53 Boerum

Still trying to figure out what to do this Sunday for the most special lady in your life? Why not break Mom out of the confines of suburbia and take her for a day on the town - Brooklyn style!

About.com lists several events happening around the borough; highlights include a boat tour from the Propsect Park Boathouse ($10 adults, $6 children). If you don’t want to trek all the way to the park, right around 53BP are some fun options for Mom to enjoy. Visit the New York Transit Museum… enjoy a picturesque walk over the Brooklyn Bridge… or have a leisurely Sunday brunch at a cafe on Atlantic Avenue… (and don’t forget to pick up a gift for Mom at Haystack!)

We at 53boerum.com wish our fantastic mommas a Happy Mother’s Day!

If cruise vacations usually make you think of ice sculptures, cheesey lounge singers, and Captain Stubing — think again. Cruising has become the hip way to travel for Brooklynites, thanks to the new port that has opened in Red Hook. Starting in 2006, hundreds of thousands of passengers will leave on Brooklyn cruises every year. The Queen Mary 2 already offers regularly scheduled trans-Atlantic service to England, and voyages to the Caribbean on Princess Cruises will begin in June. Visit the Brooklyn Cruise Guide website for schedules and hotel and travel information.

Special thanks to 53BP resident BEJoe for providing the photo.

We are proud to annouce the newest resident of 53BP, little miss Ella Joy, was born today, April 21, at 10:28 AM to fabulous parents Tina and Gary. We are sure to see them rocking the Bugaboo around the neighborhood shortly. Ella, welcome to the building!

The husband and I decided to take advantage of the Dine in Brooklyn campaign and paid a visit to Taku at 116 Smith Street. A three-course meal for $20.06 is a deal that’s hard to beat! I’d been curious about Taku ever since it got a write-up in The New York Times. Here’s our report:

*Decor:*
Taku’s design style is very minimalist and understated. There was a beautiful long-stemmed orchid plant on the sushi bar, but otherwise the interior was a bit uninspiring.

*Food:*
For the first course we both started out with the same appetizer, hasu dengaku handrolls, which are Japanese eggplant rolled with sweet sesame miso inside a seaweed cone. Fantastic!! I could have eaten about 10 more of those. As my entree, I had the crispy Japanese sea bass in sweet chili sauce, which was certainly crispy, but did not have much of a memorable flavor. Matthew had the Taku ramen with pork and bacon, which he enjoyed but was pretty average in taste. He also decided to splurge on the sake pairing, which was a nice upgrade — before each course was served, a complementary sake was presented. The third course that topped off our meal was a ginger ice cream. It was delicious - how can you not enjoy ice cream?!

*Service:*
Our waitress was really sweet and did a great job telling us about the different sakes. She was very attentive and we didn’t have to ask for anything.

*Price:*
We got a great deal with Dine in Brooklyn. Usually entrees are on average $20-22, which is pricier than most of Taku’s neighboring Smith Street restaurants. For that reason, you might want to save it for a special occassion.

Our favorite brokeback neighbor, Heath Ledger, turns 27 today. How will he, Michelle and baby Matilda celebrate the occassion? Some indoor bocce at Floyd? A lovely wine toast at Bacchus? Only time will tell. I’m sure when my new issue of Us Weekly arrives I’ll get the scoop…

Whoever said you can’t go out and party after you have a baby never heard of Baby Loves Disco!

Baby Loves Disco is “transforming the hippest night clubs into child proof discos as toddlers, pre-schoolers and parents looking for a break from the routine playground circuit let loose for some post naptime, pre-dinner fun.” The program started in Philly as a hip, parent-friendly alternative to the usual kiddie entertainment, and was brought to NYC by a Brooklyn-based musician. An afternoon of baby disco includes classic tunes, healthy snacks, bubble machines, diaper changing stations and a “chill-out” room filled with books and puzzles.

Shake your groove thing with Baby Loves Disco this Saturday, April 1st from 2-5 PM at Southpaw in Park Slope. Admission is $10.

When that summons comes in the mail, the first thing that usually comes to mind is, “@#%$!” But when you live at 53BP, jury duty really ain’t so bad, especially when the courts are a convenient 3-minute walk away! Last week, I was summoned and selected for a panel. My case was scheduled to go to court today, but after hours of waiting we were informed the parties had settled and we could go home. I was kinda looking forward to getting into that Law & Order vibe. Oh well.

Should you be summoned to Brooklyn Supreme Court, here are some tips to make the experience more enjoyable:

1. *There’s a lot of waiting. A lot.* Bring a book, magazines, newspaper, or video iPod, which I highly recommend. But make sure you charge that baby up good. Mine died halfway through the season one finale of LOST. That sucked.

2. *The juror’s lounge is more comfortable to sit in than the central jury room.* It has large windows that face out over Adams Street, and you’ll have a great birds-eye view of the construction on the new Marriott Tower. Get there early so you can score a seat facing the windows.

3. *You will be shown a video about what it means to be a juror. Try really hard not to laugh.* It starts out with some actors dressed as the colonial Americans, re-enacting the early judicial processes. I got a real giggle out of this, but nobody else seemed to. There’s also a segment with an 80’s-looking Diane Sawyer. Hot!

4. *You get one hour for lunch.* This is great opportunity to hit the Montague Street restaurants. I met my best friend, who is a lawyer, for lunch both days. We ate at Nanatori for Japanese, and Mr. Souvlaki for Greek. Try the excellent moussaka! Or, if you prefer, eat at home at 53BP - you’re only a 3-minute walk away!

5. *There’s an additional restroom near the empanelling area.* The juror’s lounge one gets really packed.

It’s too bad our case got dismissed because, honestly, I would have liked to see the process in action in the courtroom. I think it would have been fascinating… maybe in four years, I’ll get my turn.

53BP has its very own Swiss Miss, but she’s not the one making instant hot chocolate.

Instead, Tina Roth Eisenberg, a self-proclaimed “Swiss designer gone NYC,” is a busy graphic designer who somehow also finds time to creatively photograph the details of daily life, blog about cool products, and await the arrival of her most recent creation, a baby girl that is (for now) dubbed, “Peanutella.”

After studying at the Ecole des arts décoratifs in Geneva and Fachhoschule of Munich, Switzerland-native Tina crossed the Atlantic to find herself a three-month internship in New York. Now, six years (and several jobs at prominent NYC design firms) later, she is the Design Director of Thinkmap. Tina is in charge of all design for customized Thinkmap Applications and the award-winning Visual Thesaurus, a revolutionary 3D interactive reference tool that creates a visual representation of the English language.

In addition to working as a consultant to the prestigious MoMA, Tina’s design work has been recognized by the American Institute of Graphic Arts and the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada.

Since moving to the neighborhood, the husband and I have become quite the brunch connoisseurs. He’s on the hunt for the perfect eggs benedict, and I’d like to find the tastiest french toast. Our journey has taken us to many fine dining locations around the area — here are some we like the best (in no particular order):

*Cafe on Clinton* - 268 Clinton Street
What we love best about this brunch spot is it’s wonderful feeling of “neighborhood.” Located on a pretty residential block right near Cobble Hill Park, it’s the only restaurant in sight. It’s warm, wooden decor and tin ceiling make it feel like home as soon as you enter. There’s also a cozy bar from which to order mimosas and bloody marys. In the summer, get there early and be lucky enough to score one of the two tables outside in their tiny (but tranquil) garden! The “cafe brunch,” which includes 3-courses, is an unbeatable deal for a little over $11. Everything we’ve tried here has been delicious!

*Robin Des Bois* - 195 Smith Street
Eclectic is the first word that comes to mind when we think of Robin Des Bois. Formerly an antique shop, this place is jam-packed with a lot of cool stuff. There’s a huge Virgin Mary statue juxtaposed with a Playboy pinball machine, countless signs and artwork, and all kinds of mysterious artifacts. It’s a fun place to bring visiting friends or family members, just don’t expect to be overly “wow-ed” by the food. …But the eye candy alone is worth the visit!

*Bacchus* - 409 Atlantic Ave
Bacchus is a little piece of Europe right here in Boerum Hill. The lovely and spacious outdoor garden seems to attract all of the European ex-pats who have settled down in the neighborhood. It’s fun to listen to people sitting around you speaking French — kind of makes you forget where you are. We love the omelette selection at Bacchus, as well as the friendly service.

*Bar Tabac* - 128 Smith Street
If you’ve already hit Bacchus, you have to try Bar Tabac. Another of the neighborhood’s french bistros, the best thing about this place is the sidewalk dining and charismatic band that plays outside in the summer. The food and wines are pretty good, too. Bar Tabac also a sponsor of Smith Street’s annual Bastille Day festivities — probably the one and only time you’ll eat your frites barefoot in the sand in Brooklyn.

Get out your gold card! According to this article in The Real Deal, downtown Brooklyn is poised for a major influx of retail stores. Faith Hope Consolo, chairwoman of the retail leasing and sales division at Prudential Douglas Elliman, says, “…Your Target opened a big store in Brooklyn. You’re going to have Best Buy. I think that Trader Joe’s is looking in Brooklyn. Whole Foods just took a location in downtown Brooklyn.” (The Whole Foods, by the way, will be on Willoughby Street). In addition to several emerging commerical developments around the borough, Ms. Consolo is also involved in marketing a 12,000-square-foot retail space on two levels at the base of the new tower of the Brooklyn Marriott.

As a result of this high demand, retail rents in the area are going sky-high, with some thoroughfares commanding Manhattan prices, particularly Montague and Fulton Streets. Bay Ridge has the highest rents at $200 a foot, closely followed by Brooklyn Heights at $150 a foot. Downtown Brooklyn comes in third at $125 a foot.