Gothamist declared Superfine a restaurant/bar with staying power, for good reason. It’s their go-to bar in Dumbo with a free pool table, where the “food is uniformly good”. It’s been open for 10 years, just weeks after ’9/11′ in 2001 by Laura Taylor, Tanya Rynd and Cara Lee Sparry co-owners of Superfine. They all met in the 1990s while living in an old illegal Dumbo warehouse on Jay Street. Before the current location of Superfine, they ran Between The Bridges Pub on the corner of Adams and York Street (where Beacon Tower now stands), and before that, the bar was called “Haggerty’s” until the 1960s.

As Edible Brooklyn explains:

Taylor had tired of the cutthroat competitiveness of New York City professional kitchens, and was hoping to work for herself and her friends. So the three hatched a plan to start an underground supper club, inviting 50 people who could each bring a guest. Taylor’s food was sourced from the farmers market, while Rynd and Sparry took care of live music, art installations and a midnight cabaret. The overall goal—beyond great food, says Rynd—was to get people talking.

That they did, and when the three were offered a chance to take over the grungy, neglected kitchen of the former neighborhood steelworkers’ bar called Between the Bridges, they took it, cleaning the space of its century-old fried-on grime, serving sandwiches and fries and hosting street fairs they called the Urban Cowgirl Cabaret Café.

The food is a derivative of Alice Waters’ slow food local and organic cooking and some entree items change monthly, while keeping their ‘famous’ pork chops, spaghettini, or grilled portobello sandwich (for example see menu photos from Sept 2008 and Oct 2009). This is one of the few restaurants in Dumbo that consistently serves quality food.

Superfine
126 Front Street, Brooklyn NY 11201
(718) 243-9005
Bar open Sun.-Thu. until 2 a.m.; Fri.-Sat. until 4 a.m.

Related:
{Still Got It: Superfine, 08May2011, Gothamist}
{One of the borough’s best-kept secrets, Summer 2009, Edible Brooklyn}
{Dumbo Then and Now: NE Corner of York/Adams, 15Aug2008}
{Superfine Review, 06Jul2009, Brownstoner}
{Superfine Review, Yelp}

New afternoon sing-a-long for kids, called Rolie Polie Guacamole on Tuesdays at Baco Cafe.

Sing, dance, be silly, eat yummy food, and laugh with your friends
Tuesday afternoons 3:45-4:30
$10 per family (drop in too)

Class will be held on the following dates: 5/10, 5/17, 5/24, 5/31, 6/7, 6/14, 6/21, 6/28

Baco Cafe has created a wonderful kids menu including, french toast, pancakes, grilled cheese, mini burgers, pasta, and chicken fingers. (limited stroller space)

Baco Cafe
71 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Brought to you by Jam On DUMBO
for more information contact: alisha@jamondumbo.com or 917.658.4939.

Permit # FF 193: On Wed, May 11, 2011 (6am – 10pm)

Filming for feature film Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, starring Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, and John Goodman is occurring tomorrow in Dumbo near Pearl Street and Front Street. The film is based on a 2005 novel by author Jonathan Safran Foer.

If you have further questions you can contact their Locations Department at 718-780-6466.

All filming posts are tagged here: DumboNYC.com/tag/filming

Previously:
{Filming: “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”, 18Mar2011}

You may have seen this bus on Water Street in Dumbo the past week. It’s the work of Bob Votruba, who bought a bus, had about sixty family members, friends and neighbors help paint it and began a ten year journey with his Boston Terrier, Bogart, to college campuses across the country hoping to convince as many people as possible about One Million Acts Of Kindness. Bob’s story is quite remarkable. He quit his job, sold everything, and travels the country on this bus speaking at schools about acts of kindness.

“We are trying to offer inspiration to those wanting to better themselves by leading a lifetime of constantly spreading kindness to others.
Our goal is to reach out to children, teens, and young adults when their minds are open and their personalities are developing. We hope to teach them kindness, empathy and a generosity for others. By living in kindness they will discover the happiness that they can bring to those around them, and ultimately to themselves as well. It is crucial to recognize the importance of being kind to others; adults and teenagers can set the example for young children to emulate. Nothing could be more important in the world than this.”

He believes we can start small and inspire those around us, friends, family, community to create a better future for us all. Go Bob! (Thanks Pam at Journey Home in Dumbo for the tip.)

One Million Acts of Kindness (onemillionactsofkindness.com)

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

• Curbed Sr Editor Joey Arak – Thanks for the Dumbo Coverage!, 06May11, Curbed
• 31 Washington St, #6B, 3200sqft, $3.1M, 03May11, Brownstoner
• Squibb Park Footbridge To Cost $4.9M, 05May11, BHB
• Bridge from Squibb Park, 05May11, BK Paper
• Brooklyn Bridge Dance Party at Pier 1, 02May11, BK Paper
• Studiomates, a co-working space in Dumbo, 04May11, NYT
• The Lucky Rice Night Market in Dumbo Photo Gallery, 05May11, Brooklyn Exposed
• Dumbo’s Gaggle of Chicks Daily Deals, 01May11, Crain’s
• BK Heights Restaurant Colonie Reviewed in NYT, 04May11, NYT
• Dumbo’s 192 Water Coming Into Focus, 03May11, Brownstoner
• Q-Tip Headlining Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, 04May11, NBC
• 7th Annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival 7/18 in DUMBO, 04May11, Brooklyn Vegan
• Details Revealed at 192 Water St, 03May11, Curbed
• 54 Jay St LPC Application, 02May11, BK Eagle
• Geoworld Summit Comes to Dumbo May 12, 01May11, NYC Convergence
• Brooklyn Bridge Park: When and How?, 02May11, Brownstoner
• Action at Dumbo’s 53 Bridge?, 05May11, Brownstoner
• Development Watch: 205 Water Street, 04May11, Brownstoner
• Brooklyn Film Festival Opens, Causing a ‘Scene’ in DUMBO, 06May11, Brooklyn Exposed

(Photo credit: Yana Paskova for The New York Times)

Dumbo was mentioned in NY Times, with a story about Studiomates at 10 Jay Street on Wednesday, and Dumbo will be in Sunday’s paper as well.

NY Times writer Jake Mooney, who covers Dumbo, has written about the changes over the years. In his article in the National Real Estate section of Sunday’s NY Times, titled Bringing Up Dumbo, he discusses the new real estate development projects happening in East Dumbo, the former factory and manufacturing buildings closer to Vinegar Hill:

Now the next chapter is being written. In recent years, debates about the neighborhood’s future have brought about designation of a historic district and a rezoning of the eastern end, designed in part to encourage residential growth. Old commercial buildings continue to be converted, and several major construction projects are in the works, including one in the historic district from the giant builder Toll Brothers. Prices and rents in the neighborhood are among the highest in Brooklyn, and the city as a whole.

Dumbo’s indigenous warehouses have become home to advertising, design and creative companies like the online crafts marketplace Etsy, whose young workers have brought activity to the quiet cobblestone streets in the shadows of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges.

In a nod to Dumbo’s new creative community, Mooney speaks to creative media companies, such as HUGE, BBMG, and Etsy, and makes mention of other DigitalDUMBO and New York Digital District companies, Carrot Creative, Big Spaceship, and Brooklyn Digital Foundry.

These businesses are concentrated in buildings such as 45 Main Street, 55 Washington Street, 10 Jay Street, and 20 Jay Street. The concentration of new residential development projects in East Dumbo, such as 220 Water Street, 205 Water Street, 192 Water Street, and 37 Bridge Street, are due to the fact that most of the buildings West of Adams Street are occupied, such as 1 Main Street, 70 Washington Street, Beacon Tower (79 unit building completed in 2006), and J Condominium (267 units completed in 2007. Newly converted 25 Washington Street also got a mention.

In established Two Trees buildings near the area’s heart, like 1 Main Street and 70 Washington Street, asking prices for one-bedrooms are solidly above $1 million — closer to $2 million at 1 Main, which is nearer to the water, and occasionally below $1 million at 70 Washington. A 2,139-square-foot two-bedroom apartment at 1 Main Street is on the market for $2.2 million, and a two-bedroom, 1,384-square-foot unit at 70 Washington is listed at $1.35 million.

Read the full article for a good summary of the area’s new thriving businesses and real estate activity. Also see accompanying photo slide show.

A few past Jake Mooney mentions on DumboNYC:
{NY Times Highlights Dumbo Neighborhood Association, 04Jun2007}
{On Arty Streets, a Cluster of Hip Furniture Stores, 21Jan2007}

GUMBO in DUMBO at Galapagos Art Space.

PRESENTED by Ben Harvey and Casey Fitzpatrick

+ DJ Declan Bennett
+ FREE 42Below Vodka bar (11pm)
+ Performance by Broadway cast members of AMERICAN IDIOT
+ 2 bars + 2 floors + stage dancing

Friday, May 6, 2011, 10pm-4am.
go to GumboNYC for more info.

(Dave Shelley (Production Manager) and Sam Barzilay (Director of NYPH) in Dumbo)
by Lindsay Comstock

In 2008, the New York Photo Festival emerged in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn as the brainchild of Daniel Powers and Frank Evers. If you live or work in the neighborhood, you may have seen two others who were hired that year–Sam Barzilay (director of the festival) and Dave Shelley (production manager)–working tirelessly as they make mad dashes in and out of meetings, run between the numerous festival venues, or organize a team of volunteers to carry out production duties. Four years later, the round-the-clock work seems to have paid off. The international photo festival, termed by Shelley as “the Sundance of the photography world” is holding strong as one of the largest of its kind in the States. From May 11 to 15, it will take over the area between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges.

Sitting down in the festival office at powerHouse Books, I had a chance to talk with Barzilay and Shelley about the nature of the photography industry. Our conversation took on a somber tone as we spoke about civil unrest, natural disasters, and the sadness wrought by the deaths of two influential photojournalists. It was also a conversation about the excitement of the transforming image-making industry and the ease with which emerging artists can now break into photography thanks to social media and the digital age.

The festival’s two curators, Elisabeth Biondi, who worked 15 years as visuals editor of The New Yorker, and Enrico Bossan, an accomplished photojournalist, collaborated on an exhibition that engages the audience in a world view documenting truth in life. The overarching theme of the festival this year is aptly titled, “Photography Now: Engaged, Personal and Vital”. According to Shelley, this is the first year they invited only two curators, but the team is powerful. “We picked two people who actually have the force of six,” Shelley said.

The festival offers a fresh look at contemporary photography, showcasing the work of both seasoned and emerging photographers. And because the work is not for sale, it is also unhindered by the constraints of the commercial realm. The five-day affair includes an abundance of exhibits, a panel discussion and lecture series, special evening events, and a Leica scavenger hunt.

In addition to the two curated group shows, “Subjective/Objective” (Biondi) and “Hope: Between Dream and Reality” (Bossan), the festival features seventeen exhibitions. One is a show curated by Capricious magazine featuring only New York photographers titled “New York Did This To Me” at Smack Mellon gallery. Another is an innovative exhibit design, curated by Bussan, displaying Ben Lowy’s renowned iphone photos of the Middle East in retro television cabinets. Several universities and photo groups are also presenting shows throughout the neighborhood.

On Thursday night, the festival presents “Under the Bridge: Projections of a Revolution” where images of the North African uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya will be projected under the Manhattan Bridge. According to Barzilay, the aim is for attendees to experience these images in an immersive way.

On Saturday night, Slideluck Potshow XVI will project images to a large audience and attempt to rival last year’s Guiness World Record for the Largest Potluck Dinner. Attendees are asked to share a dish comprised of locally sourced ingredients.

As is the case with many arts organizations, NYPH has not been immune to the pressures of the economic recession. According to Barzilay, the largest challenge for the festival has been fundraising. He says he gets the impression that many think the festival is a corporate, profit-making venture, but it’s not. Despite the annual support from Two Trees Management, industry sponsors, and many volunteers, the festival (which has production costs of approximately $400,000) has gone largely under-funded for the last four years. “This is a labor of love,” he says. Nonetheless, no dream is too big for Barzilay. “We ask the curators to come up with the wildest ideas, and we promise to do our best to make it happen.”

And what the festival has given to the international photography community is immeasurable. Many of the photographers shown at the festival have gone on to gain gallery representation and some have even had their work displayed in museums. “We have brought many people to light”, Shelley says. And this year they are turning their attention back to local photographers, including more shows that celebrate New York.

The festival plans to honor the lives of late photojournalists and Brooklyn residents Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros who were tragically killed while on assignment in Libya. Some of their photos will be shown as part of a group exhibition and the subject will be discussed in lectures. “Because we have so many media images people forget that there is someone actually out there risking their lives for an image,” Shelley says.

Barzilay said that although it is not humanly impossible to take everything in, he hopes that the festival will plant a seed of thought regarding the source of information. “We are hoping that at the very least, people will stop for a few seconds and think. If we’ve gotten them to think we’ve won the battle,” Barzilay says.

For ticket information and an official schedule of events, visit: www.newyorkphotofestival.com.

Lindsay Comstock is a contributor to American Photo, Resource and Eyemazing magazines. More of her writing and photography can be seen at www.lindsaycomstock.com

The First Thursday Dumbo Gallery Walk is on Thursday, May 5, between 5:30pm-8:30pm. The gallery walk is free.

[UDPATE: PLEASE NOTE: THE Night of Music for Japan EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED.] This month’s events include A Night of Music for Japan: Enjoy a night of live music from three amazing NYC bands while raising money for the Japanese Red Cross. Tickets include everything you may need: live music, beer, DJ, and good times. Doors for this event open at 8pm.

Two Trees Management, in collaboration with participating galleries, is proud to host this festive evening, giving visitors and residents the chance to immerse themselves in DUMBO’s cultural offerings. Local bars offer drink specials afterward as well.

Check gallery websites or dumboculture411.com for updates. (1st Thursdays DUMBO Gallery Walk flyer with details (PDF))

A.I.R. Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 228
Amos Eno Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 202
Brooklyn Arts Council, 111 Front St., Suite 218
Caption Gallery, 55 Washington St., Suite 802
Central Booking, 111 Front St., Suite 214
Collective Consciousness NYC, 10 Jay St.
DUMBO Arts Center, 111 Front St., Suite 212
Farmani Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 212
Giacobetti Paul Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 220
Henry Gregg Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 226
Klompching Gallery, 111 Front St.
Kris Graves Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 224
Melville House, 145 Plymouth St.
Mighty Tanaka Gallery, 68 Jay St., Suite 416
One Arm Red, 10 Jay St.
Powerhouse Books & Powerhouse Arena, 37 Main St.
Rabbithole Studio, 33 Washington St.
Randall Scott Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 204
Smack Mellon, 93 Plymouth St. @ Washington Street
Spring, 126a Front St.
Umbrage Gallery, 111 Front St.
VII Photo, 28 Jay St.

On this Mothers Day treat yourself by capturing a precious moment with your loved ones. Davina Zagury specializes in children and family portraits; she was recently chosen as one of the Best Local Photographers by Daily Candy Kids.
For $250, you will receive:
* 30 min. studio photo session
* Image editing to choose your best portraits
* A credit of $100 towards high quality prints
* An easy, private-access link to preview your images online

You will also have the opportunity to order extra prints and high-resolution images on a CD for an additional cost.

See examples from last year’s Mothers Day portraits: www.davinaz.com/249/motherhood/

Date & hours: May 7th & 8th between 10:00am – 6:00pm
Place: Pomme, 81 Washington St. (at York St.) Dumbo, Brooklyn
RSVP: davinaz.brownbookit.com/schedules