Dear Stop the Chop Members and Friends:

Ours is a bottom-up, not a top-down, organization. We have no staff or salaries or office space. Rather, our organization depends on the actions of the 5,000+ recipients of these emails to effectuate change. Last week was a great example. Around a thousand of you wrote it to your elected officials to condemn City Hall’s latest give-away to the tourist helicopter industry. If you haven’t done so yet, it’s not too late. Simply click this link (http://www.stopthechopnynj.org/how-you-can-help.html) and, in under a minute, you can send a message to all area elected officials with a single click of your mouse.

Read more here

-Submitted by Roberto Gautier

On March 23rd (Wed, 7:30) Cadman Book Club will be reading “The Burgess Boys” by Elizabeth Strout. Next in April, Tues the 19th (7:30) the selection is “My Brilliant Friend” by Elena Ferrante (Italian translation by Ann Goldstein). This is book one of a 4-part series. Ferrante is one of Italy’s most acclaimed authors but little known here. Book Club meets in the Community Room, 2nd floor. Why not join in?

It was to be a crown jewel of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s affordable housing agenda, itself the priority of his administration: affordable housing within the boundaries of the new and much celebrated Brooklyn Bridge Park.

But the plan has been effectively blocked by a state oversight panel, the Empire State Development board, following objections from local elected officials and community groups to any housing in the park.

Read the entire Wall Street Journal article here

Seniors wishing to shop at Trader Joe’s or Fairway may contact Heights Hill about the free shuttle service. Call 718-596-8789 extension 300 for more information.

Sail away to exotic ports including Rio De Janiero and Buenos Aires aboard the Norwegian Sun!

Click for details:

-Rene Lennon

Join The Drifters New York Chapter for a very special theatrical experience on May 21 at 2PM!

For details, click below:

-Rene Lennon

Neighbors of 75 Henry St. in north Brooklyn Heights called it “miraculous” that the co-op, known as Whitman Owner Corp., voted “no” to a generous offer for Pineapple Walk.

Read the Brooklyn Eagle article here: Brooklyn Eagle Article

Thanks to our great staff for keeping the pathways clear during Saturday’s blizzard. Those who ventured out were at least able to make it to the corner! Here are some wintry shots courtesy of Community Affairs Chair Roberto Gaultier who can also be seen lending a hand!

FRIEND OF A FARMER

OPENS BROOKLYN HEIGHTS OUTPOST

If you’re a foodie, you know Friend of a Farmer in Gramercy Park which has been serving up comfort food for what seems like decades. It’s a go-to spot for brunch and a great choice for a casual dinner, often quite hearty with fare such as meatloaf, chicken pot pie, yummy burgers and the like. So when they quietly opened in Brooklyn Heights in the former Design Within Reach space on Montague Street, this foodie was thrilled. (Continued…)

So we paid a visit recently and was so impressed when we walked in the door! It was a very cold night and a roaring fireplace was a welcomed sight. In my opinion they could not have done a better job in the design and decoration of the place. I venture to say it one-ups the Gramercy location in terms of comfort and decor. Fireplaces everywhere you look on two well appointed levels with impressive wood beams and ceilings accented by country-like patterned walls and antique details all make for a very pleasing atmosphere. I’m afraid that’s where the similarity to its Manhattan cousin ends. Clearly the kitchen does not have its act together yet. A local country cheese board with walnut and fig chutney, pesto, grapes and toasted baguette arrived without the fig chutney and pesto. Upon informing a very lovely waitress of this omission, all we got was an “…oh I’m so sorry.” Well I’m sorry but that’s no way for a restaurant to operate, let alone a new one trying to make an impression. A “hearty skillet Shepherd’s Pie with Free Range Beef and Fresh Vegetables with Mashed Potatoes” was indeed hearty. It was also so overwhelmingly packed with potatoes that the other ingredients were virtually indiscernible. Other dishes sampled were acceptable but you would expect everything here to be great because of its heritage. It appears that is not the case. Will I go back? Yes I will.  Often it takes a restaurant a few months to settle in and get things right. Fact is, the atmosphere is so great and it’s such a plus for the neighborhood that I really hope it succeeds. But I want my fig chutney and pesto!

-Keith Klein

In a stunning turn of events, our neighbors at 75 Henry Street have voted against exploring the development of Pineapple Walk!

Read the entire article here