Ladies and gentlemen, the end of an era has arrived. Windjammer Motor Inn has perished, and in its place stands… uh… Lyghthouse Inn (3206 Emmons Avenue). Yeah, that’s a “Y”. We don’t get it either.
(Actually, after looking through our archives we remembered the owner’s name is Terrence Lyght. Get it?!)
According to the clerks at the Comfort Inn next door, Windjammer made the change just last week. They couldn’t tell me why, and I wasn’t willing to go into Lyghthouse to ask; I have severe allergic reactions to gonorrhea and desperation.
As one observer put it, “It’s really the youth who will miss out. ‘I lost my virginity at the Lyghthouse’ just doesn’t sound the same.”
Requiescat in pace, Windjammer. You will be missed.
Anyone have memories to share?
Capt. Mastrokostas and Council President Etienne present "Cop of the Month" awards to 4 officers
A larger audience than usual turned out to last night’s 61st Community Council meeting. Many, it seems, turned out to challenge Captain Georgios Mastrokostas from the 61st Precinct about problems on their block or with area businesses.
The most contentious part of the meeting occurred when a resident of East 19th Street and Avenue W complained to the captain about the dismissive attitude of police responding to consistent problems on her block. We’ve written before about this block being a haven for graffiti, and the resident stressed that despite numerous complaints police offers appear to have done little. She also said drugs were increasingly a problem, and that she had called police to have them pick up a bag of crack-cocaine she found in the street. She said dealers in cars often come to the poorly lit street to conduct transactions before driving off.
“The block is a hangout spot, an orgy spot, a get high spot,” she said.
Read the captain’s response and more meeting coverage
Bay Shish Kebab at 2255 Emmons Avenue has papered its windows and closed its doors. But Turkish food lovers, don’t despair. A clerk at the neighboring bagel shop tells us they’re renovating and should be back open in less than a month. Calls to the restaurant were met with the loving screech of a fax machine.
We’ll let you know if we find out more about Bay Shish Turkish Cuisine, especially the mystery behind its two names.
Courtesy of Gene Berardelli
We wrote about Halikarnas’ sudden closure last month by the Health Department, and then told you days later about how it reopened, broke the law, and reclosed. Well, we stopped by there last week and found out the complete story.
First of all, Halikarnas (3075 Emmons Avenue) is open for business again. Second, its closing – and subsequent re-closing – appears to be the result of classic labyrinthine bureaucracy and confusion that has cost a local business tens of thousands of dollars.
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After much waiting by frustrated bargain seekers, it looks like Loehmann’s Sheepshead Bay location is opening this Thursday, February 11, and we’re happy to see that one of the pillars of the Emmons Avenue economy is getting back on its feet.
Loehmann’s (2027 Emmons Avenue) has sent out notices to local customers and through its Facebook account about this week’s opening. The store has been closed since a November 21 fire ripped through XO Creperie next door. Loehmann’s originally planned to reopen after Thanksgiving, but later sent out a notice to “Loehmann’s E-mail Insider” subscribers saying they would remain closed until further notice.
Still, the two other businesses on the second floor of Loehmann’s Seaport Plaza remain closed – probably for good. Fire damage at XO Creperie spills out onto the patio’s ceiling, and Passage looks abandoned (which didn’t stop amNY from recommending a meal there last week).
Photo by Doughnut
In the fight to make a better waterfront, most argue that if residential homes are torn down, they ought to be replaced with something to compliment the marina. Be it bait and tackle shops or lively nightlife, that’s what’s called for, and that’s why the Sheepshead Bay Special Zoning District exists.
Unfortunately, there is no provision to ensure that people don’t tear down an Emmons Avenue bungalow and build an ugly piece of shit. Case in point? 3101 Emmons Avenue, which sold on January 14 for an astounding $1.75 million.
The newly constructed commercial unit replaces a bungalow house with 5,050 square feet of fugly, featuring a mezzanine with no view. Judging from the design, and some insider whispering, it will most likely go to some sort of bar/restaurant/lounge use. Which is cool. Except that it’s ugly.
We’re a little surprised by the high selling price of this thing (a whopping $350 per square foot), but, hey, even in a depression it’s always a seller’s market for cold, ambiguous steel doors on phallic, beige utility shafts.
We’ve been getting a lot of e-mails about the status of Loehmann’s department store at Loehmann’s Seaport Plaza (2027 Emmons Avenue). We were surprised to see that they’ve stayed closed so long, and calls to Loehmann’s corporate offices went unreturned. We were lucky enough to stop by last week as a contractor was at work. Though he didn’t want to say anything officially, he told us Loehmann’s planned to reopen in early February, but judging from the progress he didn’t think that was a likely goal. On the upside, Loehmann’s is using the opportunity to totally renovate its location, and you can see in the photos that carpeting, ceiling tiles, and other accoutrements are being torn out to make way for some new flash.
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THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED: “Halikarnas Reopen and Clean, Lost Big To DOH Mess”
We told you Wednesday that Halikarnas, a Turkish restaurant on Emmons Avenue, closed down by order of the Health Department. But we stopped by in the afternoon and – guess what – staff was there and they invited us in for a meal. Something about mouse droppings, cockroaches, and a lack of running water didn’t really turn us on, though, and we went on our way.
Photo of the sign before being blocked by a menu
As it turned out, Halikarnas reopened illegally. The DOH sign on the door explaining its closure and saying that it is a violation of law to damage or obstruct it was, well, damaged and obstructed. After attempting to tear it down, Halikarnas employees covered it with the menu, as you can see in the photo above.
Well, justice has been served. DOH inspectors returned last night. It was found operating and serving food to patrons. The Health Department re-closed the restaurant and cited it for operating against the agency’s order to close.
Are instructions that difficult to follow?
The new construction at 30 Dooley Street, between Emmons Avenue and Shore Parkway, is coming along pretty swiftly. We wrote about the building back in October as the supporting steel for the first floors began to go up. Now the towering building, hulking over Emmons Avenue from the Sunrise Assisted Living parking lot, has some real shape to it. As you can see from the sign, they’re seeking tenants for office, medical, and restaurant businesses. Your thoughts?
Just a reminder, here’s the photo from October:
Courtesy of Gene Berardelli
THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED: “Halikarnas Reopen and Clean, Lost Big To DOH Mess”
One of the handful of Sheepshead Bay’s Turkish restaurants closed down last week by order of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Halikarnas at 3075 Emmons Avenue (between Batchelder Street and Bay View Court) was shuttered after it failed its pre-permit inspection on January 5. According to a press officer at the Health Department, “The inspection found the restaurant operating without running water at the three compartment sinks, hand washing station and dishwasher located in its basement’s food prep area. Other factors that contributed to the restaurant’s closing included liquid waste found on the floor of the basement’s storage area, 60 mice droppings, and 10 live roaches in the restaurant’s kitchen and basement kitchen areas.”
We never tried eating here, but both Yelp reviews show the place is hit or miss. Many Yelp reviewers enjoyed the Turkish cuisine, while an almost equal amount were revolted by molding desserts or rude wait staff.
The DOH inspection reports, meanwhile, gave them grades that changed as drastically as an NBC contract (Ed. — OOF!!). They frequently jumped between highs of 79 point and single digit lows. Mind you – this is like golf, and par is 27.
