A Peek Inside Trek

Thanks to Shelley for sending in these photos tonight of the inside of the new bike shop opening soon on 70th Road.

New Bike Shop Coming to Forest Hills

I noticed this sleek-looking new bike shop, Trek, is opening on Restaurant Row (70th Road) in Forest Hills, right next to the medical marijuana shop. Imagine that! Something other than a new bank, barbershop or teeny little and curiously-unnecessary mom and pop drugstore is opening here! It is a cause for celebration indeed.

Last Space Available on "Restaurant Row"

Tucked in better the marijuana dispensary and the Thai restaurant on 70th Road, aka Forest Hills' famed Restaurant Row. This space would be great for that little indie bookshop the neighborhood so desperately needs.

The Elephant in Forest Hills

Happy Spring!
Springtime gets me very energized. So, as I was walking down the remains of what used to be  -- and I guess still kinda is -- our Restaurant Row today, it got me to thinking: how beautiful would life be if this big 'elephant in the room' of ours somehow was replaced by a nice second row of restaurants on the west side of 70th Road? It is some type of telephone exchange building, from what I've always been told. I guess it's still needed or it wouldn't still be there.
But, jeez, talk about an eyesore smack in the middle of our lovely neighborhood. Just imagine how pretty that part of town would be without this fortress -- and how many more tasty restaurants we could have on our Restaurant Rowish Row if this was no longer there?
With the huge new modern building going up on the other side of this ugly duckling, and Restaurant Row on the east, boy this thing is really starting to look out of place, ain't it?

Post Update: A couple of people seemed to have gotten really annoyed with this post. Just to clarify, from an outsider's perspective this is just an enormous hulking structure that is ugly as hell, and just does not fit with the improving neighborhood around it. There is no signage indicating it is owned by Verizon or any other company, making one assume it is just some kind of an old-time telephone network center -- one that probably would never have been placed where it is if it was being built today given the increasing property values.
If it does contain offices, they should think of renovating the building to make it more pleasing to the rest of the neighborhood. This structure will look more and more out of place once the new building goes up next to it and the neighborhood continues to improve. 
And one last thing - this is only my opinion. If you happen to love hulking, bland, brick structures, then all the more power to you. Though I will never be a fan - unless it is some old-time Revolutionary War fort. Which would be awesome!
And yes, in keeping with that line of thought, and for the commenter who suggested it, it would be kinda cool to keep the building as is and use it in a retro way as some kind of museum or other cultural institution. In that respect, the old-time brick facade would make sense and add an authentic touch. Hey - maybe it should be a Museum of the Telephone, since they are disappearing real fast anyhow...

New Gym Opening Soon in Forest Hills

I snapped these pics the other day of the new Orangetheory Fitness studio, opening soon on "Restaurant Row" (70th Road). The place looks really cool inside, from what I could see...

Orangetheory is a science-backed, technology-tracked, coach-inspired group workout designed to produce results from the inside out. The hardest part of our workouts is showing up - we make it simple for you to push yourself, be your personal best and give you more. MORE results. MORE confidence. MORE Life. More than a gym. Because you shouldn’t live to exercise. You should exercise to live.

Free Outdoor Jazz This Thursday

Missed the concerts at the Stadium so far this summer? Don't fret. Free Jazz Thursdays returns to 70th Road between Austin St. and Queens Blvd. this Thursday from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. It's the second of two Jazz Thursdays this summer...

Weekend Restaurant Recommendation

It being Friday and all—thank the Gods, 'cause I have just about had it! — here's my weekend restaurant recommendation. For all you local kebab lovers I'd recommend The Grill. I've eaten there a couple of times since they opened a few months ago on Restaurant Row (70th Road) and have tried an assortment of kebabs that have been either terrific (Chicken, and the Lula Kebab, which has ground lamb and beef marinated with cumin, diced onion, sea salt and pepper; or very good: Shrimp.) Below is their generous portion of Baked Clams, also really good. The Grill is a moderately priced new restaurant here in Forest Hills —not the cheapest place to eat, but the food has been really good.

Restaurant News

Santa Fe, the BBQ restaurant located on Restaurant Row (70th Road), has been closed the past couple of days. I haven't heard if this is permanent or not. If it is, that, of course, would open up an enormous space for a new restaurant.

Also, a reader sent these photos in to the blog's Facebook Page of Dirty Pierre's new "sequel" on Metropolitan Ave., which appears to be named Dirty Pierre South.

The Grill's New Sign

Sign has gone up for this new restaurant on Restaurant Row (70th Road)... I've seen them hard at work on the new place, so looks like it will be opening relatively soon.

Opening Soon in Forest Hills: The Grill

A reader sent in this photo of what will be going into the space formerly occupied by Liang's chinese restaurant on Restaurant Row (70th Road). I am thoroughly intrigued and am hoping this is a place that serves up tasty platters of falafel and kabobs, but we will see. "Mediterranean" and "Grill" can mean a lot of different things...

Saturday Night in Forest Hills

9p.m. June 8, 2013
Corner of Austin St. and 70th Road, Forest Hills

New Bangkok Cuisine Sign

I really like this restaurant. I was noticing their sign was looking a little ragged, so very nice to see this...

Liang's Space Taken?

A reader says this morning that the Liang's space on Restaurant Row (70th Road) has been rented. No word yet on by who. If this is in fact the case, that means it took about 6 months from the time the restaurant closed until the space was rented out again. Not sure where that fits in terms of average renting out of retail space, but just thought I'd throw out this little factoid. Of course, this is if what the reader says is true. I just passed by the space the other day and it still had the "For Lease" sign in the window.

Why is this a big deal? Because it's virtually a given that the space will be another restaurant, and despite all the great places opening in the last few months here in FoHi, we sure could still use some good new restaurants. For example, there's still a huge need for a really good all-around diner/cafe type place in the central Forest Hills area. That, and a new indie coffee shop somewhere in the middle of the neighborhood, and my dreams will be fulfilled :)

Vanilla Sky's Unveiling

The plywood around the Vanilla Sky at the corner of Austin and 70th Road (Restaurant Row) has been taken down giving us a good idea of what the new frozen yogurt/coffee place will look like:

Blockbuster No More

This probably comes as no surprise to anyone with a Netflix account. Blockbuster is closing its store on 70th Road in Forest Hills.. and they're having a big sale as they do, too. And this means another prime storefront will soon be available on "restaurant row." Do you hear that Shake Shack?