Something's Growing Atop 206 Garfield Place

A small structure is in the process of being erected on the roof of 206 Garfield Place, just east of Seventh Avenue.

According to the permit, which was approved back in October, the building's owners have been allowed to construct a "penthouse in conjunction with existing apartment on 2nd and 3rd floors." Also in the works is a "balcony at rear 2nd floor and roof terrace at 3rd floor."

So essentially, the owners of the duplex in the building are adding on a penthouse, a balcony, and a roof terrace.

When's the next Powerball drawing again?

Open for Business: The Crab Spot, 833 Union Street

The Crab Spot officially opened for business yesterday afternoon in the space last occupied by PSbklyn, on Union Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. I dropped by last night, and I certainly see a lot of promise here.

The restaurant was about half full at 7:30, and all the usual pitfalls of opening night (slow service, confused wait staff, etc.) were nowhere to be found.

The menu (found in full below, after the jump), is clearly focused on the big pots of shellfish, which will be the restaurant's main claim to fame, but there are plenty of other options as well. Non-seafood items include ribs, a burger, two steaks, and chicken payard. There are plenty of options of fish, shrimp, scallops, and combinations thereof, along with fish and chips and New England clam chowder. Appetizers include peel and eat shrimp, crab cakes, fried calamari, baked clams, and mussels. There are a few salads, a few desserts, as well as a children's menu that includes the usual kiddie food (hot dog, hamburger, chicken fingers, etc.) as well as a few pleasant surprises including smaller portions of their steam pot (even though I imagine it would be incredibly frustrating for a hungry kid to try to break down snow crab legs). There's also a full bar, a solid cocktail list, and a handful of draft beers.

But I was there there to try the crabs. I settled on the Crab Royale, which came with dungeness crab, snow crab, king crab, corn on the cob, and potatoes. The Old Bay seasoning I ordered it with came through in every bite, and the crab itself was very good (and in fact a lot of messy fun to eat; wear the bibs provided). One word of advice, though: these aren't big enough to fill two people up, so order an appetizer if you;re going to share.

A few issues: The potatoes and corn were cold and mushy, laying down pre-crab paper onto the table (and removing it afterward) was a bit awkward, as I had to help the waiter lift everything off the table (resulting in a spilled water glass), and the beer I ordered had an odd taste.

HOWEVER: And a big however. This was opening night. Kinks are acceptible, and indeed understandable. The corn/potato issue was mentioned to the very friendly and knowledgeable manager, and he apologized and promised to rectify the situation.

As I mentioned earlier, there's a lot of potential here. A dependable place to come with a group and order a few steaming pots of crabs and shellfish can do very well in this neighborhood, and service is already on point. As with any new restaurant (especially in this space) only time will tell if it succeeds, but I think they're off to a very promising start.

Click through for the full menu (click for larger images).

The Crab Spot, 833 Union Street Brooklyn NY 11217. 718-622-2722.

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A Peek at The Crab Spot's Menu, Opening Today

Today at 2 PM marks the Grand Opening of The Crab Spot, in the space on Union Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues last occupied by the failed experiment PSbklyn.

When I spoke with the chef last month, he filled me in on all the details: big pots, filled with crabs, shrimp, lobsters, and other seafood, shipped directly from Alaska and stored in giant freezers in the basement in order to keep prices down and to keep the food coming even during the off-season.

They've also gone the extra step and posted a photo of their menu to Twitter (click for a larger version). Looks like the crabs are served with red potatoes and corn on the cob, and simply steamed, or in "garlic olive oil, Old Bay, chipotle BBQ, spicy boil, or grilled." There are also plenty of combo pots. Certainly exciting, and unlike anything else in the area.

To celebrate, the owners, who are relatives of the proprietors of Brighton Beach's Volna, will be giving away a free house drink with any entree.

Check back in tomorrow for a full rundown.

Checking in on Seventh Avenue's Newest Bar

It's been a little while since we last checked in on the bar that's been in the works on Seventh Avenue between Third and Fourth Streets, in the space previously occupied for 40 years by women's clothing boutique City Casuals.

Construction has been chugging along at a fairly regular pace since it finally got underway back in September, and the facade seems to be nearly complete (that's cement board that's covering it now).

The name is still slated to be Seven Bar from what I can gather, and when it opens it'll be the first new full-on bar on Seventh Avenue in many years.

Yogurtland Getting Close to Opening

Yogurtland, the fro-yo chain that's been in the works since October in the space last occupied by Italian restaurant Sette, which shut down the previous October after six years in business, is getting close to opening on the corner of Seventh Avenue and Third Street.

The corner storefront's facade has gotten an unappealing coat of stucco and magenta paint, and the interior is beginning to take on the all-too-familiar visage of a standard self-serve fro-yo shop: the bright lights, the curving wall covered in small greenish tiles, and so on.

The workers inside the space were unable to say exactly when the shop would be opening, but my guess is before the New Year.