By Tammy Scileppi
If you believe that enjoying a good cup of coffee and colorful artwork is great for the psyche, you should check out Forest Hills’ newest java hotspot, Pink Forest Cafe, which opened its doors to eager patrons last Friday at 72-01 Austin St.
“I am so happy to see the addition of the Pink Forest Cafe to the east end of Austin Street,” said Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce President Leslie Brown. “There have been several great spots that have opened on the east end that are really making this side of Austin Street a hip place to be. I Ramen, Violet’s Bake Shop, Snow Days, and Forest Hills Barber are some of the new cool places that have opened recently.
“I just love the eclectic menu featuring teas, coffee, Asian sandwiches, and the warm, inviting vibe at the Pink Forest.”
According to Brown, the husband-and-wife team that opened the cafe, own a dance studio in Manhattan, so this will be their first restaurant. They plan on being active in the community and joining the chamber, and look forward to participating in the Sept. 24 Shop Forest Hills Fall Street Fair.
Pink Forest was mobbed with new customers Saturday morning. That evening, the café was already running out of certain menu items, according to the friendly counter person/barista, who took the time to describe some of their tempting artisanal offerings.
But while there are plenty of unique and standard options, like Vietnamese sandwiches and freshly baked bagels and croissants, it seems there’s one that really stands out. The café’s featured item, JianBing, is a traditional Northern Chinese dish with over 100 years of history. It’s made with flour and egg, fried to a crispy fritter and filled with sweet sauce, hot sauce, lettuce, green onion, and coriander.
Forest Hills-based visual artist Susan Varo of My Works of Art, LLC, visited the cafe for coffee and dessert and while she was there, asked about exhibiting her artwork, but was told they were still in the process of opening. A while back, her paintings, along with other community artists’ works, were displayed at the Red Pipe Café, located across the street from Pink Forest.
Cafes have always been frequented by creative types. What better place to work and get inspired, while socializing, eating and drinking good coffee?
Well-known writers and authors of yesteryear wrote some of their most famous works while sitting in a cozy café, where they could observe people and watch the world go by. The same is true today.
J. K. Rowling (Author and Harry Potter’s creator) once said, “The idea of just wandering off to a café with a notebook and writing — and seeing where that takes me for a while — is just bliss.”
