Pastai

Pastai is an elegant restaurant on 9Ave. making it's own pastas near enough to Giovvani Rana at Chelsea Market that I was suspicious about it's food. The quality of the pasta and it's preparation is outstanding. The room is oddly configured with the kitchen in the middle, but no matter. The yeasty bread comes out with lovely fruity Italian olive oil. The insalata mista was a fine salad with romaine and radicchio was a fresh treat. We tried the strained pasta which is shredded with a pesto like sauce, the flavor was great, but loving my pasta whole I was not a fan. The buccatini Ametriana was the best buccatini, I have ever tasted. Thicker than most, with the sensational sauce- amazing. GO!

Hometown Barbecue

Hometown rocks the Red Hook scene with real deal barbecue with a Brooklyn twist. Sunday sandwiches are served on Caputo onion rolls. Pickles from Brooklyn Brine add mega flavor to the said sandwich. At $11 with a mini potato salad, it is a filling enough portion. Add on sides at $4 for even more Americana fun. The beans with pieces of meat is an intense flavor fest- deep red looking like a mole. Creamy mac and cheese and good smokey collards. There is good beer to wash down all that barbecue, I went with a Shiner from Texas- amber, fruity, and tasty. The spot is still not ready for primetime servicewise, but once they are you can expect warehouse sized crowds for slamin' Brooklyn barbecue. GO!

5 OZ

Do you like custard- I do. There used to be more custard in NYC, now the Shake Shack franchise is the number one custard seller. This is Midwestern style from a genuine Midwestern girl and true Midwestern milk products. Frozen custard is very popular in the Midwest and has a dense creamy texture due to the addition of egg yolks. 5OZ has a smaller batch flavor than Shake Shack. The chocolate is really chocolatey and you could customize your custard with yummy add-ons. Fudge, caramel sauce, fleur de sel, and homemade whipped cream. These extras make you a mad custard scientist and flavor combos comfort and rock your palate. The soothing farmhouse interior has a nice bathroom, plants and lovely place to devour your custard concoction. About $7 with add-ons.

Ganso

Ganso is a mega popular ramen joint in the once bargain land of Downtown Brooklyn. They also have killer Japanese food and a great lunch special for $12. I have been there twice and both times have had the lunch bento plate. The choices all sound great- Tonkatsu, chicken cooked under a brick with a special sauce, wings, but I had the salmon teriyaki both times. The salmon is of high quality with a sauce that is not over-sweet like some of the cheaper joints. The plate, not box is served with a generous and tasty salad, a Japanese yam, seaweed and rice with black sesames. The food here is a welcome respite from the fast food joints in the area. The mega- thrift Unique or huge Goodwill or emptyish Macy's makes Ganso a fun weekend destination if your not brunching. GO!