Tong Xiu Hot Pot has opened at 7116 18th Avenue, replacing Tenzan, a Japanese and sushi joint.
For those who’ve never tried hot pot, I recommend giving it a shot. I recently schlepped out to Flushing with some more experienced Asian adventurers to try it for the first time. They bring over a giant bowl of boiling, seasoned water with a variety of herbs and veggies simmering in it. It’s placed on a heater and continues to boil at the table, while you take meats and veggies of your choice and cook them in the water. You can pull them out and eat them separately, or slurp the whole darn thing down as a hearty soup. It’s a fun and tasty way to waste a few hours with friends or family around a dinner table.
Welcome to the neighborhood, Tong Xiu!
Bensonhurst Bean reporter Elle Spektor stumbled on this new business, Q Cafe, slated to open soon at 2024 86th Street.
The corner was previously occupied by Emmzie Contemporary Fashions, a clothing and accessories outpost.
Do you know of any new businesses opening in the neighborhood? E-mail tips and photos to nberke [at] bensonhurstbean [dot] com.
Faithful Friends Animal Hospital is coming to 2455 McDonald Avenue, off the corner of Avenue W in Gravesend.
Our friend Mary, of Ditmas Park Corner, tells us that the head vet, Dr. Suzanne Caruso, previously served our fuzzy fellows at Pet Haven Animal Hospital in Kensington. From the Yelp reviews, it seems our neighborhood is getting the better end of that split.
Welcome to the neighborhood, Faithful Friends. Unfortunately for you, I won’t need you because my doggy will never die. You hear me? Never!
A new store called Home Textile has opened on 6816 18th Avenue between 69th Street and 68th Street.
The store displays an eye-catching banner announcing it’s grand-opening and the 65 percent off sale.
Home Textile stands where J&A Gift Shop once was.
Welcome to the neighborhood.
The day devoted Kohl’s lovers have been waiting for has finally arrived. Kohl’s is open!
The Ceasar’s Bay Kohl’s, located at 8973 Bay Parkway, opened on Sunday, April 7, and welcomed back a large crowd of eager shoppers.
The parking lot was filled to a point that is far from common, with the store not being any less crowded. In fact, the line to pay was so long that it went around the inside of the store. Of course, that still didn’t stop me from knocking the dust off of my Kohl’s charge card and racking up some debt.
The Ceasar’s Bay Kohl’s was closed after Superstorm Sandy hit last fall. Other stores in the shopping complex suffered as well, including Toys ‘R’ Us, but Kohl’s was the latest to re-open.
Bensonhurst has a new addition to its deli family with the opening of Not Only Bagels on 7821 17th Avenue, between 78th Street and 79th Street.
The store now stands in what was once Palermitana Bakery.
As the name not-so-subtly advertises, the shop serves more than just bagels, dishing out a whole smörgåsbord of food from breakfast favorites to tacos and tortas.
So if you’re in the area, stop by the place and tell us if it’s worth going to more than once.
After Sandy, Toys’R'Us installed a temporary warehouse in time for the holiday season. Kohl’s wasn’t able to, and missed out on the holidays. They’ll return April 7. (Photo: Elle Spektor)
After the damage Superstorm Sandy caused to the Ceasar’s Bay Kohl’s, locals, like me, have felt a void in their hearts without the store. Their Kohl’s charge cards have collected dust. The ads on TV were a cruel reminder of what was no more.
Luckily, Kohl’s lovers everywhere can rejoice! The store, located at 8973 Bay Parkway, is reopening on April 7 for all to enjoy.
Kohl’s was one of the worst hit by Sandy in late October, shortly after completing a renovation to much of the store. The storm caused damage to several other stores, including Toys’R'Us, which has moved into a different building in Ceasar’s Bay.
After months of waiting the beloved store will open its doors to a community that welcomes it back with open arms.
The busy 86th Street has a new addition to its family. Closeout Heaven, located on 2215 86th Street between Bay Parkway and 23rd Avenue, opened up two months ago in the place of Bay Gifts.
The store features clothing from designer labels such as Adidas and Puma as well as household items such as linens. Due to its grand opening, the store is having a large sale on its items.
Hookah-loving residents of Bensonhurst, rejoice, for a new hookah lounge has opened up at 1412 86th Street.
Between 14th Avenue and Bay 7th Street, Sababa Lounge has already racked up three five-star reviews on Yelp.com.
Their website doesn’t offer much, except some music you can’t stop (business owners, please stop doing this), but some photos there suggest they’ll also have Middle Eastern foods including hummus.
Sababa, as anyone who went on a Birthright trip to Israel will tell you, is Israeli slang for “cool.” And, for Arabic speakers, it means “urge for a lover.”
Check out Sababa Lounge, and let us know which definition is more fitting.
Source: Google Maps
The New Utrecht branch of the Brooklyn Public Library will reopen today after more than a month of being closed.
Located at 1743 86th Street, the branch has been temporarily closed for renovations and “customer service enhancements” since January 18.
A representative from the New Utrecht branch said that the renovated library will have a new learning space and 70 new computers, among other new accommodations, including self-checkout machines.
The library will be open until 8 p.m. this evening.
Correction: The original version of this report said that the renovation included a new learning space and 70 new computers, based on information provided to us by a library rep. Actually, those improvements were made at Brooklyn Public Library’s Central branch, not at the local branch, and the article above has been changed to reflect that.
