Bring the Funny to the Grind

Are there funny people in NW Queens? The Grind thinks you'll find them from 9 to 11:30 on Thursday nights. No cover, 2 drink minimum--and they're claiming to have cocktails now.

If you're really masochistic--er, in the mood for homegrown entertainment, warm up with Open Mic night, starting at 7pm, also on Thursday night.

I totally, totally dare somebody to check this out. Best reader review wins a rice ball from the Cheesteak Factory and bragging rights. Send submissions to clairedeveronNOSPAM@gmail.com (make sure to delete the NOSPAM part).

Lemonade!

I just drank a delicious fresh squeezed lemonade from The Grind (Queens Boulevard & 39th Place, South Side). I watched her squeeze it myself. Real lemons, and you add the sugar yourself so I could get the perfect level of tartness. Delicious & refreshing after a walk through the neighborhood.

Also, I noticed that The Grind has ice cream sodas on offer. I have not had one yet, but this has been one of my pregnancy cravings. And since my boyfriend Mr. Softee no longer comes up my street at 9:15 pm, I've been despairing of having to rely on Baskin Robbins for my fix. I mean, the Foodtown can't manage to stock mint chocolate chip of ANY BRAND WHATSOEVER. I can't be the only person who has a problem with this.

I'll report back tomorrow after I have a float. I'm thinking Dr. Pepper with vanilla ice cream...

Failed by Dolce Vita

This post was originally published a year ago, under the title "Dolce Vita Has Begun To Fight, Let Us Not Fail Them!"

Dolce Vita has undergone a radical transformation, and are no longer endorsed by this blog.

Men, and women I suppose, it is time to stand for what is right in Queens. It is time to stand and fight. Fight like dogs. Fight like cats. To fight like folks in search of a nice place to have a good cup of coffee and a crisp Italian cookie.

Allow me to tell you of Dolce Vita, a place where the battle is being fought. They are winning the war against corporate invasions. They are fighting the battles of grimy bathrooms and stale pastries. And, they are winning.

There's room to sit while you strategize your next move against the enemy - in these lovely, plush red settees.

Plot all you will, while nourished by some of the finest looking pastries and custom made cakes this side of Madison Ave. (Nita's is a close second on those cakes, she wins hands down on her donuts and coffee rings. But, we won't bring the Romanians into this - except to say that, have you noticed how much that one girl looks like Kirsten Dunst? I mean, in an Eastern European, I've been working since 4AM kind of way. But, still...)

Starbucks might burn one day. Soon. If all goes well.

These Fresh Pastries alone might kill other less satisfying pastries in the nabe, leaving us with little to do but pick up the bloody crumbs off of the floor of Aubergine and The Grind.

Oh, and the prices! Fantastic! $3 for a cappucino and free biscotti - Claire and I were given Pistachio with chocolate.

And the pastry chef sat with us while she made a birthday cake that was really quite amazing.

Mission Accomplished!

How To Run a Business Into The Grind

Remember when we wanted Starbuck's on Queens Boulevard to burn? I sure do. Remember too, when our first Mom-and-Pop coffee shop opened? It was called The Grind. Those were good times. We had a place to go to and a place to point a finger at.

Not so much anymore. We can still point at Starbuck's all we want and say that, even if hipster gentrification seems a ways off - corporate gentrification is at our door. But, Mom and Pop are letting us down as well.

The Grind is coming to a screeching, filthy, understocked halt. And, slowly, to boot.

Several recent visits have shown the place to be heading down the tubes - with slow service, dirty tables, no napkins, no coffee stirrers, no smiles, loud music, no change and no fresh pastry. Don't get me wrong - I like a place with some personality, and I'll still stop off at The Grind and suffer through to get the occasional coffee, but dang, man, if you're going to run a business that sells coffee, do it well and do it quick.

I give the place three months tops.