Blend vs Goliath: The saga continues; public hearing tomorrow evening
Well folks. The epic battle between the Vernon restaurant Blend and the Neighbors continues tomorrow at a public hearing being held at St. Mary’s Church at 7pm. St. Mary’s is the church at Vernon/Jackson. You can’t really miss it. Tomorrow is Thursday. We recommend you wear some protective gear, as this topic seems to provoke bloodbath.
Blend is not going to get their liquor license… they have no idea what they are doing.
#1 needs to lighten up. this whole thing is a big joke.
The interesting part is to see who will show support on both sides and actually show after the 0rdeal we underwent in the previous posts.
#2 I rather enjoy Blend but cant judge them as a full scale restaurant without any alcohol. I simply think they have good food and a friendly staff but no opportunity to fully enhance themselves.
#2, on what basis do you have to say that they don’t know what they are doing?
Blend are not asking for a full liquor license - just a Beer and Wine license. Please do not mix up the two as the latter is not subject to the same rules as the former. These people need a beer and wine license at a minimum to be given a fair shake on operating their business and surviving.
# 2 - you need to give these people who have invested a lot of time and money a fair chance. Or maybe you should invest your money/take over their lease and see what you can do without a beer/wine license.
I encourage as many people as possible to come and support them at the meeting.
Hate to break it to you, but LIC peeps call Blend Bland for a reason. The food is terrible and anyone who likes it either (A) has no taste or (B) is friends with the owners.
That being said I believe they should get their liquor license. I’ve lived on Vernon Blvd. for over 4 years and have never had a problem with Lounge 47 and I can tell you I live extremely close by.
The Goliath you speak of is really just a small amount of very vocal locals. I respect their concern for the neighborhood, but Blend will not be a threat to the community in the way that they are preaching it will be.
it’s more of a threat because of it’s poor quality.
I honestly don’t care if they do or don’t get their license cause their food is so bad, but the principle still holds that these restaurants deserve the right to have a chance, even if they stink.
I am not friends with the owner nor am do I have no taste. I like the chuletas. What can I say? I am a Blend chuletas fan. They are good chuletas. Now if only I could get a tasty alchoholic beverage to wash down those plentiful and delicious chuletas. That would be outstanding. And maybe the tool population in LIC would decrease by 50%. That would be good too.
Sorry Comment #8
But the fact that you used the word “tool.”
proves you are a friend of the owner.
sorry, you’re busted!
I think I am lost with this whole tool thing. Please explain.
Not a friend of the owner. I swear. Just want to see a small business owner succeed. God Bless America.
I am no more than a happy consumer to Blend but everything I’ve ever had there has been phenomenal and the tall waiter and the girl behind the bar are really nice people. The very idea that people would be opposed to a good restaurant trying to succeed is stunningly mind-blowing.
I think #7 owns Masso. That place really sucks.
Goliath is obviously a joke. Does anyone around here pick up on sarcasm anymore? Ever heard of sub-text?? Jeesh.
#13 you have some kind of taste bud disorder. Masso is fantastic.
#2 I couldn’t agree with you more! No need to show up tomorrow - Blend will definitely get their beer & wine license. I’d bet on it!
I am #7 & #9 , listen #13_I am NOT the owner of masso and agree with you that that place sucks too.
Heh. I’m no “foodie” “restaurant snob” or “yuppie” but even I can agree that the one time I went to Masso was pretty lame. Went in for brunch a few weeks back… as the intended target, Dominie’s Hoek, was not yet open for the day, and Cafe Henri was overstuffed yuppie hell…
1. Reggae music? Smooth jazz? Italian restaurant… what???
2. Totally bad service, pretty much ignored by the waitress even though we were one of 3 tables there.
3. They only took American Express? Huh? Why? Who has American Express? Seriously. Why would anyone ever even bother to get an American Express card. No place takes it except Masso.
The food was fine but not special.
Again I’m no snob, but I don’t see myself bothering to go back there when better options are around.
P.S. Check out all their obviously self-generated 5-star reviews on websites like citysearch and urban spoon, all posted around 1/30/07… that’s just sad.
Right on #17_masso stinks, but i will defend american Express. Tournesol only accepts american express_it’s very much a french thing to only accept amex. That being said i don’t think many would argue that tournesol is LIC’s best restaurant_it is by far!
and their wine, cheese, and oyster bar is a fabulous addition
Tournesol is pretty good. I always have to sneak out to an ATM, though. Bleh. Amex is pointless. Seems like wayyyy more people have Visa/Mastercard.
Blend is mucho bueno. The food is good but the service is a little inexperienced.
The huevos rancheros at Blend are very good. Not bland. (Maybe they bland it up for you if you look like you can’t take the heat?)
While I hope that Blend does succeed in wining this battle with Eric Gioia and the other aholes like him that are trying to screw them and need to be voted out of LIC, I do agree that the alot of restaurants on Vernon leave alot to be desired. Blend is so so. Masso is very disappointing. Bella via is way overrated by the Queenswest crowd - Manetta’s is much much better. The service at Tournesol is horrible.
That said, Tuk Tuk is great. McReilies is great. Cafe Henry is excellent, though a bit overpriced.
The Blend thing is not with Eric Gioia, it’s with Joe Conley. He’s the one that needs to go.
Agreed about service at Tournesol. Masso is awesome.
Am I the only one who thinks that Dominie’s Hoek has the best veggie burger I’ve ever had anywhere in any borough in any city? Shit’s amazing.
I think Eric Gioa is on the no liq lic bandwagon as well. Someone, told me that he is not welcomed at Lounge 47 because he sided with the neighbors.
Not a fan of Dominie’s - sorry
Brandon,
If it is that good than it probably is not a veggie burger. Hmmmmm :)
Eric Gioa needs to go. The guy is terrible and does nothing for LIC.
Good for Lounge 47.
Eric Gioa needs to go. The guy is terrible and does nothing for LIC.
Good for Lounge 47.
Let’s be fair - 2 years ago the neighbors bamboozled many people - politicos and common folks alike. Many have changed their point of view. Perhaps Eric and Joe have too. Remember - for some “Time heals all wounds” - for others “Time wounds all heels”.
#30 - We elect politicians to make the right choices not to get bamboozled.
Its time for both Eric and Joe to step aside in favor of leadership that actually represents its constituancy.
Eric will be stepping down because his term limit is up. As I understand it, he is now concentrating his efforts on his next campaign which is to run for Public Advocate.
#32 - That’s good news. Hopefully those voting for Public Advocate don’t make the same mistakes us in LIC that had to deal with that idiot representing us. Good riddance. Maybe there’s a few more small business owners that Eric is looking to screw over in getting trying to get elected as Public Advocate.
kudos to blend.
Blend got their beer and wine license. the public hearing was very peaceful and civil. cheers.
The general mood at the meeting seemed supportive of Blend’s application-even the opposition acknowledged that efforts had been made to address concerns. I was amused/bemused when someone asked if there was a “racist element” to the opposition, denied strenuously by the Chair, and then a committee member asked for reassurance there will be no “mariachi on Thursday nights”! Anyways, good for Blend. Hope it works out for them.
Did anyone notice anything interesting about the, um, demographic of the community board?
how many people showed?
Did anyone from the HPCDC speak?
#39, Terry Sullivan spoke on behalf of HPCDC in favor of Blend.
Politicians are coming to their senses after they are seeing the masses rise to the occasion an chastize them for the fast one that they tried to pull on a small business owner. What a shame that aholes Gioa and Connelly had to let it get this far, with one of them going as far as to right that insulting letter posted here a few weeks back.
No. 41, didn’t your parents teach you to be gracious in victory? Just pipe down and quietly enjoy your stupid glass of wine at Blend.
What I still do not get is why Blend was penalized? No one yesterday charged Blend of being a bad neighbor. It seems to me Blend was not given a liquor license because the immediate neighbors and politicians suspected that it was going to be a noisy neighbor. I guess CB2 has different judicial standards than the rest of the country “Guilty till proven innocent”. Even after they are approved it will take another 8 months for them to get a license. If you add it all up Blend will have been penalized for approximately one year and a half before they could start selling wine and beer.
#41 you are right some politicians are coming around because after someone asked how gets to decide how many restaurants are “enough” in LIC, Mr. Connelly said that the license procedure was to ensure that we get desirable neighbors and that he welcomed new restaurants in the area. This sounds very different from his quote in the newspaper. However, Mrs. Nolan did not show up to the meeting but sent one of her people which read a statement denying Blend its license. Maybe she needs to get her but down here and see that there are more people in support of small businesses than she thinks. It was stated that Blend collected 600 signatures in support of their license.
Overall, the meeting went very well and the neighbors that were opposed to the license seem to have come around and a fair compromise was reached.
43, Good. Now can we all put this Blend issue to rest? Enough already.
#41 is right. conley and the board started singing a very different tune after this situation became more exposed to the public, and Blend started getting support from the community. thanks to this blog probably. I know I didn’t know about what was going on until I saw the posts about Blend, and I certainly wouldn’t have known about the hearing last night. It seemed very well attended for a public hearing, and if blend didn’t have the strong community support it probably wouldn’t have been as civil and easy as it was. it was mentioned in the hearing that the last hearing was very uncivil. It also seemed that Blend’s attorney took a much friendlier approach this time, perhaps because of all the community support and public visibility on this matter.
The way I saw it - Blend got a new lawyer because the first one advised them poorly. The advice the first one gave Blend made the neighbors concerned. Blend didn’t seem like they really were going to be a plus for the neighborhood. The neighbors got Joe Conley involved. There had been a past abuse with a restaurant turning into a loud caberet type business. (La Meridian). Everyone wants to keep this from happening again. It’s just a quality of life issue, i.e. nighttime noise, cigarette butts and other trash on the streets, people congregating outside, late night hours, etc. I’m sure no one wants Vernon Blvd turning into the Wild West (I know, it’s an exaggeration). There are a lot of people living on Vernon Blvd. It’s just basically a matter of give and take and consideration for everyone. And the meeting last night seemed to show a good compromise.
JLB
(instead of doing another post)
The issue is really one of respect. We, the current residents of LIC, have no choice but to respect the new development and commerce ppping up everywhere, but does it respect us too? o
Other issues brought to light by this circumstance are: (and this was asked at the hearing) who determines how many bars and restaurants on Vernon are too many? Most of the ‘new’ contingency of LIC seems to feel there are not enough… is that because they’re coming from Manhattan and expecting a dense saturation of commerce? Most of the ‘native’ contingency of LIC seems to maintain that LIC is being overrun with restaurants/bars and enough is enough. How much is enough?
It was also brought up at the meeting, that LIC is transitioning into a very diverse community with regard to ethnicity, age, and socio-economics. And all agreed that was a good thing. If the community board is to represent the community, how does this diversity get applied to the governing bodies? IE, is this celebratedly diverse community being fairly represented?
liqcity, do you have any census data to claim that LIC is transitioning to a more diverse area in terms of its socioeconomic profile? I’m not sure that’s true. I think the biggest change is that LIC is becoming whiter and wealthier than other parts of Queens, with lots of people in their 20s and 30s. Specifically, what diversity are you referring to?
um #48, this was a pretty white neighborhood to begin with. mostly irish and italian.
49, there were Hispanics among the white population too. And I’m not just talking about race. I just don’t believe that on the whole, LIC’s population is significantly more more “diverse” — in age, household income, ethnicity, education — than it once was.
It’s definitely more diverse than that community board. No offense, but they was all white people over the age of 60. Also it was said last night that LIC was diverse. liqcity is just reporting. even Joe Conley said it was diverse. Not that it means that it is though. #48 is right, LIC is white compared to the rest of queens, but I do see lots of different types of people still living here. I hate that everyone acts as though LIC has gone to hell and a handbag. it’s still a thriving community of mixed peoples. I think liqcity would have been better to say diverse with artists, professionals, creatives, yuppies, hipsters etc…
the average age of the board has to be 87. No joke. I think they also passed the “Get off my lawn ordinance and one of them kept muddering something about if it wasnt for scooby and them damn kids.
51, that’s it — diverse in terms of LIC people’s professions and worldview, not socioeconomic profile. I can accept that definition a lot better. It’s an important distinction to make because the word “diverse” gets thrown around a lot by those trying to prove how accepting/multicultural they are. (Why is it that every company that brags about its diversity is run by middle-aged white guys in suits?) Hunters Point South will do much more to make LIC genuinely “diverse” from a socioeconomic POV, and let’s see how happy everyone will be when this happens.
#48 the neighborhood is changing. In reading the material found on the HPCDC thread located here there are some interesting trends.
http://www.queensny.org/NED_Pdf/Hunter’sPointQNAI.pdf
These stats are from 2007:
Hunter’s Point has a higher percentage of households earning at least $75,000 (30%) than the borough as a whole (23%). Hunter’s Point has a higher percentage of households earning between $50,000 and $75,000 (21.6%) than the borough as a whole (19%). Hunter’s Point has a lower percentage of households earning less than $25,000 than the borough as a whole.
Almost half of the neighborhood’s population fall within the ‘25 to 44 yrs’ age bracket. The neighborhood also has a significantly lower level of individuals under 20 years of age than the rest of the borough.
About half of the Hunter’s Point population is White, followed by Hispanic making up 30 percent, 10 percent Asian, and 7 percent Black.
There still are a lot of Latino residents, and definitely some Filipinos and Koreans, not to mention Queensbridge, which is mostly African-American. If you get away from the Vernon-Jackson area you’ll see that LIC is pretty diverse, even if it’s no Jackson Heights.
Here’s demographic info as of 2000:
http://www.zip-codes.com/zip-code/11101/zip-code-11101.asp
Yeah, it’s gonna get way richer and whiter, though… I’m really looking forward to the next census and see how things have changed.
P.S. I went to LIC Bar last night and it seemed like I was the only person under 30… and the place was packed. What is going on around here?
#43, good question. Blend should quickly follow this up with an application for the full liquor licence.
I think what this proves that we need to take a more active role in our neighborhood. We have as much right to have our say in things as everyone else. If the neighborhood does not reflect our desires we have no one to blame but ourselves. Thank you LIQ for bring this matter to our attention and for providing a forum in which we can organize and discuss.
#53 - I won’t be happy at all. Why aholes like Gioa and Connoley are promoting Hunters Point South when it is only going to drive down the value of those who have invested in places like City Lights, the Powerhouse, etc. is beyond me. Who the hell are they representing. Obviously noone who has invested in the area.
The CB2 committee the other night was certainly older and whiter than the population I see getting off the 7 train at Vernon/Jackson, or on the streets of LIC. The age bias is not unexpected for a political body (check out the US Supreme Court and Senate!) given that it takes time and experience to become recognized as a public figure, and eligible for these positions. (I know, there are exceptions). But Liqcity asks an important question; how do we ensure that the governing bodies that ostensibly speak for us actually represent us, particularly when the community is changing rapidly? I have nothing but respect for those who volunteer their time and energy serving on CB, but without term limits and some mechanism for the community to influence the appointment process, these tensions seen inevitable.
#57 - you should move to the suburbs.
58 - you should add something meaningful to the discourse. 58 is right LIC is changing and our representatives should also change.
I agree with 57. Which of LIC’s constituents are Gioa and Connely representing by being driving forces behind Hunters Point South? I mean what other than driving prices of owners properties on the waterfront is it going to do for current residents of the neighborhood is it going to do?
you guys are ridiculous. you think rich, white apartment owners are the only residents of LIC.
#64 wake up. If you can’t afford to live in Citylights, its not my problem.
your right, i can’t afford to live in citylights. but i and a lot of new “constituents” will be able to live in hunter’s point south. so i would say that your problem is that you grossly overpaid for your apartment in an inflated market.
#66 Whether you like it or not, City Lights is LIC. The neighborhood was nothing before we were here and LIC owes everything to us.
#67 & 64, you are an idiot, and I’ve lived in Citilights for over 10 years. Please go back to curbed. Your only purpose in being here is to stir up trouble. To the residents of LIC allow be to apologise on behalf of this dope.
Citylights residents making asses out of themselves - why am I not surprised?
#69 is the same one from #67 and 64.
Right on 68!
#68 - you should apologise for #66. i’ll just thank him because he proved my point that you guys are ridiculus.
Blah blah my condo is more expensive than your and I totally pwned your neighborhood blah blah my property values are going to decline when people making normal salaries move next door blah blah.
Blah blah. I’m a dirty hipster from the Midwest. I wear the same clothes as my non-washing breathen.
I blog about my passive aggressive feelings. But only if I can find free some free Wi-fi, b/c I’m in my 20’s and have no money so I hate everyone that works for a living.
I wasted my Detroit upbringing watching Scarface and dreaming of living in NYC and tending to my Grandma and Grandpa while my mother and father did crystal meth.
Oh, and I have an advanced college degree which allows me to tell native NYC’ers how the city should be run…well, because I studied about big cities in college. Forget that in the 70’s and 80’s NYC was a shitty dump, which is how I want it to be…well, b/c that’s how Scarface was.
And, well, I watched it and now I’m living the rust belt refugee dream of being dirty. And overeducated. And living underneath the #7 train like a troll.
again, ridiculus.
73, right. I’ll bet you know all about “passive aggressive feelings.” Don’t you have something better to do on a beautiful spring Sunday?
Wow. It looks like Jake and his gang continue to make positive contributions to the neighborhood with post on this thread. Embarassing. Simply Embarrasing for LIC. Just as their comments were on the Starbucks thread.
Who cares whether Citylights sucks or not? Isn’t this supposed to be about Blend?
Blend sucks and should be called Bland. Alcohol will not help, unless of course you get so wasted before the meal that you don’t notice it doesn’t taste like anything.
i for one, love blends food and a few of their staff members…
but the rest of their service completely sucks!
often times i’ve called to order something from their menu… and somehow they’re out of stock, can’t make it, or won’t deliver it…
deciding perhaps a trip to the restaurant would make this better, i went this past weekend… i have never been treated with such disrespect as a paying customer…
the waiters are miserable… brought me coffee that i asked for 5 times as i was paying the bill… and complained when i said i no longer wanted it because i was leaving…
they really need to shape up because honestly, they’ve lost my business and a few others due to their nasty, inattentive attitude…
Sounds a bit sensationalistic, don’t you think, liqcity? I’ll bet Blend gets the license without a whimper.