weeks until the big Taste of Fifth event at The Grand Prospect Hall. The list of participating businesses keeps growing (see below). Get your tickets now before they sell out!

April 18th at 6:30 pm, The Grand Prospect Hall

Enjoy music, dancing, and complimentary wine and beer. Twenty dollars of every $35 ticket sold will be donated to the local non-profit organization of your choice:

*Brooklyn Arts Exchange

*Brooklyn Pride

*Middle School 51

*Puppetry Arts

*The Fifth Avenue Committee

*The Old Stone House

*Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID

Participants (List in Formation): (Updated 4/4/12)

Al Di La
Blue Ribbon
Baluchi's
Backyard
Bagel World
Benchmark
Bierkraft
Blue Sky Bakery
Bonnie's Grill
Brooklyn Bread
Beauty Bar
Caramelo
Chip Shop
Coco Roco
Community Market
Dizzies (Fifth and President)
Eagle Provisions
Fornino
Fleisher’s Organic Butcher Carving Board
Has Beans
KiKu Sushi
Kos Kaffe
Lobo
M & S Italian Deli
Palo Santo
Piramide
Pork Slope (a new restaurant by Talde)
Sky Ice
Sweet Treasures
200 Fifth Sports Bar & Restaurant
7-11

New Sales Tax Exemption

No, it's not an April Fools prank. The State of New York has reinstated its sales tax exemption for items (or pairs) of clothing or shoes that cost less than $110.

Once again, it pays to shop local on Park Slope's Fifth Avenue!

Details on the exemption are available here.