Spotted: Mouse at Madina on Coney Island Avenue

Last night we had an uninvited guest join us in the dining section at Madina: a mouse! Yeah, I guess it was only a matter of time before our glowing review of the place came back to bite us on the cheese. We were halfway through our meal when we spotted the little guy scurrying around the dining room (feels weird calling such a dingy place a dining room, but oh well). He actually did a couple of laps around the whole section. If he wasn't so fast I could've snapped a better picture, but it's a wonder I was able to capture him at all on my crappy iPhone camera.

As he ran around the restauraunt, coming within inches of us at one point, we were put in a weird position of being completely grossed out by the food we were eating but also wanting to wolf it down as fast as possible so we could end our paranoid, hyper-alert mouse watch and get the hell out of there. We talked about posting our account here and I realized that if I read this exact post on some blog it probably wouldn't stop me from going back to the restaurant. But there was something about experiencing this in the flesh that really marred our Madina lovefest. My first instinct wasn't even to be grossed out. I just observed the mouse and immediately said "Well, no more Madina." I wasn't initially disgusted. I just knew we probably shouldn't go to a restauarant where mice could be seen running under the tables. Who knows why we didn't expect to see mice at a restaurant on Coney Island Avenue in the first place (no offense, Visions!).

It's just as well that we saw the mouse. We were already falling out of love with Madina. The food was majorly oily. Our stomachs usually felt weird after eating there. And either something happened to my taste buds or their samosas changed. Because the first few times we had them they were the best thing in the world and as of a month or so ago they completely lost their appeal. And after the mouse experience it was really annoying basically being accused of lying by the guy ringing us up who asked us 5 times if we were sure that we only got one order instead of two. Were we unclear when we stated from the beginning that we split one order? How about instead of nagging the customer, go back and ask the person who served us how many plates he made? That interaction went about as well as everytime we order bread.

Katie: And could we have one piece of roti, please?
Them: Naan?
Katie: No, roti please.
Them: So you want naan?
Katie: No thanks, just roti.
Them: You want naan instead of roti?

Oy.

Bishop Crook Lights FAIL

I'm a fan of the new Bishop Crook street lights going up all over the neighborhood. Lots of light. Old-timey feel. Class act. Just one issue. A lot of the lights have been installed with "No Parking" signs way too high up on the pole. Like so high you would have no chance of reading what's on the sign unless you got out of your car, and for some people, got out your binoculars. I predict a lot of contested parking tickets in the coming years.

Some lights have the signs lower on the poles, right below the ridge in the middle. So it's definitely possible to put the signs lower. What's the deal? Also, the new Bishop Crook light on Newkirk and Rugby has a stop sign at the same height as the "No Parking" sign in this picture. Are we trying to get some kids run over here?

Prospect Park Teams Up With UniverSoul Circus in Support of Animal Cruelty

UniverSoul Circus ended their two week run at Prospect Park Sunday and I'm glad to see them go. The wonderful weather over the weekend made riding bikes through Prospect Park almost mandatory, but what a buzzkill it was to pass the huge circus tent and think about the elephants suffering in their hot steel cages, chained up with barely any room to move.

It's such an odd thing that a place like Prospect Park, which calls itself "one of the world’s largest classrooms," would support something like UniverSoul Circus. What educational value does elephants standing on their hind legs and horses jumping through flaming hoops serve? The only lesson I take from circuses is that if you cage animals, beat them with bullhooks and shock them electric prods, you can turn a profit.

If you think I'm being dramatic here, I'll let the facts speak for themselves. Here is just a sample of the USDA inspection reports on UniverSoul Circus. For the full report, click here.

June 21, 2005: A U.S. District Court judge who viewed videotape of UniverSoul elephant exhibitor Carson & Barnes’ animal care director Tim Frisco beating elephants with bullhooks and shocking them with electric prods described it as "troubling" and noted that it depicts conduct that violates the federal Animal Welfare Act.

June 2, 2004: During an inspection of UniverSoul Circus in Landover Hills, Maryland, Prince George’s County Animal Management Division observed two tigers fighting. The trainer, Tyrone Taylor, walked into the tigers’ holding cage, leaving the gate open. One tiger, known as Igor, escaped and ran loose, attacking an elephant named Suzie and biting her on the hip. During this time, children from several elementary schools attending the performance were walking under the tent in the area where the tiger escaped.

May 28, 2004: The USDA cited UniverSoul elephant exhibitor Carson & Barnes Circus for failing to provide an adequate safety barrier between the public and elephants.

July 11, 2003: A kangaroo named Rocky, who was used in a UniverSoul Circus boxing routine in which he was restrained by a harness and taunted into defending himself, died. The circus had continued to use the animal even though he had been diagnosed two months earlier with an often-deadly bacterial infection known as lumpy jaw, which can be caused by overcrowding, poor hygiene, or poor diet.

December 5, 2003: The USDA opened an investigation into UniverSoul kangaroo exhibitor Javier Martinez following a second kangaroo death within a four-month period.

February 4, 2003: A 450-pound tiger with UniverSoul Circus escaped in Jacksonville, Florida, while the cage was being cleaned. The tiger climbed up on a car, jumped over a fence, headed down an alley, frightened employees at a nearby restaurant, and was recaptured 10 minutes later.

July 6, 2002: UniverSoul’s Platinum unit was observed in Charlotte, North Carolina, using elephants belonging to William Woodcock. According to information compiled by the USDA on elephant examinations, housing, and transport, Woodcock commented to a USDA official, “If I get any defiance [from the elephants], I’ll beat the hell out of them. [The elephants] will disobey in public because they know I can’t hit them with the stick as much.”

April 11, 2002: UniverSoul’s Roots, Rags, and Rhythm unit was observed in Charleston, South Carolina, using three African elephants from Frisco Bros. Petting Zoo, owned by Joe Frisco Sr., the patriarch of an elephant-training family. In January 2002, PETA released undercover video of Frisco’s son, Tim, beating elephants during behind-the-scenes training sessions. Tim Frisco is shown cursing at and viciously attacking elephants with a sharp metal bullhook until they scream in pain and instructing other elephant trainers to “Sink that hook into them,” “Hurt ’em,” and “Make ’em scream.”

August 21, 2003: According to the Montgomery County Sentinel, a former animal trainer for UniverSoul Circus “found the circus to be mistreating some of its animals and actually called the USDA to report it.”

April 6, 2000: The USDA cited UniverSoul’s chimpanzee exhibitor, Mitchel Kalmanson, for failure to provide veterinary care, environmental enrichment programs, and adequate space. The chimpanzee cages had barely half the floor space specified in the AWA.

April 22, 1999: World-renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall appealed to UniverSoul Circus “to end the senseless exploitation of chimpanzees … who live out their lives in inhumane, lonely, and unnatural settings in the name of entertainment.”

October 8, 1997: The Ethnic NewsWatch Sacramento Observer reported that comedian Richard Pryor had written to the circus director asking that animals not be used “because of cruel training methods and a life that consists of little more than tiny cages, leg shackles, bullhooks, and whips.”

April 29, 1997: The Village Voice reported, “The front row is so close to the ring that people sitting there are advised to remove their belongings from the railing when the elephants enter—if one of these babies goes mad, somebody’s getting killed.”

In 2001 General Mills discontinued its sponsorship of UniverSoul after learning of the circus's history of animal abuse and neglect. In 2004 Burger King dropped its sponsorship of UniverSoul for the same reason. How long will it take for Prospect Park to wise up and end this senseless abuse?

Vox Pop Is BACK

We dropped by the newly re-opened Vox Pop last night and things are looking great. Our random notes:

- It looks like there might be one or two more vegan options on the menu, all of which are marked with a little heart-healthy "V"
- The 3 lentil soup over rice dish was decent, but the highlight was their new "Bowl of Soul" creation. Chamomile tea, soymilk, vanilla, and honey (vegan version can be made with no honey). It tastes a little bit like Teany's amazing teanychino
- The crowd was small when we were there at 10 but it looked lively Saturday night.
- At one of the shareholder interest meetings we asked the new owner, Debi, if we could take down the 9/11 conspiracy theory bumper stickers now that Sander is gone. She enthusiastically urged us to rip them down. We're glad to report they are still down and have not been replaced.
- As shareholders, it would've been nice to get updates on the progress of the re-opening via e-mail. Instead we learned that the coffee shop was open again from DP Blog. When we became shareholders we kind of pictured getting quick mass e-mails like "All money has been raised, we're paying the fines Monday." "Fines have been paid, health inspector coming soon." "Passed health inspection." "Re-opening Friday." We would even accept "This e-mail is to confirm that you are a Vox Pop shareholder." So far, though, nothing. Hopefully as things settle down organization will follow and the people who invested in this place won't be left in the dark (like this picture).

Vegan Eats: The Farm on Adderley

It took us a while to make it out to The Farm on Adderley, but we finally dropped in last week and yeah, we get it now. It's pretty easy to see why people are so crazy about this place. It's hip, it's spacious, it's a point of destination for hipster celebrities.

Unfortunately, the vegan options at The Farm are pretty limited. In fact, as far as vegan entrees go, there is only one. It's called the "Claypot of Winter Vegetables" and it's made up of king oyster mushroom, salsify, collard greens, garlic confit, butternut squash, and gigante beans. We expected it to be a big bowl of steamed vegetables, but it ended up being more like a stew with a little bit of broth. It was very garlicy. It was good, but certainly not anything to write home about. And while it's not the best vegan meal we've had in the neighborhood, it doesn't disappoint. We're just glad to have an option at all, especially since Pomme de Terre and Picket Fence have a grand total of zero main courses for vegans. And if Purple Yam's menu from their SoHo restaurant is any indication, they won't have any vegan-friendly meals either.

The Farm does not skimp on the atmosphere, but we're no restaurant critics so we'll leave the smooth talkin' up to the Times.

"It is comfortable, airy and spacious, with plenty of room between tables. Though the décor is more city clean than country cluttered, there are warm touches throughout, like the antique oil lamps among the wine bottles and the mix-and-match vintage chairs that appoint the tables."

Agreed. Awesome atmosphere, great job. Value, we're not so sure about. The Winter Pot, at $17, is certainly not cheap. And while we're ready to pay more for local ingredients, it's tough to justify spending that much on, well, a bowl of vegetables. Throw in a little tempeh or seitan and we could be fooled into thinking we're getting more of a meal. So with its current menu, The Farm isn't really worthy of a weekly outing, but it's the perfect place to bring friends and relatives to show off Ditmas Park. Especially if they're paying.

Checking Out Vista: New Luxury Condos on Beverley Road

We stopped by the new 7-story "luxury" condo building on East 16th and Beverley Road this weekend to check out the digs and well, we weren't blown away. The building's developers are calling it "Vista," which, according to their fancy promo packet, stands for "Vantage, Victorian, Vibrant, and Value." Shouldn't it be more like an acrostic poem, with an adjective for each letter of Vista? How about "Vantage, Ingenuity, Style, Trendy, and Attitude" or some b.s. like that?

There were three apartments open for viewing, the largest of the three was decorated. Some of the touches, like the zebrawood vanities in the bathroom, seemed kind of cheap looking. The appliances were Bosch and Jenn-Air, and they seemed to go well with the look of the place. The living space itself wasn't great. We loved the huge picture windows, but for many of the apartments the only views afforded by them are of the ugly brick building across the street, which actually seemed closer looking out the window than it does when you're outside. Only one of the apartments had a good sized living room. The other ones seemed cramped, as did many of the bedrooms. In their packet, Vista boasts "clean lines," although in one of the three apartments that were on display, we saw a noticeable dip in the floor. The gap between the floor and the floorboard was filled in with a cheap-looking strip of caulk, not a reassuring sign for the quality of the construction.

The roof deck has pretty cool views of the rooftops and lawns of Beverley Square West. You can also see the Empire State Building, Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower, and a clump of downtown buildings like 40 Wall Street and the AIG building. Unfortunately, it looks like the city views are only possible from the roof deck, so even the 7th floor penthouses that are going for $575k and $675k won't have too much of a "Vista."

The promo packet was worth the trip alone -- 12 glossy pieces of heavy card paper stuffed into a shiny reflective folder with lots of great shots of the beautiful homes in the neighborhood (all of which are on the other side of the tracks). According to the packet, "Cortelyou Road, with its quaint cafes, fine restaurants, gourmet grocers and shops is just a block away for added convenience." Well, yeah, Cortelyou Road is a (long) block away, but from Vista you're technically closer to Flatbush Avenue than to Cortelyou's best stretch (from the Farm to Vox Pop). Not surprisingly, Flatbush Avenue is not mentioned in the packet. One of the businesses featured in a collage of photographs in the packet is Belle & Maxie, which no longer exists on Cortelyou. And the map included in the packet shows Ditmas Park as being between Flatbush Avenue and Nostrand, and between Beverley Road and Church Avenue. We certainly don't want to start a debate on the boundaries of Ditmas Park, but I think we can all agree that Vista's map is way off.

There seemed to be a good turn out at the open house and a lot of people were milling around. The cheapest 1 bedroom starts at $335k and the average 2 bedroom is going for $530k. These prices seem comparable with those of the new condo on Stratford and Cortelyou. I guess when it comes down to it, do people want to be right across the street from the train or right across the street from Cortelyou's cool corner?

Vegan Treats: Uncle Louie G's

Now that the weather is warming up we're scoping out places to get cool treats and Uncle Louie G's is looking really good. Although it's technically not in Flatbush, it's conveniently located at Prospect Park South and Vanderbilt. And there's an entrance to the park right across the street so you can take your ice over to the lake.

There are a bunch of Italian ice options and the people who work there can give you a list of the non dairy flavors. In case you're wondering, they are: Lemon, Rainbow, Black Raspberry, Blue, Bubble Gum, Cantaloupe, Cherry, Cotton Candy, Grape, Honeydew, Kiwi, Lime, Mango, Orange, Passion Fruit, Peach, Pineapple, Root Beer, Strawberry, Watermelon, Sugar Free Chocolate, Sugar Free Rainbow, Sugar Free Lemon, and Sugar Free Cherry.

We can vouch for cherry, root beer, and cotton candy. Delicious. Watermelon not so much. We didn't try the sugar free chocolate yet but it's gonna be tough to beat NYC Icy when it comes to vegan chocolate ices. I'm sure Uncle Louie G's is already a favorite with a lot of our readers, anyone have a favorite flavor?

Found on Beverley and Coney: Abocados!

Not for those with abersions to South American fruit.

(Q) Quiz

5 people are on a Brooklyn bound Q train. Two couples, one dude. The boyfriend in the first couple has a Brooklyn Industries bag. Both members of the other couple have Whole Foods bags. The 5th guy has a canvas he's been working on with some Jackson Pollack type stuff on it. Everyone gets off at the same station. Which one is it?

A) Dekalb
B) Atlantic
C) 7th Ave.
D) Prospect Park
E) Cortelyou

The answer (HERE) may surprise you.

Filmed in Flatbush: My Super Ex-Girlfriend

This week's Filmed in Flatbush feature, 2006's "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," looked so horrible that I couldn't bear to watch it. I checked it out from the library, fast forwarded until I recognized one of our neighborhood's homes, got my screenshots, and got the hell out of there. So, sorry if you were expecting a detailed synopsis and analysis of how Prospect Park South played into the plot of the film (can I call this one a film?).

The majority of the scenes in Flatbush were filmed inside and outside 1305 Albemarle. PPS's famous Neo-Baroque played the part of Eddie Izzard's character's home and laboratory, where he cooked up formulas for how to make this movie even worse. It is in front of this house that Luke Wilson emerges from a cab, with a Rugby Road street sign out of focus in the background. Cool stuff.


Filmmakers got the most out of their time in PPS by using 1306 Albemarle (directly across the street) as the home of Uma Thurman's character's younger self, which is weird because it was also home to Angelina Jolie's character's younger self in "Wanted". 1306 has a very minor role in "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," but it's still cool to see it in yet another role.

Thanks to DP Blog commenter carolssister for the tip! Check out other posts from our "Filmed in Flatbush" series here.

Crimes Against (Q)-Manity: The Shrew on the B

It would sound better if it were the Shrew on the Q, but it wasn't. This woman was a real piece of work. She and her husband, both 35-year-old hipsters, got on at DeKalb Avenue this morning, and she instantly launched into a psychoanalysis of his dad and of him.

"So you're saying your dad is not closed minded and doesn't make snap judgements? He does and so do you," she said.

The husband was trying to defend himself, mumbling and stuffing his free hand in his pocket, but she only got louder. "See, you're like your dad. You make snap judgements and you're a shut-down-and-judge person, but I'm an emotional person." And she kept going on, all through the delay before the bridge, all the way across the bridge, just berating this poor guy and his family but trying to make it look like she was just giving him the facts and that he should agree with her. There was no room for argument with her.

Then, at West 4th St, a seat opened up and a girl who had been on the train since Newkirk Avenue or Kings Highway took it. The nagging woman made a dash for it and when the girl took it, the nagging woman swung madly around the pole towards another open seat that got taken by a girl with a suitcase and a second bag. The DeKalb Ave woman actually stomped her foot because she wanted a seat so much. It was embarrassing to see. The Newkirk/Kings girl asked, "Do you want to sit down?" and actually got up! The awful woman mumbled something and kind of pointed to her brown suede high-heeled boots (as a woman who also likes high-heeled boots, I know to wear sneakers on the commute or just suck it up) and sat down fast. The girl who gave up her seat exchanged glances with me and we rolled our eyes at the woman.

Once the woman was settled into her unfairly-earned seat, she pulled out some papers, which I later found out were tax documents, and asked her husband, in a panicky voice, "Have you scrutinized these?" He said he hadn't and she said, almost at a full pitch whine, "Well I haven't scrutinized them either. I mean, I don't know what this stuff means. We need to sign them. I could call the guy today, but I don't know if I'll have time." She was still going on when I got off at 42nd Street. I made sure to give her a few looks and I almost wanted to tell her husband "good luck with her" but she would probably just make him suffer more if I said that.

Bally's Gives Up On That Whole "Health Food" Thing

Look, we understand times are tough. Businesses gotta do what businesses gotta do to stay afloat. But whoops, Bally's! When you opened last fall you touted yourself as a shop that would only sell healthy food. But you sold french fries from the start. And now you're selling ice cream.

We've given you a hard time about your lack of vegan food options. And we understand that you have no desire in veganizing any of your three veggie burger options, but would you guys mind keeping that healthy food promise? Because we're tired of having to pass up that open middle seat on the Q because we can't fit between the two commuters who have opted for your ice cream and fries over the meal replacement shake.

Either stick with healthy food or update that "Energy. Food. Fuel" motto of yours to just "Food."

Vegan Eats: Zen Vegetarian House

Thanks to a tip from one of our readers, we recently tried Zen Vegetarian House on Flatbush Avenue. With a menu full of fake meats that rival Manhattan vegan spots Red Bamboo and Vegetarian's Paradise 2, this restaurant is a welcome and delicious change from the other Chinese restaurants in the neighborhood.

We took a long time to order because there were so many dishes that sounded good. I finally decided on the sweet and sour chicken, which is breaded and really crispy and is enough food for two meals. Probably not the healthiest thing I've eaten, but it was one of the tastiest. I did order the brown rice, so that helps my health guilt a little bit.

Patrick got the teryaki chicken, which had a great texture, but the sauce wasn't that good. Maybe we're just not big teryaki fans and should've stayed away from it to begin with. On the menu it was listed as a seitan dish, but the texture was thicker and chewier, more like soy protein. We're not sure if they were confused or they just figured out a whole new way to prepare seitan that we haven't seen in any other restaurant.
The juice, smoothie and soy milkshake selection was a really pleasant surprise. Patrick got e12: strawberry, lemon, grapefruit and orange and I got e16: pineapple, cucumber and apple. Both were really great. There is also soy ice cream on the menu, but we were too stuffed to try any.

Zen Vegetarian's menu is spot on, but the restauarant seems to still be figuring out its style. From the outside it looks really hip and sleek and then you get inside and see that it's pretty much the same as all other Chinese food restaurants- some seating and a huge counter with the open kitchen behind it. But if you order delivery, you won't even have to consider the aesthetics of the place, and as an added bonus, you won't have to see the meat market directly across the street.


Food: A
Service: B
Value: B+
Atmosphere: C+ (was a higher grade until a woman who works there started yelling at the men who were cooking)

Zen Vegetarian House || 773 Flatbush Avenue || (718) 282-2255

Filmed in Flatbush: Futurama

While it wasn't technically "filmed" in Flatbush, one episode of Matt Groening's "Futurama" featured more Ditmas Park references than the shows that actually do take over our streets. In the episode, ("The Luck of the Fryrish"- season 3, episode 10), Fry travels back to his old neighborhood, Ditmas Park, where he grew up in a fixer upper (left) in the 20th century. Now in the future it looks exactly the same as when his parents bought it. Mary Kay says, "A little TLC and $1.5 million and it's all yours!"

To get all the way out to South Brooklyn, Fry's robot friend Bender turns into a B train. In the video below you can see the writers' vision of the Newkirk Ave B,Q station in the future: dilapidated, but at least the red polls are still standing! Little did they know, the station would receive a 2-year renovation to keep it from ever looking like that. As Fry and crew are walking through the neighborhood, this funny exchange occurs:


Fry: On that corner, some guy with a bushy beard handed out a socialist newsletter!
Bender: Was it poorly zeroxed?
Fry: You better believe it!

If this episode didn't air in March of 2001, a couple years before Vox Pop opened, I would've thought that was a reference to Sander Hicks.



Thanks to James for the tip! Check out other posts from our "Filmed in Flatbush" series here.

Pomme de Terre To Offer Vegan Options

Neighborhood stars Gary and Allison have e-mailed saying Pomme de Terre will expand their menu in the coming weeks to include at least one substantial vegan entree.

The current menu leaves much to be desired by neighbors with animal-friendly diets. Steak, pork, chicken, and seafood dishes are the norm at this fancy eatery. Health and environmentally conscious fans of Pomme de Terre have had to settle with a few measly appetizers. That all changes very soon, promise PDT's owners.

Starting in late April, Monday's "Rabbit Night" will become "Soy Rabbit Night" and Saturday and Sunday brunch menus will include tofu scrambler, faux bacon, bagels with Tofutti cream cheese, and whole grain pancakes made with applesause and flax seed. The critically acclaimed restaurant has also updated its menu cover page and motto to reflect the reality of the poultry business. You can view the new image by clicking this link.