Ridgewood Chef makes “Top 5 Chefs in Queens” list

June 29, 2015June 29, 2015RidgewoodBlog

It’s Queens the Magazine “It’s List”

#5 JIMMY TU

BUN-KER VIETNAMESE
46-63 METROPOLITAN AVE.
RIDGEWOOD

On a stretch of Ridgewood defined by its factories, loading docks and delivery trucks, it’s impressive that Bun-Ker Vietnamese has managed to stay in business. So when the restaurant received Michelin recognition for good cuisine at reasonable prices, it made everything a little bit sweeter. After all, the road to their current success was a risky one. Owner-chef Jimmy Tu said the space wasn’t even originally intended for a restaurant.

“We were in the process of opening up a seafood supply company,” Tu said. “We were going to sell fish, but then Hurricane Sandy came along and created a lot of damage to the business.”

Along with his brother Jacky, the former CEO of Korilla BBQ food truck and now Tu’s sous-chef, and childhood skateboarding pals Roy Zapanta and Shea Hsu, the group of friends decided to open up a restaurant in its place after falling short on cash. The decision to stay in Queens, even in industrial Ridgewood, was an easy one.

“Queens is home to us all,” Tu said. “We grew up in Elmhurst and we wanted to create authentic and quality Vietnamese food for the community.”

Full Story Here

New outdoor bar, Nowadays, promises everything is safe

June 25, 2015June 25, 2015RidgewoodBlog

It just so happens that Ridgewood’s enormous new outdoor bar, Nowadays, is across the street from a Superfund site. Last spring, the New Yorker dubbed the location “The Most Radioactive Place in New York.”

Although Gawker’s initial article conveyed a sense of urgency, an EPA rep explained in a report last year that “there is no immediate threat to nearby residents, employees or customers.” And, in an email obtained by Gothamist to Nowadays co- owner Justin Carter, the agency explained:

While we do not have any sampling data from the 56-06 Cooper Ave. property itself [Nowadays], we do have data collected from the railroad spur adjacent to the building as
well as from Cooper Ave. which show that gamma radiation levels are at or near normal background levels outside of the Superfund site itself. The 2013 assessment concluded that there is no off-site exposure from on-site radiological contaminants to the surrounding community.

Co-owner Justin Carter offered assurances that everyone is safe, saying he and his team had private radioactive tests done before setting up their bar:

“We can assure you that they all came up negative. We wouldn’t have signed a lease and opened our business to expose our customers, our staff, our families or ourselves without doing this and knowing that everything was safe and sound. We’re a small business, started by three guys with no investors, and we’re all here all the time, and so far, so are our families,” he explained.

Complaints close Ridgewood restaurant/bar

June 25, 2015RidgewoodBlog

Due to numerous complains, a court order has closed Brisas Del Mar Hall, an event hall, bar and restaurant located at 675 Woodward Avenue in Ridgewood.

Earlier in the year, two bars on nearby Seneca Avenue were also closed due to quality of life complaints. They have both since reopened.

The community complained about numerous quality of life issues regarding this business on Woodward Avenue. #closed pic.twitter.com/WPuwVbrdUX

— NYPD 104th Precinct (@NYPD104Pct) June 24, 2015

Ridgewood Tenants Association meeting tonight

June 22, 2015RidgewoodBlog

The first meeting of the Ridgewood Tenants and Neighbors Association

Ridgewood Tenants and Neighbors Association is hosting a rotating, facilitated discussions around topics like housing, education, green space, local economy, and the broader neighborhood social environment.

The meeting is the second of its kind, with an aim at letting the tenants, and not developers, shape the community of Ridgewood as the surrounding areas change.

Where: Ridgewood Presbyterian Church 59-14 70th Ave, Ridgewood, New York 11385.

When: 7 p.m.

Ridgewood Building To Resemble Open Wounds

June 19, 2015June 19, 2015RidgewoodBlog

[Renderings by Charles Mallea Architect]

NY YIMBY has some new renderings of 482 Seneca Avenue, the residential development in Ridgewood with an exterior that, at first glance, looked like it was covered in open wounds. The design is definitely bold, but not very pleasant according to a few Ridgewood residents who shared their opinions—even YIMBY comes as close to criticism as it is constitutionally able, calling the it “certainly off-beat.”

The building, formerly a warehouse, will grow from two stories to four, according to permits

(although it appears to be six stories in all the renderings) and will contain 20 units, likely rentals.

Make Music NY festival in Ridgewood this Sunday

June 17, 2015June 17, 2015RidgewoodBlog

The Make Music New York festival kicks off in Ridgewood this Sunday, June 21st at 12:00 Noon.

In its ninth year, Make Music New York has brought together thousands of artists for free shows across the NYC metro area during the summer months. From high school bands to career musicians, pop, rock, blues bands to hip-hop artists; there is a wide variety of talented musicians for all to enjoy.

Ridgewood will host 10 acts at four different venues this Sunday. The two busiest locations will be Ridgewood Veterans Triangle, at the corner of Myrtle and Cypress avenues, and Venditti Square, at the intersection of Myrtle and St. Nicholas avenues, each of which will host eight performers.

The musical festivities get underway at Ridgewood Veterans Triangle at noon, with High North performing its experimental rock sounds. Following them at 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., respectively, will be rock artists Desmond McManus and Amber Stowell. Hip-hop artist Kyle Young will wrap things up with a concert at 7:15 p.m.

Blues band Hive will get things rolling at Venditti Square with their performance at 1:30 p.m. They will be followed at 2:45 p.m. by electronic indie rock performer Eric Contractor and, at 4 p.m., experimental rock artist Jim Duffy. Rock band Everpulse will round out the festivities with their 5:15 p.m. show.

Meanwhile, musicians from the Joe Fuoco Music Center in Glendale and friends will perform rock, country, pop and other music from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the 71st Avenue Triangle, located at the corner of Myrtle and 71st avenues.

Street Studio: Ridgewood will hold an electronic and experimental rock show from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Trans-Pecos Cafe, located at 915 Wyckoff Ave.

Click here for more information about Make Music New York events in Ridgewood and other parts of NYC.

Woman falls to her death from Ridgewood rooftop

June 15, 2015June 15, 2015RidgewoodBlog

A 34-year-old woman plumetted from a Queens rooftop Sunday and died at a hospital, according to police.

The woman was found in a parking lot behind an apartment building on

THEODORE PARISIENNE/FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS The woman was found in a parking lot behind a four-story apartment building on Linden St. at Grandview Ave. in Ridgewood on Sunday afternoon.

Linden St. at Grandview Ave. in Ridgewood around noon, authorities said.

Her injuries were consistent with falling and cops were investigating how she fell from the four-story building, according to police sources.

The woman, whose identity was withheld pending family notification, was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital, where she died.

I.S. 93 Community Engagement Day

June 11, 2015June 12, 2015RidgewoodBlog

Join I.S, 93 at Community Engagement Day this Saturday from 9AM-2PM!

Grover Cleveland High School students launch apps to make city streets safer

June 9, 2015RidgewoodBlog

Students at Grover Cleveland High School’s Academy of Information Technology are launching apps sharing Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero initiative.

Jayson Portalatin, a Ridgewood resident is a senior at Grover Cleveland High School’s Academy of Information Technology. Jay is working hard to bring his vision of using technology to make city streets safer to reality.

His classmates are getting ready to launch five apps geared towards bringing Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero initiative to smartphones.

Portalatin’s app is called Street Tweets. It allows users to report dangerous intersections or traffic conditions through Twitter.

“Let’s say there’s a pothole within the ground. You can take a picture of that, connect it to your Twitter account and then tweet it to your City Council district member,” explained Portalatin. “Hopefully they’ll see it and they’ll take action.”

Sonia Aguirre’s app is called Try to Stay Safe. It’s a game to help teach elementary school students how to cross the street safely.

Andrew Woodbridge, an Academy of Information teacher, says the students worked with the city’s Department of Transportation, as well as not-for-profit group Transportation Alternatives to gather the necessary information to launch the apps.

Grover Cleveland High School’s Academy of Information Technology is part of the National Academy Foundation network. It brings career themed programs to under-served high schools across the country.

The Grover Cleveland High School students already have more than 40 apps available in the Google Play App Store. The Vision Zero themed apps will be available for download next week.

See Video Here

For more information head to play.google.com and search “Grover Cleveland High School.”