Author Archives: Chad Purkey

#TBT at Kum Kau Restaurant

Image Credit: Ted Lewin, author and illustrator of Big Jimmy's Kum Kau Chinese Take Out.

Image Credit: Ted Lewin, author and illustrator of Big Jimmy’s Kum Kau Chinese Take Out.

Kum Kau Restaurant has been on Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill for more than 38 years.  The restaurant, on the corner of Washington and Myrtle, has been a local institution for years and was even featured in a children’s book.  Big Jimmy’s Kum Kau Chinese Take Out, written and illustrated by neighborhood resident and Pratt Institute alum Ted Lewin, provides today #ThrowbackThursday image.  The watercolor illustration captures Kum Kau in 2001, and it looks like not much has changed in the past 13 years at this local landmark.

Big Jimmu’s Kum Kau Chinese Take Out by Ted Lewin, published by Harper Collins Publishers, 2001.

Interested in more local history?  Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to catch our weekly #ThrowbackThursday posts.

Myrtle Avenue’s Small Business Menu Expands with Peck’s in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn

Peck's on Myrtle Avenue, Clinton Hill


There will be a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Peck’s, tonight in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Theodore Peck will be holding a ceremony for his homemade specialty food shop. The organization, elected officials, and local community will be welcoming new business owner, Theodore Peck to Myrtle Avenue.

The shop will be home to mouthwatering options, such as expertly prepared foods, rotisserie chicken, charcuterie, artisanal cheese, sandwiches, growlers of craft beer and much more. The selection will change throughout the day to keep things fresh and provide variety for repeat customers. To start, there will be baked goods, corn muffins and biscuits layered with butter and preserves, homemade granola, oatmeal and coffee/espresso from La Colombe. As afternoon approaches, sandwiches with house-made meats, prepared foods, soups and salads will fill the room.

Local resident and store owner, Theo Peck, has a long, impressive history in the food industry. His fascination with the restaurant business started at the age of three at his great grandfather’s famous Lower East Side establishment, Ratner’s Restaurant. Peck went on to open Lansky Lounge, a successful Lower East Side restaurant and bar, attended the New England Culinary Institute and honed his skills at three national Top Fifty restaurants – Blue Hill at Stone Barns (Pocantico Hills, NY), Hugo’s (Portland, ME) and Fore Street (Portland, ME). 

Financial support from our Facade Improvement program helped Theodore decide to locate on Myrtle Avenue. In the past year the Partnership has provided grant funds to new businesses like Peck’s and Humo Smokehouse, as well as recently-opened Brooklyn Sweet Spot and Corkscrew Brooklyn, to assist with build-out and the installation of new storefronts. Grant funds were made available through the New York Main Street program which provides matching reimbursement grants of up to $50,000 for façade and storefront improvements in historic buildings. Clinton Hill resident, Theodore Peck suggests that the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership was instrumental in helping him open his business in Clinton Hill. “Being a Clinton Hill resident myself, I wanted a place to share my great grandfather’s recipes (and my own), and the Partnership helped bring this dream to reality.”  

Peck’s is located at 455A Myrtle Avenue between Waverly & Washington Avenues.

 

Brooklyn Sweet Spot Offers a Double Sweet Deal

Brooklyn Sweet Spot_blood drive2 There is a double-sweet deal planned at Brooklyn Sweet Spot on Friday, January 17th.  Yes, double:  Give blood to help save a life PLUS enjoy Brooklyn Sweet Spot’s delicious confections. This Friday, January 17th, Brooklyn Sweet Spot is joining forces with the New York Blood Center via a bus mobile parked outside of the bakery from 1pm-7pm. Just one pint of blood can save 3 lives so imagine the possibilities.  The blood will be used for adults and children experiencing a wide range of challenges, including surgeries, accident cases, cancer and sickle cell anemia patients. Stop at the busmobile to learn more and to give.  Please call (718) 522-2577 for additional information.  Photo ID with birthdate will be required.  Eat a well balanced meal before giving blood.   Brooklyn Sweet Spot is located at 366 Myrtle Avenue between Clermont and Adelphi.  They can be reached at 718. 624.CAKE (2253)

Tipsy Offers 3 Days of Wine and a Bit of Dine

Tipsy hosts wine tastings every Saturday at the store but this time, it’s three wine tastings plus a $30 weekender special (3 bottles of wine).  So, yes, get ready for Friday (1/10); a Greek wine theme on Saturday (1/11)–Brooklyn Kolache is bringing tasty spinach & feta kolaches to go with Tipsy’s white and red Greek wines; and next Tuesday (1/14) tastings.  Here are the details:

Happy Hour Friday

TGIF! Tipsy’s kicking off the weekend with a sustainable, silky red: Vincola Corellana Zorzal Graciano
($12). It’s full of soft red cherries and a little kick of pepper; pair it with your hearty January meals, particularly pork or beef dishes. Come 7pm today.

Saturday Sippers & Bites: Going Greek

Greek wine is still a bit of a mystery to many, but Tipsy has two bottles that that “customers are crazy about.” PLUS Brooklyn Kolache Co. is serving up some delicious mini feta & spinach kolaches because everyone deserves hors d’oeurves and wine on a Saturday. Stop by tomorrow, Saturday, from 3–7pm and try them; they’ll remind you that summer does exist (or prompt you to buy a plane ticket to Santorini).

Semeli Mountain Sun White ($14) – This fruity white comes from the Peloponnese region and is ripe with crisp lemon and melon with some stony undertones to mellow it all out.

Moraitis Paros Reserve Red ($16) – From the Greek island of Paros, this fun blend of red and white grapes yields a wine full of cherries and chocolate.

Tuesday Tasting

Tuesday January 14th is all about deep, red fruit so Tipsy is bringing out one of their favorite barberas: Giribaldi Rie Barbera Superior ($18).  Come bask in some cherry and raspberry flavors with Tipsy from 5–8pm.

New Weekender!

Tipsy’s latest combination comprises three bottles that have a combined value of $40, but they will let you have it for $30. Obviously this means that you have no excuse not to try these:

Hugues Beaulieu Picpoul (regularly $11) – Zesty and spicy all at once, with a hint of honey.

Vinicola del Sannio Aglianico (regularly $14) – Tipsy drank this bottle at their tasting last week.

Valle las Acequias Malbec Robles (regularly $15) – Bright notes of plums and raspberries dominate this wine, with the most luscious hint of chocolate – yum!

Buon Gusto to Open in Late January

Buon Gusto2_for blog

Image Credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership

Buon Gusto, a new Italian take-out restaurant, to open in late January.  Owner, Joe Esposito is no stranger to the neighborhood, practically growing up on the corner of Myrtle and Ryerson, when Los Pollitos Restaurant was the family-owned business, Card Corner, a Hallmark card and helium balloon landmark.  499 Myrtle is still family-owned and Joe’s branching out into a backspace of the restaurant.  The restaurant will boast a large, mainly takeout menu of extensive pizza offerings, antipastos, salads, dinners, rice balls, meat balls, jalapeno poppers, 15 different hot hero choices, calzones, paninis and soups.  Among dinner options will be shrimp scampi, tortellini and oreganata.  Bon appetit.  Stop through when the restaurant opens in late January.

Buon Gusto is located at 499 Myrtle Avenue on the corner of Ryerson.  Enter the restaurant through the side entrance on Ryerson.

Le Petit Bakery Publishes Children’s Cookbook

image credit: Trafford Publishing

Mother-son owners of Le Petit Bakery, Christopher and Susan have penned a brand new booke titled, Child Baker to Culinary Chef (Trafford Press).  A book signing is planned for early Spring.  The book is filled with reflections and recipes.

Susan shared, “The book offers resources to use in the kitchen, and it follows from Christopher’s beginning recipes as a child to some of the current recipes used in the bakery. I hope teachers and parents find this book helpful as I use the method of baking as a tool in teaching my students.  In fact there is a photo of two of my students in the book!”

Child Baker to Culinary Chef is a 60 page book which might be of particular interest to book lovers, foodies and those who love to bake, cook or create and families.

Please stop in at Le Petit Bakery to pre-order for pick up during the planned Spring book signing.

Le Petit Bakery is located at 354 Myrtle Avenue between Adelphi and Carlton.  The store can be reached at 718.875.6500.

A Snowy #TBT on Myrtle Avenue

Gedney_1960s_winter on Myrtle

Image credit: Duke University David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

A #TBT photo that may help to mentally prepare for the coming snow. This shot of Myrtle Avenue was taken by famed photographer William Gedney in 1969 from his apartment above what is now Kum Kau at the corner of Washington & Myrtle.  The winter scene is dominated by the Myrtle Avenue Elevated train, which ran through Fort Greene and Clinton Hill from the 1880’s through the 1960’s, when it was removed.

Storefronts on Myrtle Avenue Get a Facelift

Clockwise for top left: Peck's at 455A Myrtle, Bikes on Myrtle at 478 Myrtle, Storefront for Lease at 360 Myrtle, Humo Smokehouse at 336 Myrtle

Clockwise for top left: Peck’s at 455A Myrtle, Bikes on Myrtle at 478 Myrtle, Storefront for Lease at 360 Myrtle, Humo Smokehouse at 336 Myrtle.  Image Credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership.

Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill is seeing a lot of activity this week with new storefronts going in.  There are currently six projects underway within the district, several of which are receiving assistance from the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership.  The assistance comes in the form of matching grant dollars, provided through the New York Main Street (NYMS) grant program from the State’s Department of Homes and Community Renewal (DHCR).

Stay tuned for final photos of the new storefronts in the next couple of weeks.

New Resources for Local College Students

Many local businesses offer discounts with a valid student ID. Image Credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership

Many local businesses offer discounts with a valid student ID. Image Credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership

The new Myrtle Avenue website offers a handy section for local college students with local resources.  Students can find which local businesses offer student discounts, where to apply for jobs in the neighborhood and calls for artists to display work within the neighborhood.

Click over to the I Am A Student page to learn more.

#TBT to Brooklyn’s Wallabout Market

Image Source: Library of Congress

Image Source: Library of Congress

Thanksgiving can be stressful for a host who is charged with braving the supermarket crowds in search of the cranberry sauce, yams and the perfect turkey.  As this photo shows, one thing to be thankful for this year when prepping for your holiday, is that you don’t have to shop at the hectic Wallabout Market.

The Wallabout Market, located at Flushing and Washington avenues in what is now the Navy Yard, was open from 1884-1941.  The wholesale market, one of the largest in the entire world, was closed in the 1940’s to make way for the Navy Yard’s expansion in preparation of World War II.

Now Open: Tipsy Wine Store

Image Credit: Tipsy

Image Credit: Tipsy

Tipsy has opened its doors at 584 Myrtle, at the corner of Classon and Myrtle Avenues.  The store features a large, curated selection of wines from around the world.  The new shop will offer a comfortable environment to shop for good wines, with pretentiousness.  The business looks forward to serving everyone in the neighborhood, from wine aficionados to the casual shopper just looking for a good wine.

Visit Tipsy in the Shopping Directory for contact and hours information.

Weekly #TBT on Myrtle Avenue

1940's Historic Tax Photo, purchased from the New York City Department of Records.

1940’s Historic Tax Photo, purchased from the New York City Department of Records.

In this 1940’s photo of 370 & 372 Myrtle you’ll find Landi’s Jersey Pork store and a historic wooden storefront, respectively.  The former pork store is now currently looking for a new commercial tenant.  And 372, which once sold Salada Tea according to a sign in the window, is now home to Manee Thai, which offers $7 lunch specials!

Artober 2013 Comes to a Close

The second annual series of local art events throughout October was a success!  During the month, Myrtle Avenue and the surrounding neighborhoods hosted more than a dozen arts events, including live music performances, lectures, public art installations, painting a community mural, art exhibits within local businesses, and opening receptions.
View photos from the month within Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership’s Facebook photo album:

DOT “Daylights” Park Ave

Image Credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership

Image Credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership

NYC DOT installed “daylighting” regulations at seven locations along Park Avenue (Brooklyn).  Daylighting removes one parking space at the approach to an intersection and gives drivers/pedestrians a better view of oncoming traffic or crossing pedestrians.

Daylighting was installed at the following locations:

  • Westbound Park Avenue at the approach to North Oxford Street.
  • Eastbound Park Avenue at the approach to Waverly Avenue.
  • Westbound Park Avenue at the approach to Waverly Avenue.
  • Eastbound Park Avenue at the approach to Ryerson Street (pictured above and below).
  • Westbound Park Avenue at the approach to Grand Avenue.
  • Eastbound Park Avenue at the approach to Grand Avenue
  • Eastbound Park Avenue at the approach to Steuben Street.

This change was requested by MARP as a follow-up to the Park Avenue Pedestrian Safety Plan.

Image Credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership

Image Credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership

This driver now has a better view of oncoming traffic after stopping at the stop sign

Now Open: Corkscrew Wines

Corkscrew Wines

Image Credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership

Corkscrew Wines has opened shop on Myrtle Avenue at 489 Myrtle, between Hall and Ryerson.  The beautiful new shop has transformed a long-vacant space on Myrtle into a cozy place to shop for quality wines.  Business owner, Karin Torres, will provide a shopping experience that welcomes all types of costumers, including both wine aficionados and the occasional wine drinker.

Additionally, the shop will pay special attention to featuring wines from female wine makers.  DNAinfo has a full rundown of the new shop and what it’ll offer.

Find full business details for Corkscrew in the Business Directory.

Community Mural Rises at Associated Construction Site

Image Credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership

Image Credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership

A new mural around the Associated construction site at 490 Myrtle sprang up this weekend thanks to South of the Navy Yard Artists (SONYA).  Neighborhood residents came out to help with the painting of the 200 foot long mural on Sunday.

The design of the mural, titled “Say Hello To Tomorrow,” reflects on the temporary public art sculpture that called Fort Greene Park it’s home for the past year.  The piece, Tomorrow by Akihiro Ito, has now moved on from the park, but its message of sustainability and the thought of tomorrow still remains in the neighborhood thanks to this new piece of artwork.

The mural was designed collaboratively by artists from SONYA.

 

Explore Wallabout With OHNY Walking Tour

Wallabout Vanderbilt

Image Credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership

Explore the historic Wallabout neighborhood during a guided tour during Open House New York (OHNY) on Oct 12!  Staff from the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership will be leading two tours of the neighborhood, at 11am and 2pm.  The guided tour will cover the neighborhood’s history from 1624 through today, exploring Fort Greene Park, beautiful residential neighborhoods, the commercial district along Myrtle Avenue and the Wallabout industrial district along the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Registration for the tours, which have limited spaces, is now open through OHNY:
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/7888674237/eorg

BID Annual Meeting on Sept 30 at Pillow Cafe

2013 BID card_combined

Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership will be holding the 2013 BID Annual Meeting,with guest speaker Deputy Inspector Scott Henderson from the, 88th Precinct on Monday,September 30th, 5:30-8pm at Pillow Café-Lounge, 505 Myrtle Avenue, between Ryerson & Grand. Light appetizers and refreshments will be served. Open bar. The meeting is open to the public, but RSVP is required. To RSVP or register your membership for the 2013 BID Annual Meeting Click Here.

If you are unable to complete the online registration, click here to download the PDF form.  Fill it out, and fax it back to the BID office at 718-230-3674.

Four New Businesses Slated to Open on Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn

Clockwise from top left: Corkscrew Wines (489 Myrtle), eLgeo Electronics (552 Myrtle), Peck's (455A Myrtle) & Humo Smokehouse (336 Myrtle). Image Credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership.

Clockwise from top left: Corkscrew Wines (489 Myrtle), eLgeo Electronics (552 Myrtle), Peck’s (455A Myrtle) & Humo Smokehouse (336 Myrtle).  Image Credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership.

Four new businesses will open on Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill within the next two months. For now, they are all in different stages of buildout.

Photos of upcoming business locations clockwise from top left: Corkscrew Wines, a wine boutique which primarily focuses on estate-bottled wines from family-run wineries and female wine makers (489 Myrtle Avenue between Hall and Ryerson), Lgeoo Electronics, the new electronics store which will carry a wide range of equipment and gadgets for the home, including televisions, iPods, cameras, notebooks and computers (353 Myrtle Avenue between Adelphi and Carlton), Peck’s Homemade Delicacies, the fresh, prepared foods business (455 Myrtle Avenue between Washington and Waverly) and Humo Smokehouse, a new northern Spain-style barbeque restaurant. “Humo” means smoke in Spanish and the restaurant will use a giant smoker as opposed to a grill to trap in all of the delicious flavors (336 Myrtle Avenue between Carlton and Washington Park).

All four businesses are scheduled to receive façade improvement grants from the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership, which will support the installation of new signage and in some cases, other improvements to the retail space.

160 Hall Street: Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe

 

160 Hall Street. Image Credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership.

160 Hall Street. Image Credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership.

The historic homes in the neighborhoods surrounding Myrtle Avenue hold the stories of past neighborhood residents. Some of these stories belong to people of fame, others to commonplace folks. Here is one of those stories:

Rock musician, artist and cultural rebel Patti Smith moved to Brooklyn in 1967, when she met famed artist and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. The two, in their early twenties, quickly moved in together after meeting and found themselves an apartment at 160 Hall Street, just off Myrtle Avenue. Seen above, 160 Hall Street cost the two bohemians $160 upfront (with the monthly rent only being $80!). It’s easy to suspect the apartment building looked very similar to what we see today: impeccable Italianate ornamentation and simple, but handsome, wooden doors.

The pair of artists, and eventual legends, lived their first year in New York City on Hall Street, where they first began to develop the personalities and artistic identities that the world would eventually come to know.

160 Hall is a good reminder that all artists develop into their famous selves at some point in time and at some place. 160 Hall is that place for two incredible individuals that blazed their own path in life and awoke many more to do the same.

Learn more about Smith and Mapplethorpe’s time on Hall Street in Smith’s biography, Just Kids, published by Ecco Press and released in January 2010.

Back-To-School Happy Hours, Fridays on Myrtle Avenue

First Back-To-School happy hour at Dee & Ricky's. Image Credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership.

First Back-To-School happy hour at Dee & Ricky’s. Image Credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership.

Teachers really know how to party. Exhibit A is the picture on the left from Dee & Ricky’s Teacher Back-To-School Happy Hour last Friday. We had a blast.

Please join us on Myrtle Avenue for two remaining back-to-school Friday mixers on Myrtle Avenue. Next up: Friday, September 20th at Cielo Bar, 474 Myrtle.

 

Friday, September 20, 4-7pm

Cielo Bar, 474 Myrtle Avenue (between Washington and Hall) $4 draft beers / $6 cocktails www.cielobarbrooklyn.com

 

Friday, September 27, 4-7pm

Soco Restaurant, 509 Myrtle Avenue (between Ryerson and Grand) $5 draft beers / $7 cocktails + small plate specials + early bird specials www.socobk.com

 

 

Pushkin Creperie Hosts Artist Reception

Image Credit: Brooklyn Art Review

Image Credit: Brooklyn Art Review

Who: Presented by Brooklyn Art Review

What: Artist Reception / Candies and Vegetables Exhibition by local realist painter, Douglas Newton
Newton’s paintings offer more than just his love of depicting everyday objects.Newton’s focus on both foods combined with his treatment of atmospheric lighting creates an almost glamorizing of the mundane. In his subtleties, Newton has transformed his still life paintings from studies of light/subject to humorous social commentary.

When: Tuesday, Sept. 17th at 7pm

Where: Pushkin Creperie Cafe
541 Myrtle Avenue between Steuben and Emerson

Back-To-School Mixers on Myrtle Avenue

back to school mixer3

Kick of the 2013 school year with three consecutive back-to-school mixers for teachers and staff! Come out to celebrate, and check out some of the great happy hour spots on the Avenue.

Free Myrtle Bags to the first 10 attendees that sign up for the Myrtle Avenue newsletter!

Friday, September 13, 4-7pm

Dee & Ricky’s, 503 Myrtle Avenue (between Ryerson and Grand) $4 draft beers / $4 well drinks / $6 cocktails www.deeandrickyshomecooking.com

Friday, September 20, 4-7pm

Cielo Bar, 474 Myrtle Avenue (between Washington and Hall) $4 draft beers / $6 cocktails www.cielobarbrooklyn.com

Friday, September 27, 4-7pm

Soco Restaurant, 509 Myrtle Avenue (between Ryerson and Grand) $5 draft beers / $7 cocktails + small plate specials + early bird specials www.socobk.com

Clinton Hill House Highlights Neighborhood History

Image Credit: Brownstoner.com (top), Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership (bottom)

Image Credit: Brownstoner.com (top), Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership (bottom)

This week, Brownstoner featured a beautiful Clinton Hill house as their “House of the Day.” The two homes, at 229 & 231 Washington Avenue, tell a perfect story of how the beautiful residential neighborhood at the “top of the hill” is a result of the industrial and working district down the hill in Wallabout, near the waterfront and the Navy Yard. Check out the piece on Brownstoner to learn all about the van Glahn brothers’ houses and their use of the same architect to design both their houses and company buildings on Washington Avenue in Clinton Hill and Wallabout.

More information on the architect and the van Glahn Brother’s Warehouse building can be found in the Wallabout Cultural Resource Survey.

Myrtle Avenue Farm Stand Fresh Produce Update

Photo Credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership

Photo Credit: Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership

Don’t forget to come by the Myrtle Avenue Farm Stand at the corner of North Portland and Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene, Brooklyn today between 8am-3pm.

Today’s featured item is Papalo, also known as summer cilantro. It is delicious raw and has a flavor that hints of cilantro, arugula, cucumber and citrus – read more here.

Other produce includes: beefsteak and cherry tomatoes, red and white onions, tomatillos, hot and sweet peppers, collard greens, chard, kale, cilantro, parsley, purple and white eggplant, corn, radishes, herbs, flowers and more. You can also grab a fresh baguette and potato rolls from Le Petit Bakery.

Every week you can purchase: produce, herb plants, and flowers from Nolasco Farm, New Jersey; Honey from Kutik’s Honey Farm Farm, NY; Maple Syrup from Poorfarm Farms, Vermont; Beth’s Farm Kitchen Jams, NY; and Red Jacket Orchard Fruit Juices, NY.