Arbuz’ employees helped with the cleanup process, wiping down furniture days after Sandy hit.
Despite the recent passage of a $50 billion federal emergency funds package for victims of Hurricane Sandy, there is lingering skepticism in Southern Brooklyn that the aid will alleviate the ongoing struggles in this badly battered corner of the city.
Local elected officials have touted the passage of the federal aid package as a key step in the region’s recovery from a storm that caused an estimated $20 billion in damage in New York City. Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently announced plans to use the first installment of federal aid, about $1.8 billion, to set up grant and loan programs for homeowners and businesses badly damaged by the storm.
But after nearly four months of seeking Sandy aid from the government, some business owners and organization heads in Southern Brooklyn say the federal Small Business Administration (SBA), which makes emergency loans available to Sandy victims, has been slow to respond to the crisis.
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Arbuz owners and staff cleaning off the furniture just days after the storm.
THE BITE: The Bite’s been laying low as Sheepshead Bay struggles to recover from Hurricane Sandy. With so many still without power or heat, it seems a bit insensitive to write about a newly discovered food dish. Now’s the time to help our neighbors rebuild.
Many of our restaurants and food mongers who came out for this year’s A Taste of Sheepshead Bay are still recovering and some are already back in business. Please do your best to help support the businesses that support Sheepshead Bites and the community. Without their support we wouldn’t be able to bring you our coverage of the neighborhood. No one else provides the local news when you need it, like Sheepshead Bites.
Rovshan Danilov, the owner of Arbuz, put it best. “We need Sheepshead Bay back. We need the businesses to return. We need the customers back. We need the landlords to understand and work with the small businesses of the Bay.” We’re all in this together.
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Bagels R Us is back to business on Sheepshead Bay Road, despite some destroyed equipment.
We took a walk down Sheepshead Bay Road yesterday, where waves as high as eight feet tall crashed through storefronts and flooded thriving businesses on its way inland. And, in the face of the devastation, local business were well on the way to recovery, with some already opening their doors to customers.
Keep reading, and let us know in the comments what business you know of that are open.
Three months after we reported that a new frozen yogurt establishment would open at 1501 Sheepshead Bay Road, yooberry removed the paper from its windows and opened for business on Friday evening.
The inside – and outside, for that matter – is bright and colorful, with what appears to be self-serve frozen yogurt machines and a counter full of toppings. It’s a welcome face-lift near the otherwise dark, dingy and dirty B/Q overpass.
Welcome to the neighborhood, yooberry. Sorry you missed the summer, but there’s always next year.
Europa Bistro, the shuttered establishment at 1652 Sheepshead Bay Road that uniquely boasted Italian-Romanian “home smoked delicacy” (pizza, plus pastrami), is making way for Chayhana Salom (or is it Chadhana?), which, we’re told, is going to be a shish kebab restaurant.
We wish our new neighbors the best of luck but, I’m curious, when will someone — anyone — think to maybe open a restaurant that serves Indian cuisine in this neighborhood?
At least it’s not another You-Know-What Place.
Tip courtesy of our friends at Arbuz (1706 Sheepshead Bay Road).
Local business owners, be our eyes and ears to get free mentions on Sheepshead Bites. Send us news tips at nberke [at] sheepsheadbites [dot] com about business openings/closings or local issues around the neighborhood, and mention that you would like your establishment to be credited in the article.
I know many of you were in deep despair when Sheepshead Bay Road’s longtime sushi establishment, Chikurin, bid a sad farewell to the oversaturated sushi-laden thoroughfare and moved into the ground floor of 1702 Avenue Z.
Fret not, sushi aficionados, for filling in the vacancy — although not in the same space as Chikurin once was — will be Shinjuku Japanese Restaurant, named after a special ward of Tokyo, Japan, and which means “New Lodge.” Shinjuku will open up shop at 1664 Sheepshead Bay Road, the location previously occupied by Chert Poberi Café.
What can I say? My prediction: In five years from now, there will not be a single establishment left on Sheepshead Bay Road that will not serve sushi. It’s probably a matter of time before we start seeing California rolls being sold out of CVS, Night Light Café and Bally’s.
Tip courtesy of our friends at Arbuz (1706 Sheepshead Bay Road).
Local business owners, be our eyes and ears to get free mentions on Sheepshead Bites. Send news tips to nberke [at] sheepsheadbites [dot] com about business openings/closings, breaking news or local issues around the neighborhood, and mention that you would like your establishment to be credited in the article.
Sheepshead Bay Road is getting its second frozen yogurt spot soon, as yooberry Frozen Yogurt prepares its digs at the former location of the Flagg Tax Center.
Located at 1501 Sheepshead Bay Road, yooberry will be right across the street from the Sheepshead Bay train station entrance – and the Dunkin’ Donuts / Baskin’ Robbins powerhouse. And, oh, just a block and a half down from the three-year-old Arbuz at 1706 Sheepshead Bay Road.
Unlike the Baskin’ Robbins and Arbuz, though, it doesn’t appear that yooberry will have seating – the storefront doesn’t have enough space to offer much more than a counter.
Thanks to Laine for the tip and photo.
The Southern Brooklyn Democrats, a new reform Democratic club aiming to reinvigorate progressive politics in Southern Brooklyn, will meet at 7:00 p.m., May 21 at 1706 Sheepshead Bay Road between Voorhies Avenue and Shore Parkway. The meeting is on the second floor, above Arbuz.
Among the items on their agenda will be constitution ratification, interim executive board elections for the duration of 2012, and a discussion of ongoing initiatives, including transportation, with particular focus on local transit issues.
To learn more, check out their Facebook announcement.
THE BITE: The first time I took my now wife out to dinner, we ate in some swanky restaurant in Manhattan. I had steak au pouivre and I can’t remember what the future Mrs. Bites ordered. But I do remember that she only ate about half of her meal. I was a bit concerned. It was our first date, the conversation was going well, but, had she lost interest?
As I finished up my meal, I asked her if she wanted to finish her plate or take it home. She said no to both. Now, I thought, she just wants out. “Shoot, this didn’t go well,” I said to myself and asked the waiter for the check. Before the words were out of my mouth, she piped in with “Can I see the dessert menu please?”
You see, the wife is a dessert person. Desserts are the high point of any meal for her. Me, not so much. So today when my sweet tooth started to ache, I knew I had to satiate it. I remembered the Liege waffles that Arbuz (1705 Sheepshead Bay Road) offered up at A Taste of Sheepshead Bay and I knew they would do the trick. When I first tasted a plain waffle without any toppings at A Taste of Sheepshead Bay, I was struck with the sweetness of the exterior and the almost malty like flavor of the dough. I was hooked. This is my type of dessert.
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Arbuz on Sheepshead Bay Road
The past week or so has seen a couple of major New York City papers snooping around Sheepshead Bay’s restaurants, including a pretty hefty score for a newly-opened Manhattan location of a Sheepshead Bay original.
That’d be the New York Times talking about Treat Petite, the Greenwich Village spinoff of Arbuz (1706 Sheepshead Bay Road). A while back we broke the story of Arbuz’s expansion. Treat Petite (61 Grove Street) is now open, specializing in frozen kefir, and appear to have impressed the Times.
“Their soft serve, called Treat Petite, is refreshing and not as sweet as many brands of frozen yogurt. The store offers six varieties: plain, and five others subtly flavored with fruit purées, including pomegranate and caramelized pineapple. There are also smoothies and concoctions with various toppings, as well as coffee, crepes, waffles and some pastries.”
It seems to me that the wider world is finally waking up to the wealth of tastes and flavors our corner of the city has to offer, and what’s even better is that those business pioneers that took risks to start here in Sheepshead are finding success and expanding outward.
In addition to the New York Times story, local restaurants are also getting a huge shoutout in the Daily News. The paper launched a series – which we’ll say is inspired by The Bite, since they’re all in our coverage area anyway – showing off great restaurants along the Q line. So far they’ve covered:
- Tatiana’s in Brighton Beach
- Varenichnaya in Brighton Beach
- Coney Island Taste Peruvian Restaurant in Sheepshead Bay
- Randazzo’s Clam Bar in Sheepshead Bay
- Totonno’s Pizzeria in Coney Island
