Am I the only one who thinks they should rename Labor Day to Leisure Day? I mean really, what is this weekend about if not soaking in the last rays of summer, relaxing with friends, or laying at the beach? Believe me, I’m pretty sure no one is working – that is if they can help it.

So, in honor of Leisure Day Bryan and I made sure we had no plans, no obligations, no one calling our names this weekend. We spend Sunday morning at the dog run with Carmella and a couple of iced-coffees, and with no other agenda but to feed ourselves we headed over to Siggy’s in Brooklyn Heights for some brunch. One of the best things about a holiday weekend spend in New York is that everyone else leaves. We arrived there, and within minutes we got a table outside – something that would have taken at least 20 minutes on any given Sunday.

Starving we both immediately ordered smoothies. I got the Berry Buzz which arrived a gorgeous deep red, thick, creamy, and a perfect balance of sweet and tart. Bryan made his own smoothie of dates, strawberries, bananas, and almond milk. I tasted his and it was milky and mild, with a really nice honey taste from the dates. Knowing the smoothies would be filling I decided to order light, two eggs over medium which came with toast, salad and potatoes. Bryan however, did not have the same thought, and ordered the breakfast burrito, which turned out to be as big as his head. It, however, proved to be the winning dish. It was savory and fresh – the avocado and tomatoes were bursting with flavor. After I inhaled my breakfast, I reached over and helped him with his.

Looking to work off some of our meal we headed over to the Brooklyn Flea for a look around. We spotted a new stand called Goober Peas, which we learned are boiled peanuts. Something of a favorite snack food to Southerners I couldn’t help but reach in to try one. I grabbed a peanut and followed the (very cute) instructions on the board. Crack and slurp, eat the peanut, discard the shell. It was, well, an experience. As someone who loves fresh crab, I can see why people love these things. They’re fun to eat – it gives you something to do other than just stuffing your face.

 [+] Click for larger image

For me, I just couldn’t get into the texture – something about a boiled, soft, peanut just isn’t what I look for in a snack food. I wanted to like them, I really did. But I’m going to stick to the good old crunchy kind – I guess it’s just what I’m used to. However, if you’re a transplanted southerner, or just looking to try something new, be sure you check them out.

“DUMBO comes alive on September 10th for the 1st Thursday gallery walk to launch the season with a bang!”

A festive occasion each month for art lovers. A chance to visit many quality galleries at night in the Dumbo Historic District – galleries showing works from artists of many disciplines, especially photography, while hosting receptions, producing live music performances and curator/artist talks among other highlights.

Let’s not forget the incredible views you can enjoy as you walk from one gallery to the next and the local drink specials afterward. Most of the art is for sale. Printed maps and 1st Thursday cards are available on-site.

Participating galleries may vary each month. For more information contact Zannah Mass at zannah@twotrees-dumbo.com or 718-222-2500 x38.

Check gallery websites for updates.
A.I.R. Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 228
Amos Eno Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 202
Aswoon Gallery, 14 Jay St.
Boyd Design, 81 Front St.
Bose Pacia, 163 Plymouth St.
Brooklyn Art Project, 5 Front St.
Brooklyn Arts Council, 111 Front St., Suite 218
Caption Gallery, 55 Washington St., Suite 802
Central Booking, 111 Front St., Suite 214
Conjunto Guantanamo, The Archway
DUMBO Arts Center, 30 Washington St.
Farmani Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 212
Fluxconcert, 111 Front St.
Galapagos Art Space, 16 Main St.
HUNGRY MARCH BAND, The Archway
Henry Gregg Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 226
Illegal Art, The Archway & 111 Front St.
Jah Pan, The Archway
James J Williams III
Kate Mejia, 111 Front St.
Kika Nicolela
Klompching Gallery, 111 Front St.
Kris Graves Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 224
Magasin Totale, 10 Jay St., Suite 724
Mediastorm, Galapagos Art Space, 16 Main St.
Melville House, 145 Plymouth St.
New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), 20 Jay St., 7th Fl.
Pochron Studios, 20 Jay St.
Possible Projects, 68 Jay St.
Powerhouse Books & Powerhouse Arena, 37 Main St.
Rabbithole Studio, 33 Washington St.
Randall Scott Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 204
reBar, 147 Front St.
Sheila Pye & Nick Pye, 111 Front St.
Smack Mellon, 93 Plymouth St. @ Washington Street
Speak Low, 81 Washington St.
Spring, 126a Front St.
Umbrage Gallery, 111 Front St.
VII Photo, 28 Jay St.
Watermill Brooklyn Gallery, 55 Washington Street, Suite 216

1 Main from Bridge St (Photo by Brian Mosbacher)

The following are selected links from this past week on blogs and websites with discussion about Dumbo (and its neighboring areas):

• Both Sides of Brooklyn Bridge, 31Aug09, Emm in London
• Pizza Tour in Brooklyn, 30Aug09, The Sun-Herald
• Vinegar Hill History, 30Aug09, Roundabout
• Brooklyn Bridge Park Recycles, 31Aug09, Brooklyn Eagle
• Shout Out to Mikey’s Hookup Dumbo, 01Sept09, PMFA
• Fashion: Gabby in Dumbo, 31Aug09, TowardStyle
• VH House Review, 01Sept09, A Hungry Girl
• Dumbo Parking Changes, 02Sept09, Brooklyn Paper
• Dumbo Ice Cream, 02Sept09, NY Times
• Almondine to Open 2nd Cafe in PSlope, 01Sept09, NY Times
• Things to do w/ Kids on Labor Day, 01Sept09, Mommy Poppins
• York St Vinegar Hill Developments, 02Sept09, Curbed
• Helicopter Business Moving to Brooklyn Heights?, 03Sept09, Your Nabe
• Mood of the Market As Measured by Art Galleries, 03Sept09, NY Times

By LA Slugocki –
P.S. Bookshop, 145-A Front Street, owned and operated by Yuval Gans, specializes in all things literary; used and rare books, first editions, reprints, high brow, low brow, the sacred, the profane, the ridiculous and the sublime, as well as a burgeoning children’s collection. But do not mistake it for The Strand. That, he said, is not my model. This is not a supermarket.

His model is the Gotham Book Mart, may she rest in peace (1920-2007). He remembers arriving here in 1993 from Israel, dropping his bags off at a hotel in Times Square, passing Radio City Music Hall, announcing Aretha Franklin tonight, and thinking, my God, what’s tomorrow, and heading straight to the fabled, now defunct bookstore. This is his model, his aesthetic; a bookstore with an affinity for the neighborhood, a bookstore that is a meeting place.

When I stopped by today to see if he had a copy of Jean Anouilh’s Medea, he was ringing up An Analysis of Three or Four Things I Know About Her, Jean Paul Goddard’s film. This woman had traveled from Mexico to buy this book for her son— who had located it online. Then Yuval led me to the back of the 2,000 square foot store, clambered up a step ladder and retrieved four anthologies of Anouilh’s plays. Sadly, not a one contained his adaptation of Medea. I said, well, where are the anthologies, maybe it’s one of those. It wasn’t, but I did find a copy of Sarah Kane’s infamous and posthumously produced 4.48 Psychosis, now out of print.

I’ve known Yuval for a long time, from back in the day when he worked at and designed the intricate labyrinth of books at Heights Bookstore, formerly on Montague. I loved his window displays, every month a different theme. This month marks his third anniversary in Dumbo. How did you create your inventory, I asked. He said, road trips, from here to Maine, scouring library sales, estate sales, country fairs, bookstores, and auctions where I would buy an entire lot.

When he opened his doors in 2006, he had one tenth of what is now on the shelves. Now, today, the books come to him. He got a 1st edition of Rem Koolhaas’ Delirious New York, and decided he would price it competitively just to keep it in the store for awhile. Alas, it still sold, almost immediately. The out of print market, he said, is flourishing. He is particularly proud of his collection of architecture and photography books, including several signed first editions by Horst and Avedon, among others.

But as father of two children, he may be the most proud of the children’s section. It’s housed in the central portion of the store complete with an indoor playground. Beginning in September, every Sunday at 4:00 p.m., the children’s reading series resumes, which includes music; sort of like karaoke for the Harry Potter and Hello Kitty set. Neighborhood children, of course, are big fans, but they come from all five boroughs.

Personally, I get a huge kick out the pulp fiction collection, titles like: White Trash, The Tigress, Love Hungry— oh, those man-hungry, slutty women from the 1950’s! Whatever happened to them? Seriously, they’re hilarious, and, by the way, priced to sell at around $20. On my way out, I saw Howl by Allen Ginsberg, a 4th printing. The price, $100. I hesitated, imagining the heft and the weight of the book in my hand, exactly where it would go in my library, how it would look and how it would feel— then decided, no. Maybe another day. I still had Euripides’ Medea (I settled for the original), a new Moleskin notebook, and an out of print play.

For more information: 718-222-3340 or info@psbnyc.com

Previously on DumboNYC: P.S. Bookshop Opens in Dumbo, 09Oct2006
P.S. Bookshop (psbnyc.com)
145-A Front Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Tel: 718-222-3340
Open 7 days a week 10am-8pm

Brooklyn’s Belly, a new column about the adventures of a foodie in Dumbo Brooklyn is written by the writer of Mangia Vita, Nicole. Her prior column was posted last week.

Is it possible to be jet lagged over a trip that only has a three hour time difference? We got back from a trip to Portland, Oregon on Monday and I swear it’s like we returned from Australia. Just. Cannot. Get. It. Together. So, what is one to do when all creativity has gone out the window? When your only desire is to be fed, and then go promptly to bed? My advice? Stick to what you know… and for me, that’s always pasta.

Somehow we had managed a food shopping trip to Fairway late on Monday afternoon – it took us about twice as long as it normally does but I’m grateful because we got to stock up on stuff we were in sore need of. I took a package of handmade spinach fettucini out of the fridge and set it on the counter next to a head of garlic, and the basil and tomatoes from Tuesday’s CSA and promptly got to work.

In a medium sauce pan I drizzled in good olive oil and 3 chopped cloves of garlic. I like a lot of garlic, so use at your discretion. I turned the burner on and once it heated up nicely I tossed in a helping of red pepper flakes. It’s best to do this when the oilve oil is hot because it releases all the natural oils from the flakes. Once all the tomatoes were roughly chopped (trimming off any yucky parts) and the garlic was sauteed I added them to the pot. In minutes tomatoes started to cook down. You’ll notice a lot of water being released when you make fresh sauce this way, you can drain it off as you go but I prefer to let it cook down itself so I don’t loose any of that yummy tomato juice. Just keep the lid off as it boils and it’ll take care of itself.

As this cooked I added a pinch of sugar (to cut the natural acidity in the tomatoes), a grind of the pepper shaker, some garlic powder and a little dried oregano. That’s it. I then started the pasta in a seperate pot, and because it was fresh it only took minutes to cook to al dente. My sauce was close to done so I turned the heat off and gave it a few pulses with my hand blender. I really don’t like a chunky sauce because it doesn’t distribute evenly over the pasta, so I found this to be a really easy solution.

The pasta was done by this time so I drained it in a colander, tossed it with my sauce, added some fresh chopped basil and a healthy grating of parmesan and asiago cheese we;ve had leftover, and viola! Dinner is served. Now… what to do with these gorgeous (but strange) chinese long beans??

(Photo by Josh Derr)

[DumboNYC.com is taking a vacation. In the meantime, take a look at some photos of Dumbo (in the DumboNYC Flickr Pool) or submit a story or event about Dumbo. We'll be back after Labor Day weekend.]

(Photo by wesleyrosenblum)

[DumboNYC.com is taking a vacation. In the meantime, take a look at some photos of Dumbo (in the DumboNYC Flickr Pool) or submit a story or event about Dumbo. We'll be back after Labor Day weekend.]