Happy Easter Rabbit…hooray!

Return to regular blogging starts this week.

Full Bottles to Light Pours: A Spot for Wine Lovers

Barrique takes its name from a type of barrel used in winemaking; bottles, barrels and wooden wine crates make up much of the décor. A beamed ceiling and lots of brick give the place a cozy, rustic ambiance. Tables are bare wood; napkins look like French dish towels.

Barrique is owned by the Babylon Restaurant Group, which also runs the Argyle Grill and Tavern, a lively 10-year-old spot across the street. Barrique is just as lively and noisy, but it has something its older sibling lacks: the cooking of Pierre Rougey.

Mr. Rougey, the executive chef, had been the chef and co-owner of Emerson’s, the cafe that occupied these premises before Barrique. His menu is designed for sampling; every table is set with stacks of plates for sharing.

It’s a pretty positive review, although with more typos than you’d expect in the paper of record. I’ve heard good things about the place, but I’m not much of a wine lover and Debra doesn’t drink at all, so one of the main appeals is pretty much lost on us. We actually haven’t been out to dinner since Aurora was born, so there’s not much chance of us showing up there anyway.

By way, I noticed on their web page that Barrique also has a blog. I’m always interested in Babylon Village blogging, so I clicked right over. Sadly, all they seem to have there are reviews of the restaurant.

[NY Times] Vegan Fare

One source for vegan sweets on Long Island is Moo-Cluck, a largely wholesale bakery in Babylon that sells to retail customers as well.

Moo-Cluck’s baker, Micheline Cummings, 36, had been running a nonvegan custom bake shop, Madame Butterfly Cakes, with her partner, Terry Haughey. But both are vegans, so, Ms. Cummings said, “I started developing the vegan recipes just for me.”

But soon, others were asking for her egg- and dairy-free items, like “un-cheesecake,” chocolate cake and cupcakes. So Moo-Cluck was born in 2005. Relatives of Ms. Cummings who viewed veganism with a certain suspicion initially resisted her desserts, she said. But times change: She and Mr. Haughey took a box of several dozen Moo-Cluck cookies to a family Christmas party of 30 people last year, intending it for a vegan relative.

The vegan arrived too late to enjoy the gift. Half an hour after Ms. Cummings brought them into the house, the cookies were gone, she said. “All the nonvegans ate them.”

A Little Alfredo With That Listing?

A mention of Winkler Real Estate

In the interest of keeping his clients happy, after a ranch house he listed was inspected, Ed Schmid, an agent with Winkler Real Estate in West Islip, climbed a tree and cut off a limb that was hanging over the house. He put a fresh seal coat on the driveway, after asking the homeowner to buy the supplies. He often shovels snow for his clients.

“Instead of telling somebody to hire someone,” Mr. Schmid said, “I take care of it for them. It keeps them loyal to me.”

And one for Century 21 American Homes in Babylon Village.

Mary Adams, a managing partner at Century 21 American Homes in Babylon Village, said her agents had been doing garage sales at no cost to clients; getting furnaces fixed; mowing lawns; or picking up the cost of a lawn-care service.

While parents shop for real estate, one agent serves as a baby sitter and another shows homes. Once a home sells, agents take elderly homeowners shopping for boxes and moving supplies and help them pack.

“There is the psychological end of all of this, pretty much holding their hand through everything,” Ms. Adams said. “Years ago, it was more about the real estate, about, ‘Here are the homes, choose one.’ ”

As God as my witness, I thought that turkeys could fly.

From Newsday:
[Cops: Ex-worker starts fire inside Babylon Carriage House]

He entered the restaurant through a rear door and, once inside, smashed office equipment and electronics and placed “combustible items” on top of lit stove burners, starting a fire, police said.

…

When firefighters and Suffolk County police officers arrived Hopkins, 20, of 614 Morrison St., Babylon, was still inside the restaurant – where he was promptly arrested and charged with third-degree burglary, second-degree criminal mischief and second-degree attempted arson.

Come on Eli, give us the W. As for me, I think I’ll need a Xanax to properly enjoy the game today.

From Property Shark – Suffolk County foreclosures up 103% from Q3 2008

There were 454 new foreclosures in Suffolk County in Q3 2009, up 103% from Q3 2008, but down 8% from Q2 2009.

…

Brookhaven (148) and Islip (126) had the highest number of new foreclosures in Q3 2009. Babylon had the highest rate of foreclosures per household (one in every 596 homes scheduled for auction).

People have been calling the bottom, but I don’t think we’re there yet. I’ll be buying a house anyway.

Uh oh.

The Senate might pass its version as early as Wednesday, and aides to Congressional leaders say the House could accept it this week, sending the bill to President Obama to sign into law. After weeks of partisan delay in the Senate, Democrats are eager to show progress before Friday, when the October jobless report is again expected to show high unemployment.

The homebuyers’ credit — enacted last year, expanded this year and scheduled to expire Nov. 30 — would be extended to cover homes under contract by April 30. Also, it no longer would be limited to first-time buyers; people who have owned a home for at least five years could get a $6,500 credit on a new residence. Income limits for eligibility would be raised, making many more people qualify.

Not a tremendous shock here. I spoke with a bunch of people during the late summer and they all were pretty convinced that the credit would be extended.

There have been a lot of people rushing around the last few weeks trying to close before November 30 and get their eight grand from Uncle Sugar. This should calm people down a bit and maybe let people move their closing dates into December to lighten the load on mortgage people.

I know a couple people who already scheduled their closings for November 30. That day was going to be all kinds of crazy. I bet it’s still going to be crazy, just less so.