Open Thread Wednesday: June 20, 2012

By on June 20, 2012 9:05 am in Brooklyn Heights

With scorching temps in the 90s today, it’s a perfect opportunity to heat up Wednesday’s Open Thread. What’s on your mind? Comment away! (Photo: Chuck Taylor)

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  • Heightsman

    1. Nice photo Chuck
    2. BH people – stop your dogs from p*ssing all over the side walk. CURB YOUR DOG. We have to walk in it otherwise.
    3. Noodle Pudding – definitely back in its glory. Fish has been fantastic recently.
    4. Any further reviews of Custom House.
    5. Who the h*ll are those kids with clipboards hitting people up every evening around the Promenade? They want money for something…

  • Clover_Hill_Billy

    My wife and I moved to Brooklyn Heights last year. We love the neighborhood and would like to get more involved in the community. Any suggestions for civic groups or organizations? I’d also appreciate some Civics 101 tips. For example, who do we petition to get graffiti off mailboxes? How do we voice our concerns about overdevelopment? Thank you.

  • A math major

    Made the unfortunate mistake of eating at Custom House over the weekend.

    Decent crab cake. Forgettable Caesar salad. Flavorless mussels. TERRIBLE roast chicken — dry as sawdust with zero flavor of any kind — even on the skin. Edible asparagus except for the amateur mistake of including the indelible woody ends.

    A big waste of over $60 — we will absolutely not return until we hear the food has drastically improved.

  • Frank

    What do you expect when you order crab cake and mussels at an Irish bar? I had the burger with fried egg and thought it was pretty good. my friend had the grilled chicken with mozzarella cheese and he said it was average. The wings were very good though. Quite meaty and tasty. I think one should stick to bar staples when eating at a bar. common sense should prevail at some point

  • knitwit

    Heightsman:

    These are the same youngin’ on Montague Street who trap you coming and going with insincere “Hi” “love your scarf” etc. They are hired by the some organization to get you to “Save the _____ ” (fill in the blank) and ask for a donation. I believe they are paid. Going on for years. I hate being rude but I can’t donate to everyone.

  • BG

    Custom House has servicable food, but nothing memorable. Everything was fresh. Nice space and friendly staff. Would agree that it’s a burger and a beer sort of affair. Wings looked good. Fries were perfect. Fingers crossed for the shephard’s pie when winter rolls around.

    La Vara is absolutely worth the hike over to CH for anyone seeking more serious cookery.

  • SPM

    For Clover Hill, I would start with the Brooklyn Heights Association. They can lead you to committees that align with your interests plus inform you of what to do about the graffiti issues. Welcome to the neighborhood!

  • Clark Street Resident

    Went to Custom House on Saturday for the Euro soccer matches. They had a good tap beer selection but we didn’t order any food from their menu.
    Although the bartender had some dificulty trying to get the tvs on the proper channels, she was very nice and kept our pint glasses filled. Will probably go back for more games and liquid lunches.
    I think it’s a great addition for northern heights’ sports fans who don’t feel like walking over to the bars on Court/Atlantic/Smith.

  • Mr. Crusty

    We were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed our meal at the Custom House. Everyone should give it a shot and not depend on other people’s reviews.

  • Big Dave

    Been to Custom House twice. Burgers and wings good. Martini to order good as well. Could use a little more ambience of some sort (not sure how to classify the decor). It is still finding its way, as should be expected.

  • http://n/a Barbara Shernoff

    Can anyone recommend a good dentist in the downtown Bklyn area who takes Aetna Insurance as payment for treatment? Need for a friend
    who is looking for a dentist.

  • ColumbiaHeightster

    Agree with mostly everyone about Custom House. It’s a bar. Order bar food and drinks and you’ll be fine. Bar staff was really friendly, prices were fair. Nice addition to Montague.

  • Homer Fink

    @heightsman – yeah I’ve been thinking it’s time for another curb your dog post:
    http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/2766

  • David on Middagh

    Heightsman, I tell the collegiate charity seine-haul of the week that I have a strict schedule of concern:

    Monday – Alternative energy
    Tuesday – Women’s reproduction
    Wednesday – Children
    Thursday – Save the waminals
    Friday – Fracking
    Saturday – Overdevelopment
    Sunday – Civil rights

    They’re very understanding.

  • AEB

    Gosh, David! Even god rested on Sunday. Most impressive!

  • C.

    Custom House is a big letdown. Absolutely no ambiance or atmosphere. No distinct character of its own. It completely lacks any identity. Very awkward feeling. The back area lacks design and the front couch area is just awkward. Doesn’t help that some weird guy dressed in all black is walking outside to check out the street every couple minutes. This doesn’t feel like a relaxed bar where you kick back (like all bars should feel). It feels like a bar where you order your beer and you behave. No thanks. And $7.00 for a beer at 4 in the afternoon? Good luck with that. I’ll keep trekking to the bars on Atlantic and Smith. I knew not to put too much hope into this place. I’d much rather go to O’Keefe’s to watch a game. Cheaper beer, good wings and better atmosphere. You know, an actual bar.

  • WillowSt.Neighbor

    Barbara,
    check out:
    http://www.dentistryinbrooklynheights.com
    Dr. Eric Last (my dentist)
    Says they take most insurance plans.
    You should have your friend call to find out if they take Aetna.

  • A math major

    C, you’re dead accurate on the atmosphere at Custom House — it’s Awkward with a capital A. They say it’s an Irish pub yet the vibe is a weird failed fusion between hotel lobby, hip lounge, and Brooklyn chic restaurant. I don’t recall ANYTHING that speaks of “Irish”.

    As far as those saying I ordered the wrong food — that it’s a pub, get a burger and wings… I say 1) why put dishes on the menu that you can’t or won’t cook well and 2) I’m happy to forgive one bad dish. Maybe two. But 4 of the 5 things we ordered were not worth eating. I mean seriously, who makes Caesar salad croutons out of hamburger buns?!?

  • PBL

    Is the Calexico cart coming back to Brooklyn Bridge Park? I asked them on Twitter twice but never got a reply.

  • hicks st guy

    @CH Billy, welcome to the Heights.
    @Heightsman, had a great light supper at
    NP last night, can’t get enough of that place, what
    with the window wall open, cool breeze. Not the case
    today, for sure.

  • Alec

    Don’t hate on Custom House – they are working out happy hour (so sez the bartender I spoke with) and it’s the only decent bar on Montague. If they only had a Ms. Pacman/pinball/Photo Hunt option…

    My beef right now is with the absurd amount of scaffolding in the hood – I’ve sent emails to our local councilman to no avail – Pierrepont St looks like a construction zone, and has for 3 years.

  • BrooklynLove

    @PBL
    I know! I’ve been down there every weekend looking for those guys and then have to eat another Ditch Plains Sloppy Dog

  • Jared

    Just got word the management company of my building lost the extra set of keys they keep for my apartment. They have been missing for at least 2 months and never told me. When I asked for them to replace the locks on my apartment they dodged the issue. Ideas?

  • Mr. Crusty

    Replace the locks yourself and deduct the cost out of the next rent check.

  • A.Oakley

    Hi all,
    Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced upholsterer? Looking to get a leather sofa redone.

    Many thanks.

  • Michael

    Have been to Custom House twice. Both times, very nice staff. Good selection of beer. Food was good. Looking forward to them in the neighborhood.

  • The Bear

    A.Oakley,
    check out apt therapy, i think they had some listings recently.
    a friend has had great experience with a store on 5th ave in the slope around 14th street. shops not fancy but do a good job.

  • HeightsMax

    Does anyone know what movie was filming on Joralemon last night? The crew said “a Bloomingdales commercial”, but to me it seemed like a much bigger production.

  • North heights res

    Went to Custom House for the first time this afternoon. Service amateur but amicable; atmosphere non-existent.

    But the sliders and salad were perfectly satisfying, and the sauvignon blanc was unexpectedly good. I’ll be back.

  • Custom House Customer

    Throwing in my Custom House review …

    Sat outside in the back which was nice enough despite having nothing to really look at but the wall (not their fault). Inside looked a little loungey for an Irish pub, but if you’re the kind of person that wouldn’t normally like a traditional Irish pub, you’ll enjoy the fact that it’s clean and sterile looking.

    Service was pretty solid. We were constantly checked up on through our dinner and two rounds of drinks.

    Beer selection is adequate. They have a couple of interesting brews and many uninteresting ones. Didn’t do any mixed drinks. Pints were cold, not terribly priced but not well priced either. Henry Street Ale House is a much better option for people looking to drink interesting beer in North Heights.

    Food was pretty blah. We ordered French Onion soup, wings and both the beef and turkey sliders. The soup was so-so. The wings seemed to come out of a bag — they are breaded and remind of the wings you might buy at Yankee Stadium or some other Aramark-supplied joint. The beef sliders were dry and flavorless, while the turkey sliders were tasty if a bit sweet. The fries that came with the sliders were terrible — definitely from a bag and not crispy.

    Overall, this place is fine. It’s classic Heights — nothing special, not cheap, but not horrible. The Heights Cafe of Irish pubs, if you ask me. If you’re up for a walk to Cobble Hill, you’ll definitely get some better food, but if you don’t want to go far, you could do worse.

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