Get Off My Lawn! (My Recent Altercation With Some Punk Ass Kids)

Today I turn 37. MILESTONE! Please celebrate accordingly. While it's not actually a milestone, it's still fun because while I'm still getting older & older, I continue to have a conversation along these lines with each & every person I meet:

PERSON: Wait. You're 37? SHUT! UP!
ME: Yes. I'm 37. [Uncomfortable smile]
PERSON: Wow! You look young/have good genes/blah/blah/blah.
ME: My mother's always looked young. I get it from her, I suppose.

I definitely understand where y'all are coming from. Other than the no-sleep dark smoker's circles under my eyes & the sporadic chin hairs, I could pass for 18. My 5'4" frame really helps sell the ruse.

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Hey, Park Slope Parents: Bebes LURVE Satan

Park Slope Metalheads rejoice! This past Friday, Black Sabbath, the veritable fathers of heavy metal, announced that the original line-up is reuniting for their first tour in almost 15 years, which will be accompanied by their first album in 33 years --- an album to be helmed by super-producer Rick Rubin. Given that Ozzy Osbourne's ability to stand, let alone survive a world tour is questionable at best, it could either be the rockinist shit ever or an absolute train wreck.

Regardless of the eventual outcome, I was SUPER PSYCHED about the announcement. On Friday night I was at a friend's house & in charge of the music, and decided I was in the mood for a lil' Sabbath. Since "War Pigs" is my jam, I started up Spotify & searched for it. To my surprise, I couldn't find a straight-up version of the song. There was a "basement tape" version, a live version, an Ozzy-only version and the badass Faith No More cover. Black Sabbath's Paranoid, which leads off with "War Pigs," was curiously absent.

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[FIPS Was There...] Salsa Slam

All photos from D Robert Wolcheck for BrooklynExposed.com

We here at FIPS spend a hell of a lot of time out and about in Brooklyn, attending outdoor concerts, comedy shows and various other events. So [FIPS Was There...] is where we're gonna' talk about all this shit.

These days in our fair city, food competitions are SO all the rage. Once Matt Timms developed a reputation with his "Takedown" events, the door swung wide open, and more & more food competitions came rushing on in. Basically, said competitions are the hip, Brooklyn equivalent of the Pillsbury Bake-Off and, in this world of food TV & a million food blogs, people go crazy for them. As one who's obsessed with food, I say the more the better.

This past Sunday I headed to the Bell House with my sis & a friend to reprise my role as one of the judges for Nachos NY's annual Salsa Slam, a competition where a dozen plucky contestants attempt to win folks' hearts & stomachs with their best salsa recipes. In the end, four competitors took home prizes -- the Judge's Favorite, the Judge's Honorable Salsa, the Greatest Stretch (the salsa least like traditional salsa) and the People's Champion.

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al di la to Brave the Area East of Flatbush

photo via Park Slope Lens

Hey, New York City? Is your neighborhood feeling a little inadequate? You want what Park Slope's got? OK, fine. We'll give it to ya.

Over the past few months, Beer Table has expanded to Grand Central, Chiles & Chocolate doubled the size of their Oaxacan empire with a Chelsea eatery and Fonda opened a second locale in the village on Avenue B. Last week brought news that the owners of al di la, the popular Italian restaurant on 5th Ave & Carroll, will be bringing their supposed awesomeness to another restaurant on Washington Ave in Prospect Heights.

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Sweetwolf's: Tim & Eric's Awesome Show?

Is it possible to be everything to everyone?

If Tim Judge & Eric Wolf, the co-owners of Sweetwolf's have their way, they'll be able to pull it off. You may remember Sweetwolf's --  the new restaurant opening tomorrow at the corner of 6th Ave & 12th Street -- as the restaurant that, back in June, held a contest on their Facebook page. They asked for a lil' class participation from y'all, requesting that you suggest dishes that YOU'D like on their yet-to-be-developed menu.

Now that fall is here, the menu and the restaurant have taken shape, and Tim & Eric are finally ready to open the doors. I recently stopped by to chat with them about Sweetwolf's and what it'll be bringing to the neighborhood. As a bonus, I also got to meet Matt Marks, who's bringing Forty Weight Coffee to Sweetwolf's and running a coffee shop out of the joint during the morning hours.

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