Honoring a local Boy in Blue

Living in one of the safest neighborhoods in Brooklyn certainly has its advantages, although one can't help but question if it makes people feel a bit too safe. One of the reasons we all feel so safe is the continuing work of the 76th Precienct. Captain Corey does a fantastic job of keeping the public informed, and now we learn that Oliver Lopez, a Carroll Gardens officer, does an equally good job helping the area's children. From Courier-Life:

"Lopez, his sons and wife Julissa were all in attendance at Patrol Borough Brooklyn South headquarters on Snyder Avenue last week when Chief Fox handed the award to Lopez, showing that his years of professionalism and strong work ethic didn’t go unnoticed.

An arrest of a mugger in January and the September pinching of a notorious career burglar who used the neighborhood as his happy hunting ground for months before his apprehension is all the same to Oliver. Through the years, most of which have been on the streets of Carroll Gardens and Red Hook, he’s never received a civilian complaint, his captain noted.

“He treats everybody with dignity and respect — even the criminals,” Corey said.

A true role model indeed."
Image from NYC.gov

Old Nino's get reviewed: Francesco's

Francesco's, the old Nino's, on the corner of Henry and Union Streets, is a bit of a mystery. Nino's was well-run and beloved until the owner had to flee for unforeseen circumstances and wound up wearing a Sicilian necktie. I've been hesitant to go back in, but Eat Brooklyn Food wasn't.

"The plain slice is passable, that generic New York slice that would be at home on any corner in Manhattan, but you’d be foolish to skip the lard bread slice - order a pie if you have the time and audience. The pie resembles those Elio’s-like cafeteria slices you loved in Grade school because you didn’t know any better, but there’s a sleek thinness that avoids the Sicilian style label the pie’s shape demands. The drawback, what keeps it from serious discussion, is apparent on grabbing your first slice, as that first piece separates reluctantly from its whole. The pie is blanketed by a down quilt of industrial strength, bargain basement mozzarella, a chore to contend with even straight out of the oven. But the canvas is the attraction, like its obese cousin at L&B Spumoni; cheese is entirely beside the point."

You had me at obese.

Prime Meats: Ironically reviewed

Bloomberg has an extensive review/critique of Prime Meats which is ironic in it's irony. Every one knows that the hipster and yuppie invasions of older neighborhoods bring with them a heavy sense of irony. Well, the irony contained in the fact that Prime Meats got a good review which was ironically critical of it's clientele is, well, ironic.

"If that’s all old school, Prime Meats balances things out with some laid-back cool. No reservations. The wait was 90 minutes on the first Friday of Lent -- curious as this is the famously Roman Catholic Carroll Gardens neighborhood; the steakhouse is adjacent to the church where Al Capone was married. Wonder if he abstained from meat."

"Sometimes the hip slacker factor goes overboard. Lines formed at the single bathroom. A window crank doubled as a toilet paper spindle. And Prime Meats, like Luger and certain parts of the Siberian Tundra, doesn’t take major credit cards. You’ll spend 10 minutes waiting for the server to write out your check by hand. The management, who also run Frankies next door and in Manhattan, tell me a credit-card system is coming in the spring. 

A sign asks patrons to leave strollers outside. That’s bold for a family-friendly neighborhood. Prime Meats is crammed with pretty girls and their plaid-clad, bearded boyfriends, along with a bartender who complains about Robert Moses (a pastime in these parts) and the patrons who drink his expert libations. Try an unusually sour Rye Manhattan constructed with citrus Buddha’s Hand bitters made in-house."

"I asked my companion, a svelte hipster from Fort Greene, if she recognized the woman with Momofuku chef David Chang. 

“She’s the creative director at Vogue,” she replied nonchalantly. “I modeled for her when I was a teenager. She said I was too skinny.”"

Image from the Daily News.

Springtime Walking Tours of Carroll Gardens Announced!

Lost City blogger, Brooks of Sheffield, will be starting up his Springtime Walking Tours with a tour of Carroll Gardens at the end of the month.  Whether you've lived here six months, six years, or sixty years, I'm willing to bet that Brooks can shed light on some good neighborhood truth and particulars.

Click here for all of the information.