Open Thread Wednesday 1/11/12

By on January 11, 2012 12:17 am in Brooklyn Heights

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

BHB Photo Club pic by tscola via Flickr

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  • Knight

    OK David … I agree with your “Noooooo” vote! Nested comments suck!

  • Andrew Porter

    The oval is dirt because so many parents with kids have them play there, instead of on the astroturf the other side of the War Memorial bldg. Kids can also dig in the dirt. Really hard to dig in astroturf—which can be as hot as 140F during the summer.

  • Andrew Porter

    Yeah, it’s the property of the car service—which btw has a big ugly sign that’s not compliant with LPC regulations.

  • Andrew Porter

    Guy finally moved on Saturday. Guess he finished walking his dog.

  • Andrew Porter

    Alas, lots of people have seen you and I in the same room…

  • Andrew Porter

    Crain’s New York article is here:

    http://tinyurl.com/6n8t8rv

  • Andrew Porter

    Crain’s article about 4.1M sale on CH is here:

    http://tinyurl.com/6n8t8rv

  • Andrew Porter

    Starting to look like one of those Russian dolls…

  • David on Middagh

    I agree with both of you.

  • ilovebrooklyn

    Agree, CVS is horrid. A couple of years ago they gave me sleeping pills I hadn’t asked for. Couple of years later I was at the register and asked for their phone number to give to my doctor (on the phone.) They handed me someone’s filled prescription and told me to use the number on the bag with the EX. I said, “You just violated HIPAA. You handed me (showed me) someone else’s medical record.”

    They didn’t care.

    If you give the original prescription to CVS you can have City Chemist (or a drug store if traveling) contact CVS and fill the prescription.

    So say goodbye to CVS other than giving them the prescription to hold.

  • Willow St. Neighbor

    Re: Fascati pizza
    I ordered a large pie, extra cheese yesterday from Fascati.
    It was awful. What’s with the oregano on the pizza? The crust was awful. We will never order from them again. How disappointing. I wonder what happened?

  • Knight

    At some point — my guess is that it happened about two summers ago — they decided that it’s just a business and they stopped taking pride in the quality of their products.

  • Willow St. Neighbor

    Knight,
    Is it still a family owned operation?
    I remember relatives visiting from Buffalo (about 5 years ago). We ordered two pies and they raved over the quality of the pizza as they do not get decent pizza in the suburbs of Buffalo.
    Fortune House and now Fascati. Both just mediocre.

  • bklyn20

    CVS is terrible about HIPAA rules. There was a senior pharmacist, Lana, who used to be there on a regular basis and kept some sense of order. Now the wait is longer, and people are crowded up around the counter so anyone can hear what medication you’re getting, and then can see your name on the list. I am lucky that none of my prescriptions are “interesting” in any way. But what if you were taking a medication for an addiction, or for another serious condition that you preferred to keep to yourself? Depending on who is next in line and how the person at the register handles the order, your boss, the head of your coop board, or your nosy neighbor could know all about your problem. Very bad practice.

  • EHinBH

    Am a HUGE Fascati fan and I too just recently ordered a pie and it was terrible. Back to Ignazzios… Sep, but related, I got a bagel from the Montague place and it was EXCELLENT. Was like to old days… Chewy, crispy, and soft all at once. Tons of flavor. Was really great. So glad they are good again…

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com Claude Scales

    I’d like to see a response to ColumbiaHeightser’s query about Oh My Pasta. I haven’t tried it yet, and opinions here seem to be mostly favorable. Was the food bad, the service, or both? Please be specific.

  • Willow St. Neighbor

    Claude,
    We went to Oh My Pasta for lunch a few months ago and I was disappointed. I asked for spinach lasagna and was told that they had no spinach noodles but would substitute regular lasagna noodoes. I am a nice person so I said “OK”. The portion was tiny. Lunch was expensive for two people and I left feeling dissatisfied. Will never go back.

  • EHinBH

    Oh My Pasta was terrible. The food was worse than when Bevaco first opened… They have a guy on the street that pulls people in to eat from Court Street, there were no good apps, the food (Gnocchi) made me sick, and the waiter was terrible. Forget the other dish we had, but swore to never go back.

  • harumph

    Fascati’s hasn’t been the same since the old man left (retired? sick?) and left the business to his son. BIG mistake. The son clearly doesn’t love th business.

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com Claude Scales

    “They have a guy on the street that pulls people in to eat from Court Street,”

    He must have amazingly long arms.

    Thanks for the specifics on the food. Your comments, along with Willow St. Neighbor’s above, are very different from some others I’ve seen here, which were by regular readers, not shills.Perhaps the quality of food varies widely from day to day. I still mean to give it a try, but I’ll have my guard up.

  • Willow St. Neighbor

    Claude,
    Just because a few people didn’t like it doesn’t mean you won’t. You should definitely give it a try.
    I have eaten at many fine Italian restaurants in the city and Oh My Pasta doesn’t make the cut as far as I am concerned. We lived in Providence for a few years and ate at many of their Italian restaurants including one that is nationally recognized. I think I am a pretty good judge of what good Italian food should taste like. Also, my mother is Italian and I grew up eating fantastic Italian food at home.
    You know what they say “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure”. (or something like that). The same probably holds true for people’s taste in food.

  • Regina

    Went to Oh my Pasta a few weeks ago, the food was tasty and well prepared but portions were kind of small for the price, considering its mostly pasta. Not in a hurry to go back.

  • Master Of Middagh

    I also want to weigh in on Fascati. I remember reading that they started purchasing poorer quality ingredients to cut costs a few years ago. I can believe it! I ordered a pepperoni calzone from there the other day and it was TERRIBLE. It tasted like the pepperoni had come from a Hormel Pillow Pack (which is awful, by the way). I’m not taking any more chances with them.

    And yes, Fortune House has dimmed as well. So sad… :(

  • ColumbiaHeightster

    Just want to clarify my opinion on OMP. Never said it was “fine dining.” If you go in hoping for a fine dining experience (especially at their moderate prices) you are going to be disappointed. I’ve always said that it’s good food at a good price. Of course tastes vary, but if you go in hoping for Babbo, you’re going to be disappointed. Also, my entire family is Italian and I grew up eating fantastic Italian food at home…for whatever that’s worth.

  • Willow St. Neighbor

    Regina,
    I also thought the portions at OMP were pretty small. They advertise “home made pasta” but their lasagna was mushy.
    For a cheap Italian meal that is pretty basic, I happen to like Vincent’s in Little Italy. The lunch special is $9.95 which includes a salad, bread, and my favorite, baked ziti. Can’t beat that price.
    If I want lasagna bolognese, Becco on Restaurant Row is the place to go. Have never left Becco feeling anything but satisfied.

  • Willow St. Neighbor

    Master,
    Thanks for the info on Fascati. They have lost my business forever. Our out of town relatives always ask for pizza or Chinese food when they visit. We were always delighted to be able to accommodate them with takeout from Fascati or Fortune House. Sadly we will not be doing that anymore.

  • mlo

    I had the same experience with Fascati. Ordered a oie and when it came th ecrust was really weird- lik ether was no crust. The sauce was laddeled to the edge and it just looked strange and unappetizing. Saddest was the taste- really really bad. I’m sorry to see this happen to what i always considered a great and authentic Brooklyn pizzeria.

  • Knight

    Fascati used to make nice calzones, sausage rolls, chicken rolls, and spinach rolls. Now … none of that. They always sold out of them by the middle of the dinner rush, too. So why would they stop making them?

  • Willow St. Neighbor

    Knight,
    The bigger question is why they changed the recipes at all!
    To add oregano to a pizza is just plain crazy, IMHO.
    I also ordered a calzone along with the extra cheese pie and asked for a ham calzone. This was on a Sunday. The guy who took the order over the phone said that he had no ham. No ham????
    I ordered the sausage calzone and it was pretty bad.I wonder how the owners at Fascati would feel if they could read these negative posts!

  • Karl Junkersfeld

    Please Mr. Republican, don’t tell me the rich pay too much in taxes. Pleeeese. Warren buffet had it 100% correct. See attached link of Romney paying an effective tax rate of 15%. No wonder he is so reticent to release tax returns.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/18/us/politics/facing-pointed-attacks-romney-urges-focus-on-obama.html?_r=1&hp

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