SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

Posted this morning on Di Fara’s Facebook page:

[Di Fara] is happy to announce that several doors down we will be opening a tiny take out place offering all our old menu items that so many have been missing. We will have pasta, heros, salad and more.We expect to open mid April. All our products will use the finest and freshest ingredients as we always do at Difara….please, no questions at this time…Will update as we see fit ! Thank you….Happy April !

Eater, which was the first to report on this off-shoot of the current Di Fara’s location (1424 Avenue J), notes that it will be the first time in at least 10 years since Di Fara sold pasta dishes.

A traditional Passover seder table. Source: Wikipedia

Five hundred needy people and seniors will join the Be Proud Foundation and friends during the fourth annual Passover Food Distribution at Aqua Health Rehabilitation Center, 2753 Coney Island Avenue, Thursday, March 21 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

According to Raisa Chernina, founder of the Be Proud Foundation, a non-profit organization started by immigrants from the Russian-speaking community:

“Passover is the best time for us to show that we care about our neighbors. By giving out food we are going to share our happiness with those people who count on us more than ever in this current economic climate.”

Destitute individuals looking to make a Passover seder will receive matzos, considered to symbolize salvation and deliverance, as well as other Passover foods.

To learn more, contact the Be Proud Foundation at (718) 788-7773.

Photo by Erica Sherman

The following is from an email we received from the Met Council on Jewish Poverty about Kosher for Passover food distribution this year:

For Brooklyn communities recovering from Hurricane Sandy, celebrating Passover will be a struggle this year. That’s why the Met Council on Jewish Poverty will deliver more than 2.5 million pounds of Kosher Passover food to families in need.

Many families can no longer afford the expensive Kosher food for their Passover seders and the holiday’s eight days. Last Passover, Met Council served 55,000 households — this year, following Sandy, the need is even greater.

Here are Kosher for Passover food distribution sites you can visit in our area:

• Kosher Food Distribution at JCC of Greater Coney Island, 3001 West 37th Street, Wednesday, March 20 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
• Kosher Food Distribution at Shorefront JCC, 3161 Brighton 6th Street, Thursday, March 21 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

An RSVP is required for both food distribution events. To RSVP or learn more about Met Council’s food program, call (718) 763-5318, email food@metcouncil.org and visit them on the web.

A rendering of Manhattan Beach’s Subway Cafe interior.

Manhattan Beach will be the site of the borough’s first publicly-accessible Subway Cafe, a new upscale concept that blends together a sandwich shop and a coffee bar.

Subway’s local franchisee signed a lease for 1613 Oriental Boulevard, the former site of Quick Break Deli just outside the gates of Kingsborough Community College (2001 Oriental Boulevard).

A rendering of Manhattan Beach’s Subway Cafe interior.

The 2,000-square-foot Subway Cafe will feature cozy couches placed before a decorative fireplace, free wi-fi, and a new line of espresso beverages and baked goods. There may also be outdoor seating.

“The cafe concept looks better than Starbucks, especially the way it will look in Manhattan Beach,” boasted Daryl Meyers, Brooklyn development agent for Subway. “It’s not like a Starbucks, but it’s similar in what it offers – cappuccino, latte. It’s actually Starbucks-branded coffee; it’s Seattle’s Best, which is owned by Starbucks.”

Subway began testing out the cafe concept in 2008, and slowly expanded to just 15 locations nationwide by 2011. The Manhattan Beach location will be the third publicly-accessible one in New York City, with one in Queens and another in Midtown Manhattan. There’s another location in Brooklyn that opened up around Labor Day weekend, but it’s on the Long Island University campus and only accessible to students and faculty, Meyers said.

All of those locations, though, will pale next to the size and investment Meyers’ team and the franchisee are putting into the Manhattan Beach location, though.

“This one is going to be much better,” Meyers said. “[In addition to the traditional Subway offerings,] we’re going to have dedicated staff for just the cafe, and the owner is dedicated to doing it properly … It has updated decor. Really, pretty nice.”

The 10-year lease for the space was brokered by Arsen Atbashyan, the CEO of Commercial Acquisitions Realty Services, and includes two five-year options. The franchise sought the space for the cafe because the proximity to the school, the beach and nursing home provides a strong customer base for a cafe atmosphere, Meyers said.

“It’s right across the street from Kingsborough Community College; there’s a high school right there. There’s a nursing home and the people in the healthcare industry tend to be some of our best customers. And it’s right on Manhattan Beach, so all summer long, all those beach customers,” Meyers said.

Subway Cafe is tentatively slated to open February 22.

Clarification (3:25 p.m.): Atbashyan adds that agent Shlomi Albagdadi also helped put together the deal.

Apani, a new Georgian take-out joint, is set to open soon at 1520 Sheepshead Bay Road.

The business replaces Randazzo’s Sandwich Spot, which shuttered in September after a small electrical fire caused havoc in their kitchen. It was open just five months, replacing Grill Master, which closed up shop in August 2011.

It seems it’s been a tough spot for food businesses to find footing, but we wish our new neighbors luck.

EcoMeal Organic, an organic food wholesalers, has a truck parked on Brighton Beach Avenue and Coney Island Avenue, handing out free products to those in need.

The truck has been there since 11:00 a.m. this morning, and will be there so long as they have supplies.

They have brought 600 cases of products, with support from national brands including Organic Valley, Smart Balance, Lifeway Kefir and Happy Baby.

New York City and Con Edison has set up a number of distribution locations throughout the five boroughs, where they are giving out emergency supplies including dry ice, food and water. Here are the current locations:

These locations will be updated, and the most up-to-date list can be found here.

The Brighton Beach Hotel, birth scene of Chicken a la King.

An interesting column in Capital New York delves into the history of the once great culinary classic that defined an era of fine dining in New York City over 100 years ago, a history that has its roots in Brighton Beach.

Chicken a la king, a dish that’s a mix of mushrooms, peppers, diced chicken, and creamy sauce over toast, was the number one dish for haughty New Yorkers obsessed with all things French.

Legend has it that the dish was created in honor of E. Clara King II, owner of the Brighton Beach Hotel in the early 1900s, then one of the fanciest resort destinations for rich Manhattanites looking for fun and sun. King and his wife were blown away by the dish, and the next day it appeared as a regular item on the hotel’s menu before spreading across the city as a menu staple for decades.

The dish got so popular that it morphed into a wedding and banquet hall staple, before being relegated to a cheap TV dinner, losing all of the mystique and panache the dish enjoyed for years. Like Elvis, the King had died (as a popular restaurant choice, anyway) by the late 70s.

John Sierp (Source: worldcares.org)

There is no doubt that the final for this year’s fourth annual 5 Alarm Cookoff, a firefighter cook contest sponsored by the New York Daily News, will not disappoint foodies, especially if local Sheepshead Bay firefighter and competitor John Sierp has anything to say about it.

Sierp, of our own Ladder 169 (2732 East 11th Street), is one of the finalists in this year’s tournament, where his special Warm Orzo Salad with Greek Lamb Meatballs will square off against last year’s overall winner and Carroll Gardens native Jing Kong of EMS Station 32. Kong’s specialties include his carefully prepared Vietnamese Sugarcane Shrimp.

Sierp and Kong are seasoned veterans of this contest, having both made it to the final rounds in last year’s competition, but they will also have to contend with one newcomer, Brooklyn Headquarters EMT Jeanette Lampoon. She made it to the final round with her Arroz Borracho, or drunken rice, a mix of rice, veggies, meat, and beer.

In making it to the final round, Sierp earned high praise from the judges.

“The meatballs just came together extremely well. Everything he did with the pesto and orzo underneath just worked together and came out really great,” judge Joseph Morrone told the Daily News.

The cookoff itself is being held at William E. Grady High School in Brighton Beach and whoever ends up winning will take home $5,000 cash, new kitchen appliances, and a $2,500 gift card from Key Foods.

“Thanks for coming!”

More than 325 people came out for this year’s A Taste of Sheepshead Bay on October 11 to sample approximately 80 different foodstuffs of 20 establishments, representing most of the world’s continents.

There was the event sponsor, Il Fornetto, bringing high-class selections like Pollo Farcito, a chicken breast stuffed with asparagus, red bell pepper and Swiss cheese in Madera wine sauce, and other dishes. And Nargis, returning with their outstanding samsas and bringing a newcomer tongue salad. Our first-time vendors, Cevabdzinica Sarajevo II, T & D Bakery, Sushi Mikasa, Anatolian Gyro and Chayhana Salom all put on an extraordinary show, and, like our returning participants, appeared to be seasoned veterans of such tasting events.

Thanks to all of them, and the other great establishments that were there: Anthony’s Place, Arbuz, Bassett Caterers, Chop Stix, Jimmy’s Famous Heros, JoMart Chocolates, KBCC Culinary, Maria’s Ristorante Italiano, Masal Cafe, New Cats Cafe, Tête-à-Tête, Turkish Cultural Center and Wheeler’s Restaurant.

I could go on about how much I love the food at all these places, and what a great show they put on Thursday, but this post would go on far too long.

Thanks, too, to Richard Stockley and the Knights of Columbus – Baron DeKalb, who made great hosts once again, and really impressed this former waiter with their exemplary service and quick cleanup. A big thanks also to T-Mobile of Sheepshead Bay Road, Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, Miramar Yacht Club, Pinto Novelty, Tops Liquors and the dozen or so participants who kicked in approximately $1,000 in free door prizes for attendees.

Our appreciation also extends to the elected officials who skipped the vice presidential debate, a redistricting hearing, Barbara Streisand’s return to Brooklyn, the first night of Comic Con, and whatever else to join us on Thursday and show their love for our booming restaurant industry. Those officials include Councilmembers Lew Fidler and Mike Nelson, Assemblymembers Helene Weinstein, Alan Maisel and Steven Cymbrowitz, State Senator David Storobin and also Marty Golden, who could not attend but sent a representative. Borough President Marty Markowitz sent a proclamation and called to send his regards, but Babs was too much for the beep to miss.

And last but not least, thanks to you, our readers and supporters who attended, who truly made this event what it was by showing that Sheepshead Bay is about community and about supporting its small businesses. Thanks for coming, and we hope you had a terrific time.

Check out photos of the event after the jump.