January 13, 2007 / Brooklyn Heights–Downtown / Perspective / Heights Lowdown

A bagel with a smear on Clark

By Christie Rizk

The Brooklyn Paper

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As Mel Gibson can tell you, making anti-Semitic remarks is just not a good move.

Now Mikel Domgjoni, owner of Mike’s Kosher Steakhouse on Clark Street, knows it, too, after he made the ugly charge against Nando Ghorchian, a well-known Brooklyn Heights restaurateur who was, ironically, Domgjoni’s partner in the kosher eatery. Ghorchian closed the restaurant, which he and Domgjoni opened less than six months ago, last Friday.

No less an authority than Go Brooklyn food critic Tina Barry had called Mike’s one of the last bastions of good Jewish cooking. As it turned out, it’s also a place for epic, Biblical-scale grudges.

Last week, Domgjoni — who is Jewish — sent an email to local media accusing Ghorchian — who is not Jewish, but whose wife is — of not wanting “to serve Jews.”

Ghorchian said only the part about “not wanting to serve” is correct, as he was planning to shut down the restaurant for other, decidely non-religious, reasons.

“Is he kidding?!” Ghorchian said. “This is total bulls—t. I was going to shut it down because he owes me $50,000! I love Jewish people. My wife is Jewish.”

Ghorchian said the dispute is simply about the Benjamins (and I don’t mean Benjamin Netanyahu). Domgjoni, he says, owes him the 50 large in back rent and other expenses.

And, just when we thought this story couldn’t get any uglier, Ghorchian threw his own Molotov Cocktail at Domgjoni.

“He’s a criminal!” said Ghorchian, referring to the 42-year-old Domgjoni’s recent arrest on charges that he forced himself on an 18-year-old steakhouse waitress and tried to molest her.

Since making his charge of anti-Semitism, Domgjoni has remained largely silent, except to say that his partner is “a crook.”

Meanwhile, Domgjoni’s paid mouthpiece, Jerome Mandel, is doing the talking.

“A legal action has been seriously considered against Mr. Ghorchian for breach of contract, among other things,” said Mandel.

Mandel also claimed that Ghorchian owes Domgjoni, not the other way around.

Oy, with all the neighborhood restaurants and stores shutting down lately because of the high rents, can’t these guys just get along? We need our flanken.

The Kitchen Sink

This really hurts: Henry Street’s beloved Pig’n Out barbeque was shut down by its landlord this week for non-payment of rent. The landlord isn’t the only one grumbling: The stomach of every self-respecting ’cue lover in the city is grumbling, too. Pig’n Out simply had the best Kansas City ribs in the city. … Add Kapadokya to the same death list. The upscale Turkish joint on Montague Street also went belly up just days after Pig’n Out and, on Clark Street, Mike’s Kosher Steakhouse and Palmira’s folded. But plans are underway to open another Turkish restaurant in the same spot. The new place will be called Taze, which means “fresh” in Turkish. … The horse drowned: Two of St. Francis College’s water polo players have been named All-Americans. This is the second go round for junior Botond Szalma, and the first for senior Bogdan Petrovic. That’ll show those sun-tanned Californians! … We hear that Brooklyn Heights denizen Patricia Pelehach is taking over the moneymaking reigns at Pratt Institute. If anyone knows how to pull in the big donors, it’s Pelehach. At NYU, she brought in a whopping $13 million to $25 million annually. At the lesser-known Pratt, her job will be to rake in less money — only $8 million a year. … In DUMBO, we love the always delicious Italian coffee at the General Store, but, guys, come on: $2.71 for a muffin is just too much! … Nice retirement when you can get it. Sovereign Bank president and COO Alan Fishman, a Heights native, got a $4.6-million parachute when he resigned last week, the AP reported. He’ll also get $532,000 a year in pension. That’s not a bad payout for the guy who said last month that he had to lay off 800 workers.

©2007 The Brooklyn Paper