amNY: A Food Lover's Guide to Kensington

Reblog: see amNY.com

This stretch of Church Avenue may be low-key and scruffy, but wedged between dental clinics, discount stores and beauty parlors are restaurants and shops representing a dozen nationalities, including Polish, Albanian, Thai and Bangladeshi.

Take the F or G train to Church Avenue. Start at McDonald Avenue and walk toward Coney Island Avenue.

Follow this link for the rest...

Brunch: Now we're talkin'

So Visions just sent us an email letting us know about their new brunch special. UNLIMITED bloody marys, mimosas and bellinis! Finally I don't have to go to Park Slope or downtown to get soused early on the weekends.

From Visions:

Visions restaurant & bar invites you to join us every Saturday and Sunday from 11 am till 4pm unlimited mimosa, bloody mary or bellini with any of your choices from our brunch menu.
Visions restaurant & bar 752 Coney island ave @ Cortelyou Rd, Brooklyn, NY 11226 718-282-3388

I've heard the brunch food is good too, but hadn't tried it myself because of the [previously] expensive cocktails. Has anyone had brunch there yet?

G&A Pizza exists, is for sale.

We came across this Craigslist posting today and were startled to discover that there's a pizza place called G&A here and that it's apparently available for purchase. Looking back a couple months to the Pizza iteration of Restaurant Wars, I see that only one person brought it up in the comments area. Congratulations, Alicia. Unfortunately we also have to inform you that your favorite pizza place isn't sticking around.

Anyway, if you don't feel like clicking, here's the essentials: G&A Pizza is on Fort Hamilton Pkwy, across the street from IHM. 60K gets you the joint and you're supposed to call a man named Eric about it. Don't be alarmed if he picks up the phone and just starts screaming uncontrollably, because apparently he doesn't believe in spaces or lower case letters and this habit might carry into his verbal communication as well.

Village Voice dares name Denny's a dive

We're beginning to suspect someone at the Voice lives in Kensington. First it was Am-Thai, then Cafe Sim-Sim, and now they've gone so far as to write-up our very own local mainstay, Denny's (Steak-free) Steak Pub. In a recurring feature called Real Dives, the Voice actively seeks out and showcases the diveyist of dive bars around and sends folks in to survey the scene. According to the writer, a real dive bar "may be characterized by low prices, clientele over 60, trucker hats only on actual truckers, ...and a sense that the place is not trying to impress you, or anyone else, ever." Sounds like Denny's to me.

From The Village Voice:

Today's Dive: Denny's Steak Pub

Clientele: White men, over 40

What to drink: Stiff pours of Jameson, $4.50, two for one during happy hour

Said to us, as we left: "Run away, this place is nothing but trouble." (read more)

So three cheers for Denny's! Still scaring people away after all these years.

Where the cool kids go

Rumor has it there's a hot new bar in the Kensington area called "Jerbar." Yelpers are talking about it but we haven't heard from any of you. I get the feeling like it has sort of a speakeasy vibe going. Maybe you need to know a password to get in. Have any readers been there? Let us know. We can't abide other people having fun and excluding us.

The Confined Nomad arrives in Bangladesh

The Confined Nomad, a local blog dedicated to, as they put it, "Eating the UN, A-Z, without ever leaving NYC" have made their alphabetical way through various national cuisines all the way to Bangladesh. They seem to try to stay local when possible, and this time around they hit Jhinuk and Abdullah Sweets and Restaurant on McDonald Ave.

The Confined Nomad writes:

Us: Excuse us, Mr. Proprietor, what is this delicious stuff?
Mr. Proprietor: Yohgart.
Us: Yohgart? How do you spell that?
Mr. Proprietor (Beaming): You spell it yohgart! (read more)

Keep those reviews coming, folks!

Ambrosia out; Zaffran in.

I walk past this place every day, but tonight is the first time I felt comfortable poking my head in the new Zaffran restaurant (located in what used to be Ambrosia). Ambrosia was a pretty nice place considering its location between a 99 cents store and a fish market and I'm really sorry to see it go. Somehow it seems the new restaurant that opened up this week seems to have actually done some sort of reverse renovation and actually made the place look worse, or is that just me? They serve Bangladesh, Indian & Pakistani cuisine for eat-in, takeout and delivery. They claim to have great hours and the prices seem okay. I decided to ask for a menu and was greeted with a smile by the woman closest to the door. The other person, not so much of a smile but the food smelled delicious so I'm willing to give it a shot this weekend. Has anyone actually tried the food at Zaffran yet?

If you're brave enough to order without a menu, the number is 718-686-6517. They're located at 90 Church Ave near McDonald.

Ambrosia finito?

Walking by Ambrosia today it looks like they're either renovating or packing up shop. It was already pretty nice in there so I'm not sure what they'd be fixing. Anyone have the scoop on what is happening at one of Kensington's only fine dining establishments?

Maki Sushi space for rent

We received word this morning that the space occupied by Maki Sushi on Fort Hamilton Parkway is now for rent. This, sadly, will make for one fewer food option in the neighborhood. So, other than Sushi Sushi in Windsor Terrace, what Sushi options are left to the folks of Kensington?

The owner of the space is looking for a new renter or a possible partnership opportunity. Interested parties should contact the number on the For Rent sign.

An open letter to Am-Thai: still awesome

Dear Am-Thai Chili Basil,

The previous post that occupied this space, a post about your health inspection, was, in retrospect, a bad idea since yours was basically on par with the other local restaurants. I've taken it down in acknowledgement that posting it without at least posting similar information about other restaurants was probably a mistake (especially since it's personally my favorite Thai restaurant in the 'hood)

Completely my fault. Jake has washed his hands of this terrible post. I have flogged myself 300 times with a fistful fettuccine, as my ancestors were wont to do when they erred as grievously as I have. I have stopped short of the ceremonial self-lynching only long enough to redeem myself to you and the good residents of Kensington, who deserve much better than the sub-par standard witnessed in the aformentioned post. I offer my apologies to the good people at AM Thai and offer them an olive branch: I will gladly eat complimentary meals every day for the rest of January to showcase my confidence in your food handling practices. Please contact me at the address on the right to work out these details.

Sheepishly, and with much chagrin,

Steve

Sim-Sim Café makes Village Voice best of 2008

From the Village Voice:

Sim-Sim is one of New York’s rare Azerbaijani cafes, and just in case you’ve forgotten, Azerbaijan is an oil-rich former-Soviet republic in the Caucasus Mountains, a region sandwiched between Georgia and Iran. (Read more)

Good for Sim-Sim. From what we've been told, this is the only authentic Azerbaijani restaurant in Brooklyn, although I wouldn't take that to the bank. Back in October, the Voice did a real review of the joint, and gave it high marks -- high enough, apparently, to make Best of 2008.

Sim-Sim Café is located at 312 Ditmas Avenue, between E.3rd and E.4th.

NYC Icy on thin ice?

A reader writes:

NYC ICY is offering soups for the winter because NOBODY is going in there. Let's not let another great local business fail. They offer gourmet ices and sherbets. They have sophisticated flavors like Grapefruit basil ice, Apricot Ginger etc but also stuff kids like such as Fire Engine Red Ice. The Sherbets are really good too but no Ice Cream per se. They sell it by the pint which is great to bring to a dinner party and the flavors change all the time. The owners live in the neighborhood. Business has been SO SLOW that they are thinking of closing for at least the season. I heard they are offering soups. It would be great to get people to start going there before we lose yet another business over here.

I personally stand guilty of not patronizing this local business, but it was only due to ignorance. I only saw it for the first time three days ago and got this email yesterday. It sounds delicious, different, and the sort of thing we should support. Yelpers seem to agree that it's a fine establishment. So go buy some water ice! Or some soup! It is your civic duty to bolster the local economy in this time of recession.

NYC Icy can be found near the corner of Church Avenue and Coney Island Avenue.

Restaurant Wars, Round 3

In a bout reminiscent of Wepner/Ali, Korner Pizza went the distance against Little Tonino's but couldn't hang on for the win. Congratulations to Little Tonino's, who, for their trouble, will take home this valuable bronze star graphic , a form of currency in parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

And now, on to Round 3!

Break out your giant nacho hats, Kensington. Restaurant Wars just went south of the border. Vote in the poll on the top-right of the page on your favorite Mexican food option in Kensington. Don't let anyone tell you that you have to go for the most authentic option, either -- if Yummy Taco is your thing, then vote your conscience. But make sure you tell us why in the comments section.

Meet Ali

You may have noticed something shiny and new in the heart of Kensington. 46 days ago, a man named Ali trundled his stainless steel cart to the northwest corner of Church and McDonald and set up shop. Smiling widely while grilling his chicken, he opines that his native Afghanistan offers the best food in all of Asia, because they keep their recipes simple and cook more of the animal at once. Ali has spent much of his 2 years in the United States working at Middle Eastern restaurants (including Gyro King), but recently decided that going into business for himself was wiser. We have to agree. The lamb and chicken were both succulent and flavorful, the pita was fresh and grilled ever-so-lightly to add that crucial razor-thin layer of crispness, and the white/hot sauce combination was perfect. At $3.50 for an overloaded gyro or $5 for platter with rice and a drink, the one-two punch of taste and value is pretty extraordinary. So the next time you're emerging from the subway at Church & McDonald, wondering, as we all do, what you're going to do for dinner that night, swing by and see Ali. You may find yourself coming back for more than just the food.

Thursday Bar Trivia

Any Quizzo fans out there? A fortnightly pub trivia event kicks off tomorrow night (12/4) at 9pm sharp at Visions Bar & Restaurant, near the corner of Coney Island and Cortelyou. Come alone to meet people or come with a couple friends and play as a team. General knowledge questions will be pop-cultural as well as scholarly, so everyone can contribute something to a team. As veterans of many bar trivia nights, we challenge each and every one of you to come out and prove your worth for the chance at no less than a $50 gift certificate and a round of polite applause for the winners. The flyer I'm seeing here also says half-price beers and select apps for the duration of the game, so it shouldn't put too much of a dent in the old wallet. Also, if you've been looking for a good burger in Kensington, this is your place. Manny (the Monday bartender) tipped us off to this fine slab of Salisbury and I haven't stopped thinking about it all week.

Our brains are booked for Pete's Candy Store tonight, but I think we'll have something left in the tank for any and all local challengers.

Nominations for Restaurant Wars, Round 3

We need your help. As we look toward round 3 of Restaurant Wars, we're realizing that we can't decide which establishments should be included and which should not. We need you to comment with your nominations for notable Mexican restaurants in the Kensington delivery area.

Make your nominations for the Mexican restaurant category in the comments section now!

Falafel Fizzle?

Falafel Fusion appears to be out of business after less than a year.

From Andrea @ Local birding:

Falafel fusion is out of business. Saw a "for rent" sign on the gate today. So bummed!! They had the best food.

The food here was pretty good in our opinion, and they put some effort into branding and menus, etc. It's a shame to see it go, when plenty of inferior restaurants seem to just keep chugging along. Let's hope something decent takes its place!

Restaurant Wars

Over the next couple of weeks, we're going to try to get definitive answers to some of the most important questions in all of our lives: Where can we get something to eat around here?

And, so, Restaurant Wars. We all have favorites, so check the top right-hand portion of the page each week for a chance to make your voice heard. We'll start off with Thai Food, something that is widely available in Kensington.
Vote away, and defend your vote in the comments section!