Monday, May 30, 2011

Better food at the beach

From the NY Times:

In his annual “opening Rockaway Beach” news conference Friday morning on the boardwalk, the city parks commissioner, Adrian Benepe, cautioned swimmers as he always does (“only when lifeguards are present” and “swim sober”) and lauded the city’s “14 miles of sand and water,” while announcing the opening of a mile of new boardwalk in sections between Beach 23d Street and Beach 81st Street.

And oh, yes, he said, as Brooklyn Based reported last week, there will be a robust menu of new specialty booths and carts organized by David Selig and Andrew Day Field, the owners of Rockaway Taco. But, the commissioner said, the vendors will open “subject to the successful completion of contract negotiations, and other required review and approvals.” Translation: there are still a few red-tape formalities to be dispensed with.

“We’re dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s now,” he said in a telephone interview.

The parks department has announced that it is trying to get better food vendors in the parks and the commissioner said the city “really wanted to get culinary diversity out to the beach.”

“We’ll have traditional burgers and hot dogs and fries,” he added, “but also a very exciting lineup of wider offerings.”


From the Daily News:

Residents and local officials are hoping the revamped concessions, along with other surfside events, will help lure more visitors to the area.

"This will add to the overall experience people have when they go to Rockaway and it is long overdue," said City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park). "I think it's a shame that when you go to Coney Island, you have wonderful attractions and restaurants and, when you come to Rockaway, you have parts of the boardwalk that are desolate."

Ulrich pointed out that a resurgence in the surfing community has helped spark interest in the once-thriving beach resort.


Here's a movie about Rockaway Taco for you to enjoy on this holiday.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

"...when you come to Rockaway, you have parts of the boardwalk that are desolate.""

Totally disagree. Having the beach, at least a decent section of it, to yourself w/out some flabby whale, or beer guzzling slob with a radio, is why Rockaway has it over all the others in the area.

Rockaway is a world-class beach, every bit the equal to So-Cal or Patong.

It don't need no stinkin' publicity addin' character.

Anonymous said...

Hipsters EVERYWHERE = Beergardens EVERYWHERE

There is no neighborhood that hipsters have not infiltrated except for the far reaches of Northeast Queens and South southeast Brooklyn. Those real Hardcore Italian Irish and Greek Neighborhoods.

"build a fort".

Anonymous said...

Thank god the trustafarians have moved into far rock (well of course taking the winters off to frolic in bali and wherever else their trust funds will take them). They work hard providing the important things, tacos. Thank god for them.

Anonymous said...

Hipsters in Rockaway.... RIP QUeens.

Beehives on a roof? What's next? Organic lettuce being grown on roofs in Flushing?

Plankers in Bayside? Kickball/wiffle ball in Flushing Meadows park?

Anonymous said...

Awesome, because all of the new restaurants in the Rockaway's are own and operated by people who live in Brooklyn. Mostly hipster's. Great food ,good for the Rockaway's.
It's been years, decade's that the Rockaway's had anything to cheer about.

Anonymous said...

Give these trustafarians a year or three, when they start getting robbed methodically by the scum that fill most of the area, they'll run screaming back to cali or wherever they came from.

In other news, lovely beach erosion over at Tilden. There basically is no beach at all once high tide rolls in. Gunna be hard to get people to keep coming to the beach when the beach is under water by 2pm.

Joe said...

"decade's that the Rockaway's had anything to cheer about"
-----------------------
I used to make Pizza at "Slice of Life" 2 summers back in the 70's.
It was NEVER reheated and only came in 2 types "regular and Sicilian" to insure a fresh pie at least every 15 minutes.
My uncle had a Pizza place on Dekalb and Knickbocker down the street from where we lived.
These these trustafarians making pizza with store bought dough in greased pans & wheat grass crack me up. You need hot brick or stone bottom ovens
They do have some good Taco's & kebab going on the DeKalb & Central "Triangle"

Anonymous said...

Yes, because when i think of tacos, i think of a pencil-thin bearded freak from Ohio.

Anonymous said...

Don't be angry that no one from Queens had the guts and desire to work hard to help re-start the Rockaways.
This food is great !
We can't tell what the future brings, but at least these young business oriented foodies are trying to do something no one else thought to do .
Hopefully it will all work out for those who visit and for those who live there.