Dan Shapiro

Village Gyro

1000 Coney Island Avenue

Brooklyn, NY

718 421 0505

The food at Village Gyro is freshly made, healthy, and the portions are large. This is a very inexpensive place to eat. Pakoras are sold by the pound for four dollars a pound. A pound of Pakoras is all you could possibly eat and easily fills a large plate. An entrée with rice and salad averages about $12.

I have heard from the community elders that American Pakistani restaurants no longer compete on how spicy hot they can make their dishes, my guess the restaurants is that they like us are becoming soft Americans. The Village gyro dishes do have some heat, but the level is reasonable and Zantac is not a necessary precaution.

I do not speak either Urdu or Russian, but I do have a god enough ear to tell the difference between them, when I hear it. In the same way, I expect to tell the difference in flavorings between a vegetable pakora, a lamb gyro and a chicken tikka. Yes, the ingredients are different and I can taste and see that, but there should also be a difference in the flavorings. Unfortunately, at the Village gyro, this subtly is lost on the cook.

It is a shame because Village Gyro, with its bright clean décor sets itself apart from the hole-in-the wall Pakistani kabob places on Coney Island Avenue. Perhaps the cook will learn that a lack of hot spices does not mean a lack of flavor variations.

The Village gyro does have a great variety of South Asian sweets. My advice is, take the sweets home and avoid the restaurant.

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Taino Soliel

121 Livingston Street

Brooklyn, NY

718 858 8778

www.tainosoliel.com

O.K. rainy weekday nights on Livingston Street, downtown Brooklyn, are hardly lively, but someone has taken a lot of time, care and consideration in the opening of Taino Soliel, an upscale Caribbean restaurant. You get into the festive mood almost immediately with live plants, a colorful and interesting décor and even livelier island music.

Starting up a restaurant is not easy and there have been some initial problems at Taino, but they seem to have really gotten their act together. From the first greeting, to the constant attention and straight answers to your questions, you have the feeling that you really matter.

In every restaurant what really matters is the food. Here Taino excels, try the Calamari ala Coco. You have to be careful with Calamari you can easily wind up with rubber bands. This Calamari was done and still tender, a coconut sauce with red and green peppers and cilantro made this dish a real standout

The main courses are done just so, although I admit that I went way out on a limb when I ordered the Mofongo (a pork or shrimp concoction with yucca). The chicken stew was tasty without being spicy and the fried meats tender and juicy. You had the feeling, that someone in the kitchen puts a lot of pride in his/her work. Most dishes come with two sides and the best are the sweet potato fries and the sweet plantains. A carafe of Sangria and I was looking for my sun block.

Look for their special nights. Yesterday, the Martinis were five dollars and Thursday is Salsa night with an excellent Salsa dancing instructor (Don't drink and Dance!).

A full dinner for two is about $75

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Booth TheATER 3/09

Some days when I wade through New York City traffic or try to keep my cool when dealing with a mindless bureaucrat, the only thing that makes me stay here is the arts and theatre in NYC.

As a member of the Theatre Development Fund (TDF) I go to a lot of theatre, some good some bad and some very special. Last night I went to Next to Normal. A musical about a mother, whose grief at losing an infant son, has brought on a bipolar condition and how it affects her family.

The theme of this musical was a surprise to me after reading a brief review which stated. "Next to Normal is a contemporary musical that explores how one suburban household copes with crises..." The reviewer could have been talking about unemployment, or crab grass, but certainly not mental illness.

Next to Normal has thirty original songs and the last two are good enough, if re-orchestrated, to stand alone, but there is not a single title of a song in the Playbill!!! A Playbill about a musical without songs; I am reminded of "Don't write naughty words on walls, if you can not spell" and don't write reviews if you haven't seen the show!

This production is a wonderful night of theatre, especially the first rate acting of the grief stricken mother and the powerful singing of the mother and daughter. The songs were mostly to the point and poignant. The exception was a hilarious Mary Popins-like ... "Valium and Prozac are among my favorite things..."

Most musicals are banal, but Next to Normal, puts you in the family and you understand the emotional and practical problems of mental illness.

Next to Normal, also explores the hit and miss state of modern psychiatric medicine. The long dead infant appears as a teenager, who takes on a demon-like quality more like "the Exorcist" than a modern medical problem.

Despite a poor playbill, Next to Normal is not alternative condition, but another reason to see theatre in New York City.

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La Villita

1249 Avenue U

Brooklyn, NY

718 998 0222

If you want a cheap, but interesting family meal Avenue U is definitely the place to go. There are a half dozen Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants, but one Mexican Restaurant La Villita.

This small Formica table place has maybe a couple of dozen seats, but what it does have is good inexpensive food.

The Guacamole is a fresh yellow green and creamy (Guacamole turns brown almost immediately) and the Salsa fresca is a winner. Warning the regular salsa can be spicy.

I had the Mole Poblano, usually made with Turkey, but this time chicken fillets were used. Mole Poblano, a dark savory sauce is made with bitter chocolate, and should be easy to take down, but have an after burn. The sauce was thin, but tasty. A salad was included all for $ 11. The enchiladas and burritos were also good and approximately the same price

The waitress friendly and is constantly at attention. Avenue U has plenty of meters so parking is not usually a problem

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Triple Z

1410 Avenue U

718 382 4328

With Ducks and half pigs hanging in the window, there is no doubt that this is an authentic Chinese eating place.

There are lunch specials as cheap as $ 4 and the food is very fresh, as there is a major Chinese market next door. A la carte main courses run about $ 10

The green vegetables are done just so and the sauces have none of the gloppiness of a Junior High School cafeteria. You can even get your Chow Fun dry

The ambiance is definitely family style, expect to sit at a large round table with people you don't know.

BTW definitely go to the market next door, the Chinese love their greens and always have at least a dozen varieties available. Don't worry if you don't speak perfect Mandarin, the store's help always answer every question with "very good, very fresh".

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