BENSONHURST'S PREMIER NEWS BLOG

Photo by Elle Spektor

Bensonhurst seems to be up-and-running without any major issues. While the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy can still be seen, the spirit, energy and work ethic of the community is back and better than ever.

Restaurants, coffee houses, banks, supermarkets, retail stores and even gyms are now open. Though some report limited hours for the remainder of the work week, the must-haves (Bally Total Fitness, Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts and the retail outlets on the 86th Street strip) have reopened their doors.

Still, fallen trees and scattered debris marked several paths in the neighborhood. Bay Parkway, 18th Avenue and Shore Parkway were littered with broken trees and collapsed branches. It seemed as though residential properties, especially those situated near Caesar’s Bay, suffered more than other commercial entities. Some, like the Luxury Southampton Apartment Complex of 20th Avenue and Shore Parkway, flooded with close to two feet of water. Building managers spent much of Tuesday afternoon pumping water out of their lobby and assisting first floor residents, many of whom had their apartments flood, too.

Another issue reported by locals was the lack of cellphone service for those with Verizon wireless. After a disruption with a Verizon tower, some residents lost wireless reception Tuesday afternoon. Verizon wireless service came back up in Bensonhurst a little after 10 p.m. Wednesday night.

And despite several broken store signs and a number of unfortunate vehicles having been toppled by trees, the general consensus seems to be that this neighborhood was extremely lucky and came out of Sandy damaged, but unscarred.

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Izote flower jars, green mangos and pacayas on Puebla Market’s shelves, located on 86th Street.

Nohemi takes out her prepaid card from her pocket and sets the time in the dryer. This is her third load this busy morning and, with Nohemi in the eighth month of her third pregnancy, the work has made her physically exhausted.

Her kids, Yulmi and Aarón are running in the MonsterWash (8122 18th Avenue) laundry aisles, enjoying their summer vacation.

The mother has no plans for cooking lunch; if she can finish the laundry soon, maybe she can make something quickly. One of Bensonhurst’s advantages is that she can find almost any kind of ingredient for her traditional Guatemalan dishes, from tamales to the famous Pepian, a meat or chicken stew with home-made pumpkin seed sauce. When she makes “tamales” – three times per year- she takes the time to buy the plantain leaves. Her specialty: pork or chicken.

Since she came to the United States almost nine years ago, she buys groceries in the Italian stores for replacements for the Guatemalan goods she can’t find. They have a variety of Mexican spices, the most similar she can find to those from her native country.

During her three pregnancies, the only craving she could not satisfy is green mangos. Otherwise, Guatemalan stores in Bath Avenue have everything else.

Bensonhurst is home to a growing community of Guatemalans like Nohemi, most of them from indigenous villages in the mountains. Their Mayan faces add more color to the melting pot from the area.

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Police are on the hunt for the man photographed above, suspected of attempted robbery of the Citibank at 2173 86th Street, off Bay Parkway.

The man, described as between 30 and 35 years old, 5-foot-6-inches and 150 pounds, unsuccessfully tried to rob the bank on Tuesday, September 4, at approximately 12:43 p.m., according to police.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577.

I’m going to drop a little knowledge I picked up at college regarding Jingdezhen. It is a city in China that is often referred to as the “Porcelain Capital” because of its long tradition of pottery production. Now, Jingdezhen has made it’s way to 86th Street by way of an imported porcelain shop.

Jingdezhen at 2351 86th Street specializes in giant vases, awesome looking dragons made of jade and other, smaller art and household items.

The owner said business has been slow to pickup, but he hopes things will be moving along. This store is probably not related to recent porcelain shop which opened on Avenue U with a similar name. Maybe it is. Jingdezhen.

The preserved plums at Wah Fung New York Mall

Food Stuffs is a new column examining the gastronomic landscape of Bensonhurst and the surrounding neighborhoods. Each entry will cover anything and everything even remotely related to food because here in Bensonhurst, food is always news.

Hidden in the quiet Asian Grocery stores of Bensonhurst are many treasures. Some are appetizing, some are intimidating and some are just funky. In the Wah Fung New York Mall at 2286 86th Street, among the dried coconut, 30 types of ginseng, withered mushrooms and cranky staff members are jars of colorful preserved plums. Could there be a better way to start a pickle column than with a rainbow of shapes, sizes, textures, flavors and types?

The preserved plum pickles have a bizarre taste that reminded this reviewer of a chemical mixture of cotton candy and frozen orange juice. The aftertaste recalls lollipops children are given in doctor’s offices after an injection: sweet and also, somehow, sad.

I was conservative and chose only the plums that were $3.80 a pound, and almost a week later I still have most of them. If you want to try these odd and intense plums – you can certainly do it on a budget.

I also sampled the preserved mandarin, which I enjoyed. It had the bitterness of citrus skin and the taste of lemon-scented pledge.

One darker preserved plumb was more expensive at $9.40 a pound. It looked more like a dried piece of steak than dried fruit. That plum was the most palatable, having the texture and aftertaste of licorice. Imagine a fine anise-flavored liquor injected into a Jujy Fruit.

If the neon plum parade is not reason enough to visit 86th Street, you should know that the staff in the mall were extra friendly. They refused to allow any photos of the plumbs, even after I purchased them. I also had to ask six times how to prepare the dried coconut – the one word answer – soup! But the Bean’s talented photographer was able to sneak a couple of shots, as if we were in the middle of a communist cell meeting or a Central American civil war circa 1980.

The staff also checked my plum bag to make sure I hadn’t taken the expensive plums. I will note the helpful assistance of the plum police after I struggled with the tight lid of a preserve jar and one strong staff member was able to pry it open without injuring me, the plums or himself.

I will say this, if you love pickles, if you love preserves, you should go and sample all of these strange fruits. It will help you grow some hair on your chest and give you some serious Bensonhurst street cred.

Until the next barrel.

Wah Fung New York Mall, 2286 86th Street.

Is there a restaurant or specific dish you think we should check out? Let us know!

A Dyker Heights dry cleaning business is up for sale. The asking price is a negotiable $250,000.

According to the listing, the business has been there for 50 years.

It’s located in a busy strip mini mall on 86th Street. The name and exact address were not published, but there might be a Dyker Heights reader that knows exactly where this place is.

Local officials cut the ribbon on the elevators of the new ADA Bay Parkway station.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the West End D Line’s Bay Parkway station today, after crews completed years of work rehabilitating seven of the line’s stations throughout Bensonhurst.

This stimulus project, which cost $88 million, was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. It

Prendergast and Recchia take their first ride on the elevators. (Click to enlarge)

involved the conversion of the Bay Parkway Station into the 78th handicapped-accessible  (ADA)station in the subway system. This was accomplished through the installation of three elevators, which required widening of the station’s platform. The station also underwent repairs involving the lighting, platform edges, staircases, and technology.

“This is a great day for the thousands of Brooklynites who start and end their travels in one of these newly renovated West End Line D train station,” said State Senator Marty Golden, who, along with Assemblyman William Colton  and Councilman Domenic M. Recchia, was present for the ceremony.

Learn all about the new enhancements at local D line stations, view photos, and watch video of statements made by local leaders at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Zeppoles! Source: x-eyedblonde via Wikimedia Commons

This Sunday will be the 14th annual 86th Street Bensonhurst Festival. It takes place at 86th Street, from 19th Avenue to Bay Parkway from  11 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Parts of 86th Street will be closed to drivers, allowing for food and other vendors to set up shop. There will also be music, rides and, according to various weather reports, bright sunny skies.

Another fun aspect of this year’s fair will be the promotional mini-event from the Brooklyn Nets.

So make sure to check out the festival and submit your photos to LVladimirova [@] Bensonhurstbean [.] com.

The 15-year-old held in police custody over the three dart attacks that occurred late Sunday night claimed his friend pulled the trigger on the dart gun.

At a hearing, the teen pointed the finger at an unnamed friend and stated that his friend fired the darts from a roof at 86th Street and Bay 32nd Street, and that he only handed the darts to his accomplice. He did, however, admit to buying the blowgun and the darts online.

Police searched the bedroom of the teen and found 11 darts, the same kind that had been used to assault the three male victims.

The teen has no prior arrests but has been suspended from school for knife possession and for fighting. Cops are currently looking for the second suspect, according to DNAinfo.com.

Another hearing is set for sometime at the end of May.

Source: chany14 via Flickr

A 15-year-old teenager was questioned by police after three men were sent to the hospital with dart related injuries.

Police suspect he fired the darts from his apartment window or the roof of a building somewhere on 86th Street.

They searched the area surrounding the scene of the crime and found 10 darts scattered around at 2246 86th Street.

A police source told the New York Daily News that the darts were probably fired from the roof of  the building.

Investigators have yet to reveal what motivations the accused teen had.