sheepshead bay.........

[MarkG]

is anything being done with the old Lundys location on emmons ave??

[dhs]

edit - I believe i was mistaken

[mike in brooklyn]

they did re-open a 'Lundys' - it was terrible - fish overcooked. They eventually
failed after 2-3 years - there was some controversy as the Rest. owner claimed
the building owner was 'stealing' from his gas meter.

[MarkG]

the new lundys opened in i think 1995 and got off to a good start in a lot of different ways but couldnt maintain the momentum.

[mike in brooklyn]

Hi Mark et al.
You must have had a VERY different experience with Lundys; redux than I did.
We went there twice and it was just horrible both times - overcooked and dry Salmon (and Salmon is a fish which will take to overcooking), rubbery and just
terribly overcooked shrimp and shellfish.

[Tay]

Unfortunately, I also had several similar bad experiences. Even went to their Sinday Brunch a couple of times. Very costly and not very good. Even our local Chinese Buffet place does a better job of preparing/cooking seafood.:-(

[MarkG]

the initial reviews and feedback in 1995-1996 were good. not sure at what point it went downhill

[Tay]

MarkG
"not sure at what point it went downhill"

For those of us who recall the Lundy's of our childhood, it probably stood little chance of making it past the honeymoon period. Once the nostalgia/novelty wore off, the losing combination of inept mgmt, poorly prepared seafood and high cost, made for a terminal trifecta. It's really a shame, but I don't think a place that size can survive in today's grim financial environment... At least not in that area.

[MarkG]

it was struggling well before the recession however due to the trifecta. i was turned off seeing salmon on the menu. that was never on the old lundys menu.

[Tay]

"i was turned off seeing salmon on the menu."
Well, considering oily fish has now been proven (At least this week) to be a healthy menu choice, I wouldn't think it to be a turn off. In all fairness the "old" menu reflected the tastes of the times AKA: Fried....Everything. :-)

[MarkG]

the original lundys menu wasnt fried everything. as for my reaction to the salmon, it is nowadays such a common and almost mundane fish to eat. so readily available for home consumption. there is an excellent book about the history of the original lundys: LUNDYS: REMINISCENCE AND RECIPES FROM BROOKLYN'S LEGENDARY RESTAURANT. by robert cornfield. published in 1998. available from out of print dealers online.

[Tay]

Thanks for the info. As a child I lived the experience but for those that didn't, i think it would be a great reading experience :-)

[NellyNel]

I can remember going to the old Lundy's once in the 1970's. I remember being absolutely facinated by the place...In the 1970's it still felt like you were stepping back in time to the 1940's or something.And then the space stood abandoned for years, and I can remember always trying to peer in to see the grand old original light fixtures covered in dust. Wow - it was kind of like peering into the Titanic or something...Very eerie but so cool.
So naturally I was thrilled when it re-opened, and I don't recall it being as bad as the above posters say it was. I had a few good meals and a few average meals there. The biscuits were always good! Perhaps just being in that historic space was what made the meals there worth it.

I moved out of the are, and hadn't realized it had closed again. I'm quite sad about it. Especially as it is going to be a store now :( - but it was inevitable I suppose.

Cheers

[Tay]

It's just too costly a chunk of real estate to make it as a restaurant. A Russian nightclub..... Perhaps, but otherwise, I think not.

[NellyNel]

I do understand but it's still saddens me...

[mike in brooklyn]

They have plans to turn it into a gourmet market - probably Turkish or Russian.

They have already got into trouble by violating their building permit and altering
the exterior - the building is Landmarked.

[David W]

http://gothamist.com/2009/03/05/historic_lundys_goes_from_cherrysto.php

Also, take a look at page 5 on the lower right hand corner:

http://www.brooklyn-usa.org/pdf/Sprin...