Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Roebling's Tea Room




Guest house meets industrial warehouse chic. Roebling Tea Room sits on a corner in a huge converted factory space with some outdoor space to boot. A large menu of teas confirms that this is a tea room. Popular brunch lures in the local hipsters for some interesting brunch items. Do come for the "big pancake" pictured above for $10 which is an absolute killer cake with stewed fruit. $10 buys you this cakey delicacy with butter and syrup that is not only unique, but one of the best in town.
GO!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Joseph Leonard








Farmhouse, shabby chic interior with wood-beamed ceilings and well worned wood tables. A perfect lunch-spot on a snowy day off from work. Lunch time is still pricey though an interesting menu creates a unique experience. There are cornichions and salt on the tables and service is thoughtful though distant. I ordered the crab sarnie with fresh chips as well as a side of winter stuffing. The sarnie came prettily served on toast though tasted better on the onion roll offered by the waiter. The winter squash with sausage and chestnuts was slightly spicy though a little bready. The best part of the meal was a salted caramel pudding with cookies on top which was t.d.f.
Go!

Lansky's











An old-fashioned Jewish deli with some new fangled dishes. Decorated in black and white and clearly an Upper West Side nabe fave. Starters include the requisite sour/half sour pickles and coleslaw. Tangy sour pickles create a tasty start. After watching reruns of deep fried paradise on the Travel channel, I could not resist the Devil Dog which is a deep fried hot dog with three toppings for $5.25.
My dog was a juicy mix of flavors with pastrami bits, brisket and baked beans as well as raw onions. Delish. The other two dishes- mac and cheese croquettes, and potato pancakes were a supporting cast to the deep fried dog. Very accomodating service.
GO!

Cafe Luluc












Charming, and friendly French style bistro with a killer brunch. Minus the long lines on Clinton Street, these pancakes are worth the trip. Topped with fresh fruit they are nicely crispy at the edges and superflavorful. A side of bacon was cooked to order and hot chocolate a comforting breakfast drink. Empty before 10AM on Sunday, affordably priced and offering the usual brunch dishes besides the heavenly pancakes. Great Brooklyn brunch!
GO!

Sunday, January 31, 2010

La Lucha







La Lucha stands for a popular free-style wrestling popular in Mexico. It is a stylised little spot on Ave. A. and East. 9th street. Decorated with little Mexican wrestling figurines, it is a hot pink skinny space. There are vintage wrestling movies projected on a white wall which is a nice touch. The food is authentic, quite good and cheap which is why it is popular. Chips are fried up in house and naturally addictive. The guacamole pictured is limey freshness served up with those insane chips. I have been here twice for dinner and once for brunch. At brunch the chiliquiles are the best I have tried outside Mexico- served with chicken there are lots of flavors at once. There Mexican hot chocolate hits the mark with perfect richness. The flautas are served with cheese or chicken and are tasty as is the corn pictured which is one of the spicier ones I have tasted. You can have dinner here for under $20 in a fun, relaxed and unique enviroment.
GO!

Monday, January 25, 2010

Baogette on 7online

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=7234074

The link with Franny on Channel 7 segment on Murray Hill Vietnamese sandwiches..........
Sorry as you actually have to type in the link or go to Neigborhood Eats with Lauren Glassberg and it is right there.
My comments were "a flavor boom in your mouth" and "delish".

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Bklyn Larder






Why go to Bklyn Larder, a small store on Flatbush Ave. on the Park Slope side owned by the Franny's pizza people? Because there are so many special and delicious treats here. Cheeses pictured range from some of the usual to some unexpected Italian hard cheeses. They make their own mozzarella and it is top of the line. I like to try some of their prepared foods for a light lunch or dinner. Polenta with sausage, cous cous with veggies, marinated mushrooms and luscious mac and cheese were the dishes that lined my plate. House baked lemon squares and chocolate chip cookies and of course the Bklyn Larder gelato are ready to take home. All this delish does not come cheap. A can of San Marzano tomatoes, I just bought at NSA supermarket in Chelsea was $6 in this store, but I would not buy my canned goods here, what is special are the cheeses, Larder-made meats and foods made in house.
MUST GO!

Monday, December 7, 2009

Sookk






Sook is an amalgm of Thai cuisines. It's menu explains the different sauces and spices utilized in Thai cooking. The welcoming space on Broadway and 102nd St. is comphy and the staff is super accomodating. Foodwise, there is a lunch special starting at $7 and it is delicious. All the food is served at once and I started with fried chicken and shrimp dumplings(pictured above) and asked for duck with my rama sauce(a peanut based sauce). Though there is no duck with the lunch special, I offered to pay more and they obliged. Food was fresh, spicy, and sublime.
GO!

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Almondine Bakery







Almondine bakery finally opened Slope side on the corner of 7th Ave. and ninth street. This Dumbo fave features amazing breads, baguettes, and sublime pastries. The colorful macaroons are fruity tasty concoctions and who could resist a raspberry beignet with coffee. This bakery serves the classics done with an artisan touch. Plenty of seating room in the space which has deriguer P.S. exposed brick and two bathrooms in the rear. Welcome to your new home Almondine.
Must Go!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

New Amsterdam Food Market




Food lover's paradise on a beautiful day next to the South Street Seaport. This monthly market brings local, upstate and even some Vermont purveyors to town with samples of their goods. Breads are beautiful here and some of the best include our local Pain d'Avigon, Sullivan Street Bakery and Balthazar. Brooklyn was well represented with Salties, Marlow and Sons, and The Meat Hook. My bratwurst on a potato roll with homemade cabbage, and spicy mustard from The Meat Hook was beyond delicious. Lots of cheese samples, some wine samples and even some chocolate samples. Ice-cream from the upstate creamery, Bent Spoon chocolate with rosemary was lovely. Other notables were Porchetta with their pork sandwich and the line for the East Village's Luke's Lobster was long though the sandwich looked rather ordinary. Freshly shucked oysters and a lovely chili with all the fixin's and a semolina cracker from Marlow and sons were tempting, but the bratwurst plus samples filled up my deliriously happy stomach.
MUST GO!


Sunday, October 11, 2009

Brooklyn Star









Teeny, wainscotted space that dishes upmarket Southern classics or classics reinterpreted. Tables on the perimeter of the room surround a communal table in the middle. Seating is not optimal, though some of the food is worth the cramped arrangement. We ordered the recommended cornbread which is served made to order in a cast iron skillet, hot out of the oven for $4. My dish of country fried steak with mashed potatoes, served with warm slaw for $15 was outstanding. Crispy coating on the steak with creamy gravy and lovely warm slaw was created a little food envy . A side of creamed corn served with smoked trout for $4 was the perfect sweet/salty contrast. My friend's barbequed catfish was slightly underseasoned though served with a side of creamed corn and deep fried cukes redeemed the dish. There was only one dessert which was the deep fried apple fritters pictured above with vanilla ice-cream and sugared pecans for $6 which was to die for. Deep fried meaty apples paired with creamy ice-cream and crunchy sweet sugared pecans was delectable.
Go!
Brooklyn Star
33 Havemeyer St.
Bklyn, NY 11211
718-599-9899

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Fonda







In a neighborhood not unsaturated with upmarket restaurants, Fonda takes the cake. A chef born in Mexico City and lauded in Austin whips up comida sabrosa on this southern stretch of 7th Ave. A lovely garden in back offers a quiet respite and most important a killer meal Friendly, attentive service to boot. I ordered the enchiladas suizas with scrambled eggs for $12 with a mimosa for brunch. This dish is also available with chicken tinga. My suizas were smothered in a super tasty green tomatillo sauce. I asked for chips and they brought over(gratis) some house fried giant salty ones with spicy red sauce. Other great sounding options are the shrimp enchiladas for $15 or the french toast served with piloncillo syrup, whipped cream and sugared pecans for $10.
MUST GO!
Fonda
434 7th Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-369-3144