Mainco building on 51st Ave to host MetFoods, Vernon/Jackson, LIC

Yes, the rumors about MetFoods coming to the old Mainco elevator building on 51st Ave between Vernon & 5th St are true »

foodcellar market, 47th Rd between 5th St & Center Blvd, Queens West, LIC

Happy Daze. The long awaited foodcellar (formerly known as and still owned by Amish Market) is opening TOMORROW at 7am. It’s a soft opening, but as you know soft ice cream is still ice cream, and if there is food on the shelves that we can buy, it’s a grocery store »

Faces on 5pointz Studios, Courthouse Sq, Long Island City

1) We all know that Starbucks killed the deal they had with Rockrose, but there was ANOTHER potential Starbucks in the works. Quietly slated to be at 10-50 Jackson, that deal is now dead too. Seems Starbucks is not ready for Long Island City, or vice versa. And no one’s crying.

2) Duane Reade and Amish Market in Rockrose #2 are confirmed for June 2008 opening. Excited and perhaps slightly wilted Queenswesters are standing by.

3) 2626 Jackson, aka Corner of Purves is back on track, after a few months of work stoppage. Scarano marches on in Courthouse Sq.

4) Gristedes (gasp! a grocery store!) is set to open in the Arris Lofts in April/May 2008.

5) The United Nations move of 2,600 workers to the UN Federal Credit Union building in Courthouse Square is on track for April/May. Get ready for the influx!

E & I Deli, Vernon Blvd @ 50th Ave, Hunters Point

If you’ve been reading this blog for five minutes, you know that there’s a grocery store issue… as in we don’t have one. And I’m tired of hearing that C-town counts as a grocery store. Fine, technically C-town is in Hunters Point, but if you live in Queenswest or Vernon/Jackson, two of the other sub-neighborhoods of HP (which is a sub-nabe in and of itself), that C-town is as far away, if not further than The Garden in Greenpoint. Or really, let’s just leave it at that it’s far away. And my question is: is it a good grocery store? It’s too far for me – I just go to The Garden, lug my groceries from the city, or I go to the E&I Deli, aka the Korean deli on Vernon.

Surprisingly, E&I has a really savvy buyer. The deli is definitely stocked with some ‘yuppie’ vittles. You know, overpriced and organic. It also has a great selection of Asian foods as well… which is very much in line with the theme of our burgeoning restaurant scene.

Thank you E&I deli. If it weren’t for you, we’d have to walk the 5000 miles to C-town (aka 15 minutes).

1) I’m still sad about the Amish Market, and hopeful about the Fairway rumor, but there was a time when I also hungered for more restaurants in LIC. I can’t say we’ve hit capacity (what hood has the problem of too many good places to eat) but at least now we have a variety of options. Trouble is, all the new restaurants seem to be some variety of Asian fusion. Now that 5SL has moved their sales office on-site, the corner spot on Vernon & 48th they used to occupy is being leased by another Asian fusion place. This is confirmed by many, but no one seems to have any specific deets. If you know what’s going in that spot, hit us up.

2) It seems Toll Brothers made a bit of a land grab when they bought the lot for 5SL because they also purchased the adjacent lots, including what’s dubbed as the ‘Zipper Building’ on 48th. Yes folks, that used to be a zipper factory. According to QW, seems the Zipper Building is getting more than just a face lift, but being knocked down altogether. Which I find rather sad, since the building is unique and distinctive, and if done nicely would probably shine up rather well. Like the base of the Powerhouse. But that’s Karl Fisher and this is Toll Brothers, so we’ll see what transpires.

UPDATE 1/29/08 » The info about the Toll Brothers is being challenged and we are looking into it and will update. We did hear from some reliable sources that it’s owned by Toll Brothers, but there does seem to be legitimate confusion.

Still it would be nice »

O.M.G. Can it really be?

liQcity is a M-F blog, but I’m busting out my computer on a Sunday, because the rumor of a Fairway coming to LIC is too good to wait until tomorrow.

liQcity received this juicy tip yesterday:

“I am a private chef in the city. I do my shopping everyday at Fairway on Broadway. There is a constant buzz in the store about the new Fairway that is going to open in LIC. I have been hearing this from the employees and managers of the store.”

A Fairway in LIC? My simple, humble human self is trying not to get too excited.

Oy. As if things weren’t bad enough. (They’re not actually.) The news broke yesterday (thanks Eater) -the Amish Market is delayed until at least May.

Where is our @&*%(#&%@# grocery store?? I understand that Hunters Point is making the jump straight to high-end, but we are also simple, humble humans who are willing to shop at a Gristedes or a Food Emporium. Or better yet, an unbranded mom & pop with a savvy buyer. That’s all we need. Some organic options. Decent produce. A butcher who’ll do the dirty work. A cookie aisle.

Is there anyone awake out there? Why are so many people missing this amazing business opportunity? There are industrial spaces available in Hunters Point that are perfect for a grocery store. I mean it’s not like I have to drink my coffee black every morning or anything…people have lived in this hood for decades without a grocery store. But it’s become a nice shtick to chronically lament about the lack of grocery store, so I’m sticking with it. Maybe if I got off my keister, I might open a grocery store myself. Aah, no. I’d lose my shtick and my keister would miss my office chair too much. I think I’ll go buy a condo in DoBro instead.