[Drunken Revival]

Can a town such as Park Slope even have hidden gems?

Donuts – 7ave, btw 8th and 9th. For my money there is not a better BLT in the hood. Plus they are open at 4am which is huge for me… Plus they can spot me coming 2 blocks away.

Best blog/message board that isn’t the Brooklynian: http://www.brooklynbabydaddy.blogspot.com/

Best ping pong game: Yes, Brownstone has some tables, but at $11.95/hr and with the risk (or accidental, uh, joy) of backhanding a stray teenager from the duck bowling lane wouldn’t you rather check out Royale? From time to time they set up a table on the dance floor… think daytime, or early Tuesday evening.

Closest thing to an after-hours joint: Royale, again. That place is still bumping on a Saturday at 3:30… the rest is up to you.


Best Dive bar: Canal Bar – it truly is a divey bar on a divey street (3rd ave + President or Union). Popcorn machine, pool table, bucket nips of MHL, Bud, and Corona. The bathroom doors don’t close all the time, the inflatable ornaments are not for show, and the giant plastic shark will scare you on an acid trip. Bonus features: at any given moment the owner may come in from the back with giant try of sausage and peppers (they have a garden and a grill), a biker gang might roll in thick, or that one dude might fart mid sentence… there is no noise limit and I doubt that even I could get cut off here. Seriously, good times.

Best doctor: Dr. Burton Fletcher. He is bearded, left handed, kind, and old school. He admits when he doesn’t know and will not over prescribe. He is a member of a dying breed: classically trained in the art of family care with a wide ranging knowledge base. I like that he delivers your fate directly, clearly and without deviation.

Best pickup softball game: Let me start by saying: http://www.buttermilksoftball.blogspot.com/
Field 5, 4pm, Sundays, 4th of July through Labor Day and possibly beyond… anyone is welcome. You will have fun, you will laugh, you will pull a hamstring…

Best One Two Punch of a corner: If Barbes didn’t smell like a French woman’s armpit and if Collson’s wasn’t always out of whatever I might want I’d say 9th St and 6th Ave. As it stands, however, 6th Ave. and 20th street gets the nod. Kitchen Bar is just flat out good. Nice bar, good, small, fresh dishes… next door is BBQ or something… huge plates of meat – like bring a suitcase for leftovers size plates, beans, collard greens, etc… Much more importantly, it has the best bourbon menu in Park Slope and likely beyond. We are talking 30-40 wide ranging varieties all for $5-$7. You cannot beat this place.

Worst loss to the hood – the Bourbon menu at Bar BQ. They’ve closed.

Best way to blow $20 – Car wash. 4th Ave. and Garfield or Carroll. This one also falls into “best massage chair”. I recommend getting blazed beforehand. Anyway, it’s one of those where you get out and watch your four wheeled steed through soapy glass. While you’re waiting on that crack team of cleanliness technicians to barely vacuum your floor yet somehow get every penny out of your ashtray I recommend checking out the “store”. There you will find some of the best air fresheners and fuzzy dice along with a wonderful, coin op, massage chair and tons of other shit you don’t need. On your way out your snag a gum ball and don’t forget not to tip. You just blew $20. Bonus: your radio is now blasting that Mexican station you didn’t know existed.

Best place to boycott – Sheep Station.. 4th Ave. Why you ask? Well, you’ll have to come up with your own reasons. Mine are that the bartender is a complete dickhead… and second, well, I have my reasons. It’s really too bad because that place has some interesting drinks, good food, and is gay friendly.

Best way to extend a weekend of partying – Sunday, 8pm, Bar Reis. 5th Ave btw 5th and 6th. Jim, the bartender, is cute, engaging, and funny. Pool table, backyard, and a decent crowd for a Sunday. The literal bar is brand new. The bars namesake, Reis, may pop in to answer any trivia specific to the bars’ decade plus history. Also, pretty soon they will be opening a restaurant next door. I hear it’ll be Tapas type stuff.. small dishes, affordable and certainly tasty. Oh, don’t ask about the “full bar tour” because it doesn’t exist.

To be continued….

Best place to go with super low expectations –

Best first/blind date spot -

etcetera etcetera

[Santa]

Sheep Station?

ive never had a problem with them.

well I will add to this even tho this place is on the prospect heights side of flatbush and I dont know its name. Theres this sushi place right by the 7th ave stop that has a few tables and is rarely full. They have good sushi for cheap but they also have 8 dollar 335ml bottles of nigori sake which is around the price you pay at a liquor store. You also get a free sake if you get 3 rolls.

so if you like sake its a steal.

[Obamanut]

Please oh please leave Donuts alone, it is a miracle they've made it this far without 'renovating' by renaming themselves something like "Pumpernickel," turning down the lights and tripling the prices on the menu.

[J0518]

it's amazing how people who live in the same neighborhood so often live in completely different worlds. i've never really spent a whole lot of time in any of these places.

my biggest hidden gem is my backyard.

[Zebra]

Bar Reis opened in 1999. Someone is tellin' tales.

[Flexichick]

Drunken Revival is gay? Who knew?
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Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball!

[slopestar]

This is a superb thread, certainly worth preserving...

Best bagel alternative - The Pie Shop. Prospect Park West at 16th st. We're not talking your grandmother's thanksgiving day standby; these pies are meaty and bursting with flavor. They are designed to be easy-to-carry and eat on the go, perfect if you're looking to skip the bagel joint across the street on your way to the train. My personal favorite is the mince steak and cheese.
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Though his rants seem nonsensical to most passersby, some astute listeners say they contain evidence of higher learning.

[yoda]

[Tex Antoine]

Burton Fletcher is a lunatic. I wouldn't know about overprescribing (although judging from the uninterrupted flow of pharmaceutical sales reps who traffic in and out of his office, I would suspect he's pretty aggressive on that front as well). What I do know is that he sends you for completely unnecessary tests, disappears from his practice for months at a time with no explanation, remembers nothing of your medical history from previous visits (has to read your file in your presence to refresh his memory from two weeks prior), relies on dubious 1970s-era World Health Organization testing protocols, and entrusts the running of his office to a complete buffoon who can't answer the simplest questions about insurance coverage.

Again, for the THOUSANDTH TIME on this board: the fact that somebody has a beard and a turtleneck is no reason to choose him as your doctor. You put your care in the hands of this charlatan at your own risk.
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"To L.R.H.!"

[torisoaw]

I don't know if this is a "hidden" gem, but the sandwich counter at the back of A&S (5th and Garfield, I think), is money. You might pay a couple dollars more than at a regular deli, but it's worth it -- I live and die for Il Classico --, just-salty-enough mozz, perfectly thin proscuitto, fresh basil, tomatoes on awesomely delicious bread. Add oil and vinegar if yr nasty.

And I second Canal Bar -- that place is the definition of hidden gem. And the bartender, Althea, is one of the most awesome chicks around.

I know there's a lot of Ale House naysayers on here, but their tuna melt kills me with yum-tingles every time.

Also, FabCo Shoes -- down on like 15th and 5th -- sometimes surprises with great style for like eight bucks.

Furthermore! The beer selection at the Polish Market (i'm not sure what it's actually called) kicks ass.

And for more drinks, there's a liquor store at like 17th and 5th (across from Ellis) run by this awesome older couple. Every time I go in there, they give me a free shot of this insane (polish?) honey vodka.

Man, I like this thread!

[torisoaw]

Eagle Provisions! That's what the Polish market is called!

[Drunken Revival]

Just a few corrections... as many of you know I am a stickler for the facts

1. Bar Reis - while not technically open to the public for a "decade" I am quite certain that if you combined the bar and the notion of the bar that it most certainly qualifies as having a "decade plus history"..... also, I don't think Jim works there on Sunday anymore...
... also, Flexi, I'm only gay when I drink... and when a naked man nuzzles up against my chest hair.

2. Tex - Burton Fletcher may be a lunatic... actually I can't disagree with any of what you said; nor can you me. I thought we agreed a long time ago to agree to disagree.

As an alternative may I suggest an arm wrestling match... drunk and naked while jamming to Lionel Richie?

[simian_sam]

[Drunken Revival]

I'm so confused...

The literal bar is brand new.... as in the wooden bar has been recently upgraded to some stone or marble material.. as has the "bar" where all the booze are kept, on shelves, behind the "marble bar", behind the "cute bartenders"...

Bars are awesome, but can we move along?

[LongTimeSloper]

I want to know more about the honey vodka

[torisoaw]

[flux]

So bar Reis is opening a resturant?! I had no idea. I thought they were extending the bar. Have to check out the place once its open.

[Zebra]

Re: Bar Reis, I was referring to the supposed "decade plus" of its existence, which Drunken Revival just explained. But as an aside it makes me wonder when establishments that do pass their 10-year mark fail to play that up or just ignore it as if they don't realize how much time's passed. I must have missed the 10-year anniversaries of The Gate ('97); Mezcal's ('97); Coco Roco ('98); and Great Lakes ('98)*. Hard to believe but Al di La's 10th anniv. is coming up this December.

As for hidden gems, I submit Java Joe's, the coffee shop on 8th St. (7th/8th Aves.) Their beans blow away Gorilla's or anybody else's & the staff are beautiful people.

*I don't know how those emoticons above got in there, those are 8's.

MOD NOTE: Most of the emoticons have simple text equivalents which are converted by phpBB to emoticons automatically. The symbol for the "cool" emoticon (the emoticon with sunglasses) is 8). If you actually want the 8) to appear, you have to check the box next to "Disable Smilies in this post" below the box where you enter text when making or editing a post. I did it for you for this post.
-C

[new2hood]

the bartender at the Ale House. A true gem.

[germfree!]

I too boycotted Sheep Station over a year ago, which is a shame as I love me a meat pie and an Australian, but they were jerks and I also love to bear a grudge.

[pastoralia]

Bar Reis has been working on their restaurant extension for almost a year. I have no idea what is taking so long. Reis said it was going to be a sandwich shop but now Brooklyn Bread has opened across the street. He should stick with his tacos he used to make.

I love Sheep Station but the last time I was there the (very cool) guy bartender was replaced by some bitch of a chick who couldn't be bothered to take our orders for ten minutes while she was talking to her friends right next to us. Haven't been there since, which is too bad.

I've said this before on this blog: The Peter Luger sandwich at Pollio (across the street from Bar Reis) is a fookin' treat!

Also the chicken tacos at Jirasol Bakery on 5th and 22nd. Add their homemade red and green sauce and you're in heaven.

The Tartuffo pizza at Public House is a killer (at a rather expensive killer price: $19)

The chicken roti at the strange candy store on 5th next to the Pink Pussycat is pretty good too.

And, of course the empanada lady's cart on 13th and 5th Ave.

The "Cure All" sandwich at Lookout Hill: pulled pork, BBQ sauce, eggs, cheddar cheese and jalepeno relish on toasted sourdough

[J0518]

the Peter Luger sandwich at Pollio......now there's a recommendation. going to have to try that out....

[The Chipster]

Funny, Sheep Station was great until the bitchy bartender. FUnny how that changes everything. Hope it changes again.
Canal Bar-I thought I was the only one...LOVE IT!!
Bar Reis--Here's a place that stayed great throughout all their changes. Sometimes the bar staff sucks; most often not; but the overall greatness rises above.
Royale-Memorial for Chris tonight. This is a change I don't know if I can accept.
I will not alert the presses for any loved place. Unless it's whimsical--like pink olive! A great bar on 7th near 2nd st. ! Free food too!
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Ask a burning question, get a burning answer.

[Faystar]

The wine shop on 5th Ave and 17 St. is Adam's (something, maybe wines?) Adam and his wife Alla were at that location for many, many years. You might remember it as a photo shop?
The honey vodka. was that the vodka with a blade of grass in the bottle and I think a pic of a buffalo? LOVE IT>
Well, I went in the shop to wish Adam and Alla luck, bought o few bottles of wine, chatted a bit, tasted some wines, then a shot or two of the vodka. The whole visit was about 2 hours long.
There's nothing like good conversation and a few drinks.
I love that place!
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Fran

[kirby]

Catene on the corner of 4th Ave. and 9th St: Amazing calamari hero. I know they have other amazing sandwiches, but I can't not order the calamari.
La Flor on the corner of 3rd Ave. and 12th St.: the best rotisserie chicken in the Slope. Their galicky salads are awesome as well.

[The Chipster]

union st. bridge for romantic dates
russos on 7th Ave 10th st.- great sandwiches, prepared foods, lasagna
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[Flexichick]

I have to add Krupa Grocery on PPW between 16th/Windsor. It's a lotto/cigarettes/magazine type of store with the nicest family ever.
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Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball!

[veets]

[superjonbot]

My favorite hidden gem is my genitalia, unfortunately it has been bloody lately. Pineapples are NOT nice fruits.

[Cabaki]

[Cabaki]

Also, has anyone mentioned clothing boutiques? I'm pretty frugal so i avoid all the nice boutiques with all the pretty unafforable clothing, but i discovered a sweet consignment shop called Meshimar on 7th avenue btwn 15th and 16th (similar to Beacon's closet, but not as hipster/vintage).

You can find amazing deals there if you do a little hunting. I've resold some nice dresses and designer jeans i've never worn to some lucky customers for a fraction of the price!

[Whatchuwant]

[The Chipster]

LOVE meshimar.
Union St. bridge is below 4th. It's literally just a bridge; but it's such an interesting panoramic of our changing neighborhood. Check it out before Trump builds a tower there!!
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Ask a burning question, get a burning answer.

[Whatchuwant]

oHHHH! lol! ok- I thought it was a restaurant. There IS actually a place right by there (closer to Smith), a tiny little place with a fireplace that seems like it would be a really nice spot for a romantic date. can't remember the name...
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"...you can choose the rain....but I choose the sun..." - N. Costa

[veets]

I think you are referring to Monte's.. right past the bridge. Old fashined Italian Restaurant that has been there for generation.

[Whatchuwant]

No, this is new. I used to work at Union Smith Cafe a couple of years back and this place was definitely not there. This is on the Cobble Hill side of the bridge....
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"...you can choose the rain....but I choose the sun..." - N. Costa

[veets]

[Mamacita]

Yeah there is a new place there, I can't remember the name, but just opened in the past few months I believe.
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(=’.'=)
(”)_(”) "Gentrifire Extinguisher"

[Whatchuwant]

Christina and I went in there, but they only serve wine and as we all know, Tina don't do vino.

It was really pretty inside, though. Very cozy.
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"...you can choose the rain....but I choose the sun..." - N. Costa

[jhen-67]

[quote="torisoaw"]I don't know if this is a "hidden" gem, but the sandwich counter at the back of A&S (5th and Garfield, I think), is money. You might pay a couple dollars more than at a regular deli, but it's worth it -- I live and die for Il Classico --, just-salty-enough mozz, perfectly thin proscuitto, fresh basil, tomatoes on awesomely delicious bread. Add oil and vinegar if yr nasty.

SAD news, but A&S Italian Pork Store is closing down this week...

But fear not! They are reopening soon further down Fifth, between 2nd and 3rd sts, in the old karate place.

[eggcream]

Two Toms restaurant. Old school Italian food. They've been around for years. 3rd ave.bet. Pres & Union.

Sterling Place. Beautiful accessories, furniture, wine glasses etc for your home. 7 ave bet. 10 & 11 street.

[veets]

I haven't eaten in Two Toms in years but they make amazing pork chops. there is no menu.. It runs like we have Pork, fish an beef tonight.. we can prepare it these 3 ways. We have these pastas tonight.. you can have it one of these 3 sauces. Forget the place if you like salads or veggies that often come with Italian food. Old paneling on the wall.. no decor.. but if you have never tried it... go for it..

[Brooklyn Baby Daddy]

There is a spice store right near Brooklyn Superhero Supply, with excellent spices, coffees and teas from around the world, at great prices. I can't believe I forgot the name, but my wife and I love that place!
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I am an editor, married to a school teacher, and we live in Park Slope. We are parents. I talk about this at http://www.brooklynbabydaddy.blogspot.com/

[LongTimeSloper]

[veets]

LongTime Sloper... you are absolutely right .. this is not a cheap meal and if you don't mind paying bucks but need a nice atmosphere...avoid.

And.. they book parties.. well more like raucous events for "male" stuff.. think firemen or the members of rifle associations.. just guessing who these people are but it can be LOUD in there.It isn't a huge place but peek in before you commit and if you see 3/4 of the table lined up together and you thought you heard shouting when you parked the car on the next block.. it isn't a good nite to try Two Toms.