Monday, September 2, 2013

Just Like Mother's Closes


Home Cooking in the Heart of Forest Hills
TO OUR CUSTOMERS:
We regretfully inform you, that due to not being able to reach an agreement with our landlord,
Just Like Mother’s Restaurant is CLOSED
Thank You for your patronage over the years.
Wishing you all the best,
Owners & Employees of Just Like Mother’s
I've been contacted by several readers this holiday weekend about the closing of Just Like Mother's restaurant on Queens Blvd., after the owners were unable to reach an agreement with their landlord on the rent. This modest little restaurant was a favorite of mine (it's on my Recommended Restaurants list) and apparently many others in Forest Hills. I don't think I ever had anything there I didn't like and the people there were always extremely nice.

To me, it was really a stand-in for the really good diner that we still don't have here in Forest Hills. Not only did they serve really good Polish/Eastern European style dishes, like delicious blintzes and pierogis, but they had a wide selection of sandwiches, soups and traditional entrees like meat loaf (really good), fish and chicken dishes. They also served up some really good breakfast options. And all of this at extremely reasonable prices.

In fact, I remember as Hurricane Sandy approached last year, we decided to take out a few meals from Just Like Mother's to see us through the storm.

I think JLM was open for more than 20 years before it closed a few days ago, apparently surprising many people in our neighborhood. They will certainly be missed.

As I tweeted a few days ago when I first heard about JLM closing, I think it may be a sign of all the changes taking place in the neighborhood. One reader emailed me this afternoon asking if I was going to post anything about JLM closing. The email's subject read simply "Rising Rents," and she pointed out that she thinks Haagen-Daaz on Austin St. is closing for the same reason as well. The neighborhood is definitely changing for the better and I'm not surprised that landlords are asking for higher rents on Austin and nearby it.

While the demise of local favorites like Just Like Mother's is indeed sad, I think overall the restaurant options in Forest Hills have dramatically improved in the past couple of years. I can't think of one new restaurant that has opened in the past year or so that I do not like. In fact, we even recently went to Bonfire Grill (which opened a few years ago already, an early newcomer in this recent wave) with several friends and everyone liked what they had. I was surprised to find that Bonfire seems to have upped their game quite a bit. The food was a lot better than I remembered it (I had honestly given up on them) the last time I was there like over a year ago.

37 comments:

  1. Although as you said, it is a sign up the neighborhood growing, I think it disgusting that landlords around here are charging the rents they are charging. There is a self-centered greed that is completely ignoring the state of the economy and small businesses are suffering. The neighborhood may be growing with an influx of people, but the businesses can't keep up with what they are being charged. If the small businesses go, the charm goes, and guess what? There goes the neighborhood.

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    1. Its not so much growing (The windsor and the other new building are the only real expansions of residential units) as changing demographics. My building is now flooded with younger people with higher incomes replacing the elderly. I agree though, the charm is leaving.

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  2. It is a little strange that shop/restaurant owners are increasing rents so much that stores need to shut down. Especially since so many spaces have remained empty for so long. Just down the street from JLM is the old store for Spin City Cycle and it has remained vacant for at least a year if not more.

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    1. ..exactly my thoughts! So many empty storefronts and landlords seem to rather stay empty than rent to a small business. They all seem to be waiting for a chain to show interest.

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  3. Aside from the small businesses raising their prices to try to afford the increasing rents, and local residents patronizing the small businesses they really like, what else can be done? People cite rising rents as a problem all the time. But i have yet to hear anything other than complaints about it. Please enlighten me with some actual solutions, if anyone knows of any.

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    1. The solution is to buy a building yourself, become a landlord and have your tenants renting your space at a cheap rent. That's the equivalent of charity and I strongly doubt anyone would be doing that. Its all about economics. When you have box stores like Banana Republic paying top dollar rents, it inflates the market rent in the area and other landlords ask for the same rents.

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    2. Exactly! All those lower east side places that have been around for 50+ years own their building.

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    3. Yeah I don't think there is a solution. It's just changing economics.

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    4. I'm shocked this thread was not deleted by the host.

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  4. While I love polish food and will miss having polish nearby, I went seldom went because of the food being overpriced, and everything was a la carte. Seriously, five bucks for a side of Kasha? Speaking of high prices, flying pigs charges $17 for a burger!? Thats worse than Manhattan prices.

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  5. I will really miss this place a lot. I considered it comfort food and would always go or get take out in the cold
    Months. In defense of flying pig (and yea I still think they need work) $17 is for a speciality burger which is not unreasonable. They charge $14 for their regular burger which is also reasonable.

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    1. The Flying Pig is way over priced for the quality, ambiance & service you are getting. I can get a far superior bugler for $15.00 at Danny Brown's and it will be cooked correctly, served promptly and expertly plated.

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    2. Agreed, even bareburger is better and cheaper. However, I was just commenting that 14 dollars is not a lot for a burger.

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  6. Also let's see with this influx of bars and new restaurants, some just won't make it. The Pig could be one if the don't figure something out.

    couple more things first off what's the deal with that dress shop over by the tie shop that is never open on Austin? anyone? And anyone also notice we've gotten a new crew of bums sleeping all over the place.

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  7. Its sad to see a mom and pop shop close, but Just Like Mother's served crappy food. If it was so great, there'd be throngs of people there keeping the place open. Next!

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  8. Thoughts JLM was a decent option. Sorry to see it go. It was simple and clean with solid food. Liked its lack of pretension. I'm a little surprised that it's going because I can think of so many other places that should go first. (Do we really need Cheeburger Cheeburger AND Johnny Rocketts?) Not happy with the chain/box restaurants on Austin and the surrounding area. FH deserves better!

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    1. Johnny Rockets closed awhile ago and was replaced by The Flying Pig.

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  9. Thoughts JLM was a decent option. Sorry to see it go. It was simple and clean with solid food. Liked its lack of pretension. I'm a little surprised that it's going because I can think of so many other places that should go first. (Do we really need Cheeburger Cheeburger AND Johnny Rocketts?) Not happy with the chain/box restaurants on Austin and the surrounding area. FH deserves better!

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    1. Johnny Rockets closed a while ago. The Flying Pig opened where it used to be.

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  10. Now if we can just get rid of Santa Fe Steakhouse!

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  11. Stopped in Oko today and the guy behind the counter said they are closing down the store on Saturday.

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    1. Except that's not true. Business was sold.

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    2. Looks like OKO is now Austin Sushi Express. Also, I haven't seen anything about the change from Network Café to Status Quo - has anyone been?

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  12. Aged should go. High prices. Poor quality. Santa Fe Steakhouse has nice wait staff and does a nice job with nice management teams. I got their grilled chicken salad a few times with a Pina Colada.

    I agree though that Santa Fe Steakhouse could be improved a bit but I don't want to see it go. Just improve their menu options.

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  13. Most of the restaurants are of poor quality. Just Like Mothers was actually a decent go to place.

    Manhattan gets all the classy joints. We get the brunt of all jokes.

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    1. Who's telling you all these jokes? Anytime I mention Forest Hills, the first thing people say is, "ooooo, thats a nice neighborhood...or oooo, that area is expensive." We are a middle ground for suburbs, comparing it to a Metro area is silly, but anyone who knows the 5 boros as a whole knows that Forest Hills is a great area. Stop listening to metro cats who dont know how to take the train past 59th and Lex :0)

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    2. Forest Hills is a bedroom community. People don't hop the subway just to come to our restaurants. If you want an upscale restaurant, you go to Manhattan as does the rest of New York. Get real.

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    3. Really? A "bedroom community" - in other words, good only for snoozing and yawning, like one big senior citizen home. However, even sleepy people have got to eat somewhere when they're awake. I prefer to be lazy and walk to a nice, upscale restaurant in my own neighborhood than have to schlep all the way to overpriced Manhattan.

      One defining characteristic of a wealthy, upper class neighborhood is a variety of upscale and better than average restaurants. The more people come to FoHi to eat at our unique restaurants, the better it is for our local economy. If you want a real "bedroom community", move to Florida.

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    4. There are no upscale restaurants in Forest Hills. Are you going to tell me that the Flying Pig is on par with Gramercy Tavern? Keep dreaming.

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    5. Even Danny Brown - as good as it is - cannot compete with Gramercy Tavern.

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    6. Forest Hills is nice but its restaurants are nothing to write about, except for Danny Browns.

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    7. Forest Hills is nice but its restaurants are nothing to write about, except for Danny Browns.

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    8. It's not so that FH gets the jokes. (It's not Staten Island after all) But it's more that generally city people don't know much about it. They may have heard of FH but can't conjure any mental image and just know it's Queens. Again FH itself is quite diverse so it doesn't have a singular identity even among its residents. But totally agree we need some entrepreneurial chefs to bring their A game to FH!

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    9. It's not so that FH gets the jokes. (It's not Staten Island after all) But it's more that generally city people don't know much about it. They may have heard of FH but can't conjure any mental image and just know it's Queens. Again FH itself is quite diverse so it doesn't have a singular identity even among its residents. But totally agree we need some entrepreneurial chefs to bring their A game to FH!

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  14. Just Like Mother's had decent food, but
    1) Frankly, the staff there was so miserable all of the 10 or so times i went there.
    2) The place looked old and run down. They didn't work hard enough to keep the place both homey and well-kept.
    3) Honestly, the space was a little too big for a business of that type. I never was in there with it even half-way filled.
    I recommend they re-open in a somewhat smaller space, with a fresher look, and with staff that doesn't seem so miserable.

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  15. We live in FH because it is affordable and attractive. We have a view of Willow Lake. There are a number of pretty good, and not outrageously expensive restaurants, and we can have food in the restaurants, or delivered. Over the years we've eaten at Just Like Mother's, or had meals delivered from there, many times. We'll miss it.

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