 The Farmers Diner folks will be in tour Sunday to provide information on the new restaurant slotted for PLG. They'll be manning a table at 77 Midwood from noon to 5 pm to talk with locals about the restaurant and opportunities for investing in it. If you'd like to learn more about it, be sure to come by, even if you can't make it to the house tour. The Farmers Diner is a Vermont-based duo who focus on using locally grown, quality ingredients. They buy directly from local and regional farmers and emphasize organically grown edibles where possible. The Diner is currently reviewing a lease for the former spot of Mike's International (552 Flatbush Ave.), on Flatbush just south of Lincoln. If all goes according the plan, they hope to open in the fall this year.
 It's been over a year since we heard that the old City Jerk spot (at 591 Flatbush) was being converted to a new restaurant/bar, Cafe Exhale, but it looks like the place is finally about to open. The renovation looks much more high-end than what you typically see in the neighborhood, with granite floors, a wood bar and paneling, so hopefully it'll be nice. Workers say the place will serve upscale American food. We'll let you know what that means when we find out.
 The internet is a-flutter with news of the new Gino's sit-down restaurant opening. While we share the excitement of having a new offering in town, our response is more measured than others'.
Charles and I ate at the new Gino's over the weekend. Gino served us himself and was very friendly and welcoming. The food was tasty. We had the gnocchi ala vodka, the tilapia francese, and chicken with green salad. On the downside, we tried to order broccoli or broccoli rabe, Gino said he could do that but pretty much ignored the request and gave us the three things that he recommended we have, even after I said I wasn't big on gnocchi. (A commenter on Brownstoner reported eating virtually the same thing). We asked for water, and he brought us plastic bottles, which is kind of odd for a sit-down place where the dishes averaged $14. They had no child's seat, so we had to strap our toddler into his stroller. Hopefully these quibbles can be chalked up to the fact that the restaurant wasn't officially opened yet and the hitches will be worked out. The fact that the restaurant wasn't officially open wasn't clear to us when we ate there, though. The doors were wide open and we were ushered inside.
The new sit-down restaurant owned by Gino's will be opening this Thursday. As we wrote earlier, the restaurant will be right next door to Gino's takeout pizzeria, at 548 Flatbush (just south of Lincoln). It'll be nice to have another option in the nabe. Let us know what you think after it opens.
 Great news, folks: it looks like the Farmers Diner is indeed headed our way. The owners of the Vermont-based eatery have been in talks with the landlords of 552 Flatbush about leasing the old Mike's space. The two sides have ironed out a deal and the Diner is tentatively scheduled to sign a lease in June, with the expectation of opening September 2010. True to its locovore ethos, the Farmers Diner owner are looking to local residents to invest in the restaurant. They not only want the food they sell to be grown locally, they want as many stakeholders as possible from the neighborhood -- a brilliant idea, IMHO, and one bound to increase the odds of success. The current plan is for the restaurant to be open 24/7, have a separate take-out station with prepared meals (a la Whole Foods), and a full bar. Prices for dinner entrees are expected to run from $9 to $12. All of this is tentative, of course, but we'll let you know more as plans get farther along. UPDATE 4/13/10: If any locals are seriously interested in investing, email me at brooklynite282 at gmail.com and I'll put you in touch with the Farmers Diner folks.
 After a few orders, I'm ready to give a formal thumbs up to Gandhi, the new Indian restaurant on Bedford Avenue (between Parkside and Clarkson).
Over the course of three orders I've had the mulligatawny, vegetable samosa, chana saag, motor paneer, shrimp tandoori, chicken dumapakht and garlic nan. While the naan is only so-so, and I haven't had the opportunity to order anything really spicy because of my mild-spice-preferred dining companions, I've been very happy with everything.
The tandoori shrimp comes on a bed of spinach (not exactly saag, though I can't describe it any better than that), which is nice. The bread covering on the "dumapakht" was actually tastier than the nan, so that may be something to think about for bread options. The chana saag is very good as well.
I can't say I've made a decision about which of our local Indian joints is better but I can say I'm glad we have another good option.
King of Tandoor is about to get some competition. A flyer (a lot of flyers, actually...) showed up on my doorstep yesterday from Gandhi, a new Indian restaurant that opens tomorrow (March 10). Gandhi will be at 2032 Bedford Avenue, between Parkside and Clarkson. Gandhi is operated by the same people responsible for Joy in Prospect Heights. I am a big fan of Joy and am glad to have them in the neighborhood. Gandhi will have the same menu as Joy but the prices in PLG will be a bit lower. The website isn't up yet but should be soon. Gandhi will be open from noon to 10PM (10:30 on Friday and Saturday) and, of course, will have delivery (718-282-7012 / -7016).
 I am always hoping for more restaurant options in our neighborhood so I was pleasantly surprised last week when a menu showed up in our mailbox listing Middle Eastern goodies. I was a little surprised, since I thought I - or someone - would have noticed a restaurant under construction until I realized that it was KA Deli (on the NW corner of Flatbush and Clarkson) that had added baba hummus to the usual egg sandwiches and cold cuts.
A neighbor got there first and recommended the char and marinade on the chicken kebabs, though he suggested getting a platter since the sandwich was a bit sloppy. On Saturday night we had some friends over for dinner and went by to pick up an assortment so that we could see for ourselves.
The menu doesn't have any prices, which is a little disorienting, but I can tell you this: two chicken kebabs over rice with salad, two kofte kebabs (ground lamb and beef) over rice with salad, babaganoush, tabouleh, and a half-dozen stuffed grape leaves cost $25 and easily fed four adults (three thin, one fat) and what little amounts the three toddlers were willing to try.
In general, we were all pleased. The kebabs were very good, particularly the kofte. The baba ganoush and tabouleh were both great (though Carrie thought the baba had a little too much acid). The rice was a bit bland but well cooked. It may be a better option for lunch/early dinner until they get a sense of how popular this is because they've been out of hummus both times we've tried to go.
Short answer: a welcome addition to the neighborhood and I look forward to going back to try the falafel.
 Gino's, the pizza joint at 548 Flatbush Ave ( bet. Lincoln and Beekman), has expanded into the space next door. The takeout pizza place has been moved into the new space; the old place has been gutted and will be turned into a sit-down Italian eatery. Good news, no? For the pizza side, Gino's has bought a new brick oven. Charles and I tried it over the weekend and thought it was good. The crust was great, if you're a thin-crust type (which I am). I also liked that the slice wasn't greasy, which meant it didn't have a load of cheese; I'm more of a sauce person, myself. That said, we both still favor Family Pizza on Flatbush, just north of Parkside, largely for the sauce. Family doesn't deliver, though, and Gino's does. We're not sure when Gino's full restaurant will be open; rumor has it that they're looking for a chef. (If you know anyone who'd fit the bill, have them stop by.) We'll let you know when we know more.
 Good news: the word on the street is that things are looking very good for getting a Farmers Diner in PLG. The owners of the Vermont-based restaurant are scouting out commercial properties in the neighborhood. Nothing is official, but things look good enough that we will not hesitate to start patting ourselves on the back. Whatever happens, we should remember to never underestimate the power of collaborative begging. One of the commercial spaces under consideration is the site formerly known as Mike's International. The space is large enough to make an ample diner but, at $7,000 per month, isn't exactly a bargain. Personally, I'm no fan of the space; the tiny windows covered with bars give it a jail-like feel.  If I were the Farmers Diner owners, I would contact Jim Mamary and get a name from him for an interior designer. Though the food quality at Mamary's restaurants has varied radically, his places always looked good -- unpretentious, homey, comfortable, yet clearly constructed on a budget. Say what you will of Fly Fish -- the kitchen's ability to screw up mac & cheese was legion -- but the place looked great.
(Photos: Paulo C)
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