Taste of Forest Avenue Restaurant Stroll and Street Festival is this Sunday - May 20th

Anyone who attended last years "Taste of Forest Avenue Restaurant Stroll and Street Festival" knows that the event is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. If you missed it, I strongly suggest that you get your tickets today rather than wait for the day of because check in for pre-sale Eventbrite ticket holders begins at 1 PM - giving you a full hour jump start on eating your way down Forest Avenue.  Click here for tickets.

The street festival is hosted by our friends at the Forest Avenue Business Improvement District in partnership with NYC Weekend Walks. It kicks off this Sunday, May 20th at 2PM and runs to 5 PM so make sure that you are on time to taste all the delectable treats these Staten Island restaurateurs have to offer.

The restaurant stroll runs along Forest Avenue from Hart Blvd to Broadway, Staten Island.  The street festival runs from Hart Blvd to Bard Avenue. 

One ticket buys you tastings from over 15 Forest Avenue restaurants. Entertainment for the day
will feature balloon twisters, face painters, magicians, arts and crafts, live music, performances and more! All entertainment will be free and open to the public.

Attendees can exchange their ticket for a sampler’s card at the following locations:

Near Verizon Communications: 355 Forest Ave Staten Island, New York 10301 OR Near McDonalds 803 Forest Ave, Staten Island, NY 10310.

Attendees who wish to purchase sampler’s cards on the day of the event can go to the following locations on May 20th: Café Milano 401 Forest Ave, Staten Island, NY 10310 OR North Shore True Value Hardware 647 Forest Ave, Staten Island, NY 10310.

Participating Restaurants:

Beans and Leaves
Burrito Bar
The Kettle Black
Ho’Brah
Panini Grill
Fab Cup
Mar Mar Restaurant
Mustard Seed
Bruno’s Bakery and Restaurant
Project Brunch
Liberty Tavern Grill
Jody’s Club
Philly Pretzel Factory
Casa Franco
Jean’s Fine Wines & Spirits
Pastosa (From 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM only)
Santino’s Gourmet
Cafe Milano

Free Entertainment:

Trackless Train
Face Painters
Balloon Sculptors
Magicians
Children’s Games
Family Photo Booth
Live Music
NYPD Rock Wall (Anticipated)
DJ Team

Restaurant tastings tickets can be purchased at http://forestavenuebid.com/taste-of-forest-ave/. Follow the event page on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1748185388561286/.

#downtownSI shop helps owners restore beloved treasures or purchase gently loved antiques

If you are someone, like me, who becomes emotionally attached to items left to us by family members or jewelry given to us as children, you have experienced the heartache when that beautiful antique watch stops working, or the Hummel figurine gets chipped or damaged. You love it, but it winds up being put to the back of the shelf or hidden away in a drawer only to be enjoyed if you accidentally stumble upon it while searching for something else. Well be heartbroken no more because there is a new shop on Bay Street that can lovingly restore those items so that you can enjoy them again.

Love your furniture again is an aptly named restoration and antique shop serving the #DowntownSI area. Owner Yana Azbel has hit the ball out of the park with this much needed resource for Staten Island.

Love your furniture again fixes broken and damaged figurines and porcelain, fixes antique jewelry and watches, rewires antique lamps, reupholsters and refurbishes furniture and so much more. Ms. Azbel is an estate specialist so she can even organize your estate sale.

For collectors of vintage items, walking into Love your furniture again is equivalent to a child walking into a toy store. There are so many exquisite items on display, you don't know where to look first. From paintings to tapestry, from figurines to fine china, from watches to cameos and furniture of every kind, Ms. Azbel and her team have tastefully arranged the shop so that customers can browse comfortably until they find that perfect, must have item.

Love your furniture again is not your average vintage shop, it is a destination for anyone who appreciates fine objects. The staff is knowledgeable and helpful and will happily tell you the story behind every item in the shop.  Perhaps more importantly, they can help you love the objects you already own but have not enjoyed due to damage, wear or because it no longer compliments a redecorated room in your home. 

Yana Azbel and her team 

Many of us face the dilemma of what to do with furniture that doesn't seem to fit into our new decorating scheme. The item is comfortable and familiar to us but perhaps the color isn't quite right or the upholstery clashes with the new colors we have chosen. Rather than purchase a new factory made item that might not be as sturdy or a custom made item that will take months to be delivered and lots of money to purchase, you could rework your loved item so it compliments your room without emptying your wallet.

That's where Ms. Azbel and her team at Love your furniture again come in. They can transform any item into a custom item that will fit perfectly into your decorating scheme. Not sure? Give her a call at (917) 525-6686 or visit her at 638 Bay Street and ask her for advice. She has a passion for her work and is happy to share her knowledge and expertise. 

Whether you have recently moved to #DowntownSI and are redoing an old Victorian in Tompkinsville or if you have recently purchased a new home in West Brighton or are renting an spacious old apartment in Rosebank, Love your furniture again can help you create a home environment that reflects your personality and makes your guests take notice. I highly recommend that you visit Ms. Azbel and her team regularly to peruse the regularly rotated inventory of treasures from around the world and around the corner.

Love your furniture again is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 11am - 8pm Saturday & Sunday 11am - 6pm.

Visit their FB page for more pictures and information.

Craft House Downtown Staten Island - Where Foodies go to be wowed

This week Biz Buzz is featuring a restaurant that feeds your body and your soul.

Craft House, located at 60 Van Duzer Street in Downtown Staten Island, was born when Rocco DiSpirito, host of Food Network's "Restaurant Divided", came to Staten Island to issue a his challenge. 

This neighborhood eatery was formerly known as "Against Da Grill" until it was literally split down the middle so that neighborhood customers could vote on which menu and ambience they preferred - the original menu and decor created by beloved owners Vinny and Kuron, or the new fare and decor created by DiSpirito and his crew.

The decision wasn't even close. Diners preferred the new look and menu provided by DiSpirito and hence, Craft House was established.

Today, Craft House is a neighborhood attraction for anyone who appreciates great "down home" barbeque and award winning craft beer brewed right on the premises.

With 69 varieties of beer and cider to choose from, in cans, bottles and on tap, you can rest assured that you can find a libation that will keep you coming back for more.  We like the Thirsty Dog Bourbon Barrel-Aged Siberian Night which is described in Craft House's Beer Menu as: "Dark chocolate malt yields a milk chocolate flavor that blends perfectly with the vanilla flavor from the barrel. The bourbon aroma adds the finishing touch.  

The food menu is just as magnificient, featuring the "chicken & waffles" dish that swayed the neighborhood guests who appeared on the television show to make "Against Da Grill" a thing of the past.

Prices for food items hover around $12 per item, with the most costly dish being $25 for a full pound of pulled pork.  Beer prices start at $4 and climb to $27 for a 64oz mug of Left Hand Bittersweet Imperial Coffee Milk Stout Nitro.

You can choose to eat inside the well appointed brick and wood trimmed dining room/bar or in warmer months you can be served in the outside yard on one of several wooden picnic tables.  No matter where you choose to sit, you will be served by friendly, well informed staff who can answer your questions about everything on the menu including the several dipping sauces contained in the clear plastic squeeze bottles set out on every table.  

So if you thought you could only find good barbeque on the back roads of South Carolina, think again.  Craft House is the place to go if your craving down home country cooking. Best of all, it's just a short walk away from the Tompkinsville stop on the Staten Island Railroad which is only one stop away from the St. George Ferry station.

Craft House opens Tuesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. onward. The restaurant can be reached at 718-442-3433.