"Brooklyn, your table is waiting!" bellows Borough President Marty Markowitz as Kings County gets ready to kick off its seventh annual restaurant-week-esque extravaganza on Monday. The event runs through March 25th, and while the prix fixe dinner is two dollars more than last year, a three-course dinner for $25 still isn't a bad deal. Lunch is $20.10. You can see a list of the more than 175 participating restaurants here, as long as a little PDF doesn't scare ya'. more ›

Despite approval from the local Community Board, the DOT has not moved forward with plans to install a two-way, parking-protected bike lane on the east side of Prospect Park West in Park Slope. The DOT had planned to begin work on the bike lane last September, and would have cut one lane of car traffic from the one-way, three lane road between Grand Army Plaza and 15th Street, moving a lane of parked cars off the curb, and installing a bike lane where the parked cars used to be. But it appears the plans were quietly put on the back burner because of opposition from Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. more ›

Hello, Brooklyn diners! Yesterday Borough President Marty Markowitz announced the sixth annual “Dine in Brooklyn” event [pdf], a ten day savings smorgasbord featuring deals at nearly 200 Brooklyn restaurants. Like the unflagging Winter Restaurant "Week" in Manhattan (which has turned into Restaurant Epoch), Dine in Brooklyn is all about the prix fixe. But here in Kings County the deals are better: $23 for a three-course dinner, as opposed to $35 in Manhattan. The deal starts March 23 and continues through April 2nd; participating restaurants include The Grocery in Carroll Gardens, The River Café in DUMBO, Bussaco in Park Slope, and Aurora in Williamsburg. Select restaurants will also be doing a $23 "brunch for two" deal, while others will being going insaaaane with $23 "dinner for two" deals. Peruse the full list of participating eateries here; they're all promising "quality food, no attitude on the side." In exchange, Markowitz yesterday reminded budget-conscious diners not to fuggedabout properly tipping their servers. more ›

Opposition to a proposed $64 million amphitheater in Asser Levy-Seaside Park in Coney Island is mounting, with a community group demanding a public review process. Despite the foundering economy, Borough President Marty Markowitz is still championing it, and a rendering of the design, seen here, was recently released by Grimshaw Architects. But Markowitz has failed to win over some disgruntled locals, who have formed a Save Seaside Park campaign and deemed the whole plan an "atrocity." One former Community Board member tells the Brooklyn Eagle, "What — $64 million for this? Why put a commercial venue in the midst of a residential community, bringing traffic jams? Our libraries and school programs are being cut. It will take away parkland and bring more noise. We don’t need this expensive plastic potato chip here!" Community Board 13 is expected weigh in on the project within the next two months. more ›

State senator Carl Kruger, an outspoken critic of Mayor Bloomberg’s plans for Coney Island, is now accusing the city of “extorting” $68,000 from the owner of Tatiana Restaurant and Nightclub, a popular Russian nightspot on the Brighton Beach boardwalk. Tatiana Varzar lost her restaurant in a massive fire in 2003 that authorities believe was caused by homeless people living under the boardwalk. more ›

The revelation that Bruce Ratner, would-be Atlantic Yards developer and Nets owner, has been secretly discussing selling the team to the owners of the New Jersey Devils, has put Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz’s athletic reputation on the line. Newark mayor Cory Booker, who would love the team to come to the Prudential Center in his town, has offered to settle the fight for the Nets with a simple, winner-takes-all game of hoops: Cory vs. Marty, one-on-one. more ›

Marty Markowitz: President of Mixed Messages? Every summer he tells fat people in Brooklyn to lose some weight already with his “Lighten Up Brooklyn” program, but in the spring he’s all, “You look great! Now eat at as many of these local restaurants as you can!” Last week the borough president (pictured) announced the impending arrival of Brooklyn’s version of Restaurant Week, called Dine in Brooklyn. This year it runs from March 24th to the 31st and features three course prix-fixe menus at over 200 restaurants in Kings County. more ›