Hawthorne Street : Prospect Lefferts, Brooklyn

Tonight! Pant-Hoot Comedy at Lincoln Park Tavern

2012-02-09T13:03:22-05:00

We're back and promoting the show just in the nick of time. I hope you can make it out because another fantastic slate of comics is coming out to PLG.

Hari Kondabolu (Jimmy Kimmel, multiple appearances on Comedy Central)

Liam McEneaney (Tell Your Friends! The Concert Film!, Showtime's Caroline Rhea and Friends)

George P. Gordon III (Bridgetown Comedy Festival)

Chris Laker (It Could Be Better podcast)

Ashley Bezgin (Daily Bez)

Hosted by Charles Star (Bridgetown Comedy Festival)

Pant-Hoot Comedy
Lincoln Park Tavern
49 Lincoln Road
9PM
FREE!

UPDATE: Just added Victor Varnado (Conan, Kimmel, My Name is Earl)

Pant-Hoot Comedy: Lincoln Park Tavern on January 12

2012-01-09T13:24:23-05:00

I am looking forward to this Thursday's lineup. It is going to be another excellent show.

Kurt Metzger (Last Comic Standing, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Late Late Show Craig Ferguson)

Jeffrey Joseph (The Tonight Show) --->

Anthony DeVito (VH1: All Access)

Jess Wood (Def Comedy Jam)

Hosted by Charles Star (Bridgetown Comedy Festival)

Pant-Hoot Comedy
Thursday, January 12 at 9PM
Lincoln Park Tavern
49 Lincoln Road
FREE!

Pant-Hoot Comedy: Lincoln Park Tavern on December 8

2011-12-01T00:01:00-05:00

Another month, another show. Another GOOD show. See you next Thursday?

Here's the lineup:

Brent Sullivan (Comedy Central's Live at Gotham) --->

Dave Waite (Live at Gotham)

Rachael Parenta (Boston Comedy Festival)

Geno Bisconte

Abbi Crutchfield

Hosted by Charles Star (Bridgetown Comedy Festival)

Pant-Hoot Comedy
Thursday, December 8 at 9PM
Lincoln Park Tavern
49 Lincoln Road
FREE!

Pant-Hoot Comedy: Lincoln Park Tavern on November 10

2011-10-31T12:54:00-04:00

Updated with changes to the lineup and links.

On the heels of a great show last month I wanted to give everyone plenty of time to get the November show on their calendars.

As always, on the second Thursday of the month at Lincoln Park Tavern, Pant-Hoot Comedy will bring some of the best comics in New York to PLG. This month we've got:

Carmen Lynch (NBC's Last Comic Standing)

Nick Turner (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon; Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival)

Ben Lerman (Logo TV and Here TV)

Robin Cloud (WNYC's Under the Pink Carpet; Boston Women in Comedy Festival)

Sean Donnelly

and hosted by Charles Star (Portland Bridgetown Comedy Festival)

Pant-Hoot Comedy
Thursday, November 10 at 9PM
Lincoln Park Tavern
49 Lincoln Road
Free!

Halloween Weekend in PLG: Always Awesome

2011-10-27T10:00:00-04:00

The best thing about Halloween in PLG is... everything. We are near Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Safe Walk... its all fun. Maybe I'm biased because I have a little guy to dress up but I love Halloween.

On Monday, October 31st (of course!) kids from around Flatbush will come to PLG on Halloween for the SafeWalk - trick-or-treating on traffic-free streets with houses prepared for the onslaught. PLOG has a map of the walk, but for the more textually inclined, here it is:

Start at Rutland & Flatbush.
Walk Rutland Rd. to Rogers Ave.
Left on Rogers, Walk to Midwood St.
Left on Midwood, Walk to Bedford Ave.
Right on Bedford, Walk to Maple St.
Right on Maple, Walk to New York Ave.
Left on New York, Walk to Empire Blvd.
End at New York & Empire @ the 71st Precinct.

But the SafeWalk is the end of a weekend of costume opportunities. On Saturday, Ghouls & Gourds makes its annual return to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Music, stilt-walkers, a costume parade and a carnivorous plant display, all in the beauty of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden which I don't get to often enough. I can even still find some serenity in the Japanese Garden because water always has a calming effect on me.

Prospect Park has a slate of activities spanning Halloween weekend. Boo at the Zoo will have a haunted barn, "spooky" creatures and face-painting. Is a haunted barn not enough? The Carousel will be haunted too. The regular calliope tunes will be replaced by spooky music and I'm sure the decorations will be tamely terrifying. The Lefferts Historic House will have scary stories and skeleton papercrafts.

But the highlight of Prospect Park's Halloween activities is the Halloween Walk and Carnival on Saturday. The heart of the action is at Nethermead, where the Carnival activities will be going on (and where our Gorilla Family got its picture taken last year). There's a haunted walk on Lookout Hill (I can't figure out where that is, sadly...) and there will be fun, games and food. There will also be food trucks parked on the Center Drive for less candy-cornish sustenance.

My friend Heidi has been trying to get Halloween permanently moved to Saturday, through her Campaign for Halloween On the Weekend (an effort that may, strangely, be bearing fruit).

I say let Halloween be a three-day affair... and let me stay home from work on Monday.

PLG Crew Helps a Bed-Stuy Wine Shop

2011-10-26T11:15:00-04:00

Michael Brooks, formerly of 65 Fen, has branched out on his own. His new wine shop, Bed-Vyne, recently opened in Bed-Stuy.

Ordinarily a new wine shop in Bed-Stuy would be out of our jurisdiction but, well, we like Mike and there's a PLG connection beyond just his prior gig. His shop was designed and built by PLGers - and Hawthorne Streeters at that.

The logo, interior, cabinets and showcase display were designed and built by Assemble, a collaborative studio owned by my neighbors Emily and Tony Mullin. I definitely encourage a review of their portfolio.

The lighting was designed and installed by Axon Design, which is my friend Kacper Dolatowski's shop. The client list that Bed-Vyne will be added to is an impressive one.

The opening was on October 15, with Brooklyn-business enthusiast Marty Markowitz in attendance. I realized that I missed the opening when a twitter-friend mentioned that she was there. The bad news is that the blogging is late; the good news is that I've got more photos to share.

If you're in the neighborhood, stop by. Mike is currently featuring Loca Linda Malbec, Star Lane Sauvignon Blanc, Truchard Pinot Noir and Cycle Buff Beauty Shiraz/Malbec.

Bed-Vyne
370 Tompkins Avenue at Putnam (gmap)

More photos of the shop and the opening after the jump.

Kiddie Disco Happening... Now!

2011-10-22T14:09:39-04:00

I don't think you can post something later than this: if you want something cool to do with your kid RIGHT NOW, head down to Crystal's Bar and Grill and join the Lefferts Gardens Montessori School for Halloween Kiddie Disco.

There will be a costume contest for the kids, face painting, music, dancing and (if it is like last year) a raffle with surprisingly good gifts.

Join us from 2-6 and let's have some fun.

TODAY! Saturday October 22nd from 2-6PM
Crystals Bar & Lounge
1458 Flatbush Avenue between Farragut and Glenwood
$10 for Adults, $5 for Children
LG Montessori Students party for free!

Pant-Hoot Comedy: Lincoln Park Tavern on October 13

2011-10-12T21:07:00-04:00

I forgot to blog this last month and for that I am truly sorry. Not that you noticed. Or minded.

This Thursday, October 13, Pant-Hoot Comedy is back at Lincoln Park Tavern and the show is overstuffed.

Victor Varnado (My Name is Earl, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel) ------->

Jon Fisch (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central's Premium Blend)

Rob Paravonian (Comedy Central's Premium Blend, Tell Your Friends!: The Concert Film)

Janine Brito (Laughter Against the Machine)

Clayton Carrick-Leslie (New Zealand Comedy Festival)

all hosted by me, Charles Star.

Pant-Hoot Comedy
Lincoln Park Tavern
Thursday, October 13
49 Lincoln Road
9PM
FREE

Blue Roost to Take Over K-Dog Space

2011-10-12T15:25:57-04:00

We first heard the news over the weekend from someone who saw Linda post the news on Facebook. We've since heard it from at least three separate friends and, most recently, from a commenter here on the blog. Earlier today our East PLG correspondent Jessica sent us the accompanying photo of the sign announcing the news in the window of the storefront itself so ... having been tipped by virtually everyone I know who lives in PLG, I can't justify putting off posting this any longer:

Blue Roost is moving from their adorable but kitchen-free location on Flatbush to take over the 43 Lincoln Road, site of the late, lamented K-Dog & Dunebuggy.

Good luck, Linda and Billy.

Pop-Up Gallery Coming to Flatbush Avenue

2011-10-12T10:03:00-04:00

It is always good to see someone find a use for a vacant storefront and a relief when our world can make space for art instead of commerce. Even better when it is local. From October 13 through November 13 the former Mike's International space 552 Flatbush will be host to a temporary gallery featuring the work of PLG artists.

First, from October 13 - 24, the gallery will host Between Neighbors, featuring the work of Philadelphia-native but PLG-resident Brian Fernandes-Halloran.

Between Neighbors
552 Flatbush
October 13-24
2pm-6pm
FREE

Second, from October 30 - November 13, a group show will fill the space. The Neighborhood Show, sponsored by PLGNA and PLGarts, will feature dozens of local residents and has an extensive performance and event schedule including music, dance, spoken word and a crafts fair.

The Neighborhood Show
552 Flatbush Ave.
October 30 - November 13
M-F 2-8
SAT 10-8
SUN 12-6
For a detailed event schedule, go to PLGarts.

Goodbye, K-Dog.

2011-09-24T17:25:21-04:00

After five years, from the days of the Lincoln Road construction through the revival of Lincoln Road, today is K-Dog and Dunebuggy's last day.

With the closing of the store comes the story of the final, contentious rent negotations courtesy of an interview Gabby gave to L Magazine. The key news from the interview was that the landlord sought a rent increase of 17% plus an additional $800 per month towards the landlord's real estate taxes. I'm going to stand with Gabby on this one and say that the demand was unreasonable, particularly in light of Gabby's willingness to rent this space five years ago when Lincoln Road was a construction zone and the store was two doors down from an abandoned disaster of a building.

I didn't go to KDog as much as maybe I could have but I'll tell you the things that I remember fondly: a shockingly good Cubano, toys in the back for our son to play with and a comfortable place to sit when I joined the laptop hobo brigade as I looked for a job last winter.

KDog had a reputation in some quarters for being bougie, and I suppose (for the neighborhood, anyway) it was. You know what, though? Not having a bougie coffee shop is worse than having one. I don't know what is coming next but I do know what we're losing.

Goodbye, K-Dog. And good luck Gabby, with whatever you choose to do next.

Feral Racoonturday?

2011-09-24T17:05:34-04:00

Walking to our car from the Farmer's Market, on Flatbush Avenue alongside Prospect Park, Sid and I spotted this baby racoon wandering around.

Actually, not so much wandering around as following us. Sadly, we couldn't keep it. I kept trying to coax it back into the park but to no avail. I'm actually worried for the little guy since it may wander into traffic or something and it appears to have been separated from its pack. (Are racoons pack animals? For the sake of this post lets say... yes.) He (she?) didn't look great. Kind of skinny, making a sound that was a lot like meowing for help and limping a little.

Two NYPD officers saw me dealing with the racoon and asked me about it and, after I pulled away, they turned on their lights and made a U-turn to get to the racoon.

I'm going to hope that means that there will be a happy ending.

K-Dog's final hour?

2011-09-06T10:47:58-04:00

A few weeks ago, rumors started flying that K-Dog's landlord had jacked their rent and that the cafe was headed to close. I've been largely in denial about the matter -- how can K-Dog close?!? -- but am sadded to report that the situation indeed looks bad. We received this note from Gabrielle, co-owner of K-Dog and Dunebuggy, yesterday:

So, by now you’ve heard the rumors, well I’m sorry to say that they’re true. After a year of unsuccessful negotiations with our landlord and five and a half years of serving (and loving) this wonderful community we have decided to close our doors for good. Saturday, September 24th will be our last day. There is still hope, however, of an 11th hour reprieve. Billy, one of our oldest employees, neighborhood denizen and all around savvy guy, is interested in taking over and is trying to negotiate a new lease... People keep asking me what they can do to help and this is it, we need to hear from you guys. I’ve created an email account saveourcoffeeshop@gmail.com please, in the next few days, send an email , that we will print and give to the landlord in aid of negotiations, explaining why PLG needs its coffee shop.

We'd love to see someone who gives a squat about the neighborhood inherit the spot but he odds are definitely stacked against them. According to a souce close to the matter, the landlord has already reserved K-Dog's spot for La Bagel Delight.

Still, we'd urge you to write letters on K-Dog's behalf. The same landlord also owns the space rented by Enduro, and we'd hate to see these exploitative rent increases -- in a neighborhood starved for eateries -- become the trend.

CORRECTION: The "Billy" mentioned above has no connection to The Blue Roost.

Who's Got Talent? Puppets Got Talent

2011-08-30T08:48:40-04:00

The 5th Annual Hawthorne Street block party is less than two weeks away and we're pleased to announce that the puppeteers from Alphabet Arts will be back again.

Like last year, the Alphabet Arts team will be performing Puppets Got Talent, the top puppet talent search show that I am aware of. In this original production, talented puppets vie for the approval of judges ranging from the enthusiastic to the curmudgeonly and presumably one of them will be willing to hack your voice mail to see who your child voted for.

Unlike last year, the two shows - at noon and 3PM - are going to be different performances, allowing the kids the opportunity to see the widest array of puppet talents that Brooklyn has likely ever seen.

Alphabet Arts presents
Puppets Got Talent
Saturday, September 10, 2011 (during the Hawthorne Street block party)
The front porch of 99 Hawthorne Street, between Flatbush and Bedford
Two unique shows at noon and 3PM
FREE!

You can share information about the show on facebook and if you have a legal* place to post a flyer, this is the flyer you should post (pdf).

I need to know: will Sweatshirt Man retain his title? He was pretty talented... I know that Sidney can't wait because I am projecting my enthusiasm on to him.

* I have to stress this: don't post the flyer on lampposts or telephone poles. Monk's Trunk was recently nailed with hundreds of dollars in fines for flyering and the tickets are literally impossible to beat in court.

Pant-Hoot Comedy at Lincoln Park Tavern 8/11 at 9PM

2011-08-10T18:07:09-04:00

Vacation is revitalizing for the soul but not very good for promoting one's artistic endeavors. So, with only one day's notice, here is the lineup for tomorrow's excellent Pant-Hoot Comedy show at Lincoln Park Tavern:

Leo Allen (Jon Benjamin Has a Van, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central Presents)--->

Tony Camin (Comedy Central's Premium Blend, The Marijuanalogues)

Adrienne Iapalucci (Last Comic Standing, Montreal Comedy Festival)

Rob Paravonian (Comedy Central's Premium Blend)

Emily Epstein (The White House podcast)

Hosted by Charles Star (Bridgetown Comedy Festival)

Pant-Hoot Comedy
Thursday, August 11 at 9PM
Lincoln Park Tavern
49 Lincoln Road between Flatbush and Bedford
FREE

Change Is Afoot at Ocean/Parkside Intersection

2011-08-02T07:50:11-04:00

Councilmember Eugene's office is reporting that a second community meeting to discuss traffic improvements at the Ocean/Parkside will be announced soon, likely in September. The Department of Transportation is finishing up a study of the intersection, which, as we've noted in the past, is a "death trap" (the technical term) for pedestrians. The specific changes haven't been announced, but Madeleine Fix-Hansen of PLG Public Works (a local group devoted to improving neighborhood safety), says she expects Keith Bray of the DOT to discuss them at the meeting.

So we don't know what is happening and we don't know when yet, but we do know that something will take place soon. Qualified hurray.

Need a vet? Here's a good one in PLG

2011-07-29T10:57:26-04:00

After delaying a trip to the vet for weeks, I took my cat, Ethel, over to Trixie's (575 Flatbush) yesterday for the biweekly vet care appointments offered there by Dr. Courtney Perry. We couldn't have been more pleased. We've been going to Hope Veterinarian Clinic but our last visit to treat the same problem (which I will euphemistically call "kitty tum tum") proved unhelpful. Dr. Perry had smart, sensible suggestions and her approach was much more systematic than what we got at Hope. She recommended starting with the least invasive measures for pinpointing the problem and working our way up if the problems persist. Her approach is holistic yet scientific. And she's very sweet and personable.

Sure, it's a little weird having your cat examined in the middle of a pet food store but no less weird than running a children's consignment shop in your home (cough).

Appointments (Thursdays at Trixie's):
(347) 559-7729