Joanna is the newest author on the BK Southie team, and she will be writing predominately about Sunset Park. Please be sure to welcome her. Enjoy! -Ed.

Living in Sunset Park all my life I have had my fair share of every type of food. In the eighties and early nineties there existed a few remaining Norwegian spots and Irish bars, unfortunately I was too young to remember much besides the smoked fish, freshly baked bread and some Sheppard’s pie. With all the passing years and all the new neighbors came a new trend of food which was much more exciting to the palate.

To start the tour of good food at great prices in Sunset Park I’ll begin with Maria’s Bistro Mexicano, this cute bistro style restaurant opened first in Park Slope and then in Sunset Park. A major plus about Maria’s is the indoor/outdoor option for dining along with the strong sangrias. Maria’s ingredients are always so fresh and filled with flavor that I sometimes wonder if they grow the vegetables there. For starters the Elote del Mercado is the best corn I have had in years, it is corn on the cob with mayo, chili, cheese and finally topped with lime, the sweetness of the corn and the heat of the chili pepper make it a great starter. The nachos are some of the best I’ve seen around Sunset Park, the freshly homemade chips stay crispy till the very end of the huge portion, which is very unlikely for nachos. The portions are very large and the flavors rich, you can’t go wrong with their huge super tacos (chorizo is my favorite) or any of their burritos for a very cheap dinner. The Rotisserie Chicken is savory and succulent, the El Molcajete Norteño is a great combination of beef and shrimp with salsas that satisfy that urge for spicy Mexican food. To top it all off on Saturdays and Sundays they offer a prolonged brunch until 4:00pm which for only $10.95 you can get a very hardy meal along with unlimited Mimosas, Bloody Maria’s, Champagne, Coffee or Tea that will leave you so full you will definitely be skipping out on dinner.

Maria’s Bistro Mexicano: 886 Fifth Avenue (Between 38th and 39th street) (official site | map)

The next stop is Redang Island located in Brooklyn’s China Town. This Malaysian restaurant is a new addition to the line of Asian restaurants along 8th Avenue. I prefer it over Nyonya, which was the first Malaysian restaurant to appear on the strip, since I feel the service and quality of food is slightly better. The menu is filled with a variety of mild dishes along side items you might cringe at, luckily the vast variety gives every customer a wide spectrum of items to choose from. A classic start is the Roti Canai which is a crispy thin crepe with curry chicken & potato dipping sauce, I recommend to keep the curry around for dipping later on. The tofu, chicken or beef satays are also good sharing appetizers that are complimented with a spicy homemade peanut sauce. The Malaysian culture is known for their many seafood dishes, the best way to order is to ask for a whole fried or steamed fish, depending on the type you like, and pairing this with coconut rice and the Sting Bean, Eggplant, Okra And Petai with spicy shrimp paste plate. If going solo they have great smaller rice dishes available, the Hainanese Chicken is very light/plain and works well with the curry from the Roti. The Nasi Lemak is a very common Malaysian rice dish packed with flavors of coconut, pine leaves, and curry chicken. If you’re in the mood for spare ribs the Redang deep fries these in either Champagne, Guinness or tops them with a honey sauce all under $10 for a entree. The perfect sweet ending to all the spicy food is requesting the dessert Pulut Hitam ($2) which is a creamy black sticky rice with coconut milk served hot/warm. The Redang Island is very affordable and even has lunch specials for $4.95 on weekdays, and lastly the portions are large enough for tomorrow’s lunch.

Redang Island: 5112 8th Avenue (Between 51st and 52nd street) (map)

These are two neighborhood favorites in Sunset Park which will leave you full and satisfied with thoughts of coming back for more next time to try something new! bon appetit!

From a press release sent by Sunset Park’s Tabla Rasa Gallery:

On Wednesday, July 21, starting at 6:30 pm, there will be an artists’ talk and panel discussion led by master printers Sheila Goloborotko and Agnes Murray on the subject of connoisseurship in printmaking and the history of creating the portfolio featured in the “Goloborotko’s Studio 20th Anniversary Edition” portfolio. Artists who created work for the project, Audrey Frank Anastasi, Ramona Candy, Mary Chang, Tami Gold, Robert Golden, Kathleen Hayek, Pearl Rosen, GG Stankiewicz, and Harold Wortsman will share their behind-the-scenes insights and participate in the question & answer session.

This is part of the “Rock Paper Scissors” exhibition at the Tabla Rasa Gallery that runs until August 14. I stopped off at the exhibition’s opening night on my way home from work. It was totally worth the trip. I have no idea what to expect from this panel, but if you haven’t seen the exhibition yet, this might be a good opportunity to go.

The gallery is at 224 48th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues (closer to 2nd, on the south side of the street). R-train to 45th Street.

Unless you work at the Sanitation depot, chances are you don’t get to see this side of the Sunset Park waterfront very often. Photo credit: Brian Hedden

The Tabla Rasa Gallery on 48th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues) is holding an opening reception tonight from 6:00-8:30pm for its newest show, ROCK PAPER SCISSORS. You had me at ROCK… I’ll try to stop by on my way home from work. Who’s with me on this? All of the wonderful details are at Found In Brooklyn.

A man approached by three NYPD detectives in an unmarked car was shot dead on Thursday when he produced a .357 revolver for identification, according to the NY Daily News.

Investigators said the unmarked car from the Brooklyn Anti-Crime unit was patrolling a quiet stretch of Fifth Ave. due to a recent rash of strong-arm robberies, police said.

As the car reached 33rd St., opposite Greenwood Cemetery, the officers noticed a loitering man who matched a description of a robbery suspect, police said.

The cops then pulled over and beckoned the man to the car, according to witnesses.

He began yelling at the cops – and then pulled out the handgun from his waistband as he bent over to peer in the driver’s side window.

…

As the cop behind the wheel desperately grappled with the gunman, his partner hopped out of her passenger seat, raced around the car and fired one shot, police said.

Read more »

BK Southie had reported last November that the annual song-and-dance that sees the elimination of winter service on numerous ferry routes would spare the Rockaways-Brooklyn Army Terminal-Wall Street service. More recently, New York Water Taxi did threaten to eliminate the route unless the City was able to extend the operating subsidy. Last Friday was the last scheduled day of service.

Over the weekend, the ferry operator and the City came to an agreement that would allow the route to continue. Service will be cut in half – only one morning ferry leaving Sunset Park at 8:10am, and one afternoon ferry leaving Wall Street at 5:40pm – but the fare will remain at $6 per trip. Important note – the new agreement will only last until July 1. (NY1, New York Water Taxi)

(Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/md111/ / CC BY-NC 2.0)

A number of media outlets have reported on the daring subway rescue a week ago at the 8th Avenue station of the N-line. 18-year-old Parsons student Rosie Rittenberry passed out and tumbled out onto the tracks. Fellow Sunset Parker Lance McGraw “threw off his headphones and backpack, and jumped down to the roadbed — as the N train bore down on them.” The NY Post has the full story and an adorably adorable picture of the Sunset Park Lois & Clark, and Fox 5 has an interview on video.

I find this story really interesting, not just because of the heroics and the fact that they look super-cute together, but also because on any normal day, I would have been on the train that “bore down” on them. Alas, last Thursday I was running late to the office, much to the chagrin of my 9:30 conference call.

No such feel-good ending in Borough Park this week, when a 4-year-old boy was struck and killed by the rear tires of a yeshiva school bus after slipping on ice (NY Times).

I noticed the commenters at Gothamist immediately jumped on the case of Hasidic bus drivers. OK, I will admit that the guys that drive the yeshiva school buses in Williamsburg are The. Worst. Drivers. I have ever seen this side of Boston, but that hasn’t been my experience at all with the Borough Park buses. Unless there are charges or accusatory eyewitness accounts, can everyone please step off? Thank you.

The Brooklyn Chinese-American Association will be organizing its annual Chinese New Year parade this Sunday, February 21. It will begin with a cultural performance at 8th Avenue and 50th Street from 11am-1pm. Then, the parade goes down 8th Avenue to 60th Street from 1pm-2:30pm.

Lots and lots of pictures from the 2009 celebration here.

The NYCEDC has reissued an RFP for the Federal Building #2 (map) on the Sunset Park waterfront, according to Crain’s New York Business. A plan to redevelop the site for retail and office space had been in the works since 2005, but stalled earlier this year as a result of the recession. The new RFP is calling for less retail/office space and more manufacturing use.

I had to reread the article a couple of times just to make sure I read that right – the Bloomberg Administration is calling for manufacturing on the waterfront. That must have been painful for Mayor Oligarch to authorize. Or maybe no one has told him yet. Or perhaps he’s having trouble pointing to Sunset Park on a map.

(Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/md111/ / CC BY-NC 2.0)

An article published in Tuesday’s Brooklyn Daily Eagle covers what has become an autumn ritual – New York Water Taxi announcing the likely suspension of East River ferry service for the winter. But this time, the Brooklyn Army Terminal at the end of 58th Street in Sunset Park will keep its route year-round.

Another stop in Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park, is part of a separate route, which starts in Rockaway, and isn’t threatened. Sherman pointed out that this route is more profitable and thus uses larger boats. The Rockaway route began service in May 2008 — only months after an earlier ferry service to the Brooklyn Army Terminal had been discontinued.

Brooklyn Army Terminal may be more popular as a destination because cars are able to park there, making it convenient for riders from Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst and other nearby neighborhoods. By contrast, there is no parking at Fulton Ferry Landing.