Fleisher's: Now Open!

OK. So let's talk about vegetarianism for a moment...

Do you believe that eating animals is wrong because humans have no right to assort our superiority over another species?

Do you shun meat because you think that supporting the corporate meatpacking industry, with its usual filth & shitty standards, is tantamount to murder?

Have you given up meat for health reasons? Maybe you’ve watched a documentary or two?

Personally, for as long as I can remember, I've hovered dangerously close to vegetarianism. In fact. my FIPS profile describes me as "78% vegetarian." For years, I've limited my red meat-eating to once a month if that. My diet usually features a ton of veggies & a bunch of chicken and fish (usually in sushi form) & the occasional "fuck, I’m broke" McDonald’s burger. When you can't guarantee the origin of your meat & sort of have a conscience, it makes opting for a veggie dish all that easier. To be honest, dishes not loaded with meat often taste better.

I mention all this because yesterday marked the soft opening of Fleisher's, the butcher shop at 182 5th Ave that, prior to today's opening but based on the reputation it's gained from their Kingston, NY shop, has many already considering them "Brooklyn's best butcher."

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Sneak Peek: Talde

Photo via DaleTalde.com

For the most part, reality shows are TOTALLY a springboard to fame. One day the whole world is watching you compete against a bunch of people for some title or another & the next day, you're either marrying quarterbacks & spouting your batshit beliefs on a beloved daytime talk show or you're Kelly Clarkson, or you're that chick from Survivor: The Australian Outback who posed in Playboy. FAME.

True Confession: Until about a month ago, I'd essentially shunned reality food TV. Sure I'd seen the occasional episode of Iron Chef or Hell's Kitchen but for the most part, I'd just skipped it all. The way I figure, I spend enough of my day obsessing over food as it is.

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The Taste of 5th Ave is Totally a Good Thing

Just a few weeks back, at the Tea Lounge-hosted panel discussion Food Trucks and Restaurants: Can't We All Just Get Along?, Irene LoRe, co-owner of Aunt Suzie's and president of the Park Slope Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District, suggested creating a "Taste of Fifth Avenue," an event similar to the monthly food truck rally in Grand Army Plaza.

From what I can tell, the rationale was that if food trucks get a special event one day a month, brick-and-mortar businesses, who are there all the time & simply need to serve good food & not suck to get customers, should get their special day too. Obviously.

It was either a well-placed plug or the people at Google Places, who brought you free Culture Yogurt, free Robicelli's cupcakes and a Nacho Party bus, were paying close attention. I'm just going to assume it was the latter since Google sees all.

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[REVIEW'D]: Zito's Sandwich Shoppe

Around these parts, we’ve recently been giving a lot of love to Zito’s Sandwich Shoppe, the new Italian sandwich joint that opened up on 7th Ave this Wednesday. Personally, after getting a sneak preview of the space last month and hearing about what Marcello & Enzo (the co-owners) had in store for the place, I was excited to see how it all turned out.

On Tuesday evening, Zito’s invited a select group of superstars, including a number of FIPS staff and readers, to their soft opening so they could test out their dishes on us. Since I’m OBVIOUSLY a superstar, I was there.

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Sneak Peek: Uncle Barry's

When Flight 001, a store on 5th between Bergen & St. Mark’s that specialized in fancy travel products, closed down in May of 2009, the neighborhood uttered a collective "meh."

Then New Style, a largely insignificant clothing store, moved into the space. It lasted under six months before closing this past March. I'm pretty sure you'd have trouble filling a Dixie cup with the amount of tears shed over its demise.

Time for the next incarnation! Since we can always use more places to drink, this November the space at 58 5th Ave will become Uncle Barry's, the latest addition to the ever-expanding legion of North Slope bars.

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