Ihawan at 10-07 50th Ave - Opening Soon

This morning I walked by the new restaurant on 50th Ave between Vernon & Jackson, right next to the sales office for ten63 Jackson. The signs are up now, and another new restaurant is about to emerge on the Vernon scene - Ihawan, Asian Grill and Sushi. Any relation to the Ihawan in Woodside? Seems likely. Supposedly we are getting a Japanese restaurant in another Vernon location, so stay tuned for updates on the Asian Invasion of Vernon. Invade away! It’s way better to have food than another brokerage or development sales office.

Also on the street »

Cafe Henri - 1010 50th Ave 718.383.9315

Cafe Henri was already here when I got here. I knew moving to LIC over 4 years ago that the hood was transitioning and that for a couple of years I’d have to deal with sparse amenities. However I needed to know that there was at least one decent eatery that I could count on. Turns out there was more than one (though not many) and Cafe Henri was definitely at the top of the list.

A clone of the popular West Village spot, Cafe Henri might technically be a bistro, but it’s absolutely a cafe. And most definitely a creperie. I know crepes are not everyone’s thing, but their menu is quite diverse and has evolved in the last few years. There’s your expected pastries and coffee drinks, an excellent selection of sweet and savory crepes, french sandwiches and croque’s, salads, breakfast staples like eggs benedict (made 3 ways), and some bistro entrees like coq a vin and steak frites. It’s the kind of place where anyone is bound to find something that they would want to eat.

And best of all »

Ruins in LIC - the Schwartz Chemical Factory demolished

I was walking around the Gantry Park and Queenswest this afternoon during the tail end of the snow, and I discovered the ruins of the building next to the Powerhouse on the corner of 50th Ave & 2nd St. It was the Schwartz Chemical Factory. There were tennis courts in the last incarnation of this building, and from word on the street, it seems this site is going to be part of the Powerhouse empire. So far it’s called Powerhouse 2.

There’s been some interesting conversation lately about what’s going on with the real estate and development in the hood. Well it’s been going on for a while, but in the last couple of weeks on liQcity there’s been a lot of negative commentary towards new construction and the ‘yuppification’ of LIC.

Coming across another piece of history being wiped out is definitely a sad moment for me, but after watching it day after day for 4ish years, I’m almost getting used to it. Center Blvd is a whole new world, and it’s not necessarily pretty, but for some reason LIC hasn’t yet lost it’s magic. It’s still surprisingly quiet and peaceful despite all the construction going on.

Aah, but that’s not what it’s really about though, is it? »