Seen & Heard: Wider Checkout Lanes at Best Market

••• On Facebook, Gerald reminded me that he had heard that Best Market might not be around past year’s end, so I reached out to a contact there, who said not to worry. “Don’t believe the rumors. We are not closing the store. Doing some mods in store: Widened our checkout lanes (now wide enough for a stroller!), introducing a new line of fresh made sandwiches, salads and baked goods. Just the start. More coming in the new year!” The widening of the checkout lanes is very good news indeed.

••• “Law & Order: SVU” will be back in its usual spot in southeast Tribeca tomorrow.

••• And now, a bunch of reports from AboCa…. This Thursday and Friday, Houseman is serving brunch instead of lunch (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) “They can still get the hamburger, the steak, the soup and the bahn mi,” says chef/owner Ned Baldwin. “But additionally they can have a waffle or a shirred egg with mattock mushrooms. And if they ask nicely I’ll even cook them our new chicken which tastes suspiciously like Indian butter chicken but a little different, too.”

••• The former Sacco & Vanzetti space at Greenwich and Spring will definitely be a deli, as rumored.

••• But nothing is moving in yet to the former Happy Mailman space on the same block of Greenwich—the owner is just doing some maintenance work.

••• Stylish pet-supply shop Max-Bone has opened on Crosby just below Grand.

••• Soon joining it next door: Dinosaur Designs. From its Facebook page: “Artist, Designers, Creative Director’s Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy have been creating for Dinosaur Designs for over 30 years. Resin, Sterling silver, Brass, Wood and Ceramic. Handmade Objects, Homeware, Jewellery.” Seems to be Australian.

••• And on Lafayette just above Canal, there’s a new café, Prologue Coffee Room.

 

2 Comments

  1. If it’s the same place I’m thinking about, Dinosaur Designs used to be in Nolita and, yes, it is Australian. I have a purple resin vase I bought there at least 10 years that still looks great.

  2. I’m all for more cafés, but why do so many take on that sort of rough-hewn unfinished design? Looks so uncomfortable, functional, and unwelcoming. Those “chairs” in particular look like the main motivation was to achieve maximum turn-over. No lingering and people-watching then!

    I hope the coffee is good, at least.

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