Local culinary vets to open restaurant in former Franklin Roadhouse space

At the Franklin Avenue Merchants meeting last night, ILFA had the pleasure of meeting Jacques Belanger and Lev Gewirtzman, the business partners who've taken over the old Franklin Roadhouse space at 688 Franklin (pictured above). The Crown Heights residents have ample experience in the restaurant world between them, and after meeting with CB8 tonight, they're aiming to be open in 5-6 months, offering American casual fare that focuses on seasonal ingredients. No word yet on what the space will look like (as one local designer put it about the Roadhouse, "They really needed an interior decorator") or what it will be called, but with Gueros thriving and the always-popular Bombay Masala just a few doors down, Franklin and Prospect is rapidly becoming a hot culinary corner, and methinks this new spot will be eagerly anticipated (A Slice of Brooklyn does appear to be on the way out, for which ILFA sheds a sentimental tear, but the sale of their lease, signed a few years ago for what's now a prime corner location, should hopefully help the owners get a fresh start somewhere else). Read on for their complete press release:

Jacques Belanger and Lev Gewirtzman have just signed the lease at 688 Franklin Avenue (formerly Franklin Roadhouse). The still unnamed restaurant will feature a 15 seat bar, a 50 seat main dining room and an additional 20 seat backyard deck. The menu will be American casual with a focus on seasonal ingredients, local meat and fish, in house charcuterie and raw bar. They plan to open for dinner 7 days a week and brunch on weekends.

Jacques and Lev are both veterans of the New York dining scene. A native New Yorker, Lev is presently serving as the Chef de Cuisine at Ouest, Tom Valenti’s Upper West Side bedrock of fine dining. He has worked under Tom Valenti as the Executive Chef at The West Branch and Executive Sous Chef at ‘Cesca. His food has been featured in Art Culinaire, The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living and New York Magazine where The West Branch was awarded “Best Fish and Chips” and a “Top 10 Sandwich” for their Cuban.

Jacques is presently serving as the Executive Chef at MP Taverna, working with owner Michael Psalakis. He previously won rave reviews in the New York Times and from food reviewer Gael Greene for his work at Bar Luna. He collaborated with Lev as the Chef de Cuisine of The West Branch and as Sous Chef at Ouest.

The design is to be done by Nico Arze who did work on Tertulia, The Box London and Masak. Construction is in the hands of Matt Maddy (No.7 and Weather Up).

Jacques and Lev are both Crown Heights residents and are hoping to be open in 5-6 months.

Two For Tuesday: Bikes and Beats

Two local events to check out today. First, the NYC Department of Transportation is holding a bike sharing workshop at Medgar Evers College tonight at 6pm and again at 7pm. See below for more info:

NYC DOT Bike Share Workshop

The NYC DOT Bike Share program will be presented.  Attendees will have the opportunity to discuss the project, review proposed Bike Share station locations, comment on the benefits and drawbacks of proposed locations, and suggest other  locations.

Tuesday March 6
Sessions at 6:00 & 7:00 PM
Medgar Evers College
1650 Bedford Avenue
President's Conference Center, B1008

For more info contact:
Zephreny Parmenter, Borough Planner,
NYC Dept. of Transportation:
http://www.nyc.gov/bikeshare
zparmenter@dot.nyc.gov
718-222-7250

Later in the evening, swing by Franklin Park for a live show from up-and-coming Brooklyn rapper Illustrate, courtesy of Secondary Sound. 

Zelda's: Coming This Saturday

Nestled in a tiny storefront on Franklin's hottest block (between Park and Sterling), Zelda's has been turning heads since they put in their new see-through gate and revealed their lovely french door facade last week. After tonight's Franklin Avenue Merchants meeting, Brooklynian's MikeF/whynot and I got a quick tour of the new place, which looks as charming inside as it does out. 

Husband-and-wife team Kate and Michael, who named their cafe for their baby daughter (they're also the organizers of the Crown Heights North Parents Group - stop in and ask them about it if you'd like to join), are aiming for a soft opening this Saturday, and they've got big plans for the vest-pocket space. Featuring tiny tables and cozy seating, Zelda's will serve espresso drinks, pastries, and fresh bread from Blue Duck Bakery by day, and wines and bottled beers by night, once they get their licensing in order. With a long wall of upholstered bench seating and matching stools that tuck neatly underneath, the seating certainly will be intimate, and the owners are embracing that ethos, promising a break from "laptop monoculture" (even a tablet would take up most of one of their little round tables) that will offer such homey touches as space to store your own mug and wine glass, conversations with local authors, and, instead of the typical NYC bagel, hearty slices of toast with a range of toppings. 

With 739 Franklin looking closer and closer to finished and 3D's under construction, it won't be long until every storefront other than the churches and Had Associates on that block has undergone at least a minor renovation, all in under four years (and all the storefronts will be occupied). The storefronts between Eastern and Park are rapidly filling up - will this mean more development further north (and south across the parkway) on Franklin, or will competition get tight for choice spots in that four-block district? We'll know soon enough. 

Weekend Links: Stork Opens

(photos of Stork and Zelda's via Franklin Avenue Merchants)

The weekend's already rolling, of course, but better late than never. To start, Stork is open  "Ffor business, adding another new shop to Franklin's hottest block (between Sterling and Park). Those with little ones, share your reviews! Meanwhile, Zelda's, a teeny-tiny spot that will offer coffee, pastries and (once they get their licensing sorted out) wine in the evenings is nearing completion next door, and plans to open in two weeks (no word yet on whether the servers will be dressed like this). 

- In foodie news, Crown Heights keeps bringing in the rave reviews and awards, with local favorite Super Wings reclaiming the "Best Wings in Brooklyn" crown they won in 2010. 

- As I write this, local bike activists are out surveying Crown Heights to figure out locations for bike racks - thanks to all those who volunteered! As Prospect Heights Patch reports, there's also a meeting about bike sharing coming up this Tuesday.

- Finally, it's First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum tonight - tonight's event celebrates "Fierce, Phenomenal Women" (appropriate both because March is Women's History Month and because the Brooklyn Museum has one of the most interesting collections of feminist art anywhere, including Judy Chicago's "The Dinner Party.")

Local Artist Jean Seestadt Featured on Brooklyn Street Art and Huffington Post

(photos © Jaime Rojo via Brooklyn Street Art)

Local artist Jean Seestadt was featured today on arts site Brooklyn Street Art, whose editors also posted their profile in the Huffington Post's arts section. Seestadt, known to ILFA readers as "the lady," installed another one of her site-specific works on paper at The Candy Rush this past Saturday. ILFA has it from a reputable source that there may be more such works to come.

A Week's Worth of Links: CHCA Meeting Roundup, Safe in this Place, Bike Parking Survey, & More

(From the Manhattan-bound platform at the Franklin Avenue IND Station. Some folks still do things the old-fashioned way, but for the rest of us, there's the web, and its glorious progeny, links)

Last week's Crow Hill Community Association meeting include several announcements about upcoming events on the Avenue. Three major ones are cited below - let me know if I've missed any.

- Efforts to improve bike parking in Crown Heights are continuing with a community survey of the area to determine where bike racks are most needed this Saturday, March 3, from 2-5pm. Surveying will include taking measurements and speaking with local businesses about supporting bike parking in front of their shops. If you'd like to take part, email organizers Judy or Chris with your availability - even half an hour helps! Also, for those who are tethered to their keyboards, you can sign the online petition in support of more bike parking for the area. We just got a series of the new racks on Dean Street, and they look quite handsome, if I do say so myself. 

- Safe in this Place, the community-based theater and dialogue project that has been meeting regularly with the CHCA's support, will host a public dialogue and performance next Thursday, March 8, from 7:30-9:30pm at St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church on Sterling and Classon. 

- Ground Up Designers unveiled the website for Art Not Arrests earlier this week, and at the meeting, they showed off some actual latticework made from the colorful cuffs. Thanks are due to all who helped fund this great project on Kickstarter.

In addition to the CHCA story, a whole bunch of interesting links came across my radar at the end of the week. In no particular order:

- For those involved, or interested in getting involved, in local commerce, the Pratt Area Community Council (just north of us in Clinton Hill/Bed-Stuy) is offering a Small Business Workshop this Wednesday from 6-8pm. 

- HuffPo ran an interesting article about the advocacy work of Crown Heights native Chaim Levin to combat homophobia in Orthodox communities, while Capital New York had a long and fascinating interview with a survivor of a shooting over Labor Day last fall. 

- Prospect Heights Patch reported that Classon Avenue will soon be a one-lane thoroughfare, as part of a city effort to curb accidents. As anyone who's biked or driven on Classon knows, it's only a two-lane road if you're willing to drive like a maniac and risk taking mirrors off parked cars, so the change is a welcome improvement. Let's hope similar measures (and a bike lane) are in store for almost-as-narrow Franklin.

- Finally, last week was a good one for the food-service community in Crown Heights. The Voice's Robert Sietsima gave Barboncino a rave review (and also praised Fatima, which he reviewed in 2004, and which is, unbeknownst to far too many Crown Heightsers, one of the tastiest West African places in the city), while two locals took home the top two spots in the city's regional barista competition. 

Participatory Installation at the Candy Rush

If you're out on Franklin, you'll probably notice a what looks like a sail catching the (considerable) wind outside the Candy Rush. It's an installation by ILFA's "lady," one that's changing every time the wind blows or someone walks on it. Come check it out! Hopefully there'll be some more of these down the line, with a little more notice, too.