Open Thread Wednesday

By on March 19, 2024 11:15 pm in open thread

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • Banet

    Who’s been to the Montague Diner? I’ve been twice. Breakfast on opening day and dinner last night. An abbreviated standard diner menu with a few flourishes.

    The prices seem high for a “diner” at first but are basically the same as the Cobble Hill Diner on Court Street and when compared to Grand Canyon, some prices are a bit higher and some are a bit lower.

    The food was all perfectly tasty but nothing special. I expect the menu to evolve a bit over time.

    The service is solid. It was a disaster the first morning with food taking over 45 minutes but I get it – first morning and 60 descended simultaneously. Dinner the next night? It was over 50% full and everything was perfect to normal. Attentive service, food came promptly, no mistakes, etc.

    They did a good job on the acoustics. Even when full of 60+ people it wasn’t loud.

  • Nomcebo Manzini

    Thanks for this…. Wish you could summon greater enthusiasm for the food. Any dishes earn an “A”? How bout the “ambience?” Sure looks like they went whole hog to get that right.

    “Nearby” – Any regulars at Apt. 4F who might know where their once voiced “evening plans” stand?

  • Toast

    So many open storefronts on and around Montague. What additions would you most like to see to the neighborhood?

  • Andrew Porter

    I walked by yesterday and there was no menu posted on the front windows, so had no idea of what was on offer (or the prices!).

  • Andrew Porter

    More cellphone and real estate offices? Oh, wait…

  • Andrew Porter
  • GHB

    I stopped by for breakfast this morning. Service was extremely slow. An omelet shouldn’t take 20+ minutes. Also, if you offer basic breakfasts, don’t charge an additional $3.00 for toast. I left in a hurry, but wouldn’t be surprised if they charged me for coffee refills. I’ll be going back to Clark’s.

  • Linda Bechutsky

    Restaurants- Mexican, seafood, Greek/Mediterranean, Teresa’s 2.0, to go creperie

    Retail- fish monger, mid-range clothing store, kids play space

  • Banet

    Ambiance is A+

    Service is a B+

    Food is a B+

    But it’s much too early to judge the food or service. It takes weeks or months to get these things right for most places.

  • Mary Kim

    I went to the pop-up location for Nate’s Detroit Pizza on Atlantic Ave. and left word that they should open a permanent location on Montague St. and to contact BHA and Montague BID for help. Told them the high school kids, local workers and jury duty folks would swarm the place for lunch. The pizza was outstanding.

  • Downtown Dad

    We went last night and enjoyed it a lot, we’ve booked our next reservation already!

  • GHB

    I’d love to see a good fresh produce store in the Heights. Maybe on Clark, near where the butcher was. When the produce store on Atlantic closed (and subsequently collapsed), I was hoping that they’d relocate to the North Heights.

  • Bornhere

    This question is posed year after year after decade … and still: fish store, bakery.

  • clarknt67

    I miss the Turkish place. So good. Second the Mexican nomination. Why is there so little Mexican around? At least Lobo is good and reasonably priced.

  • Andrew Porter

    As usual, I ate breakfast at Chez Moi today. Trader Joe’s Irish Tea, Canadian Bacon, McCann’s Oatmeal, Healthy Balance Juice. The self-service left a little to be desired, but the price and convenience couldn’t be beat.

    Only downside: the washing up afterwards.

  • Mark C

    Was a bit confused for a second since there actually is the restaurant Chez Moi in our neighborhood on Atlantic…

  • Andrew Porter

    NY YIMBY just posted that the TD Bank building at the corner of Montague and Cadman Plaza West is to be torn down and replaced by a 47-story building.

    This building:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/511771779ea1dd4f0faeb9fdbb05d238dcad33bd88fe8dd75883c733ba8427fc.png

  • Red Leader

    A Paisanos level butcher, clothing stores, and a Los Tacos No. 1 if we’re talking Mexican.

  • El

    Thanks for the tip, I’m going to check it out! Norm’s is my usual go to but it sure is more of a walk from Clark

  • Andrew Porter

    Oops! Sorry for the confusion.

  • MaggieO
  • Jorale-man

    The current building is no great prize but at least it doesn’t loom over the block. 47 stories is obscene for that location.

  • Nomcebo Manzini

    I suppose there’s a 1 in 1000 chance that that would work, and I don’t think that there are even 100 establishments that would be tempted/could afford it. Owners tend not to be customer-facing in lots of places like food.

    I wish I knew – and I think it matters – whether one of those half-dozen “smaller” vacant spaces is asking a $ per sq. ft. that’s higher or lower than the occasional vacancy on Smith St. or Court St, where 3 months is an unusually long “dark time.”

    You mention “local workers,” and there still are quite a few. But I think it’s so much fewer than even 10 years ago (as are 1-hour lunch breaks) that if asking prices haven’t come down a lot, … THAT is the explanation for long-term vacancies now that we’re a year or 2 POST-pandemic.

  • clarknt67

    I doubt it will remain that tall.

  • Effective Presenter

    LOL!

  • Effective Presenter

    A store to buy things for the home, maybe a Home Goods.

  • DL

    frozen yogurt

  • Cranberry Beret

    “47 stories is obscene for that location” – hard to worry too much when something literally called the Skyscraper District is right across the street!

  • Banet

    With this many additional families popping up on that block of Montague Street it is high time for some of the square footage of Cadman Plaza to be repurposed into a playground. Maybe the shaded grove next to the Korean War memorial? It is directly across from the library as I recall.

    And it is an absolutely fine location for a building that large. There are four major subway lines within a five minute walk. My only concern is the shadows that are building that tall will cast across our neighborhood.

    It is also clear that the city is not applying the correct pressures for the creation of smaller apartments. Because the article linked to above implies that the apartment will be 2,000 square feet. While I know there are certainly some families that could take advantage of such a large department, that seems like an awfully large average to me.

    But maybe the creation of larger apartments like this will drain some people out of smaller brownstone walk-ups and then in general improve the market? I would love some commentary from an urban planner.

  • Nomcebo Manzini

    100% agree on playgrounds, but – no urban planner, I, for the record – I don’t think you *get* who occupies a 2,000 sq ft apt. and why. These are not, I would bet the ranch on it, brownstone owners who don’t want to think about bluestone or tree beds any more. Rather, they’re Manhattanites well below Millionaires row-level wealth but who want their $3-6 million to buy them something spacious.

    (And I don’t think you realize that while you and I might have 3 or 4 comforters, the wealthy have that many or more residences. So NYC will get yet more part time – non-income-tax paying – residents.)

    And “shadows” are truly an issue without substance. You really don’t get much “healthful” sunlight in an apt., and by very good luck, Bklyn Br. Park is < 15 minutes walk from ANY residence in B. Hts.

    Last, while sanitation WILL take a big hit, neither public schools nor transportation will. Public benefit? – dozens of additional jobs for personal trainers, cleaners, etc.

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