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Coney Island Has a New Lighthouse: It’s a Beach Bar

Posted in Food & Drink, Redevelopment, tagged Boardwalk, Coney Island, Place to Beach, PTB Bar, Zamperla on August 29, 2012| 1 Comment »

Lighthouse at Place To Beach Bar, Coney Island. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

The Coney Island Lighthouse in the gated community of Sea Gate on the Island’s west end isn’t open to the public, but a cute new mini-lighthouse has popped up on the Boardwalk. It’s the beacon atop Zamperla’s PTB bar currently under construction on the Boardwalk at Stillwell Avenue. According to the inscription on the weathervane, “Every Wind Leads to PTB Bar.” Word on the street is that PTB – short for Place to Beach— will serve Tex-Mex food and open next year instead of sometime in the next few weeks. Will it be ready in time to ring in the New Year with the Polar Bear Swim? Who will be the lighthouse keeper?

Located on the former site of Steve’s Grill House and Beer Island, the new addition to Coney’s skyline is adjacent to Scream Zone’s Skycoaster and Go Karts. As we wrote in “Opening Soon? Zipline, Tom’s Coney Island, Place to Beach Bar” (ATZ, August 15, 2012), three Coney Island businesses originally scheduled to open this summer were hoping to get in what’s left of the season. The long-awaited Zipline is completed but still not open due to permitting issues. Tom’s and PTB are still “under construction.” After Labor Day, most of the amusement rides remain open weekends through the end of October. Nathan’s on Surf Avenue, the New York Aquarium and Coney Island Beach Shop are open daily year-round. Among the new or refurbished stores on the Boardwalk, Tom’s Coney Island, Ruby’s Bar and Brooklyn Beach Shop expect to stay open nine months of the year for now, ATZ has learned from the owners.

PTB Lighthouse Joins the Parachute Jump and Skycoaster on the Coney Island Skyline. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Photo Album: Magic Gyro & Coney Island Gourmet Food

Posted in Food, Food & Drink, tagged Coney Island, falafel, gyro, Magic Gyro, Stillwell Terminal, vegetarian on August 22, 2012| 1 Comment »

Magic Gyro at Coney Island Gourmet Food. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Since Coney Island Gourmet Food opened in Stillwell Terminal in November, its Turkish-American owners have kept it stocked with a variety of imported chocolate bars, cookies and bulk nuts, as well as freshly baked bread, teas and grocery items. It struck us as a convenient place to stop by on the way home from work rather than on the way to the beach. A “Magic Gyro” sign on the Stillwell Avenue facade and a corner kitchen were a promise of home-made take-out food to come. The kitchen finally opened for business a few weeks ago and ATZ was delighted to find some vegetarian options, which are scarce in Coney Island’s amusement area.

Magic Gyro at Coney Island Gourmet Food. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

In addition to chicken and veal sandwiches and entrees served with rice and salad, the menu offers falafel, hummus, babganoush, haydari (yogurt flavored with garlic, herbs and olive oil) and stuffed vine leaves. The food is very reasonably priced. A salad with pita bread is $2.99-$4.99, red lentil balls are 2 for $1.00, and spinach pie is $2.99. Last season, Coney Cones on the Boardwalk had panini but has taken it off their menu to focus on sweets and we miss it. We were happy to find the item available here for $3.49.

Magic Gyro at Coney Island Gourmet Food. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Did we mention that Coney Island Gourmet has the coldest air-conditioning in all of Coney Island? When we stopped by on one of those killer days in August, the cashier was wearing a polar fleece jacket. The cold drinks in the cooler are dazzling to look at and ice cold.

Cold drinks at Coney Island Gourmet Food. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

For dessert, try something different: Zefir, a traditional Russian marshmallow-like treat. Manager Umut Ozalp tells ATZ that the shop also has outposts at Brighton Beach, Kings Highway and 86th Street.

Coney Island Gourmet Foods, 2943 Stillwell Avenue (inside Stillwell Terminal), Brooklyn. 718-373-8400.

UPDATE April 5, 2013

Magic Gyro is closed. They have yet to rebuild and re-open after flood damage from Superstorm Sandy in October.

Zefir at Coney Island Gourmet Food. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Opening Soon? Zipline, Tom’s Coney Island, Place to Beach Bar

Posted in amusement park, Food & Drink, Redevelopment, tagged Coney Island, new bar, New Restaurant, Place to Beach, Tom's Restaurant, Under construction, zipline on August 14, 2012| 12 Comments »

Tom’s Coney Island. August 14, 2012. Photo © Coney Island History Project

Summer’s almost over, but three Coney Island businesses still under construction– Tom’s Restaurant, Place to Beach Bar and the Zipline– are hoping to open soon and get in what’s left of the season. On Monday, Tom’s new blue-and-white sign and awnings went up on the facade. It’s official — the Boardwalk outpost of the Prospect Heights eatery will be called “Tom’s Coney Island.”

After Labor Day, Coney Island’s amusement parks are open weekends through the end of October. A few attractions and stores in the amusement area such as the New York Aquarium, Nathan’s on Surf Avenue and Coney Island Beach Shop are open daily year-round, but it remains to be seen how many of the new or rehabbed businesses will follow suit. When completed, Tom’s initially expects to remain open at least nine months of the year. One of the Coney Island Development Corporation’s goals is to develop year-round businesses to make Coney Island into “a year-round, world-class recreational oceanfront destination.”

If you’re one of the adventurous souls who bought advance tix in June or July for the Coney Island Zipline, it’s been hurry up and wait some more. Last week, the crew was trained and the ride was tested, but the long-awaited zipline did not open over the weekend as expected. Coney Island Zipline manager James Wilcox told ATZ the zipline had been inspected and tested a thousand times, but the opening would be delayed till this week. Official sources tell ATZ that additional paperwork needs to be filed and the Zipline might open on Thursday or Friday.

Meanwhile, construction continued on the scaffolding platform as shown in the above photo. The BK Festival’s merchandise vendors have been put out of business by the ongoing work, but will be allowed to return to their tents once the adjacent zipline is open and the lot is no longer a construction site.

On the Boardwalk at Stillwell Avenue, construction continues on Tom’s Coney Island and Zamperla’s Place To Beach Bar. Both were announced to open this summer but construction has been slow and their debut has been pushed back till the end of August or early September. Throughout the summer, Tom’s has been selling hot dogs, shrimp salad sandwiches and other beach food from a tent set up in front of the store. Once the place opens, we’re looking forward to sampling their signature pancakes and crab cakes.

Back in early July, ATZ wrote that by the looks of the gut rehab underway, it wouldn’t be ready till late July, if then. The former location of Nathan’s and Cha Cha’s Club Atlantis (as well as the original Club Atlantis) required by far the most work and investment of any of the rehabbed Boardwalk stores. Due to structural issues, the place had to be completely gutted and rebuilt, including the roof and some of the brickwork. Windows were installed in the west wall. A new roof deck for alfresco dining will have spectacular views of the beach and boardwalk.

Across the street, Zamperla’s PTB —Place to Beach — Bar is under construction next to Scream Zone’s Skycoaster and Go Karts. It’s the former site of Steve’s Grill House and Beer Island. When we passed by on Saturday, the roof appeared to be sprouting the beginnings of a lighthouse!

UPDATE September 12, 2012

Wow, will the long delayed Coney Island Zipline open this weekend?!?! Right now people are zipping across in test runs #BetterLateThanNever
— Amusing the Zillion (@AmusingZillion) September 12, 2012