Booze

VILLAGE VOICE DISSES LIC WATERFRONT

January 7, 2014 by editor 10 Comments

Well now, 2014 gets off to a contentious start as Tom Cowell from the Village Voice weighs in with his view of the gentrification occurring in our neighborhood:

“What pops into your mind when you hear “Long Island City”? Maybe you picture less of a neighborhood, more of a character-free yuppie warehouse, where overpaid dullards stack themselves in gleaming condos, sucking the life force from yet another community’s jugular. But you’d be wrong. That nonsense is largely confined to the waterfront, which you can easily avoid.” [Read more…] about VILLAGE VOICE DISSES LIC WATERFRONT

ROCKAWAY BREWING COMPANY

November 15, 2013 by editor 1 Comment

Sometimes things get a little fuzzy when you step into Rockaway Brewery

Up on the roof, out on the street
Down in the playground the hot concrete
Bus ride is too slow
They blast out the disco on the radio

Rock Rock Rockaway Beach
Rock Rock Rockaway Beach
Rock Rock Rockaway Beach
We can hitch a ride
To Rockaway Beach

Some people might confuse this website for a beer blog. Here to add to that confusion is a profile on local microbrewery Rockaway Brewing. You very well may have stumbled across it on your way to/fro the LIC Flea, or read about it in a local paper over the last 18 months. Thus this isn’t really new news. Yet while others have may have written about it, there seems to be no mention of them trying the beer, and not a word about how it tastes. So I’ll share with you all a dirty little secret: I crack a forty every time I sit down to write one of these missives. Therefore I have a little experience with the matter at hand. What really struck me when I, ahem, sampled Rockaway’s ESB and Black Gold Stout, was how fresh they tasted. Long before “born-on” dating, I was a real stickler about how long it had been since the beer I was drinking was brewed. After its being cold, freshness may very well be the most important quality of a beer. So in my mind, a brewery like Rockaway has a decided advantage in Long Island City. Of equal importance though, is getting it right. With such a large selection now available, there are too many times that I have walked into a bar and asked for a new brand of micro-brew, only to be really disappointed at how it tastes. Let’s just say that Rockaway gets it right.

That’s all, micro-brew = micro profile, because the weekend is here and it’s time to stop reading and start drinking. Pick up a forty …err growler, from Rockaway’s world headquarters, a former deboning and meatpacking room, and make your own judgment. Here’s how:

Rockaway Brewery: 46-01 5th Street, LIC

Friday 3-8pm

Saturday Noon-6pm

Sunday Noon-6pm

Rockaway Brewing Co. – it’s unfiltered too, just like drinking milk straight from the cow

First Look at M. Wells Steakhouse – NY Mag has some good pics

M. Wells Steakhouse to Open On Thursday – yeah we know already; gives a little history on M Wells for those who weren’t around the first time

LIC Restaurant Group to Host Tasting Party – oh my, there are restaurants other than M Wells in LIC, check it out on November 30th

The Pirate’s Wine – talks about the guy who is revamping the Water’s Edge restaurant

Rally at 5Pointz – 3pm “this weekend”, but doesn’t say which day

LIC Rock Climbing Gym Shuttered Again by Buildings Department – would be a nice thing to have in the neighborhood though

2014 Kindergarten Info – on your marks, get set, Kindergarten! Here’s all the info, unless it’s not.

Zerve LIC events – website that’s trying to consolidate all the doings in town

LIC, Astoria Best Bet for Hailing Green Cabs – i’ll keep that in mind the next time my limo driver is off

LIC Trade Show Still Packs a Punch – and it’s still not held in LIC

New Parcel Sold for $5.3 Million Near Queens Plaza – if you build it they will come …won’t they?

CHEAP PINTS HERE!

November 8, 2013 by editor 6 Comments

Say it loud, say it proud: Beer Here! — Say it loud, say it proud: “Beer Here!”

While real estate prices get bid up all over Long Island City, there’s still one vestige of how things used to be in this town. A pint of beer costs roughly 25% less at a local bar than it would in Manhattan. In an exhaustive study, this reporter recently spent several weeks sacrificing his liver, well-being, and those who witnessed it also mention reputation, in order to bring you first-hand knowledge about the state of our local watering holes.

Dominies Hoek – well I don’t know what they normally charge, but it’s $4 for all pints in their M-F happy hour from 3-7pm. No TV’s, best jukebox in the ‘hood, and serious hipster drinkers: when I was there they sold a lot of “Rock n Roll Specials” = can of PBR and a well shot for five bucks. They have their core group of regulars, and I’m glad to see there’s still a little residual funk left in LIC. I’d bet that this is the bar in LIC where you’d most likely get a buyback.

Corner Bistro – $4.50 for Bud & Bud Light; $5.50 for craft beers and imports.

Woodbines – almost every draft is $6.

LIC Bar – Most pints $5, a few priced at $6, and a pint of Heineken is only $4!

Alright, I admit that I have concentrated on the Hunters Point area and also omitted a lot of bar/restaurants. In fact, I wouldn’t protest too much if you said my survey was anything but exhaustive, and was representative of the type of research one would expect from a free newspaper given out in subways. Or even worse, my investigative journalism skills are emblematic of the fact-less hysteria emanating from local blogs! That’s right, kick me when I’m down. Nevertheless you get the point, and the truth is undeniable: beer at bars in LIC is relatively inexpensive. Thus, when faced with the 7-train being shut down on weekends, and the cold weather, don’t trudge off to Manhattan or even Brooklyn to drink. Stay local. At the very least, the crawl home is easier. That’s one fact about which I am absolutely sure.

The M. Wells ‘Meat Temple’ Steakhouse to open Tuesday – Rumor??? How about you’re 72 hours late on this fact? How about some direct attribution? How about a thank you LICtalk?

M. Wells Steakhouse Opens Next Tuesday – here, this is how you do it correctly. Cheers! Now let’s see if the Times/Post/News get it right when they break the news’ on Monday.

Banksy Loses Fight to Save Graffiti Capital – the judge handed down the final ruling today

LIC Restaurant Group Wants to Skewer Brooklyn Hipster Image – is that really the rationale for forming a local industry group? Seems a little misguided, but hopefully my pitch above will help biz. I don’t think M. Wells worries much about this though.

LIC Flea & Food Holiday Market to Debut Next Month – we’re getting an indoor, pop-up version of the Flea for holiday shopping & Christmas trees

City Announces More Bike Lanes for LIC – I think we need a tricycle lane too

Hi-Rise Developer Purchases Dutch Kills Bar Building – Rockrose looking to make it an entryway so their big building has a Jackson Ave address

Not Exactly the Next Chelsea Market – Jamestown backtracks a little bit on their LIC plans

Newest Chocolate Factory Performance – one week only, next week

Queenswalk, Gantry State Plaza – everything, and I mean everything, you wanted to know about the gantries and local commerce. Cool stuff for LIC junkies like myself

WTC Spire Set to Shine Friday – ‘Look, up in the sky, it’s …visible from many LIC apartments’

LIC Gym Stages Art of Stage Fighting – bring out your inner Bruce Lee

NEW BAR AND GRILL FINALLY OPENS IN DUTCH KILLS

September 19, 2013 by editor 7 Comments

Until now, this was the culinary highlight north of the Bridge.

After putting in almost a decade of 20-hour work weeks so I could retire early, do you really think I’m going to waste my time indoors writing epics to you in such beautiful weather? I mean my last piece was truly iconic, and in years to come will probably be looked back at as the precise beginning as to when Brooklyn became synonymous with milquetoast. So go back and read that piece a second time and tell two friends, who’ll tell two friends, who’ll…

Before we pass you on to other news, a flash just came in live from our man from The North, J-Fro: A new bar has opened in Dutch Kills at 38-40 29th Street. This was originally supposed to be where the Windmill Tap and Grill was to be. It was loud in there, so J-Fro couldn’t relay if it was the same owners, but I believe the new name is Dutch Kills Centrale, and the locals up there couldn’t be more thrilled to finally have their own watering hole.

In fact, that alone is probably enough to have fireworks on the East River, but my guess is there was an ulterior motive. If you know what it exactly it was, could you please let us know in the comments section. Otherwise I’ll assume it’s for the full moon, or maybe a halfway to St. Patty’s Day celebration.

Vernon Boulevard Eateries Serving Up Deals for LIC Restaurant Week – ehh, doesn’t seem to be a marked difference from their regular menus

Apparently Toddlers Need Crossfit – wow, Sports Illustrated weighs in on our local Crossfit’s new rage

Rose Previews new LIC Rental – The Maximilian

TF Cornerstone Previews It’s New Amenities Building – putting greens and tennis courts, 7 stories above the hoi polloi. Fantasize that you’re in stop Augusta or Wimbledon.

NYC Department of Health Employees Bitten by Bed Bug Problem – is a plague finally hitting our town?

7-Train Service to Halt for Several Weekends this Fall – oh yeah, we already have our own version of a plague, and it;s now comes twice a year, right on schedule.

SUMMER’S END NOT SO NEAR, AND LOTS OF BEER

August 15, 2013 by editor 5 Comments

Geez, the media parade about LIC no longer takes a rest, even as we reach the third week in August. Buttressed by a duo of local beer stories, there’s a lot brewing in our neighborhood at the moment. This includes an old stand-by: heavy leasing activity leading to quickly filling buildings. Then, we learn from a new architecture-focused blog, that our new park on the river, is in fact open, or was for a day this past weekend. Next up, a lengthy piece by the penultimate local historian, Mitch Waxman. Concluding with two different things to do locally. The first is a tour of The Cliffs LIC, being offered next week, and the next is a d-i-y eating tour through the borough. Good thing everybody else is still working hard on reporting, cause I’m certainly not.

Queens Gets Namesake Beer and Brewery – Queens Beer, if the Rockefeller’s made beer …oh wait, they do, this one

Big Alice Brewing Cooks Up Some Unusual Beers in Queens – the LIC brewery uses purple potatoes, lemongrass, and curry leaves in its beers

45-45 Center Boulevard 50% Leased – it’s the reflecting pool, gotta be it …oh wait, maybe the dog run, yeah that’s it

NY Kids Club Comes to Queens – the Manhattafication of LIC continues

Robert Wilkanowski, Architect – and local, talks about the new HPS park

Tour Dives Deep Into Dutch Kills – and never comes out

The Cliffs at LIC – take a free tour of this great new climbing gym next week, click link to do so

On the Menu in Queens – three guys walk into a restaurant …then another, then another …in Queens(LICtalk tip reminder: type in story title to google search to get around firewall)