Taqueria El Paisa on Irving Avenue provides the classic Puebla experience. — Photos by Scarlett Lindeman

A perfect al pastor taco is a beautiful thing. The sharwarma-style rotisserie, brought to Mexico by Lebanese immigrants, is a gas-fired contraption that rotates like a slow-motion top. A mass of layered meat, which Mexicans swapped out the original lamb for swine, turns inside, slowly caramelizing and developing a crust. It’s basted with the juice from a skewered pineapple at the top that drips and drizzles over the meat in a true spa-treatment of taste.

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Rarely do these gorgeous time capsules come available for sale in this part of the neighborhood; unlike most of the rest of Bushwick which has been flipped and sold so many times over, the area is inhabited by a stable, longtime middle class that doesn’t seem eager to leave. Even as prices skyrocketed in the property bubble, these houses often remained locked up to outsiders. Now a few are on the market for prices unthinkable in 2006, and this one will call out to those looking for historic charm and a deal. Absolutely every finish and fixture remains on the outside and entrance hall of the house, down to the stained glass skylight, pendant lamp, parquet floors, and wood paneling that covers the stairway. The street is tree-lined and clean, and you’d be a 5-minute walk to the Myrtle-Wyckoff hub and all its commerce and bustle.

399 Cornelia Street | $489,999
3300sqft | 20ft-wide | 2-family, 2ba | brick
Myrtle-Wyckoff LM

October 2009’s Photo of the Month, by FRAKI

As promised, we’re continuing our new monthly series that highlights some of best specimens of local photography. All photos will are chosen from the BushwickBK Photo Pool on Flickr so if you have great shots of “Greater Bushwick,” share them here and you might see your work on BushwickBK.com in the near future!

Nothing shows Bushwick love more than lying on a rusty, yellow metal beam in front of a graffiti-covered garage door, all while smiling in a transparent gray dress. This silhouette-a-rific photo by FRAKI is part of an interesting, somewhat funny series that captures our normally vacant industrial spaces with a touch of playful humanity. If you like the photographer’s work, make sure to visit his web site for even stranger photo series … mmm, nursing homes …

Diana Reyna speaks to a small group of “arts-identified” 34th City Council District residents. — Photo by Aaron Short

If you were at Tandem last night, meeting friends for potato tortillas and PBR, you may have come across a campaign event with Diana Reyna and about forty Bushwick-based artists and political activists.

With the general election approaching on Tuesday, November 3, the event was part of a flurry of appearances as churches, restaurants, and community organizations fill Reyna’s schedule.

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Happy Halloween!

There is so much going on in Greater Bushwick there is literally no reason to go anywhere else this weekend. No kidding. Last year was pretty amazing and the neighborhood was filled with awesome costumes. It looks like this year is going to be even more spectacular! The word on the street is that group costumes are where it’s at and I want to see at least one swarm of sexy bees.

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The DeKalb Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. — Photo by Diego Cupolo

One of Bushwick’s libraries will close temporarily this November while renovations to its roof are completed.

The DeKalb Branch at 790 Bushwick Avenue, a Carnegie building constructed in 1905 in the Neoclassical style, will be closed for over four weeks during its $500,000 roof repairs, beginning November 13. The is the first time since 2001’s interior renovations that the DeKalb Branch has had major repairs.

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Socialist Workers Party candidates Daniel Fein for mayor and Maura DeLuca for public advocate literally think Cuba is a model society.

We here at BushwickBK have not and will not be endorsing any candidates for office. One reason is that we feel this is a condescending practice by media organizations; they do not trust their readers to make informed decisions based on unbiased reporting of the candidate’s positions, and that’s an insult. Another is that frankly, all the serious contenders are nearly identical in platform and worldview — it literally does not matter who wins, and the only thing assured is continuity and more of the same.

That said, all that’s left is humor. more »

This week I combed the listings for places with a yard, and it took a lot of sifting through spam and terrible apartments to come up with this list. Yes, that’s sad.

There are several decent apartments on the BushwickBK Classifieds, so make sure to check them out as well.

$1350 — 2br: Bright, clean, attractive two-bedroom in a very good location. Nice kitchen and bath, wood floors, and access to the shared yard.
PETS OK | Troutman and Wilson | street view | Jefferson L

$1400 — 2br: The location is not much, but I’m feeling good about this place. The landlord seems on the up, it has yard access AND a private second-floor patio facing the street, and though it is desperately in need of a more tasteful paint job it seems everything is in good shape inside. And gas is included, yay.
CATS OK | Bleecker and Evergreen | street view | Kosciuszko J

$1350 — 2br: An okay location, decent inside, not much to report except new kitchen and bath, but it’s in a small building with a massive shared (though concreted) yard.
CATS OK | DeKalb and Central | street view | Central M/DeKalb L

$1250 — 2br: Great price, weird but acceptable renovation, and a private yard, near several subway stops. But “Kastiasko”? Come on. About 1/3 of the words are spelled incorrectly. Who can trust someone who just spits out stream of consciousness gibberish like this?
PETS OK | DeKalb and Evergreen | street view | Central M/Kosciuszko J

$2600 — 5br: I don’t know who these landlords are going after — communes? The price is fine for so many bedrooms and it is renovated quite nicely but really, how is an apartment with five bedrooms is desirable? Anyway, exposed brick, wood floors, fancy appliances, oppressively modern glass sink, yadda yadda. Aesthetically attractive location if a little dull, but close to the train so who cares.
PETS OK | Putnam and Irving | street view | Myrtle-Wyckoff LM

In light of Arts in Bushwick’s Laura Braslow’s analysis of the recent Democratic primaries, in which she posits that Diana Reyna may owe her narrow victory to the “arts-identified” community — or in Dem Boss Vito Lopez’s language, “yuppie newcomers” — it seems appropriate that Reyna will be holding an informal “Conversation on Arts and Government” tomorrow night at Tandem bar. The event is organized by local political reform group New Kings Democrats.

Braslow beseeches, “The better turnout we have, the more credibility our community will have as a political force in the neighborhood.”

If you’re interested in chatting with the councilwoman, come to Tandem, 236 Troutman Wednesday night from 7-9pm. The house has been kind enough to offer drink specials for the event.

The polls are in and the Village Voice Best of NYC 2009 issue is out on newsstands this week, claiming Bushwick’s homegrown pizza joint, Roberta’s, is the best place to get Neapolitan-style pizza in the city.

While the honor levitates Roberta’s above competitors like Motorino and La Pizza Fresca, the Voice reporters seem a bit skeptical (and sometimes ignorant) about what real Naples pizza is all about. They describe the world’s original pizza as “unbelievably bland” and even a “restaurateur’s conspiracy to sell you less pizza for more money.” But the truth is we’re in America, where any food item that’s of a slightly higher standard becomes gourmet/luxury/edible gold and is subsequently overpriced to adhere to this nonsensical hype.

I’ve been to a few famous pizza places in Naples and don’t ever remember paying more than 5 Euros for a margherita. Also, any good pizzaiolo will tell you plain pizza is the hardest to make because you can’t rely on toppings to carry the flavor. The beauty of a margherita pizza comes from within, from the proper mixture of quality tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala and fresh basil, all sitting atop a thin, slightly charred crust that flops down when held with one hand.

So screw you, Village Voice, for ridiculing Napoli’s gift to the universe simply because, like everything else, it’s expensive in New York. But I do wonder if this will up the waiting time to be seated at Roberta’s – every time I’ve tried to eat there I was told there was an hour wait, so I have yet to sample this neighborhood delight. Maybe one day I’ll get in, and when it finally happens, I’ll take a side of roasted bone marrow with my pizza.