Ion’s Corner Cafe, 36-01 Vernon Blvd

If you’ve been biking down the not-so-new bike lanes on Vernon Blvd, perhaps you’ve noticed a not-so-new Romanian restaurant called Ion’s Corner Cafe on Vernon Blvd @ 36th Ave, right across the street from the pink bridge that goes to that little island between Queens & Manhattan. It’s been mentioned a few times in the liQcity comments, and a great not-so-new blog about happenings in Queens, local718, has a fantastic and detailed review of Ion’s Cafe »

LIC Corner Deli is no more. Vernon Blvd, Hunters Point, LIC

In case you were wondering what happened to the LIC Corner Deli »

Sprint/Nextel opening on Jackson Ave between Vernon Blvd & 50th Ave, LIC

Fall marks the arrival of many things. In Long Island City, it seems to be wireless stores like Verizon which opened at the Echelon on Jackson Ave, and now Sprint/Nextel, which is opening up between Vernon Blvd & 50th St at the bottom of a brand spanking new Fedders building. woohoo.

In contrast »

Elliman brokers take in the Manhattan skyline at dusk, Powerhouse Condos

Yes, it’s a well known fact that LIC is a real estate haven these days, what with all the condo development… Suits and brokers have been a fixture around here for years now, and despite the troubled and confusing times of the NYC real estate market, LIC hasn’t even felt a hiccup, if this weekend’s broker extravaganga is any evidence.

On Thursday night »

Duane Reade opens Friday, corner of 5th St & 47th Rd, LIC

Queens West sprouts another soft opening this Friday, courtesy of Duane Reade, at the corner of 47th Rd & 5th St. (You can’t miss it. It’s shiny.) And this is no ordinary Duane Reade, mind you. It’s the LX model. Cosmetics counter, fancier appearance, etc. According to the store’s rep, more “high-end”.

And up on Vernon Blvd »

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 »

Casa Vizcaya – circa Aug 2008, Hunters Point, Long Island City

Last we checked into Casa Vizcaya, they were having some trouble regarding damage to a neighbor’s home. Work on the new dev was shut down for a couple months, and we checked in with the sales office and the neighbor for an update on where things are.

Casa Vizcaya has 4 units left for sale, all 1-2BRs with 1000+SF of space. Looks like the sales office on Vernon is being transitioned by Corcoran for another new condo project further down Vernon in Astoria/LIC, called the Orient.

And what’s up with the neighbors? »

SHI, New fine dining Chinese fusion restaurant, Queens West, LIC

The long awaited SHI is on its way to a soft opening a bit later this month… which will inevitably lead to the hard opening – no pix yet, but Queens Wester’s are about to get some fine dining in the mix.

UPDATE: SHI is currently open for take-out only:

Hello all,

First, I’d like to thank everyone in LIC for making us feel welcome and really showing us their support and encouragement. There is a sense of community here that we don’t see in the city. We can’t wait to add to the character of LIC.

After much delay, we’re finally ready to open our doors! (The Take-Out side at least anyways.) Perhaps another week for the dining room to follow. So please stop by and say “Hi” starting after 5:00 pm.

Thanks, ShiBrothers

SHI
4720 Center Blvd
Reservations: 347-242-2450
Take Out: 347-242-2448
Website: www.shilic.com
MENU

It’s interesting »

1) Tomorrow, Saturday, August 16 at 7pm, there will be a gathering at McReilly’s to show support and discuss a possible fund raising effort. The Daily News will be writing a story and a staff photographer will be there. There are also some people interested in organizing a fund raiser to assist with whatever their next move will be. The talk at the moment is they want to “just get through this month” and then regroup to focus on finding a new space. All are invited.

2) HALLETS COVE WALK-UP PADDLES, LIC Boathouse »

The Creek sans the cave, Jackson Ave @ the Pulaski Bridge, Long Island City

Business deals live and die like everything else in LIC (and the world) so it shouldn’t have come as any surprise (it didn’t) to liQcity to discover the following »

McReilly’s Bar closing down, 4642 Vernon Blvd @ 47th St, LIC

From the liQ inbox comes the news »

Here’s a real estate video displaying a 5SL 2BR condo unit for sale, reduced to $799K. It’s interesting in the sense of following the video trend in real estate marketing… and if you never got over to 5SL to check out the lofts.

• All Sales Listings 5SL [Streeteasy]
• 5th Street Lofts [website]

For those music lovers out there, here’s a Press Release from a local Long Island City business, Amie Street, which provides a great website promoting independent music. Check them out.

Hello:

Today, 2/26/08, Amie Street is releasing the entire catalogs of Beggars Group (XL, Rough Trade, 4AD), Matador Records and Polyvinyl Recording Co. — more than 15,000 songs.

Thom Yorke, Cat Power, Interpol, of Montreal, Devendra Banhart, The New Pornographers, Sigur Rós, Yo La Tengo, Pavement, Belle and Sebastian, and Architecture In Helsinki are just a few of the artists now available on AmieStreet.com.

This is an exciting new development in the digital music world, as more and more artists embrace fan-based pricing as a viable music sales model.

These artists, like all songs on Amie Street, are initially free to download and rise in price based on popularity, up to $0.98.

Check out the [press release] for more information, go to AmieStreet.com for the music, and feel free to call or email me with any questions.

Thanks, Zane

• Amie Street [Official Website]

Full Press Release »

The weather’s not looking so good for this weekend, but we know there’s a bunch of die-hard condo buyers out there. Same round-up as last week and the week before. Don’t know what’s going on at the Foundry LIC – last week they had 12 available and this week they have 14. If anyone takes any good pics, send them our way.

The Foundry LIC 2-40 51st Ave, Hunters Point 14 still available Prudential Douglas Elliman Open House Sun, By appointment only

Complete list of this weekend’s open houses »

Tuk Tuk 49-06 Vernon Blvd 718.472.5598 718.472.5597

So far there are three Asian fusion restaurants at Vernon/Jackson; Ihawan and BANY Ten57 on the way, and Lucky Mojo’s operating on 51st Ave. Holding the Thai fort down, and not fused with any other kind of cuisine, is Tuk Tuk, a transplant from Smith St in Brooklyn. Tuk Tuk’s been on Vernon for a while and the food has been reliable from day one. I’m a Thai food fan, and Tuk Tuk offers all the standards, plus some interesting specials. Carnivores and herbivores can eat together in harmony – tons of options for everyone. They’re affordable in my book; entrees run from $8 to $16, and portions are generous.

The ambiance is chill and minimal; the service is very friendly and unobtrusive, and they definitely make an effort to get to know their regulars. Delivery is lovely – usually very timely and the food’s nice and hot. Tuk Tuk is definitely a staple in my diet, though sometimes that’s been because there are no other Asian restaurants. Doesn’t matter though – Tuk Tuk’s an established neighborhood fav, and we hope they stick around for a good while.

Not much has really changed since last weekend’s open houses – same developments still on the market. Some of them seem to have sold a few. That’s about it. Overall, we’re looking at the same story, except the weekend weather is supposed to be sunny and in the high 40′s. Have fun.

Powerhouse 50-09 2nd St, Hunters Point 19 still available Prudential Douglas Elliman Open House: By appointment only

Complete list of this weekend’s open houses »

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 »

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 »

There’s going to be lots of real estate activity in LIC this weekend. I can do a better job of predicting that than the weather people have been doing lately. And I’m not even using fancy technological modes of divination either—just the listing websites.

Drivers, just don’t take my parking spot please. And if you’re coming from Long Island, or some other land of driveways, take a few moments to teach yourself how to parallel park. I’ve been witnessing some seriously bad parking jobs, from drivers outright smashing into other cars, to people literally parking so badly they take up multiple precious spots. Sure, you’ll have a garage when you move into your luxury condo, but in the meantime you know… show some respect to the LIC curbside.

Here’s a round up of this weekend’s Open Houses »

Casa Vizcaya’s coming along nicely. Haven’t seen too much chatter about this development, except of course, the usual LIC bashing on curbed. A search for listings pulls up seven, all listed by Corcoran. Seems like prices have dropped since the original offerings, but don’t quote me on that.

As an interesting side note, these are the same developers bringing us the Kimaya Lofts on Jackson Ave.

For some more construction shots on the Viz, as well as a glimpse of what else is on that street, check out our flickr set. One lucky bonus Casa Vizcaya enjoys, is the proximity to my favorite bar in LIC, the LIC bar on the corner of 46th Rd & Vernon. Killer place.

A while back, I dug up some photos I took while spending my days biking around LIC. (fun times) Here’s a look at what’s transpired right at the famous triangular corner of Vernon/Jackson. There used to be a beautiful red brick building, that’s been knocked down for quite a while now. But nothing’s been happening in that spot. This is sort of a Name That Dev as well. What’s going on there?

Vernon Jackson in April 2006

The site today, sans the red brick building »

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.

No sooner than I had posted about Ihawan did I stumble upon another new Asian fusion restaurant in the works at Vernon-Jackson. This time on Jackson, there’s a new storefront emerged at 10-57 Jackson right next to the Chase bank on the corner, with the sign BANY, Ten 57. Looks like this Asian fusion restaurant will be leaning more towards Japanese food, giving Ihawan (Asian Grill & Sushi Bar) and Lucky Mojo’s (Tex-Mex & Sushi Bar) a run for their fusion money.

I spoke to the broker who er… brokered the lease, and he said that BANY should be open in about 4-6 weeks. In LIC time that usually means 4-6 months, but even if it does delay, our Asian fusion options in LIC are plenty.

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.