FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com JANUARY 22, 2015 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 75 VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS vschneps@gmail.com It’s raining, it’s pouring ... well Sunday was a great day as the rain forcefully hit my windows and made my driveway so slushy and slippery I couldn’t get my Sunday papers sitting at the end of the driveway. But it is a great reason to stay home and refl ect on a packed week. I’m sure I ended up being in the news business because of my curiosity and fascination with people and places. I found both this week. My friends Seth and Tracey Kupferberg introduced me to Charles Chan, a friend building a property near Seth’s in downtown Flushing. Charles is an elegant man and fun to be with. He in turn is friendly with the people who took over a restaurant in Queens Crossing off Main Street and 39th Avenue. One of my favorite Chinese restaurants in downtown Flushing is Mulan, an elegant restaurant with private rooms where I’ve gathered with friends for dinner many times. Spring Shabu Shabu Buffet opened recently on the same fl oor in the Queens Crossing building, where there is plenty of free indoor parking — great on a rainy or snowy day! The stunning, modern, shining space of Spring is a shabu shabu buffet. There are several in the city but this is the fi rst in Queens. My group, including the Kupferbergs and Claire Shulman and Charles, had the manager Jae Jung explain the restaurant’s concept of a Mongolian Hot Pot dinner. We each chose our broth that was heated at our table burners and went up to the buffet to add ingredients into the pot. We were brought slices of beef, pork, chicken, seafood and greens to cook in the broth. At the buffet we chose from over 50 items to add to the pot. It is a fun place that’s open for lunch and dinner with a children’s menu, too. Spring Shabu Shabu Buffet is located at 136- 20 38th Ave., Flushing, second fl oor. 718-395-8076. Out of nowhere My friend Gina Argento of Broadway Stages introduced me to an amazing man, Dave Sklar, whose business is now hosting the fi lm crew from the TV show “Gotham.” Since Gina owns many soundstages for movie and TV production, they know each other. David’s family has owned the three-acre property where his dad had a business for 60 years. His dad holds the patent for a knockdown door — steelframe doors used in commercial buildings — and it was produced in Maspeth for decades. After the manufacturing business closed, Dave took over the property and reinvented the space. On my fi rst visit last week I kept driving by it because the metal fences have only a small address that I kept missing. But as I turned onto his property now renamed the Knockdown Center my jaw dropped! In front of me was a stunning, huge glass and wood structure. Since I’m in the event business I immediately said to myself, “Wow, this could be great for a party.” I didn’t know that it was! David and his colleague Tyler gave us a tour of the massive space. An art exhibit was installed and the basement, looking like a cave with an old cobblestone fl oor and stone walls, was being used by “Gotham” as a set for a prison! It’s exciting to fi nd new venues in unexpected places. The street, Flushing Avenue, is a commercial strip and the opening on the street is a metal frame. It’s remarkable to see how our Queens neighborhoods are growing and reinventing themselves. Maybe that’s why Queens was chosen by Lonely Planet as the number one tourism destination in the United States. Go Queens, go! victoria’s secrets tweet me @vschneps Dynamic $1000 off Lumineers $500 off Invisalign DENTAL WORK Free Whitening included the inViSiBle WAy to Some excluSionS Apply StrAighten teeth third generation dentist 175-15 Jamaica avenue, Jamaica 718-297-4100 • 718-297-4106 Good friends, new adventures Seth and Tracey Kupferberg, Charles Chan and Claire Shulman enjoyed the Spring Shabu Shabu buffet dinner The Knockdown Center offers dramatic lighting for events (left) and has been used for weddings (right)
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