WELCOME TO MY BEST NEW YORK NY - BROOKLYN
Brooklyn is one of the five boroughs of New York City. It is one of the largest counties (Kings County), by population, in the United States. If Brooklyn were a city, it would be the fourth largest city in the United States. Approximately 2,539,206 people live in Brooklyn / Kings County (Based on December 2008 data). Brooklyn is not, as some travel sites erroneously state, a New York "neighborhood".
Panoramic view of Brooklyn, New York Bay & Southern Manhattan. Click on image for a huge version of this panorama.
Early spring in Prospect Park, Brooklyn:
PROSPECT PARK IS WONDERFUL!
Another PROSPECT PARK info link
CELEBRATE BROOKLYN!
music-dance-word-film
BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK
activites & events calendar see image
GENERAL BROOKLYN INFO:
BROOKLYN MUSEUM
200 Eastern Parkway
at Washinton Avenue.
Prospect Heights,
Brooklyn, New York 11238
Phone: -(718)- 638-5000
Terrific museum. Warmly
recommended.
Brooklyn Museum also hosts the
super popular "First Saturdays"
art & enterntainment events.
Brooklyn Museum Entrance
You can buy our images either by contacting us, or for a larger variety of sizes and printing possibilities,
via Fine Art America. If you like an image that you cannot find on FAA, we can upload it there for you.
BROOKLYN "ROCKS"!
Brooklyn has a vibrant art, design & food scene, with wonderful small shops and restaurants, many of which support local artisanal producers:
See New York Times article about
Brooklyn's New Culinary Movement.
Click to enlarge.
BAM - Brooklyn Academy of Music
30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Phone: -(718)- 636-4100
Directions Programs Calendar
Just fantastic!
BRICK Studios - Brooklyn
BRIC Arts - Media - Bklyn
647 Fulton Street
Brooklyn, NY 11217
phone: -(718)- 855-7882
Email: bric@bricartsmedia.org second link
BAM
Harvey Theater
651 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, New York 11217
Jan 12—Mar 13: "As You Like It"
By William Shakespeare.
Part of the 2010 Spring Season and
The Bridge
Project
BRICK Rotunda Gallery
33 Clinton Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: -(718)- 875-4047
BARGE
MUSIC
"New York
City’s floating concert hall"
2 Old Fulton Street (by Brooklyn Bridge)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: -(718)- 624-2083
Map directions
Ditto!
MOCA
Gallery
Museum Of
Computer Art
139 11th Street
btwn 2nd & 3rd Avenues
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: -(718)- 788-1313
Phone: -(917)- 273-3553
BROOKLYN RESTAURANTS:
The absolute coolest time to have dinner in a New York restaurant is when you are hungry. Since the American Revolution, savvy New York restaurateurs have recognized this, and have organized their service around the times people are usually hungry. In order to clarify this phenomenon further, they have broken down such service into four general categories (and some minor categories as nowhere discussed below) to coincide with general times of hunger. New York restaurateurs have thus given the clever and oh-so-hip names to such times as, in no particular order, "Breakfast", "Brunch", "Lunch" and "Dinner" :
Restaurant JAMES
605 Carlton Avenue at St Marks Avenue
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11238,
Phone: -(718)- 942 - 4255
Deliccious food. Friendly & efficient
staff. Fun room & happening atmosphere.
For a longer review about James, see:
My Best New York NY: James Restaurant Review
& photos
The place is mobbed during weekend evenings,
the crowd seems to like both the martinis and the
food, before heading out to other entertainment.
The noise level is high.
We have sampled numerous different dishes at James
and we are happy to say that this chef can seriously
cook!
James' policy of taking reservations only for groups
of 6 or more is quite inconvenient for hungry
patrons; the wait can at times be quite long. This
does not seem to deter fans, who have discovered
the restaurant's delicious food, good drinks and
friendly service.
We, however, have grown a bit discouraged of not being
able to plan our night if we want to dine at James - and then are not able get a table there.
Despite this, James seems more popular than ever, because this winter (2009- 2010) we have only been able to get
a table a couple of times (with less than 45 minutes
to as much as 1.5 hours of waiting time). Some
months, not once.
In any event: Prospect Heights and close by residents
can be really happy about having a restaurant like
James in their area. We just wish that they started to
take reservations for smaller groups.
The wine list is short, but there are some nice wines
on it. James' drinks seem to be popular.
LATER VISITS:
Summer 2012:
Still going strong.
We have visited James quite a few times this summer and have loved every visit.
The feeling is very welcoming; the whole staff very friendly - and the atmosphere is almost like re-energized.
Since we love fish so much and since Mr Calvert and his team really seem to know how to prepare it, we have ordered mostly fish dishes (both specials and menu dishes) for main course this summer. The food is so good, we keep coming back.
In addition to the delicious fish for main course, we have to have James' delicious spinach salad (one of our favorite salads anywhere) / and some of their super fresh and tasty oysters.
Restaurant James, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, NY:
FONDA Comida Mexicana
434 7th Avenue (btw. 14th / 15th Streets)
Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: -(718)- 369-3144
World class food with an authentic Mexican,
contemporary twist. Fonda is very popular, for
a very good reason.
This is a small, super friendly restaurant with a
backyard garden, delicious food & a very attentive,
warm an efficient service. Everebody seems so nice.
We have enjoyed numerous brunches here, and our
recent dinners at Fonda have confirmed our love for
this wonderful little restaurant:
-The "Ceviche Acapulco" -citrus marinated striped
bass with tomatoes, onions, olives and cilantro- was
superb.
-The pumpkin seed crusted fillet of striped bass over
salsa verde and grilled asparagus was just amazing!
While quite wonderful, the additional flavors did not
interfere or mask the deliciousness and the
freshness of the fish. Happiness.
-We also love the excellent, spicy shrimp & scallop
enchiladas with spicy hazelnut mole.
Restaurant Fonda's great Guacamole. Click to enlarge:
-Fonda's freshly made Guacamole (we order it hot),
served in a traditional stone bowl with chips, small
tortillas and red sauce is so tasty that we cannot get
enough of it. Also: Fonda's black beans were the best
black beans I have tasted. Everything seemed super
fresh and quite expertly prepared.
The other starters are also terrific:
- the "Quesadillas con hongos" (hand pressed corn
tortillas with Chihuahua & Oaxaca cheeses, sautéed
mixed mushrooms and chile de arbol salsa) were a
delight, as were the
-"Taquitos de Carne Asada" (corn tortillas filled with
sliced grilled pasilla marinated skirt steak, topped with
onions and cilantro, served with chile de arbol salsa).
They look so unassuming, but deliver joyous flavors
with full force.
-We have also enjoyed the super fresh & tasty
Ensalada Verde many times.
Even the desserts have been quite tasty. How many
times have you had dinner where every single
dish, from starters to dessert, has been excellent?
Fonda also serves serious, super good Margaritas.
Our favorites -so far- are the Oro, the Guava & the Tamarindo margaritas. The popular Rosalita,
with hibiscus infusion, is terrific, too.
We were wondering how an unassuming little
restaurant in park Slope can be so classy. One (big)
explanation is that the chef and owner, Roberto
Santibañez, has an impressive culinary background.
Among other things, he has been the director of Rosa
Mexicano restaurants in New York.
We are happy that he decided to come to Park Slope.
We always leave wanting to come back soon.
In addition to the delicious, high end cooking, we
also love it that Fonda takes advance reservations,
even for parties of just two
APPLEWOOD
501 11th Street btw. 7th & 8th Avenues
Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: -(718)- 788-1810
Seasonal menu, driven by "respect for the
natural flavors of fresh and organic ingredients".
Big plus: Applewood takes reservations.
la mujer GALA - Tapas, Small Plates & Wine.
665 Vanderbilt Avenue, btw. Park & Prospect Pl
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11238-3831
Phone: -(718)- 783-3400 or -(617)- 851-6435
la mujer GALA - facebook page
"Authentic Spanish Tapas bar based on Chef Jennifer Cole-Ruiz 15 years of experience in Spain. The restaurant is a cozy space with a spacious garden area. Perfect for dinner with friends or grabbing a glass of wine at the bar and a tapa."
Yes, it is true, there is a new little gem in Prospect Heights: an authentic tapas bar, run by an incredibly skilled (and nice!!) chef, with a long experience in notable kitchens, including her own restaurant in Spain, and working with top chefs in Spain.
La Mujer Gala occupies the space that used to be Aliseo. The space is still intimate, impossibly romantic, cozy & quirky.
We have had a chance to sample Chef Cole-Ruiz' food before the opening of la mujer GALA and have been impressed. We are happy that we now get to enjoy her creativity trough her tapas and small plates in her own restaurant.
On opening night, we sampled the foods in the images below. We were blown away. The super fresh Branzino was succulent and insanely delicious. Bliss. I am usually not an Empanada fan, but this one, the tomato & tuna empanada got me hooked. More, please. The purple potato salad (crispy, while nicely damp inside) with tapenade, was, in its seeming simplicity, surpisingly tasty. I devoured the cured mackerel w Tapenade. Wow.
We also enjoyed the warmed marinated olives with thyme.
Our consensus: Surprisingly reasonable prices and blow away food quality. Not to mention great people.
So... what's next? Another dinner at this lovely and super friendly place, of course.
La mujer Gala. Hover over for dish names. Click for a larger version:
The wine list features Spanish wines. While we have not had a chance to sample more than one (very nice) wine yet, the wine list appears to us to be well thought out, reasonably priced and food friendly.
We also love it that la mujer GALA is considerate toward its patrons and their precious time, and takes reservations in
advance.
Prospect Heights and the surrounding neighborhoods are lucky to have such a culinary talent in their midst.
CONVIVIUM OSTERIA
68 5th Avenue, corner of St Marks
Brooklyn, NY 11217-2021
Phone: -(718)- 857-1833
Convivium "combines the culinary and aesthetic
traditions of old world Italy, Spain, and Portugal".
This is a wonderful little restaurant: The room is
cozy and romantic; the service is professional
and attentive (we really did not expect this level
service from a "little corner restaurant") and the
food is quite delicious.
There is good news for fish & seafood fans:
there are a lot of seafood dishes on the menu
- and they are fresh and well-prepared.
The wine list is also surprising: it has some true
gems on it.
We absolutely loved the seafood tapas starter for
two, and also the pasta with lobster & olive oil.
The rack of lamb with cauliflower was good too,
although I found the port wine sauce too sweet;
it collided with the wonderful (Spanish red) wine
that we were drinking.
If you like Mediterranean style dining, this place is
a true joy.
We also love it that Convivium takes reservations
in advance.
FINE DINING:
RIVER
CAFE
1 Water Street, "under" Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Heights/Dumbo, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: -(718)- 522-5200
The classic that is still
going strong. Great location, superb service & delicious food. We
have liked River Cafe for decades. It might be a bit touristy, but that
does not mean locals cannot love it, too.
River Cafe Salmon.
Delicious.
OKEANOS
314 7th Ave Brooklyn, NY 11215
corner of 8th Street & 7th Avenue
Phone: -(347)-
725 - 4162
Email: info@okeanosnyc.com
Super friendly, non-pretentious Greek, that serves good fish, great salads, and tasty Greek classics.
The staff and the owner always make you feel genuinely welcome and has a wonderful attitude toward their customers: substitutes or changes, when possible are totally ok: they really want you to be happy. Makes you want to come back.
Okeanos is open for lunch, which makes us love them even more.
BROOKLYN MILK BAR
(former Garden Cafe space)
620 Vanderbilt Ave at Prospect Place
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, NY, 11238
Phone: -(917)- 463-9065
Milk Bar web page & menu
Brooklyn Milk Bar, interior image. Click to enlarge:
This welcome addition to the neighborhood seems
quite popular from the start and we understand why.
The food is fresh and tasty, from breakfast fare
(served until 3PM) to sandwiches and salads and
baked goods, etc. Their cappuccino & espresso is
among the best we have tasted.
There is not really a wine list; there are a few
different whites and reds.
The renovation revealed a totally different, very
positive character of this space, which is now open
and bright. At the far end of the room, there is a
counter with food a display cabinet, coffee making
machines, etc. One of the (many) positive changes
to the space is the addition of a ventilation system.
In the middle of the room there is a communal type "country" table with chairs around it, and on the
sides there are some small tables, including in the
elevated area of the room. That area now has a
small window on the wall, offering a nice cross
breeze on hot days.
In front of the huge new windows that face Vanderbilt
Avenue and their new patio, there is a long "bar"
counter & modern bar stools. Those windows now
slide completely open, which is a nice feature when
the weather is warm. It is a good spot to sit and
watch the street life. Patio image
Images of Milk Bar, from their Face Book pages
Milk Bar's cozy corner. Click to enlarge:
Milk Bar exterior
and patio; corner
of Vanderbilt Avenue
and Prospect Place.
Milk Bar owners branched out to Ditmas Park,
where they are opened
CAFE MADELINE
1603 Cortelyou Road @ 16th St
Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, NY
Phone: -(718)- 941-4020
Cafe Madeline of facebook
Time Out about Madeline
Santa Fe Grill, Park Slope, Brooklyn. Click to enlarge:
SANTA FE GRILL
62 7th Avenue,
corner of Lincoln Pl
Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Phone: -(718)- 636-0279
Cuisine: Southwestern, Mexican
AMORINA
PIZZA
624
Vanderbilt Avenue, at Prospect Pl
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11238-3804
Phone: -(718)- 230-3030
Thin crust, Roman style pizzas & hearty pastas.
NYmag review
FRANNY'S
295 Flatbush Avenue
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn NY 11217
Phone: -(718)- 230 0221
Thin crust pizza, high quality ingredients, house
cured sausages, and good appetizers. They
also serve pastas. Very popular. So popular,
that the waits can be quite long. No reservations.
Also see Brooklyn
Larder
ANTONIO'S
pizza
318 Flatbush Avenue, btw. Sterling & Park Pl.
Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11238
Phone: -(718)- 398-2300
This is a true neighborhood pizza store: established
in 1950, it is the oldest pizza place in Park Slope.
Great for delivery, or a quick bite in the store,
Antonio's serves good pies, slices (also on whole
wheat) and an array of other dishes: Calzones,
rolls, salads, Italian dishes, platters, hot baked
dishes and heros.
FORNINO PARK SLOPE
256 Fifth Avenue (btwn Carroll & Garfield)
Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY
The space
that used to host Tempo, our favorite
restaurant in Brooklyn, has become a locavore
pizzeria.
Michael Ayoub, who owns the locavore pizzeria
Fornino in Williamsburg, opened this second
Fornino in Park Slope.
As it happens, this is the same space where he
had his first restaurant, Cucina, that opened in
1990. We used to love Cucina in those early
years.
The new restaurant has have 150 seats and
serves pizza, pasta, salumi, antipasti, etc.
Ayoub has said he uses local ingredients and also
herbs grown by him. The interior has bare bricks,
distressed wood and old New York photographs.
New York Times article
TOM'S RESTAURANT BROOKLYN
782 Washington Avenue, corner of Sterling Pl.
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11238
Phone: -(718)- 636-9738
(only open
for breakfast and lunch).
This
historic diner has delighted the neighborhood
since 1936. It
was founded by Tom Vlahavas and
is now run by his son, Gus.
Tom’s
is a super friendly place that is very popular
amonglocals and visitors alike. People leave with
smiles, delighted by the service, the goodies and
the fun decorations, including great vintage signs
on display.
The
room at Restaurant Moutarde, facing the front. Click photo:
MOUTARDE,
Le Bistro de la Rue
link to menu pages
239 Fifth
Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11215
Phone: -(718)- 623-3600
Dinner - Lunch -Brunch.
Moutarde has renovated it's space and exterior
and, more importantly, has a new chef and much better, tasty &
fresh food. We now come here even for lunch as often as our busy days
allow.
One of our favorites: The new, much better version
of their salad Niçoise. Oh-la-la! Mais, oui! It is fresh, it
is tasty: a perfect salad. This fish is very fresh.
What is also notable is that the service is now
more efficient -faster- and very friendly and enthusiastic.
Especially during a workday lunch, those of us,
who not have time for a leisurely lunch, highly appreciate the
efficiency of the service.
A NY Post review agrees with us.
The
back of the room at Restaurant Moutarde:
BELLEVILLE
330 Fifth Street, corner of Fifth Street
Park slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: -(718)- 832-9777
French Bistro. Belleville recieved (again) a Bib
Gourmand from the Michelin Guide.
(A Bib Gourmand rating means the restaurant is
an inspector's favorite for good value. For $40 or
less, you can enjoy two courses and a glass of
wine or dessert (not including tax and gratuity).
Belleville takes reservations.
Restaurant
Belleville, Park Slope, Brooklyn. Click to enlarge:
Corner of 5th Avenue & 5th Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn.
KULUSHKÄT Gourmet Falafel
446 Dean Street, btwn 5th & Flatbush Avenues,
Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Phone: -(347)- 799-1972
Email: info@kulushkat.com
Review in NY Times
Review in Prospect Heights Patch
BENCHMARK
339A 2nd Street, at 5th AVenue Brooklyn, NY
Phone: -(718)- 965 -7040
Email: info@benchmarkrestaurant.com
On
OpenTable
NY Times review
AL DI LA
248 5th Avenue, corner of Carrol
PArk Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215-1201
Phone: -(718)- 636-8888
"Uncompromising Northern Italian cooking".
No reservation
STONE PARK CAFE
324 5th Avenue, corner of 3rd Street
Park slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: -(718)- 369-0082
STEAK HOUSES:
MORTON'S
Brooklyn
339 Adams Street,
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: -(718)- 596-2700
"Just across the Brooklyn Bridge, adjacent to the Marriott."
Brooklyn Paper review
PETER
LUGER
178 Broadway, by Driggs Avenue
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Phone: -(718)- 387-7400
BOERUM HILL:
RESTAURANT SAUL
140 Smith St, btw Dean & Bergen Streets
Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: -(718)- 935-9844
"Sophisticated
Contemporary American Food". Saul has
one Michelin star. Saul takes reservations.
WILLIAMSBURG:
DRESSLER
149 Broadway, btw. Driggs and Bedford Avenues
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Phone: -(718)- 384-6343
Contemporary American.
Dressler has one Michelin star.
The BROOKLYN STAR
33 Havemeyer Street, near North 7th Street,
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
Phone: -(718)- 599-9899
CAFE DE LA ESQUINA at Wythe Diner,
225 Wythe Avenue,
btwn North 3rd Street & Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
Phone: -(718)-393-5500
E-mail:
info@esquinaBK.com
TACO
CHULO
318 Grand Street
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Phone: -(718)- 302-2485
EL ALMACEN no web site, see menupages
557 Driggs Avenue, near 7th Street,
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
Phone: -(718)- 218-7284
CONEY ISLAND:
GARGIULO'S
Restaurant
2911 West 15th Street
Coney Island, Brooklyn , NY 11224
Phone: -(718)- 266-4891
Established in 1907, serving Neapolitan fare.
Coming to Coney Island can be a frustsrating
experience for people who do not want to eat
hot dogs or other fast food fare. Gargiulo's
offers a welcome alternative.
We had a delightful lunch here recently. Pasta with
olive oil and garlic, pasta with clams, grilled giant
shrimp with salad and sauteed vegetables were all
fresh and very good, as was the grilled mozzarella
cheese with mushrooms, peppers, zucchini. Basic
dishes, but fresh and well prepared. Efficient, friendly
service.
BLUE RIBBON Brasserie
280 5th Avenue btw. 1st St & Garfield Place
Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: -(718)- 840-0404
BLUE RIBBON sushi
278 5th Avenue btw. 1st St & Garfield Place
(next door to Blue Ribbon Brasserie)
The opinions about Blue Ribbon is divided: some people love the place, others really do not. We had a nice dinner there, but were not impressed enoug to go back. The food was OK, the service was efficient, but the noice level was very high and made the place feel way too chaotic. Blue Ribbon takes reservations.
GINZA
296 5th Avenue (btw. 1st/2nd Streets)
Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: -(718)- 369-1021
GEIDO
331 Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11217
nr. Prospect Pl.
Phone: -(718)- 638-8866
A pioneer on Flatbush, Geido has become wildly popular, due to what some customers describe as
the best sushi in Brooklyn.
TARO SUSHI
244 Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11217
(Corner of St Marks ave)
Phone: -(718)- 398 - 5240
Also wildly popular, with the same types of customer comments that Geido (above) gets, i.e. "best sushi ever", "freshest around", etc. It is up to you to decide.
OSHIMA
71 7th Avenue, at Berkeley Place
Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Phone: -(718)- 783-1888
Good Japanese - this is the best neighborhood sushi place in our opinion (Taro is totally over hyped). We have eaten our way trough all of them, in desperate need to find a good lunch place.
Oshima also offers the best "bang for the buck" lunch in the area (Prospect Heights / Park Slope). We usually order a lunch item, for example: the sushi lunch ($9), sashimi lunch ($11), or salmon teriyaki (choices are: salmon, chicken, beef, shrimp) lunch ($8).
All these lunches come with salad and miso soup and on top of that, the teriyaki lunch also includes 3 pieces of avocado roll and 2 pieces of shrimp shumai. The salmon is a small fillet size piece. Sometimes a bit dry, but most often tasty and cooked ok.
CUBANA CAFE
80 6th Avenue, corner of Flatbush & St Marks Pl.
Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Phone: -(718)- 398 9818
Email: cubanacafe@gmail.com
Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner.
Friendly & fun new
restaurant, serving a selection of Cuban, Mexican
and even American dishes.
We enjoyed their "Stuffed Poblano Chile with
Shrimps & Calamari, Cotilla Cheese, Chipotle
Mayo, Rice & Beans" & their "Shrimps with Roasted
Garlic & Tomato Salsa, Rice and Black beans".
CHERYL'S
GLOBAL SOUL
236 Underhill Avenue
btw. Lincoln Place & Eastern Parkway,
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11238
Phone: -(347)- 529-2855
Where we will never set foot again:
PIQUANT
259 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Southwestern Restaurant and Bar
ALERT:
We, 3 diners, were given a bill that imposed a 20%
tip!!!. Then, we were presented with a credit card
slip that not only failed to disclose that a tip was
already included, but asked for another tip!!!
Nobody from the restaurant told us the tip was
already added by them. We noticed, paid the bill (no additional tip),
advised the restaurant that what they had done
seemed illegal, and assured them we would never be
back. Dine at your own risk.
GET FRESH Table & Market
370 5th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: -(718)- 360-8469
info@getfreshnyc.com
Restaurant & Grocery, serving / selling
local, organic & seasonal food, including take-out.
CAFE REGULAR DU NORD
158 Berkeley Place, by 7th Avenue
Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Phone: -(718)- 783-0673 (temporary number).
Cafe Regular Du Nord, Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Delicious espressos and cappucinos.
CAFE REGULAR
318 11th Street, at 5th Avenue
PArk Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: -(718)- 768-4170
ZAYTOONS
594 Vanderbilt Ave, corner of
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11238
Phone: -(718)- 230-3200
Middle
Eastern cuisine and pitza.
image of Zaytoons
Vanderbilt Ave, Prospect Heights
Other locations:
-283 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Phone: -(718)- 875-1880
-472 Myrtle Ave Brooklyn, NY 11205
Phone: -(718)- 623-5522
Restaurant Zaytoons on Vanderbilt Avenue. Click to enlarge.
A casual restaurant & bar by Saul
Bolton & partner Ben Daitz:
The
VANDERBILT
579 Vanderbilt Avenue at Bergen Street
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, NY
Phone: -(718)- 623-0570 No reservations.
Small plates & cocktails, beer and a few wines.
The menu is divided in six groups:
Hors D'oeuvres, Charcuterie, Vegetables, Fish, Meat (including Fowl) & Desserts. There is a smoker at
premises. Many ingredients are prepared in-house.
Unfortunately, so far, does not live up to its promise.
Links to Some Good Restaurant Sites:
-The Brooklyn Paper - Dining listings
-NY Magazine Restaurant pages: All of Brooklyn
choose the neighborhood you are interested in.
-NY Magazine: Best of New York
-food
-ZAGAT restaurants BEST- list
-Gayot -Dining
AMPLE HILLS CREAMERY
623 Vanderbilt Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11238
Phone: -(347)- 240-3926
E-mail: brian@amplehills.com
BLUE MARBLE ICE CREAM
186 Underhill Ave , Brooklyn , NY 11238
Phone: -(718)- 399-6926
E-mail: thescoop@bluemarbleicecream.com
RESTAURANT REVIEWS:
REVIEW of Delmonico's, when the super-talented Chef Rick Laakkonen was in charge.
MORE REVIEWS: ROUGE TOMATE | THE WRIGHT | DAVID BURKE TOWNHOUSE
More Manhattan restaurants.
MAMMATUS CLOUDS, June 26, 2009. Click photos to enlarge:
After a thunderstorm, eerie yellow light and surreal mammatus clouds, a.k.a. mammatocumulus clouds, hover over New York. Above, these mammatus "bubble clouds" hover over Dumbo, Brooklyn Bridge & Manhattan Bridge
Mammatus clouds are made up mostly of ice crystals & look like a cellular pattern of pouches or bubbles, hanging under the base of a cloud. Just as on this June 2009 evening, at sunset, they often follow thunderstorms.
GRAND ARMY PLAZA GREENMARKET. Location: Corner of Prospect Park West and Flatbush Avenue, by the GAP Memorial Arch.
Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY. Left image looking toward Prospect Heights and Eastern
Parkway & the Library. Right image looking toward Park Slope and the memorial Arch.
The Bailey Fountain at Grand Army Plaza, which was designed by Calvert Vaux in 1865-66.
The fountain was designed by architect Edgerton Swarthout and sculptor
Eugene Savage and
was completed in 1932.
The large male and female bronze
sculptures represent Wisdom and Felicity, standing on the
prow
of a ship.
They are
surrounded by Neptune and his attendant Triton, plus a boy holding
a cornucopia.
Grand Army Plaza's Memorial Arch, looking toward the Plaza's
Doric columns (four in all) and the entry to Prospect Park
Information about Grand Army Plaza and the Memorial Arch. The Arch was designated
an official City landmark in 1973, as was the entire Grand Army Plaza, in 1975.
The best way to experience the sights, sounds, smells, feelings and flavors of New York is to walk around. But to cover bigger distances in shorter times, New York City buses and subways are great. Tour buses have their place, but all you really need to do is hop on a city bus to experience the views, or go down into the subway for a direct bee line to your destination.
The MTA has a terrific web site, offering tons of
information about commute in the NY area, for
all commuters, locals and out-of-towners alike.
LINKS:
Metropolitan Transportation Authority - information page.
MTA TRIP PLANNER; great tool
Below, a few MTA PDF from map -links.
I LOVE these maps.
You can enlarge the map enormously and
navigate easily, by just grabbing & pulling:
Roy Lichtenstein at Atlantic Avenue
Station in Brooklyn. Click to enlarge:
And while you are at it, riding the
subway, why don't you turn it into
a cultural tour: A link to Subway Art
Bed & Breakfast On The Park
113 Prospect Park West, btw 6th & 7th Street
Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY
Phone: -(718)- 499-6115
In Brownstone Brooklyn, next to wonderful
Prospect Park.
AT HOME IN BROOKLYN
15 Prospect Park West, Park Slope Brooklyn, NY
Phone: -(718)- 622 5292
Phone: -(646)- 226 0590
E-mail:
relax@athomeinbrooklyn.com
388 Bergen House, a victorian brownstone.
388 Bergen Street, Brooklyn, NY
Phone: -(718)-783-0080
E-mail: info@388bergenhouse.com
New York MARRIOTT at the Brooklyn Bridge
in downtown Brooklyn.
333 Adams Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201
Phone: -(718)- 246-7000
HOTEL LE BLEU
370 4th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. 11215
Phone: -(718)- 625-1500
E-mail: info@hotellebleu.com
Fairfield Inn and Suites
181 3rd Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11217-3003
Phone: -(718)- 522-4000
brooklynfairfieldinn.com
King & Grove Williamsburg
160 North 12th Street Brooklyn, NY 11249
Phone:-(718)--218-7500 Reservations
E-mail: kgwconcierge@kingandgrove.com
Giant at Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY
Vanderbilt Avenue, looking toward Grand Army Plaza. Corner of Bergen Street.
Restaurant Beast, as viewed from across Vanderbilt Avenue.
Popular among locals.
The Usual
Restaurant Zaytoons on Vanderbilt Avenue.
FERMENTED GRAPES, on Vanderbilt Avenue, has a very well thought out selection of wines. They also host
fun and interesting wine tastings. We love supporting this place and also love just brrowsing their selections.
FOOD / GREENMARKETS / MARKETS:
BLUE APRON FOODS
814 Union Street at Seventh Avenue
Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY
Phone: -(718)- 230-3180
"Cheese, Charcuterie & Fine Foods".
Nice little store, packed with
delicious stuff. Blue Apron has managed to
squeeze in an impressive amount of delicacies
into this little space. Great cheese selection. Often maddeningly crowded on weekends.
Blue Apron
Foods, click images to enlarge
The BROOKLYN KITCHEN
100 Frost Street, near Meeker Avenue
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Phone: -(718)- 349-5032
Jaques Torres CHOCOLATE - Dumbo:
The first
Jacques Torres Chocolate location.
66 Water Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201.
Phone: -(718)- 875-1269
E-mail: info@mrchocolate.com
Mon - Sat 9am to 8pm; Sun 10am -6pm.
UNION MARKET
754 Union St, corner of 6th Street
Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215-1307
Phone: -(718)- 230-5152
Prepared foods, meat/poultry, charcuterie, seafood, produce: veggies/greens/fruit/etc, cheese, dairy/specialty dairy, bakery breads, specialty
grocery, gifts, tastings, etc.
A very nice store, with lots of great stuff.
Second location:
402-404 Seventh Avenue, btw 12th/13th St
Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY
Phone: -(718)- 499-4026
BROOKLYN LARDER specialty food store.
228 Flatbush Avenue, btw. Bergen St & 6th Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Phone: -(718)- 783-1250
"International cheeses, cured meats, homemade
sausages, prepared food, sandwiches, olive oils,
sorbetti, chocolates".
A changing menu of sandwiches and seasonal dishes
for take out. Brought to you by Francine Stephens
and Andrew Feinberg, the owners of Franny's.
This is a nice store: clean, friendly and carries a lot
of great stuff.
Our only complaint was that the sandwiches we bought (a BLT and tuna/egg/anjovis, ordered without the egg) for lunch were too plain,
and the BLT was small.
At the price point I did expect there
to be at least a
few pieces of lettuce/greens on the plate, but there was just my one small BLT sandwich and my husband's two, flat sandwiches, where the
fish basically was like a very thin smear of tuna and anjovis. (Even if we ordered it with the egg, there should have been more fish there - and definitely at least a few pieces of lettuce.)
Both on wheat.
Nothing else.
Too bad, because we would have loved to add this to our rotation of
lunch places.
RED
HOOK LOBSTER POUND
284 Van Brunt Street
Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY
Phone: -(646)- 326 7650
Amazingly fresh lobster! Best lobster we have bought outside of Maine. RHLP also sells amazingly delicious & fresh lobster rolls in two locations in Brooklyn; Brooklyn Flea and under the Brooklyn Bridge. Best rolls in NY.
Spring & summer locations & hours:
-Brooklyn Flea in Ft Greene Sat 11am-5pm
-Brooklyn Flea at One Hanson Pl Sunday 10am-5pm
Winter location & hours: One Hanson Pl.
Click photo to enlarge.
BROOKLYN
CHOWDER SURFER
Fish, chowder, lobsters & more.
The founder of the"underground lobster pound" and deliveries of real Boston / Cape Cod lobster rolls. Take a look.
GRAND
ARMY PLAZA GREENMARKET
Location: Corner of Prospect Park West
and Flatbush Avenue, by the GAP Memorial
Arch.
GRAND ARMY PLAZA monthly Food Truck Rally.
Very popular, but has also
caused an uproar.
More about the Food Truck
controversy.
RED HOOK Wine Co.
177 Dwight Street,
Red Hook, NY
A winery in Red Hook! Cool!
WINE:
FERMENTED GRAPES photo, right -->
651 Vanderbilt Ave btw Park & Prospect Pl
Brooklyn, NY 11238
Phone: -(718)- 230 3216
FERMENTED GRAPES IS ONE OF OUR
FAVORITE WINE STORES IN NEW YORK.
WHILE NOT A LARGE PLACE WITH A
HUGE SELECTION, WHAT THEY HAVE,
IS A VERY WELL THOUGHT OUT
INTERNATIONAL SELECTION OF WINES
AND DIFFERENT PRICE POINTS, STARTING
FROM CHEAP BUT GOOD PICKS.
Warmly recommended.
RED
WHITE & BUBBLY
211 5th Ave,
off Union Street
Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: -(718)- 636-9463
COFFEE STORES:
LEAF & BEAN
83 7th Ave at Union Street,
Park Slope
Phone: -(718)- 638-5791
Friendly service, no attitude. Good selection of coffees.
We also like their tea selection (loose leaf or boxed). Leaf & Bean also sells useful kitchen items. Fun place to just pop in and browse while you get your coffee.
NY
Magazine review
GORILLA
COFFEE
97 Fifth Avenue at Park Place,
Park Slope
Phone: -(718)- 230-3244.
Popular place, delicious coffees.
BROOKLYN FLEA, TWO LOCTIONS:
Spring & summer locations & hours:
-Brooklyn Flea in Ft Greene Sat 11am-5pm
-Brooklyn Flea at One Hanson Pl Sunday 10am-5pm
Winter location & hours: One Hanson Pl.
SHOP BROOKLYN "A borough-wide "shop local" campaign for local residents and visitors, highlighting the service and individuality of Brooklyn's neighborhoods and shopping corridors. It serves to unite Brooklyn's vibrant "Main Streets" under one cohesive banner to promote shopping in Brooklyn and "Brooklyn Bonus" offers."
Directory of participating "indipendent" retailers.
Liberty and Queen Mary 2, docked in Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY.
Click image for huge version.
Moonlight over East river, view to Brooklyn Heights & Dumbo. Click photo:
SOUTHPAW
125 5th Ave
btwn Sterling & St. John's Places Brooklyn, NY 11217
Phone: -(718)- 230-0236
Second Link
LUNA LOUNGE
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
info@lunalounge.com
SPUTNIK
262 Taaffe Pl
Brooklyn, NY 11205
Phone: -(718)- 398-6666
Second Link
NORTH SIX
66 N 6th St
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Phone: -(718)- 599-5103
Second Link
ZEBULON
258 Wythe Ave
btwn N 3rd Str & Metropolitan Av
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Phone: -(718)- 218-6934
Second Link
Mandala Tibetan store.
reflections
Fun and inexpensive things to do in New York:
-Walk, walk, walk.
-Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.
Start from Brooklyn
Heights, and walk toward the city.
If you love walking,
first walk Brooklyn Heights; go to the promenade, and
then walk past the court houses, to the Bridge.
-Brooklyn Bridge Park is terrific.
-Walk the HIGH LINE, a terrific new, elevated park.
It is located on Manhattan's West Side.
It runs from
Gansevoort St in the Meatpacking District to 34th
Street, between 10th & 11th Avenues.
High Line Maps.
-Take the Staten Island ferry to and back. Stay in the
back for great bay & Lower Manhattan & Bridge views.
-Take the tram to Roosevelt island. (Be ware that the
tram has gotten stuck a couple of times).
-Walk around the Wall Street area, and then walk down
to Battery Park.
From there, follow the Hudson River
shore line north, along the Esplanade, until you arrive
to the North Cove Yacht Harbor & World Financial Center
Plaza with all its shops & restaurants & the lovely Winter
Garden.
Juxtaposition of old and classy & new and glassy.
The new Meier glass condo building, located on the corner of Eastern Parkway and Plaza Street East, in Prospect Heights. The facade and the entry of the building sit squarely on Plaza Street, but we guess (opine) that this did not sound "fancy enough" to some real estate marketers, so they came up with the pretentious "1 Grand Army Plaza" -address instead. Oh, well...
For the rest of the people living on the exactly same street, "Plaza Street East" is more than fine.
Things to remember in New York:
Sales tax in New York City: 8 7/8 %
In restaurants:
-You have to tip. If you do not like tipping, eat only in self service restaurants. 15% is the smallest acceptable tip. You can also double the amount of the tax. It is common in New York to tip 20%, especially in better restaurants.
-Look carefully at your bill. Make sure it lists every item you ordered (and only the items you ordered), plus the tax. Make sure to see whether the tip is included already. Some restaurants, especially the ones that have a lot of tourists as patrons, automatically add a 15% tip to the bill. If this is the case, you of course do not give an additional tip, unless you want to.
-Always demand to see an itemized bill if it is not provided. Unfortunately waiters at some establishments only present the customer with a check that does not itemize the order, with the tip already included- but the customers have no way of knowing that since they were never presented with an itemized bill.
This is not very common, but we have heard of too many incidents - and we have been the intended targets of this deceitful (and failed) practice about 3 times. Let's just say we have not taken it in stride.
Even in a famous, very respectable hotel's lobby bar a waiter made the mistake of trying to do it to us, maybe because he thought that we were tourists.
To our big dismay, this also happened to us in Brooklyn, of all places, in late March 2010. See details.
tkts DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN
1 MetroTech Center,
corner of Jay Street & Myrtle Avenue Promenade. (across the street from rear entrance of
Brooklyn Marriott).
Check out
About - Brooklyn
PROSPECT HEIGHTS PATCH: Good, up to date info about events, etc, in Prospect Heights and surrounding areas.
In front: lower Manhattan.
BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN
Just terrific.
Warmly recommended.
NYC.GOV general info about
Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx,
Queens & Staten Island
General, all of New York related links:
Top NY attractions & lots links
Brooklyn waterfront: Dumbo waterfront park, overlooking Brooklyn Bridge, the Financial District framed by the Brooklyn Bridge.
In the summer 2009, Manhattan was a city of waterfalls, enjoying 4 installations by Olafur Eliasson.
Leaving Manhattan and arriving in Dumbo, Brooklyn. View of New York Harbor with the Statue of Liberty / Liberty Island, taxi boats ships, Brooklyn Bridge. New Jersey Cranes in background. Click on image for a larger view.
