Dizzy's Diner is Raising Money For Their Employee Who Was Attacked Last Week

Photo by Park Slope Lens

More details have emerged about the horrific stabbing outside of Dizzy’s Diner on 9th Street and 8th Avenue late last week.

Around 2:15 a.m. this past Saturday, Dizzy's employee Guadalupe “Lupe” Morales, 41,  was cleaning up outside of the restaurant, when a man attacked him. After slashing Lupe in the chest, neck and back, the  perp ran towards Prospect Park, evading authorities, who quickly arrived on the scene. Early reports say the still-at-large assailant was around 20 years-old and dressed in jeans and a black tank top. Lupe is currently in stable condition at Kings County Hospital. 

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Funding the Farm: Applewood Needs Your Help

Image Via Applewoodny.com

We recently reported that the Slope's own APPLEWOOD restaurant owners David and Laura Shea have planned to bring their farm-to-table mentality even closer to home by just owning the whole table AND farm. The couple has completed the intial farm buying, but now are asking for the community's help in funding some other projects at the farm. Utilizing global funding platform Indiegogo.com, the Shea's have set up a $15,000 fundraising goal to complete their operational needs. As of the time of this post, they've raised $5,580 with 35 days to go. 

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[BREAKING] More Drama with Casa Ventura

Photo via Park Slope PatchIf you've been following the saga of the old Barrio space, you know that the following events have happened:

1. Barrio closed, promising to open back up under the name Barrio Plates.

2. Barrio Plates was dunzo before it opened.  They promised they would reopen under the name MIX.

3. MIX went bye-bye and new owners came in, promising a new space called Casa Ventura.

Park Slope Patch posted a behind-the-scenes look at the space last week, interviewing new owner Jose Ventura (pictured above) and mentioning his business partnership with local propreitors Avi Kravitz and Courtney Ebner.  Set to open on April 21, Ventura boasted, “This is going to be like no other restaurant in the neighborhood.”

Well, want further proof that this space is doomed? Ventura, Kravitz, and Ebner have officially parted ways. 

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Is a Pass/Fail grading system good enough for your gullet?

Hey there, food lovers expecting a sanitary environment with which to consume it in. Lately there's been some criticism on the DOH's restaurant grading system. Park Slope Patch reports that critics of Bloomberg's A-F grading system, including Executive Director of Park Slope's BID Irene LoRe, are claiming that it's unfair.

“Regarding letter grading, the DOH will say that an establishment with a ‘B’ or ‘C’ is acceptable and does not endanger the public health. They even try to convince restaurants that a ‘B’ or ‘C’ grade will not hurt,” LoRe wrote in a statement she sent to the City Council, which held a Department of Health oversight meeting on Wednesday. “In my opinion that is simply not the case on the face of it. Potential customers passing two restaurants, similar prices and menus but one has a B and the other an A, what choice do you think will be made?”

LoRe believes that a pass/fail system will be more fair for restaurateurs, but patrons are speaking up and saying that a change like this isn't safe for the public. One commenter told the Patch, “I don't leave my health to ‘Pass/Fail.' If I'm putting your food in my mouth, I want to know it's nothing but the best.”

Having worked in bars and restaurants before, both in places with "grades pending" and A's, I know that when you're eating at a restaurant, you're not necessarily 100% safe from anything. However, implementing a "pass/fail" system totally leaves out that gray area for you to decide which end of the spectrum you want to eat on, likely giving you a false sense of security of what you're stuffing your face with. Bottom line: if you own a restaurant and don't want a pending grade or grade lower than an A, get your shit together and keep it clean. No?

Cool Or Not Cool: Restaurants Charging a Delivery Fee?

 Steve Carell argues over money with that kid from GleeThese days, the world is riddled with weird, hidden costs. Some airlines charge a fee for reserving a flight on the phone or in person, while a few moving companies have been known to tack "environmental fees" onto their bills. We've got to keep an eye on the fine print, otherwise someday we may end up unknowingly paying a "poop disposal" fee at the vet's office.

FiPS reader Lisa recently wrote in about a local joint that charged her a delivery fee. 

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