BYE BYE, BLINI AND MORE

Russian Homemade Cuisine, chosen two years ago as one of NYC's 9 Best Russian Restaurants, is gone.

505 Church Avenue joins the ranks of empty stores on the block between E. 5th Street and Ocean Parkway. The six storefronts at 501 to 511 Church Avenue have a new owner, 501 Church Funding LLC. We do know that a nursery school will move into 511, where the shoe repair shop was.

What types of businesses will 501 Church LLC decide to rent to? What will they base their decisions on? How will they know what we want? Can we help them decide?

It's a shame to lose Russian Homemade Cuisine. Most of what they made was sold to restaurants and stores, many of which are in this area. Individuals could also place an order for blini (thin pancakes) by the pound, take them home, and fill them with anything and everything. The blini were light as a feather. 

The workers in that narrow shop usually kept the door open and the screen door closed--probably to let the heat out--making it easy for neighbors to peek in and watch them work their blini-making magic.

The block is still occupied by Polonez Tours Service, Lejla's Salon, Blue Lake Halal Meat Market, and Parkway Pharmacy. Also gone, besides Russian Homemade Cuisine, are El Gavilan (not missed by its immediate neighbors), Old Brick Cafe, and the shoe repair shop.

A FOOD LOVER'S GUIDE TO KENSINGTON

"A Food Lover's Guide to Kensington," an article by Nancy J. Brandwein, was published today in AM New York. Her description of Church Avenue as "low-key and scruffy" isn't complimentary, but her overall article is. Ms. Brandwein has written about Sugandha Restaurant, To B Thai, Dan's Select Meats, Dinosha Albanian Village, Bastek Deli, Golden Farm, Russian Homemade Cuisine, Old Brick Cafe Lounge, Taqueria Los Poblanos, NYC Icy, and Shayna's.

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