By COLlive reporter
When Danny Branover spoke to COLlive.com about his new cafe in Crown Heights, he was more enthusiastic to elaborate about the void it will fill than what it will feature.
Branover’s latest entrepreneurship is Basil, described as a Pizza and Wine Bar, to be opened at 270 Kingston Avenue corner of Lincoln Place, in Brooklyn, NY (formerly Caribbean Kitchen).
This will be the third Jewish establishment ‘on the other side of Eastern Parkway,’ after Ahavas Chesed Center and Hachnosas Orchim guest building (yet to open).
It is slated to open under the OK Kosher supervision in “the coming weeks,” he told us.
Talking about the need for a dairy cafe in the Brooklyn area populated with Lubavitch chassidim, Branover says: “It is a busha (embarrassment) that the Rebbe’s shchuna, ‘kan tziva,’ does not have a nice place.
“Its a shame that everyone has to go out of the neighborhood for a decent restaurant experience, to meet friends or for business,” he says.
“It’s going to be a warm, classy place,” he promises, noting that the centerpiece of the restaurant will be a wood oven.
A professional culinary team assembled include the executive chef Moses Wendel, sous chef Adam SaNogueira and pastry chef Ehud Ezra.
The crew has recently exhibited their array of dishes at the 2010 Kosher Restaurant & Wine Experience at Manhattan’s Chelsea Piers.
“We are proud that they are all professionals from out there in the world, and are educated and have real experience,” he boasts.
Pastas, fish, and exotic desserts will be on the menu in addition to a variety of toppings for pizza, such as parmesan and white asparagus, wild mushroom or anchovy.
The menu will also feature a selection of artisinal cheeses, such as brie, tilsit and aged parmesan.
A simcha hall for small events will be available as well.
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Basil – Pizza and Wine Bar
270 Kingston Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11213
(718) 285-8777
www.basilny.com * Email: [email protected]
The first Jewish-Lubavitch establishment (still open) on the other side of Eastern Parkway is Kehot.
Hello!
finally value for your money
like bagel on troy
unlike all the other clip joints in the
area
when will it open?
classy means: excellent hygien, no RATS or MICE or anything such! A place where you can feel the broches you say on a food…coz it’ll have a good taste and a good look!
its a busha and a cherpa that people in the rebbes shuchna ,have nohing better to do then bash people (#1) i think that its better to have a classy restaurant in the rebbes shuchna , than to have people going online and talking bad about the rebbes shuchna !!!
hatzlacha rabba but I really did take offense at that “busha, embarrasment”. Not really in the spirit of chassidish.
But its nice, and its great to bring more people to that area, since alot of people have bought homes there.
hope the prices will be good and the amounts should be generous.
looking fwd to having a nice place to eat at in ch finally.
whenever i hear the word “basil” i am reminded of the famous hotelier and restauranteur basil fawlty i assume the service at the new basil wont be like the sevrice the old basil provided. dont mention the war
The Rebbe’s mother ived at the corner of Brookyn and S. John’s not Kingston.
Wishing you and you wonderful wife, Rivka Rochel much Hatzlocha in the Rebbe’s neighborhood!!!
May you benefit from it, and may it benefit from you!!
Rabs
GO UDI!!! #1 pastry chef!! 🙂
to hashem and to the rebbe may it bring a spirit of eidelkeit and sholom bayis to the community
& Reb elye Gross z’l Lived one Flight up & was the Hoiz Bocher for Rebetzen Chana, Along with his brothers & Sister.
Many times The Rebbe Would visit his mother there.
Mrs. Gross ‘a/h would cook for the Shang hi yeshiva bochrim & that build was considered their Kitchen;
Price it just high enough that the place is not overrun by Bais Rivkah High school girls – like Buncho bagels.
That’s an historic building. Rebbitin Chana lived upstairs in that building for a short time, prior to living at 1414 President Street, and the Rebbe used to come there every day to visit her.
whats wrong with all of you?! you make as if Lincoln pl is so scary… if you look back you’ll see that the muggings happen on
president, Carroll, crown and Montgomery streets! have you head of anything happening on the “other side” its part of ch and if anything its the nicer part of ch. crown heights north as its known is as beautiful as it is historic! open your minds and you’ll be able to enjoy the nicer living conditions on the other side. the houses are bigger, nicer and cheaper!!!
Basil is a breath of fresh air, All the best to Basil Team!! I’m looking forward to sitting along side the community for the opening! #30, are you ok?
To comment #30
Where to begin…..
You would rather your children not be surrounded by Jewish kids? A quiet environment? I’m not sure if you noticed, but the other side of Eastern Parkway is not exactly Gan Eden. Why live in CH altogether if you don’t want to be surrounded by us JEWS. I hear Harlem has some quiet spots….
Ridiculous
Thank you for opening a classy place here in ch. I know someone (first hand) who was discouraged by some shpits Chabad not to do business on that side of EP because it’s not kan tziva……. After the fellow wrote in to the rebbe about what he was told. The rebbe told him that its not so AND HE WANTS TO KNOW WHO SAID THAT TO HIM… Mr. Baranever, thank you so much. And thank you for taking the ok a no nonsense hechsher and I wish you much success.
now all our problems are solved…
there will be no more war, no more tznuis issues etc etc. now that we finaly took away the final “busha” of the comunity.
i guess now we all could grow our beards, and put on kapotes.
we finaly figured out what this comunity was missing.
thank you mr branover for saving the comunity
Hey, I am all for this nice restaurant but I agree with #1 Him (the owner of this new place) saying that its a busha not to have a fancy milchig establishment in the Rebbes shchunah is a bit overdoing it… I can find a lot of bigger Bushas in CH. Especially he isnt even having the hasgocha of the CH community the Rebbes schunas, (not that I care… I will still eat there).
When Lubavitchers have the GUTS and are not afraid of the area, to open businesses on Lincoln Place, it’s KOL HAKOVOD, and may many more restaurants crop up….. Let this be the AVENUE J of Crown Heights!!!!!!!!!
I personally live on that side of Eastern Parkway and chose to live there since i don’t like living around so many Jewish people… i like my peace and quiet. Now that Branover is opening a restaurant right near my house, I’m sure, the amount of Jewish traffic that it will cause is going to put an end to my chosen lifestyle. Do you know what I mean I send my kids to the Yeshivos and i feel that after that its best to keep them in a quiet environment, no classmates, no other Jewish people etc. Just venting a… Read more »
finally! so tired of running to other neighborhoods. let them come to us!!!
While I’m excited for a new restaurant, I think there are many things in Crown Heights we should have bigger “Busha” over rather the lack of a “classy” milchig restaurant.
Danny & Co. Wishing you lots of hatzlocho in this new and very exciting venture.. Make us proud..
Great and nice to see that kan tziva is growing in so many ways.
So many times I have wanted to meet clients & important contacts for lunch & I have been ashamed to take them to the filthy places here in CH. Unfortunately, when they want to see my operation in CH I have had no choice.
THANK YOU! Now maybe I won’t be embarrassed from the rudeness & inefficiency of our local establishments, not to mention the lousy service & food!
I am looking forward to it, great work, Donny.
And to the #1,8, 10 & all those who “care”: Ever thought about another point? It’s in the Rebbe’s Shchuna, but you won’t even realize or care that it doesn’t have the Rebbe’s Hechsher!!!
The beauty of it all is not the restaurant concept, its the fact that it allows for the “Shechunah” to expand. Anash have been reluctant to see the “other side” of Eastern Parkway as part of our neighborhood. By starting businesses you expanding the area to a place were people can feel safe and start purchasing homes well beyond Lincoln or St Johns.
Good Job Danny!
I hear the culmination of culinary exodus from CH, but the real issue is is this only for farbeissin?
Is this place going to be big enough for all the enthusiastics?
Anyway, an eatery always needs an extra brocha above and beyond the opening of a small business. May it be a big business (where the statistics of success are much higher.)
Next year BRHS production will have some where close to buy our fooooood!
Hope it will be a chassidish place.
I was very disappointed that the boulevard cafe failed, I hope you run it better then they did (IE don’t run out of things on your menu all the time), keep the prices reasonable and the food tasty, and have lots of luck, I can’t wait, it would be nice if we can have people from other neighborhoods coming here to dine,.
i really cant wait to be in this place!
first gombos, now basil. the hood has a future
two thoughts: one is to provide some online service in your restaurant for those who are coming to work, have a tea in a classy environment. two is to keep in mind singles are a large majority of your daily business and to keep us coming offer delicious food at reasonable price 🙂
I AM WAITING FOR THIS FOR A LONG LONG TIME. FINALY A PLACE WERE I CAN DINE WITHOUT LEAVING THE SHCHUNA. TO ALL THE NEGATIVE COMMENTS. GET A JOB OR START A BUSINESS ALL NEGATIVITY COMES FROM LEDIK GEHERS….
What a wonderful addition to the Crown Heights experience. Thank you so much
there has also opened up a remarkable new bakery on the corner of Kingston and President. beautiful
l to see this in our community
dudes you did not understand the subtleties of 1’s comments
its obvious that its ok to have class in ch , and therefore obvious that it wasnt in reference to that
so take a hint , and stop waving” red herrings ”
(if its straining to decipher the analogy you can probaly google it)
Hatzlacha Raba, Danny! We know you only want the best for CH.
very well said,you took the words out of my mouth..
to # 8 the point is not the restaurant the point is it has nothing to do with the rebbe or “kan tziva”….
Used to Be a Restaurant there Back in the 40’s
Hope it doesnt turn out to be a bar for the yuppies living across the parkway.
you are absolutely correct every place in ch has to be a dump so ‘chas vesholom’ we should not succumb to our ‘taivas’ and enjoy ourselves when we go out to eat
cant wait! I’ll be the first customer!
What happened to Boulevard Cafe on Empire accross from Empire Kosher?
I could think of a lot worse businesses operating on the corner of Kingston and Lincoln Place! I surely hope the worst thing for the Chassidishkeit in CH is a classy restaurant!!
its about time!! im happy that crown heights will finally have a classy place.
Keep the place clean and don’t run out of what your menu will offer and we’ll come back for more and more and more……
Hatzlacha raba to the business.
it ok or Chof kay on the signs where the chefs are standing it says chof kay
we were waiting for such a thing for a long long time!
“It is a busha (embarrassment) that the Rebbe’s shchuna, ‘kan tziva,’ does not have a nice place [for a nice restaurant experience].”
It’s a busha that a Lubavitcher doesn’t realize the irony of that sentence.