Brooklyn

Billy Durney, the Brooklyn restaurateur and pitmaster, has been talking for several years about the fried chicken that he planned to bring to Red Hook. At first, there was no reason to doubt him. That the man is comfortable with long time horizons was clear to anyone who watched how patiently he studied the science of indirect heat at his first establishment in the neighborhood, Hometown Bar-B-Que. After Hurricane Sandy flooded streets and knocked out power in the area shortly before the scheduled opening in 2012, he gave away smoked briskets, ribs and shoulders to local residents until electricity was restored almost three weeks later, honing his technique all the while. The years rolled by without a drumstick in sight. But as recently as March, it was still possible to take Mr. Durney at his word when he talked about the star attraction of his nearly completed fried-chicken emporium, to be called Red Hook Tavern. The doors were finally unlocked in July, revealing a row of tables … [Read more...] about A Brooklyn Burger That Conjures Old New York

Visitors to Gleason's Gym won't find flat-screen televisions hanging from the rafters or stacks of fluffy towels lining the countertops. There's no smoothie bar or day spa in sight at this venerable boxing gym, where the barbells are rusting and the weight-lifting benches are held together with masking tape. The 71-year-old institution, founded in the Bronx and now situated in Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood, prides itself not on technology or amenities, but on the scores of champion prizefighters who have trained there. Among them are Jake "the Bronx Bull" LaMotta, Carlos Ortiz, Cassius Clay (who later changed his name to Muhammad Ali), and Mike Tyson. Actress Hilary Swank trained at Gleason's in preparation for her Oscar-winning role in the 2004 film "Million Dollar Baby." Even as it turns out top-ranked boxers and trains onscreen prizefighters, Gleason's — billed as the nation's oldest active boxing gym — is seeing an influx of fitness-focused clients who have taken … [Read more...] about A Brooklyn Gym Offers Authenticity, Not Amenities

It’s hard to imagine the horror that must have come over the editorial board of the New York Times when it discovered that a public swimming pool in Brooklyn has been accommodating Orthodox Jewish women. This is happening, the Times complains in a hysterical editorial Wednesday, at the pool on Bedford Avenue. For several hours a week, it reports, the pool is “unmoored from the laws of New York City and the Constitution.” Skip the misplaced metaphor of a swimming pool being “unmoored” (it’s a hole in the ground). The pool, the Times warns, is also unmoored from “commonly held principles of fairness and equal access.” Instead, it says, the pool is answering “to the religious convictions of one neighborhood group.” So during certain hours, “women (and girls, too, on Sundays) will have the pool to themselves.” Why? “Orthodox Jewish beliefs demand modesty in dress, and a strict separation of the sexes,” the Times’ … [Read more...] about Women-Only Swim Hours At a Pool in Brooklyn Ignite Ire of the Times

Forest City Ratner has this week released the latest plans for its contentious development of the Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn, more specifically for the parcel of its 22 acres that faces the southwest, looking past the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan. In an architectural context that tends, over time, to drag all things down in the direction of safe and unassuming mediocrity, these plans, from the studio of Frank Gehry, have the distinction of being even bolder than the initial ones and, in some senses, a little better. To begin with, there has been a change of names. That might not sound like much, but the decision to jettison the obnoxiously cutesy "Miss Brooklyn" in favor of the clinical and neutral "B1" for the office tower, Building One, is a step in the right direction. The two other important structures for which renderings have just been released are B2, a residential structure, and the Barclays Center, which will accommodate sports events and performances. The most objectionable … [Read more...] about Frank Gehry’s ‘Miss Brooklyn’ Renamed & Reconsidered

The drab ex-factory building on Dobbins Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, is an unlikely command post for a bold, one-woman foray into urban winemaking. But that's where, in a small second-floor office with a single ivy-covered window, ex-engineer Alie Shaper is advancing on her goal of creating a full-scale urban winery in her home borough. It's grandly called Brooklyn Oenology, and its first releases of white and red wines can already be found at a range of local shops, including Blanc et Rouge in DUMBO and Morrell in Rockefeller Center. In a coup for her fledgling enterprise, Ms. Shaper's first merlot, vintage 2005, has made it onto the wine list at Gramercy Tavern. A mere 150 cases of that merlot were made, but Ms. Shaper plans to release 500 cases of the 2006 merlot in September, along with another 3,500 cases of chardonnay, Viognier, and several red and white blends. All labels are illustrated with artwork by Brooklyn artists, and can be peeled off for keeping. The city is suddenly … [Read more...] about Staking Out Brooklyn Turf for a Winery