FIPS Exclusive: Press 195 closing; Zito's opening in its spot

[ORIGINAL IMAGES VIA ERICISAAC.COM / SEAMLESS.COM]

Well folks, I've got good news and bad news.

First, the bad news. After 10 years in the hood, Press 195 is closing its Park Slope location. Owners Brian Karp, Chris Evans, and Jimmy Volz are packing up shop on the flagship location of their popular sandwich chain to focus on their other locations in Bayside, Queens, and Rockville Centre, Long Island. Press plans to close on June 8, so catch their signature burgers, knishes, and pressed sandwiches in the neighborhood while you still can.

Now for the good news. Press 195's location won't be vacant for very long, because Park Slope's newest sandwich sensation, ZITO'S SANDWICH SHOPPE, has agreed to takeover the location, which means they'll be bringing their banging sandwiches (and killer sides) down to 5th Avenue. This news comes from Zito's owners Marcello Bucca and Enzo Conigliaro, who say that if all goes well with permits and whatnot, they could be up and running as soon as June 18.

Click to read more ...

The Curious Case of Lucky Lou’s Café & Grill

Thanks to FiPS Tipster Zach for the photo and tip that as of this moment the joint is still shuttered.

For months I’d walk by Lucky Lou’s, a promising new joint that was to replace Kohzee Cafe, on Sixth Avenue and Seventh Street. Back in October, FIPS chronicled how the owner declined to apply for a full liquor license due to pressure from the nabe. Oh well… no new whiskey joint for me. But as one who also eats on occasion, I was still curious to try it out. On Feb. 25, after a gut renovation, the place finally opened. I stopped by and enjoyed a big breakfast of bacon-topped steak & eggs with pancakes, which was nicely priced. The rest of the menu looked interesting, and the staff was friendly. I looked forward to returning and trying some other grub from their menu of Latin-influenced cuisine.

Click to read more ...

S Clubs Is Closed

Well folks, as we reported yesterday, it looks as if the party is indeed over for S Clubs. A FIPS tipster sent along a photo of this sad sign he encountered this morn on his way to get his elliptical on. Needless to say, no one will be feelin' the burn well...ever again. 

Click to read more ...

Fifth Eye Optix Shut Down, Owner Screams at Here's Park Slope Dude

Photo via Here's Park Slope

I've never been inside of Fifth Eye Optix on 5th Avenue, but it appears that the city has shut it down. Our friend over at Here's Park Slope had a strange run-in with the owner yesterday who, according to his account, blames the blogging community for the closing. Here's the story:

I had a horrific run-in with the owner of the weird Fifth Eye Optix earlier today, and thought you/ possibly your readers would be interested in hearing about it. I saw that it was seized by the city, so I snapped a photo of it and walked on. Suddenly this woman was on top of me, with her cameraphone out, and she started yelling about how
she's going to take my photo, too. I assured her that she wasn't in my photo, but she went on.

Click to read more ...

Rumorsville: Is SouthPaw Closing?

Photo via www.thirdav.com

Local blog Brooklyn Vegan is reporting that Southpaw, a fantastic music venue and host to monthly Moth storySLAMS, may be closing next month:

"According to many with connections to the Park Slope club (some who emailed me and some who are tweeting), Southpaw is closing on February 20 (possibly because "The venue's been sold."). The 5th Avenue Brooklyn venue was getting ready to celebrate their 10th anniversary in a big way too, which would make this news, if confirmed, even sadder."

We'll keep you posted if we hear more news. In the meantime, here's a video of Naughty By Nature playing the venue back in 2009.