“The truth is out there” may have been Fox Mulder’s motto, but it’s one the Sheepshead Bites staff will have to adopt as well.
On February 1, 1998, Sheepshead Bay resident and UFO enthusiast Alex Cavallari witnessed something he had no doubt been waiting for: Mr. Cavallari had a sighting. Yet just over a decade later, the case and the witness has all but disappeared.
Mr. Cavallari described the object as a “small orange/red colored light dot in the Eastern sky” over Nostrand Avenue, near Avenue X. Capturing it on his 35mm camera, he described it as being the size of a “basketball when viewed at arm’s length” and “appeared to be a solid mass of light.”
Read more about Cavallari’s UFO sighting, his sudden disappearance, and Sheepshead Bites’ hunt to get to the truth
Too often when we talk about Sheepshead Bay’s gourmet markets, we talk about Cherry Hill Gourmet. That’s too bad, ’cause it means we’ve been ignoring one of our local faves – Sheepshead Bay Gourmet Market on Avenue Z.
Until last week, the business had two locations – a fruit and vegetable market on East 18th Street (also called Sheepshead Bay Fruit & Vegetables Market), and the hot food market at East 16th Street.
The latter has closed for good, workers have confirmed.
It’s too bad, because we never got to extol the virtues of this spot, where you could grab one of the better cups of coffee in the Bay, or pick up a fresh spinach pie in the morning. Sure, you may still be able to grab these items at the back of the fruit and veggie market, but the East 16th Street location had something more going for it: excellent service.
The pair of workers behind the counter – whose names I regret never asking – were always kind and friendly, and always remembered my order. I don’t know if they’ll continue on at the East 18th Street location, but I wish them luck, and thanks for always remembering the hazelnut.
“URAPUTZ” License Plate: Check
“The Closer You Get The Slower I Drive” Bumper Sticker: Check
“If you can read this I can slam on my brakes and sue your ass!” Bumper Sticker: Check
Douchebag Chain Decoration On Shitty Car: Check
Delicious Irony…
…Check
Seen on Avenue W near East 17th Street
Remember Alexander Kravitz? We wrote about the Gravesend resident last January, after he was arrested in a Queens motel room where he hoped to make a porn video with a 14-year-old girl. Kravitz’s defenders came scrawling comments on the site back then, talking up what a real hardworking, honest champ the 27-year-old William E. Grady High School teacher is and that we shouldn’t judge him until the jury does.
Well, the jury has. Wait, nix that, Alex Kravitz pleaded guilty to the crime. Kravitz admitted to attempting to disseminate indecent material to a minor, as part of a deal for a 90-day jail term and five years’ probation. The Daily News reports that Kravitz will also have to turn over his computer, forfeit his teaching license, and register as a sex offender.
Continue Reading »
Following yesterday’s report about graffiti vandals tagging the subway platforms at Gravesend Neck Road and Avenue U, one reader sent us a much better shot of the crap at Neck Road. Thank you, reader, you can collect your free hug when we finally have our first Sheepshead Bites meetup.
Photo by Ray Johnson
Meet Layne Mosler, a “food pilgrim” and blogger over at Taxi Gourmet. Mosler is on a never-ending journey to seek out the city’s top cuisine, as dictated by those who know New York the best: taxi drivers.
In an article for the food culture newsletter Tasting Table, Mosler rounded up what she and taxi drivers consider the yummiest bowls of soup. On the list? Sheepshead Bay’s Cherry Hill Restaurant and Gourmet Market at the old Lundy’s building (1901 Emmons Avenue).
She writes:
The borscht and the fish soup–with big chunks of salmon, leeks, carrots and scallions–are worth a sit-down at this Russian super-deli in Brighton Beach. If you want to skip the upstairs café, takeout highlights include potato-battered chicken stuffed with mushrooms, stewed cabbage and ‘Caucasian’ salad with roasted eggplant, tomato and cilantro.
That’s right, Sheepshead Bay is apparently now an extension of Brighton Beach. We’ll give her a pass… this time.
One good thing about all the new condos in the area? They get rid of trees.
Wait, what? How can that possibly be good? Well, it appears Sheepshead Bay has an ongoing battle with trees falling on cars. This sucker (the branch, not the car owner) fell on top of a fancy-shmancy BMW on East 21st Street and Avenue Y. For the most part, it appears the car is undamaged. Except for the gaping hole left in the windshield.
I suppose the owner can always tell his friends it’s the latest accessory to compensate for his impress the ladies. “Look, gals! Who needs a spoiler? Ground effects are for pussies. I have the Air Circulator 4000GS. My hair will look like I drive a convertible with the top down, but I don’t!”
Here’s the rest of that sucker (again, the branch – not the car owner).
At the end of the month, Cafe Glechik of Sheepshead Bay will be opening its doors to the public. The 1655 Sheepshead Bay Road location is the first expansion to the Brighton Beach Ukrainian restaurant, and is going to be much larger, spiffier, and boozier, according to a Grub Street writeup:
After a little more than a decade in Brighton Beach, Café Glechik will bring Ukrainian dumplings and some of New York’s favorite soup to Sheepshead Bay at the end of the month. The second location will serve the same menu, but will feature two floors of seating to better accommodate large groups and a liquor license to keep them entertained. The owner made special trips to the Ukraine for the décor, so expect a display of Eastern European kitsch that outdoes the diminutive original.
The current Cafe Glechik (3159 Coney Island Avenue) was visited by Anthony Bourdain’s Travel Channel show, which you can watch at the cafe’s website.
Click to watch video from NY1
Police are turning to the public in their search for the murderers of a Brighton Beach business owner after nearly a year of dead ends.
Brighton Bazaar owner Vlad Tolstykh, 35, was assaulted by two men wielding a hammer and a hand axe at a parking garage on Brighton 11th Street in March 2009. He was beaten and robbed of two watches and an unknown amount of cash. Video caught the suspects walking into the garage and attacking Tolstykh, but police haven’t been able to get enough information to identify the suspects.
A total reward of $32,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest, with $20,000 being ponied up by Tolstykh’s family.
Anyone with information about the case is being asked to contact Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-577-TIPS, by texting TIP577 to CRIMES, or by going to NYPDCrimeStoppers.com.
A Department of Transportation official may be speaking at tonight’s Sheepshead Bay/Plumb Beach Civic Association, to clarify about lane closures and the ongoing work along the Belt Parkway.
Though a member of SBPB Civic said they hadn’t received confirmation as recently as yesterday, if the official does come it may be interesting to see the interrogation he faces as the project moves forward simultaneously with other projects. In addition to the work we wrote about yesterday, other parts of Belt Parkway are seeing changes to drainage systems and road repairs, possibly leading to detours into the streets. And in 2011, several overpasses in our neighborhood will be renovated as well.
When: Tonight @ 7:30 p.m.
Where: Knights of Columbus Baron DeKalb; Nostrand Avenue and Emmons Avenue
Contact: (718) 891-1937
