Terrace Bagels Cafe to Move, But Not Far

While strolling through Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, I noticed that the lovely old diner, Terrace Bagel Cafe, is preparing to pack up and move away. But it won't go far. A sign in the diner window said it will set up shop just "next door." That seemed to indicate to space where Terrace Bagels, run by the same owner, is now. Since there's a for-rent sign in the window, I assumed the owners of the cafe obviously don't own the building. So I'm guessing the issue here is a rent hike, and the diner owners can now only afford one of the two spaces.

But my guess was wrong. Windsor Terrace Patch reports, "The reason for the miniature move? A manager at Windsor Cafe told Patch that while the bagel shop's owners are renting their current space at 224 Prospect Park West, they actually own the building formerly inhabited by the dry cleaners. Now that Swan is gone, Terrace Bagels Cafe can take over the building." So they're not moving next door. Just next next door.

The bagels here are prized. They are hand-rolled, and boiled-then-baked in the old fashioned manner. Some people think these are the best bagels in town. The prices are very good, and they serve breakfast all day.

Two Pizzerias on Fifth

For the Avenue that wears its age with grace and not a lot of show, I give the prize to Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn, from Boerum Hill on down through Park Slope to Windsor Terrace.

There are very old bars on this strip that do not get a lot of play in the papers—places like O'Connor's, Smith's, Jackie's Fifth Amendment and Smolen Bar & Grill. Likewise, you'll find a lot of retail stores and diners which are quietly marking their decades, such as Eagle Provisions.

Here are a couple of long-serving slice joints which sit a few blocks from each other: Luigi's (since 21st), which was founded in 1973; and Lenny's (near 17th), which dates back from the 1950s. You can see what Lenny looked like it you walk on to the back. There's an oil portrait of the man in a suit, complete with boutonniere.

Candy Soda Ice Cream

That's what we all want, right?

Well, that's what they wanted in Windsor Terrace back in the day, according to this recently revealed, wonderful old storefront, shown on Gowanus Lounge.

Life Stands Still at Farrell's

At some longstanding taverns in New York City, there is such an adherence to tradition and an abhorrence to changing anything physically about the place, that it can seem as if time has stood still. Except at Farrell's Bar & Grill in Windsor Terrace. At Farrell's, time has actually stood still.

A recent afternoon scene at the circa-1933 watering hole needed no airbrushing or updated to have taken place in 1966. Tough-talking Irishmen swore a blue streak. The stoic young bartender blinked at nothing he saw and spoke with a undiluted Brooklyn accent. There was a ballgame on the television, but no music whatsoever; no jukebox. A man gawked at a long-haired guy across the street and joked he couldn't tell if it was a guy or a girl. Patrons characterized people they knew by their ethnicity. And no women were on the premises.

Many old bars show their credentials by posting framed newspaper articles and old photographs on the walls. Farrell's is not interested in boasting, or, very likely, what anybody thinks about the bar. Its walls are all but bare. The few things that are on the wall are there only to remind patrons that Farrell's supports our troops overseas. The joint is remarkably streamlined. Tables, chairs, a bar, mirrors, a men's room, a women's room (for show), a wooden phone booth and no kitchen (never mind the "grill" part of the sign). There are stools at the bar, but I am told they are recent additions. In the past, real men—like Pete Hamill's father, who used to frequent the saloon—stood on their own two feet as they got hammered.

There is no fancy drinking here. Heineken is as exotic as it gets, beer-wise. In this vodka-made age, Farrell's carries only two brands. I find it difficult to believe cocktails are ordered here. Beer and straight liquor is the game.

There was some sentiment on evidence. One man marveled that they were actually going to tear down Yankee Stadium. "I'm not Yankees fan," he said, "But that's like tearing down the Vatican."