A pair of auto accidents on the same block injured two pedestrians, and has called attention to the dangers of one busy intersection.

A man was struck by a taxi June 14 on West 70th and Amsterdam Avenue; about three hours later, another pedestrian was injured in a car crash on West 71st and Amsterdam Avenue, reported the Westside Independent, an Upper West Side news website.

The events were reminiscent of another accident Aug. 18, 2009, when a taxi heading up Amsterdam crashed into the south side of the West 72nd Street subway station, injuring three people.

After the August accident, West Side Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal wrote to the Department of Transportation, saying the incident “provided a chilling reminder of persistently dangerous traffic conditions in that area.”

The department should “examine current traffic condition… and devise solutions whether they be signage, speed bumps or new regulations,” Rosenthal wrote in a letter.

The department has since drafted a plan to address traffic issues in this area after Rosenthal and Margaret Forgione, Manhattan borough commissioner for the department, conducted a joint inspection of the site April 30. The department, however, has not yet released it. Improvements are expected to be implemented by winter 2011, but Rosenthal has asked the city to expedite the safety measures.

By Tom Steele

In a time not long gone by, other than the venerable Ocean Grill, you would have been hard pressed to find a really terrific and reasonably priced seafood restaurant on the Upper West Side. Somehow, this decidedly idiomatic area just didn’t lend itself to seafood-driven places. In 2007, restaurateur Danny Abrams and co-owner/executive chef Laurence Edelman decided to change that by opening a new edition of their East Village seafood shrine on a populous stretch of Amsterdam Avenue.

Mermaid Inn’s walls are hung with antique sea maps and portraits of various species of ocean fish.

The space is quite similar to that of the downtown Mermaid Inn, though of course the crowd—and I do mean crowd—is totally different. For one thing, there are a lot more regulars, partly because the Upper West Side remains the most good-restaurant-parched neighborhood in Manhattan, but also because Mermaid Inn has many continually intriguing dishes at relatively affordable prices. In gentle weather, there is a large al fresco area out in front, and a pair of large dining rooms inside, separated by the long kitchen. The room in back is preferable if you don’t want to dine in din—though as even that space fills it can get quite loud—but you don’t have to shout to hear one another. Dark wainscoting runs through the rooms, and it’s the only banquette-less restaurant I’ve been to in many weeks. The walls are hung with antique sea maps and portraits of various species of ocean fish. Wine bottles are lined up around the back room on a high shelf.

Service is studied and swift. Our server, Sarah, has a certain Nordic beauty and maintained considerable equanimity in the midst of a swelling and ravenous crowd. Chef Edelman’s executive chef is now Richard Krause, and we hit him on his opening night. There wasn’t a single false step in his cooking—no mean feat when dealing with a full seafood menu in a restaurant that regularly fills with over 90 people.

There are some very original house cocktails available. Ginger lemonade arrives in a huge red wine glass, and features Hangar One citron vodka, fresh lemon, sugar syrup and plenty of ginger. The Shanty blends mezcal, citrus and jalapeño pepper for a nice kick.

Among other less serious effects, the recent calamity in the Gulf of Mexico will drive up the price of oysters, perhaps considerably. So get ’em while you can. Start with a grand platter if you’re a group, or a baby grand if you’re a pair. There are bracingly saline clams, three trios of oysters and a generous heap of lobster knuckles, offered with drawn butter, homemade mayonnaise and that horseradishy “cocktail sauce” that seems designed for people who hate seafood, so completely does it drown out the delicate flavors of shellfish.

Curried oysters have no curry flavor whatsoever, but are topped with a cucumber puree and a delicious dollop of salmon roe, and parked on a bed of seaweed strands.

Chilled avocado-cucumber soup is a cooling puree, rather timidly flavored, but quite refreshing. The peppered, chopped shrimp rescue matters.

Lightly breaded fried calamari are perfectly cooked (a rare occurrence, truth be told) with subtle and tender results. Homemade mayonnaise and warm tomato sauce are on hand.

Sarah told us that perhaps the restaurant’s most popular entrée is the deeply luscious and highly generous lobster roll, which is served on a large buttered brioche bun with a mound of Old Bay-dusted fries. Certain other purveyors of this masterpiece of a sandwich use untenably chewy buns. The brioche lets you revel in the textures of the lightly mayonnaised lobster meat.

Pan-roasted cod arrives on a bed of truffled mashed potatoes, topped with crispy fried spinach, all surrounded by a lobster/tarragon cream sauce. The hunks of cod meat are unusually juicy and yielding.

We may be in something of a minority here, but we especially loved the fact that, instead of having to ponder 12 to 20 dessert choices, we were both presented with a small cup of perfectly delicious bittersweet chocolate pudding topped with a rosette of stiffly whipped cream. Like everything else about Mermaid Inn, this decision was just right.

What a marvelous way to bring in summer! 

—
The Mermaid Inn
568 Amsterdam Ave.
(betw. 87th and 88th streets)
212-799-7400
Entrées: $19 to $26

The men—a grandfather, his son-in-law and his grandson—were killed inside their apartment on 492 Amsterdam Ave. between West 83rd and 84th streets, according to police.

The victims were Fernando Gonzales, his son-in-law Carlos Rodriguez, Sr. and his son Carlos Jr., according to reports.

A photo of Carlos Rodriguez, Jr., was placed on a bouquet of flowers left in front of the apartment where he was shot.

A fourth body, the alleged shooter Hector Quinones, was also found dead, apparently from falling out of a third-floor apartment window in the five-story walk up building.

Police suspect that he tried to flee on the fire escape. His gun was found in the apartment.
The 82-year-old Gonzales was found dead in the bathroom. Rodriguez and his son were shot in the bedroom.

The 49-year-old mother of the slain son, in his twenties, walked in on the shooting at 1:45 p.m. She sustained a head injury—possibly from being grazed by a bullet or hit with the butt of the gun—and was taken to a nearby hospital.

Police have yet to discover a motive but are looking into possible drug connections.
The scene was taped off into the late afternoon as school children and customers in nearby businesses crowded the sidewalks.

But the 28-year-old comfort food hub, between West 83rd and 84th streets, reopened its doors on the night of Nov. 6, after passing final Fire Department and Department of Buildings inspections. Con Ed then replaced all of the building’s pipes and brought in new meters. Gas was turned on, and throughout the weekend, Good Enough to

Carrie Levin, owner of Good Enough to Eat, explains that the restaurant is closed due to a gas leak. Photo by Andrew Schwartz

Eat had a line snaking outside during peak brunch and dinner hours.

“I love my restaurant. I love my neighborhood. I love my job. It was worth going through this,” said Levin, 51, beaming on Saturday afternoon while restocking on groceries that had run out the night before.

She said that the shut-down had allowed her to place her work in perspective, and she appreciated it more.

Yet Levin was not so cheerful the weekend before when, bundled in a black parka during a crisp afternoon, she sat at a table in front of Good Enough to Eat inviting passersby to sign a petition to present to her landlord, Arthur Leeds Management. Later, she said that the landlord was reluctant to pay plumbers to work overtime. This was one of the factors causing her to lose business on a popular weekend that included Halloween, two World Series Yankees games and the New York Marathon. Levin also encouraged passersby to call 311 to complain; as a small business owner, she cannot do that for her own establishment.

Calls to the office of Arthur Leeds Management were not returned. But Frank Segal, an agent who oversees the property for Arthur Leeds, said during a Nov. 5 visit to the site that the company had no comment.

“We did everything we can do and Con Ed is going to take care of the rest,” he added.

The leak was first detected when a Con Ed meter reader smelled gas. Gas for hot water and heat was turned on in the 18-unit residential part of 483 Amsterdam Ave. on Nov. 5, the night before Good Enough to Eat reopened.

Ariel Kates-Holmes, an Upper West Side resident who signed the petition, waited in line on Saturday, Nov. 7 around 11 a.m. with friends.

“I was disappointed last week,” said Kates-Holmes about one of her favorite brunch spots.

Even with the restaurant closed, Levin stayed there from 8 a.m. to as late as 7 p.m. every day. Several of her 30 staff members, many whom have been with her since almost the start, offered support, juggling phone calls and breaking the bad news to customers who continuously stuck their heads through the closed doors.

Her son set up a Facebook page, which Levin most recently used to boast of the restaurant’s reopening and announce a celebratory “gratitude party” on Nov. 14 with a prix fixe menu. For $23, the restaurant will be offering an appetizer, main dish and dessert, plus Halloween candy, since it was closed on Oct. 31. Levin recommended making reservations in advance (212-496-0163).

“This is my first baby,” she said, smiling, the night before the restaurant reopened. “I had three kids afterwards but this is my first baby.”