Oak & Iris Closed Temporarily

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

The Oak & Iris has signs posted that they’ll be closed through Monday, January 30 due to “operational problems” (thanks to Amber for noticing).

The cafe has been going through some changes recently, as you may have noticed. In the fall signs went up announcing a new chef, and then earlier this month there was talk on the KWT Neighbors Yahoo Group that another new chef would be taking over.

Then recently Craigslist has a listing for the space, saying it was available for sale or rent. I spoke with owner Aleksandra “Sasha” Kameneva about the listing, and she confirmed that she was looking for someone who would take over and give the space the love that the neighborhood deserves.

“Hopefully they wouldn’t want to change it,” she said. “That they keep it for the neighborhood the same way they like it.”

Sasha explained that running the cafe, which she opened about three years ago, was too much for her alone, which is why she tried having the chef take over in the fall. But she is looking for a more suitable replacement, to keep the space to a higher standard.

“I know how important it is to the neighborhood, because I live here as well,” she said.

We’ve been unable to reach Sasha for more information about why the cafe is closed at the moment, but we look forward to seeing it back open on Monday. If you’re interested in learning more about the space, you can contact Sasha at whereissasha@nyc.rr.com.

    - Mary

    Tags:
    See All: Food & Drink

    • http://mothermayisleepwithlifetime.blogspot.com Jen

      Someone should buy the space, rename it, and launch a completely new cafe or restaurant there. This neighborhood is so starved for a cafe space with food (unlike Steeplechase) and wi-fi (unlike Brooklyn Commune). I often end up here just because it’s the only option – I really can’t say anything good about the place except that it has an ATM that is convenient to my apartment. The coffee is undrinkable, the table service is terrible, they don’t take credit cards, and Top 40 radio (with commercials) during dinnertime?? Really?? The new chef’s dinner menu is a disaster, with items like “Oak Ravioli” with no explanation. The food is generally uninspired and lacking touches that would turn it from “ok” to “good.”

      It seems like it needs someone with the time and energy to really make it what it could be. I feel like the people would come in droves if it was just a little more cohesive, had someone who was really going to TASTE the coffee they were selling, and knew what it was even *trying* to do.

  • Powered by Disqus

  • Archives

  • RSS RSS

  • RSS Listings

  • Post Your Free Local Classified Listing Here Click here to learn how.

  • RSS Local Blogs

    • Here Comes Goliath February 22, 2012
      Doing some research on rooftop farming and I came across this Times article about rooftop greenhouses. Given how capital-intensive growing on rooftops is, is it too hard to imagine a future where we are complaining about corporate rooftop farms? One venture capitalist involved projects a billion dollars of sales by 2020. Imagine feeding the entirety of NYC w […]
    • The North Fork February 21, 2012
      I was raised in Suffolk county, mostly, in the nowhere city of Centereach. As soon as I could drive I began heading out to the North Fork to photograph (my Minolta x-370 and black and white film) the old barns, decaying farmhouses, rusting implements, and the sea. There was, then, hardly a place to eat and no one on the roads. Sometimes I would go with a cou […]
    • College Try February 21, 2012
      I receive a number of hits for soil testing services and I think that's great. It's an important part of growing in urban areas. I would like to include more information on soil testing, and link to the Cornell's labs, but I find their website absolutely cryptic -I cannot figure it out! I would also use their services, but I cannot find my way […]
    • Grocer Garlic February 20, 2012
      I shopped at a grocer on Long Island this weekend after going out to the North Fork. When I was a kid, this same store was oriented toward working class Italians, and today it is still that, but also reorienting toward Asian and Central and South American food products. It is where I saw my first sheep head in cellophane for sale, complete with eyeballs and […]
    • Smooth Operator February 20, 2012
      Recently I began using a mobile device and that has made me much more conscious of the look of my blog via mobile. Today's stats show that 48% of my page views have been on an iphone or ipad. That's high, it's usually closer to 5%, but even that has grown in the last few months from only 1%. I've been communicating with Marie of 66squaref […]
    • Hay Wain February 19, 2012
      Is it auspicious if one finds themselves behind a pickup carrying hay on the BQE on one's way to look at farm property? […]
    • Sex In The Garden February 18, 2012
      A few thought people having sex in the garden was unlikely, but, finally the evidence is in - condoms and napkins in proximity. I gotta get me one of those pickers we use in the park. On a good note, the crocus are blooming. […]
    • The Desire To Take This And Not Throw Away That... February 16, 2012
      ...Is the way to lose that and not gain this. :Yoshida Kenko, no. 188, Essays in Idleness Some of you may know that I've taken up garlic growing this past year. My plot upstate is a borrowed one, and as such requires less commitment than one for which I could be paying. In other words, in Kenko's words, I get to take this and keep that. This weeken […]
    • 2012 CSA sign-up is now open! February 12, 2012
      Dear KWT CSA members, It’s that time again – 2012 CSA sign-up is now open!The Kensington Windsor Terrace CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) offers two pick-up options:Wednesdays 4:00-6:00 p.m. at the East 4th Street Community Garden. Members are asked to commit to one volunteer shift during the season; Wednesday shifts are from 3:30 to 6:15 p.m. Pick-ups […]
    • Waste Not February 11, 2012
      Last autumn I was on a garlic seed production research tear. I came across a company in china called Pretty Garlic. Log onto their website to read the mythical origins of pretty garlic -something about a sick girl saved by garlic. In reading their how-to-grow garlic page, I was a little surprised by the frank use of the term "human wastes" as suppl […]
    •