Brooklyn Magazine #36

Fall 2017, Issue No. 36

The Food & Drink Issue

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THE FOOD AND DRINK ISSUE

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CONTENTS

O U R F E A R L E SS F O O D P R OT E CTO R S Photo Ira Yousey

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DALE TALDE

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“DUDE, WHERE’S MY KALE?”

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WE DECIDE TO ROAST A CHICKEN

A cul i nary essay o n ex pl o rati o n and g ustati o n

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THE BODEGA CATS OF BROOKLYN

We al l k no w o ne; here are a few stars

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PICNIC IN BROOKLYN

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A-Z OF BROOKLYN FOOD

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BEHIND THE LINE: RESTAURANT NORMAN

Th e Top Ch e f a n d Tas te Ta l ks al um tal k s secrets, sambal , and h is “n o sh its give n ” a tti tude to w ard to day’s ho ttest trends Ex ami ni ng the i ssue o f fo o d access i n Bro o k l yn

O u r fave spo ts to pack yo ur bask et and enj o y th e v i ew befo re summer’s a di stant memo ry A g ui de to Bro o k l yn’s fo o d scene Li ne co o k J ack T i ppett sel l s us o n the appeal o f a l i ne co o k ’s l i festyle

COVER

DALE TALDE photographed by :

NICOLE FARA SILVER

location:

TALDE BROOKLYN, AUGUST 22, 2017

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BROOKLYN MAGAZINE (ISSN No: 24736732) (USPS 17910) is published quarterly (4 issues per year) by Northside Media Group, 55 Washington Street, Suite 652, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Periodicals Postage Paid at Brooklyn NY and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BROOKLYN MAGAZINE, PO BOX 3000, DENVILLE, NJ 07834-3000.

CONTENTS

W H AT ’S A N APPLE-RHUBARB S PAG L I ATO? Photo Dave Burk

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#MYBROOKLYN

Ou r so cia l m e d ia contest w i nner announced

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BAMONTE’S

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CRÈME DE LA (ICE) CRÈME

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DIAMOND LIL

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CECCONI’S

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SECRET BROOKLYN

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RECOMMENDS

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MUSIC

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DESIGN

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ASTROLOGY

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PEOPLE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

A wa lk d o wn m e m o r y lane at one of Br o o klyn ’s m o st b e lo ved Ital i an stal w arts Po o j a Bavi shi o n her passi o n: the busi ness o f sel l i ng sw eets

B a r re vie w

R e sta u r a n t re vie w

Disc ove r the bo ro ug h’s wei rdest, mo st o bscure pl aces

Wh a t th e te a m a t Books Are Magi c is r e a d in g r ig h t n ow

Pa r q u e t Co u r ts’ An d r e w Sa va g e is goi ng i t al one Amy Mor r is a n d An n a Polon sky shape the restaurant e xpe r ie n c e with more th a n ju st fur ni ture An a str o lo g ica l g u id e to eati ng your feel i ngs

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B artender and Yoga Instructor Manzel l Gl over

5 640 NIGHTS OUT AT THE BARRE.

MUSCLES IN THE HUMAN BODY. AT CRUNCH, THERE’S A PARTY FOR ALL OF THEM.

Try us out with this

3-DAY GUEST PASS! Visit Crunch.com/BrooklynMag to redeem.

Bushwick • Crown Heights • Ft Greene • Greenpoint • Park Slope • 16 other NYC area gyms Pass expires 9/30/2017. Pass valid for 3 consecutive days only. Must be local resident & show valid, local ID. Must be first time guest, 18 years or older or accompanied by an adult. Some restrictions apply. Offer cannot be combined with other offers. Pass valid at Crunch Brooklyn locations listed above only. ©2017 Crunch IP Holdings, LLC

#NOJUDGMENTS

MASTHEAD

FOUNDERS N. Scott Stedman, Daniel Stedman

EDITORIAL

Managing Editor: Sid Orlando Digital Managing Editor: Alica Forneret Associate Editor: Evan Romano Copy Editor: Hannah Harris Green Contributors: Alexa Abdalla, Laura Itzkowitz, Michael Olson, Matthew Ismael Ruíz, Alexandra Pucciarelli, Stephanie Schroeder, Tyler Wetherall, Sarah Zorn

ART Design Director: Morgan McMullen Designer: Shirley Chang Contributing Photographers: Heidi’s Bridge, Dave Burk, Margarita Corporan, Julie Goldstone, David Moriya, Augustin Pasquet, Hayley Rosenblum, Nicole Fara Silver, Sasha Turrentine, Michelle Young, Ira Yousey Contributing Illustrators: Claire McCracken, Danielle Moalem, Maddy Price

NORTHSIDE MEDIA

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Project Manager: Casey Holiday Sales & Administrative Assistant: Susanna Friedman

Associate Publisher: Lisa Brown Publishing & Operations Coordinator: Lily DePaula

ADVERTISEMENTS 718-596-3462 x112 6

Photo Heidi’s Bridge

R E S TA U R A N T DESIGN

Chief Partnerships Officer: Jesse Smith VP of Sales: Danielle DiPaolo VP of Experience: Brian Quinn Director of Client Services and Experience: Chris Schuett Director of Marketing: Alexander Pipes Director of Programming: Lauren Beck Programming Manager: Jeff Klingman Account Executives: Katie Christoff, Emily Crawford, Tom Franke, Anna Garrison, Martine Parris

PARK AVENUE ARMORY PRESENTS

EXPAND YOUR SONIC FRONTIERS THIS FALL

BLANK OUT NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE MICHEL VAN DER AA SEPTEMBER 21–27

“A wonderfully fluent and effective piece of music theatre” —The Guardian (UK)

Based on the life and work of South African poet Ingrid Jonker, this groundbreaking work combines live action and singing by soprano Miah Persson with innovative techniques of 3D film and inventive music to consider the ways in which we reconstruct and deal with traumatic life events.

RÉPONS PIERRE BOULEZ ENSEMBLE INTERCONTEMPORAIN M AT T H I A S P I N T S C H E R OCTOBER 6–7

EXPERIENCE THE NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE OF THIS EPIC THEATRICAL MASTERPIECE

A ROOM IN INDIA

“It’s gritty and rigorous, but also sumptuous and fanciful… the sheer visceral excitement of being caught in the middle was like nothing else in music.”

—The New York Times

Rarely staged in concert halls given its unconventional configuration of the space, Pierre Boulez’s spatial masterwork is performed twice in succession each evening, with the audience changing seats in between to gain a new sonic perspective.

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE T H É ÂT R E D U S O L E I L ARIANE MNOUCHKINE DECEMBER 5–20

RECITAL SERIES Sabine Devieihle in her North American Recital Debut.

Patricia Kopatchinskaja in a wide ranging repertoire.

Barbara Hannigan in her U.S. Recital Debut.

ARTISTS STUDIO Rashaad Newsome premieres a new work based on musical runs, a series of ascending and descending notes in rapid succession.

Duo Ran Blake and Dominique Eade explore music with global sensibilities in a thrilling double bill with Kavita Shah.

“it is a spectacle full of surprises…a joyful, funny, four hour show, even as it collides with the evil of our world…

It is theater as Mnouchkine likes it: alive, dynamic, colorful, sung–danced, corporal and stylized” —Le Monde

The matriarch of exploratory French theater and her inventive company return for their latest new work, an expansive affair that touches on pressing issues that societies around the globe are currently facing to explore the power of theater to heal a community.

ARMORYONPARK.ORG OR (212) 933-5812 Thompson Arts Center at Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue at 67th Street @ParkAveArmory #PAABlankOut #PAARepons #PAAARoominIndia Photos: Left, Da Ping Luo; Right, Michele Laurent

LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER

A Letter From Our Founder Looking back across our years of writing, eating, drinking, and reporting our way through Brooklyn, the team at Northside has witnessed (and indulged in) the many different food & drink scenes as they’ve come and gone. As we program our national series of Taste Talks conferences and our Awards, we’ve reflected deeply on Brooklyn’s food & drink culture.

When we planted our roots in Brooklyn 14 years ago, we lived off tacos served in the back of bodegas and dollar slices of pizza. Our readers were not eating at the new crops of fancy restaurants that popped up on Smith Street and in Williamsburg. And now new restaurants and bars are everywhere, in every neighborhood, and the top restaurants carry Michelin stars.

We still aim to approach our food & drink coverage for everyone—from the old-school Brooklyn standbys, to the new hot spots, to the delis and bodegas and noodle-joints that keep us all going. We’re exited to bring you with us as we crawl out of the lazy, hazy days of summer into the fall’s explosion of culture, wining, and dining.

My recommendation to you: enjoy this issue over a cup of coffee, however you take it (for me, Café Bustelo from a Moka pot with a little warmed milk from the stove).

-Danny Stedman

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MY B R O O K LY N

We asked our Instagram followers to show us Brooklyn through their eyes, using #mybrooklyn. The entries showed the vibrancy and diversity that make this borough so special. This winning photo, captured by @bragajones, highlights a nostalgic peek into residential Brooklyn.

Something about walking around Brooklyn always makes me feel nostalgic. I stopped to take this photo because it reminded me of being young and running around plastic toys under drying clothes. The photo was shot on an old film camera which contributes to the grainy ghostly look. The chain link fence was a window for me to look into a past life. @ B R AGA J O N E S

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A Brooklyn Stalwart: Bamonte’s The culinary history of Brooklyn is made up of more than just great food and drink; it's defined by the atmosphere and customers that keep the borough's best stalwarts alive and kicking words A l exa n d r a P u c c i a r e l l i art C l a i r e M c c r a c ke n

Bamonte’s is a time capsule. A large part of the experience is the atmosphere; the space is filled with old Italian men familiarly discussing the latest Mets game or their extended families with wait staff they’ve known for decades. As an outsider, you know the people at the bar have had these conversations before—the scenes that happen in Bamonte’s have been replaying for close to 120 years. Bamonte’s remains unchanged since its last renovation in the 1950s, except these days the cigarette machine is only for show. From the white table cloths to the waiters in tuxedos, the establishment’s classic elements remain intact.

The walls are dotted with autographed pictures of regulars—Joe DiMaggio, members of the men’s clubs that used to meet for dinner and drinks before prohibition, and James Gandolfini (of course, an episode of The Sopranos was shot at Bamonte’s). Though each regular’s season will come to an end eventually, these iconic features likely will never change. The Bamonte family owns the two-story building that houses their restaurant, and since opening the doors in 1900—three years before even the Williamsburg Bridge was completed—ownership has passed from Pasquale Bamonte—an immigrant from Salerno, Italy—to various family members down the line. The food, though, has remained a constant.

I have been to Bamonte’s numerous times during my years in New York. The first time I went, I happened upon it with a friend. We were desperately hungry and very lost.

Despite their simple signage and unmemorable exterior,

Bamonte’s looked different from what felt like thousands of uber-hip restaurants we had walked past that day—it felt like what Brooklyn used to be, like the New York that now only exists in movies.

I trusted Bamonte’s the minute I walked in, which is something that happens pretty rarely because I grew up in an Italian family with talented cooks. Unlike so many of the “old school” restaurants still found in the city, the food is well done with a familial atmosphere to match. The restaurant is filled with spirited conversations, and you can tell the loyal patrons have been celebrating anniversaries and birthdays here for generations. The old men who sit at the bar remind me of my pap; you can tell that they come to the bar almost every day to tell the same stories over and over, and since their hearing is gone, no one minds.

This was comforting to me when I was new to the city, without family near by.

Bamonte’s menu is exactly what you would expect, with items like clams oreganata, homemade manicotti, seafood fra diavolo, and veal milanese. The first time I went and every time after, I have gotten the seafood fra diavolo which has the perfect amount of spice, and the shrimp and clams are always fresh. The portions are very generous, so I recommend going with a group that is willing to eat a well-rounded selection of meat and seafood. And in true family-style meal fashion, that group should also be willing to pass a lot of plates, share a lot of stories, and stay a while—the next generation of Bamonte’s regulars is out there somewhere. ■

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FOOD & DRINK

Crème de la crème (ice) Pooja Bavishi combines her business school acumen with a love of desserts and a passion for flavors and fragrances to create one of the most popular ice cream brands in Brooklyn words Ste phani e S chroed e r photo S asha Tur re nti ne

For Pooja Bavishi, entrepreneurship runs in the family. Her father is an independent businessman in the textile industry, and her mother has worked alongside him for as long as Bavishi can remember. Making the the jump from undergrad studies in North Carolina, to fair housing and social enterprise work in DC, to business school in Manhattan, to making and selling ice cream in Brooklyn may not be a small feat—but Bavishi is pulling it off.

Describing Malai, her gourmet small-batch ice cream brand, just as original—or delicious—would be an understatement: her flavor profiles are transcendent. Rose with cinnamon and toasted almonds, sweet milk (described as “condensed milk in ice cream form”), golden turmeric and ginger, masala chai, and smoky palm sugar with tamarind caramel are just a few of those flavors, inspired by the aromatic Indian ingredients of her childhood. In less than three years, Bavishi has taken her passion and made it into a smashing success in the artisanal epicenter of Brooklyn.

It’s prime time, too: the high-end dessert market has exploded over the last few years. “We think of ice cream as kid-friendly and something you grab on a Sunday afternoon,” says Bavishi. “Malai is those things, but also has something a little bit more special about it.”

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Now in her third year of producing Malai ice cream—yes, she still makes it herself, in shared kitchen space at Brooklyn Foodworks—Bavishi also wears other hats. She is in charge of the company’s marketing and social media, though she hopes to hire other passionate people to take on those roles in the near future. It’s clear from the rapid growth, voluminous press coverage, and popularity of Malai that there could be bigger things to come, and Bavishi knows that.

“I have an operations manager who joined last April, and she’s definitely the workhorse behind Malai,” says Bavishi. “And, we have really amazing market and pop-up people. Malai is not just about selling ice cream, it’s about believing in the product, loving the product, and knowing where I want to take it and believing in that mission. It’s very exciting!”

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“ We think of ice cream as kidfriendly and something you grab on a Sunday afternoon,” says Bavishi. “Malai is those things, but also has something a little bit more special about it.”

Malai is currently serving at Smorgasburg on both Saturday in Williamsburg and Sunday in Prospect Park, and at Gotham Market at The Ashland every day until November 1. Malai also offers local pick-up and delivery, online sales through the brand’s website (www.malai.co), soon (if not already) availability via Postmates, and in just a few weeks, wholesale as well. The brand’s retail product will launch at the Whole Foods opening in Metuchen, NJ, in October. And, Bavishi says there will be special occasion offerings through the holidays, such as unique boxed sets for Thanksgiving and something incredible (!) for Diwali in October.

An extensive search for a brick-and-mortar location, to open in summer 2018, is also part of Bavishi’s expansion plan. ■ FA L L 2 0 1 7

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FOOD & DRINK

BAR REVIEW

Diamond Lil A jewel-box bar with top-notch cocktails is the latest addition to Greenpoint’s bar scene review Laura Itzkowitz photos Courtesy of Diamond Lil

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Entering Diamond Lil, which opened in late May on Nassau Avenue, a comfortably familiar feeling washes over me—the emerald-green Art Nouveau space reminds me of its sister bar, Broken Land, and the cocktail temples in the Milk & Honey school. The long, narrow room is lined with forest-green velvet booths, opposite a pink onyx bar and back bar adorned with a painting by Jenna Gribbon.

(The painting, depicting a pre-Raphaelite woman reading a book on the grass, oblivious to the viewer’s gaze, is titled “Got No Time to Be Your Muse”—a dig on the helpless Ophelia trope.) Tin ceilings, embossed wallpaper, and a beaded lamp lend the space a 1920s vibe. Fittingly,

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Nathan Venard, who conceptualized the cocktail menu, previously worked at Broken Land and a few of Sasha Petraske’s Prohibition-inspired bars, including Dutch Kills and the Varnish in L.A. “The drinks here can go head-to-head with any fancy cocktail bar in the city,” co-owner Tim Murray tells me, emphasizing that this is meant to be a neighborhood bar.

(Murray, his co-owner Jon Wright, and Venard all live in Greenpoint.) “It’s complex with the flavors, but they’re not priced to be upper crust. They’re still accessible and that was so important.” The well-edited menu features a Frozen Painkiller, three Tiki drinks, classics like a Pimm’s

Cup and Vieux Carré, and original creations, like the Valparaiso Sour made with Pisco, Campari, lemon, and strawberry. All cocktails cost $12, with $8 specials during Happy Hour. My Frozen Painkiller—garnished with a pineapple leaf—tastes like the Caribbean in a glass, and the Valparaiso Sour—which I tried a few weeks ago on my first visit—is perfectly balanced between tart, sweet, and boozy notes. I think I’ve found my new neighborhood go-to. ■

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179 Nassau Ave, Greenpoint

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FOOD & DRINK

R E S TA U R A N T R E V I E W

Cecconi’s review Sarah Zorn photos Dave Burk

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DUMBO is the rare Brooklyn neighborhood it’s hard to get nostalgic over. We’ve rarely encountered anyone who claims to hail from there, and as far as insidious borough-wide gentrification goes, it’s only served to amplify the area’s already inherent qualities: it’s long been a playground for the affluent (sipping Pouilly-Fuisse in the orchid-scented River Café), as well as a beacon to tourists taking in the iconic skyline views.

One of the precious few suggestions of DUMBO’s actual working-class past has traditionally been a vacant, turn-of-the-century warehouse, its arched, iron-gated windows gazing like baleful eyes at a surrounding sea of newfangled structures. Yet it too has been recently appropriated for more contemporary purposes—its capacious interiors now housing a modernist mini-mall of exceedingly high-end tenants (Shinola, West Elm), not to mention an outpost of the elite, global, members-only club Soho House.

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Luckily, you don’t need to be an active card carrier to access Cecconi’s waterfront-facing eatery–which boasts additional branches in Barcelona, West Hollywood, and London–although it’s unsurprising to discover that the snoot-factor is high. Starch-aproned servers mill about with practiced disinterest, perhaps deigning to drop menus approximately five minutes after seating, take orders 10 minutes following that, and deliver drinks after 10-odd minutes more.

One assumes they’re adept at sniffing out the huddled masses, so taking advantage of early evening aperitivo, when prices plummet substantially for select dishes and drinks, is probably a pretty big tell. Still, it’s possible to forgive perceived slights, when the tradeoff is affordable bites like oil-and-olive–drenched boquerones, nestled two deep in burnished vessels, an urbane nod to plebeian anchovies in a tin. And while it would be easy for Cecconi’s to regard food as incidental, in the creation

of a place that's purpose is to see and be seen, much of it is rather wonderful—think a quirky collection of quail eggs, positioned (in lieu of veal) in a pool of tonnato sauce, and petal-shaped pizzettes with bubbled crusts, supporting porchetta and fontina.

As befits an establishment that honors the drinking culture of Italy, the tipple of choice is the spritz. Notable variants include an apple-rhubarb spagliato, accented with a dried frill of fruit, and a base of effervescent Aperol, echoing the vermillion-tinged sunset enveloping the bridge.

Cecconi’s is indeed the perfect flagship for Brooklyn’s most aspirational neighborhood—it certainly wouldn’t have us as a member, yet we can’t resist being part of its sumptuous tableau. ■

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55 Water St, DUMBO 17

BOOKS

Secret Brooklyn Michelle Young and Augustin Pasquet’s new book invites you to discover the borough’s weirdest, most obscure places words Laura Itzkowitz photos Michelle Young and Augustin Pasquet

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It’s a Tuesday evening and I’m sipping a vermouth-and-rosemary cocktail in the back room of Le Boudoir, a Marie Antoinette-themed speakeasy hidden under a French bistro in Brooklyn Heights. Michelle Young and Augustin Pasquet are regaling me with tales of the craziest experiences they had while writing Secret Brooklyn. The husband-andwife team behind Untapped Cities—an online magazine with a cult following among urbanists, explorers, and history buffs—went to great lengths to uncover Brooklyn’s most obscure, hard-to-access, quirky places for this book, part of a series of “Unusual Guides” by Jonglez Publishing.

(Michelle and I wrote New York: Hidden Bars & Restaurants for this series a couple of years ago.)

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Park Slope Armory

FOLIO TK

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BOOKS

With its stone walls and barrel-vaulted ceiling, the cavelike room where we’re sitting is no ordinary speakeasy— it’s part of the Atlantic Avenue tunnel, the world’s oldest underground transit tunnel. Urban archaeologists are convinced that an 1836 locomotive from the original Long Island Railroad is buried in the tunnel not far from where we’re sitting, and an electromagnetic scan by an engineering firm confirmed that indeed there is an

unidentified object about the size of the lost train back there. Needless to say, this place is an entry in the book.

It took Young and Pasquet about a year to write and photograph Secret Brooklyn and the most challenging part was just getting access to all the different places they wanted to explore. More in depth than your average guidebook, there are over 120 locations, each with a fullpage photo and a full page of text. You can read about

Crown Fish Caves Cheese Tunnels

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Torah Animal World abandoned subway platforms in Downtown Brooklyn, a fake townhouse concealing a subway evacuation tunnel in Brooklyn Heights, a cheese-aging facility in old beer tunnels in Crown Heights, remnants of a 1960 plane crash in Park Slope, an abandoned nineteeth-century shooting gallery in the Park Slope Armory, an appointment-only museum housing the world’s smallest torah in a Borough Park townhouse, a Marine Park grocery store frozen in 1939, a Norwegian Seamen’s church full of robots in Red Hook, an urban safari for wild parrots that meets at an undisclosed location in Flatbush, the world’s first commercially viable rooftop vineyard in the Navy Yard, and Coney Island’s sideshow school. How, I asked, did they decide what was secret enough to be included?

“One criteria was if you lived in the neighborhood where this place was your whole life, you would still be able to discover things in your neighborhood,” Pasquet said, explaining that a lifelong resident of Sheepshead Bay who read the book told him she knew fifty percent of the places but the other fifty percent blew her mind. “Even a

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“ One criteria was if you lived in the neighborhood where this place was your whole life, you would still be able to discover things in your neighborhood.”

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Golden Gate Fruit Market, Marine Park

BOOKS

Puppet Library, Brooklyn College lifelong New Yorker can be surprised,” he said, smiling.

The project allowed Young and Pasquet to put into practice the mission they preach at Untapped Cities, whose tagline is “rediscover your city.” Every weekend they would post a message on Facebook inviting friends to explore with them as they researched the locations featured in the book. “One of the impetus for doing the book was that we knew we were moving to Brooklyn. We bought an apartment and so it gave us a reason to go exploring every weekend,” Young, who grew up on Long Island and lived in Manhattan for many years, explained. “It gave us, in a shorter time than normal, a real breadth in history and the places that Brooklyn has to offer. It’s a very large borough, so it was a crash course.”

Very few of the locations are in trendy neighborhoods like Williamsburg, Greenpoint, or Bushwick, though

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there is a notable entry for a secret museum dedicated to Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. Instead, they found themselves tracking down a puppet library at Brooklyn College, posing as prospective students in order to photograph a basketball court in a historic movie palace on the campus of Long Island University, watching freight trains roll by on a floating barge between Sunset Park and Jersey City, and spending Valentine’s Day at a freak show on Coney Island. “I think my personal appreciation for the borough of Brooklyn is a lot more,” said Pasquet, who moved to New York from Paris five years ago. “So many amazing places rest in the hands of amazing people.” ■ Secret Brooklyn is available at untappedcities.com/store and at bookstores. Untapped Cities organizes visits to Rooftop Reds every weekend.

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Bergen Street

Le Boudoir, Atlantic Avenue Tunnel

BOOKS

W H AT A R E YO U R E A D I N G?

Books Are Magic

words Alexa Abdalla

Books Are Magic is not one of Brooklyn’s oldest bookstores by a longshot–the shop opened its doors just this past May. Already though, the book lovers’ haven is gaining popularity due, perhaps, to its busy event schedule, photogenic pink-neon-lit “Books Are Magic” sign, and because the shop was started by best-selling author Emma Straub, who wrote The Vacationers and Modern Lovers.

While the store itself has recommendations scattered throughout, some of the Books Are Magic staff (and Ms. Straub) shared what they’re reading as leaves are turning.

A R B I T R A RY S T U P I D G OA L

by Tamara Shopsin

This memoir reminds me of Joe Brainard's I Remember if Brainard had grown up in Greenwich Village. As a native New Yorker, this book makes my heart sing. It's got art; it's got food; it's got love, weird parents, and gumball machines. It’s got me.

-Emma Straub, owner

NEW PEOPLE

by Danzy Senna

For fans of Dear White People (Director Justin Simien's satirical look at college race relations that has been both a feature film and a Netflix series), this novel set in 1990s Brooklyn takes a look at the intersections of race and class through intimate relationships. The protagonist is struggling with the image of her "perfect" life and impending marriage and makes some risky decisions that could threaten her future.

TH E TA LE NTE D RIBKINS

by Ladee Hubbard

Debut novelist Ladee Hubbard takes you on a magical-realist road trip, blending superhero mythology with the American Civil Rights movement.

The book is inventive and fast paced, perfect for those who read Colson Whitehead, Michael Chabon, and/or Toni Morrison.

-Liv Stratman, bookseller

-Collen Callery, marketing/communications

O C TO B E R

by China Mieville A fascinating and highly readable portrait of the Russian Revolution.

Mieville is a novelist as well as a firstrate historian, which means October reads like fiction.

-Heather Wood, bookseller

Books Are Magic 225 Smith Street, Cobble Hill

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Nation-wide festivals fostering innovative dialogues about the future of food.

BROOKLYN SEPTEMBER 8-10

LOS ANGELES OCTOBER 27-29

CHICAGO OCTOBER 6-8

MIAMI NOVEMBER 18-19

F E S T I VA L S . TA S T E TA L K S . C O M

MUSIC

ONE ON ONE After six albums with Parquet Courts, Andrew Savage has found the right time for his very own project words E va n R o m a n o photos N i c o l e F a r a S i l ve r

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Just around the corner from his home in the heart of Bed-Stuy, Andrew Savage, best known as the frontman of Brooklynvia-Texas indie darlings Parquet Courts, launches a long, high-arching shot toward a net on his local basketball court. His form doesn’t exactly resemble that of Steph Curry, but nonetheless, the ball swishes through the net. (Swish takes on a very liberal meaning in this scenario.) The multi-instrumentalist sees me jotting down some notes after his latest attempt and recites what he imagines those notes to be. “Savage’s prowess as an athlete startled me,” he begins his calculated guess. “I knew he was a talented musician, but a jock?”

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MUSIC That was just a taste of Savage’s omnipresent dry humor. A few months prior, I’d seen Parquet Courts perform a mid-day set at the Governors Ball music festival, where Savage’s easy wit made for an amiable contrast with his loud, pointed musical output. “Thanks to Governor Andrew Cuomo for inviting us to his ball,” he quipped not long into the set.

2017 marks the first time in seven years without a new project from Parquet Courts. (The regularity of those releases no doubt gave way to a constantly expanding fan base.) But that consistent output isn’t coming to a halt: Savage is preparing for the release of his first solo album, Thawing Dawn, out this October on his label, Dull Tools, which is headquartered in his Bed-Stuy residence.

As always, his writing and recording comes credited as A.Savage—as in “oh, he’s just a savage.”

T he 10 -t r ack , 45 -m i nute -long record i s a n amalgamation of a few things, combining songs that pre-date the existence of Parquet Courts with others that were written in the past year. The album, including the songs written long ago, was recorded in three sessions— in December 2016, as well as March and June 2017—at THUMP Studios in Greenpoint. Thawing Dawn includes sounds, moods, and ideas that never fit with Parquet Courts, nor with Fergus & Geronimo, Savage’s previous

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project. “It just didn’t feel right for anything else,” he said, now on a couch in his apartment in lieu of a basketball court.

“You know? It felt like me.”

Feeling like himself is an important element of Thawing Dawn, which hones in on a theme of living in the moment.

Savage’s favorite song on the album is “Ladies From Houston”; during its seven minutes, the song transports him back to a certain long, late, drunken night. “Whenever I play the song, something magical happens and I go back to that night and that moment,” he says as his cat, Frida, daintily walks between us on his couch.

When preparing to record the album, Savage found himself listening to a range of music rooted in the ‘70s— listing John Cale, Nico, Kevin Ayers, and Brian Eno as influences, before realizing that he was, indeed, naming solo projects from accomplished artists who had each garnered their fame as part of a popular band. Savage notes that Eno in particular managed to transcend the association with any specific band, group, or act. “At this point, not many people still think of Roxy Music when they think of Brian Eno. They just think of Brian Eno. Some people probably know him best as the guy who did the Coldplay record.”

As he listened to those records, he questioned the deeper meaning of what, exactly, it means to be a solo artist.

In the lead up to Thawing Dawn’s release and subsequent

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“It’s one thing to do a kind of emotionally vulnerable song with a band, but it’s another thing to do one just by yourself.”

tour, Savage—never one to slow his own breakneck pace— has been hard at work writing songs for the next Parquet Courts album. When he heads to Texas to record with the band this September (due out next year), he will return to a familiar project after dedicating himself to something he can truly call his own.

It’s an exercise in starting over for Savage, who has seen an increase in venue and crowd size that corresponds with the increase in popularity and catalogue of Parquet Courts. Where the band played the Governors Ball show in June to around 15,000 people, the crowd at Savage’s show at Pete’s Candy Store in Brooklyn just a few nights later was closer to 15. It wasn’t Parquet Courts—it was A. Savage. Even for a seasoned professional, the tension crept up. “I was nervous, I had butterflies, I was shaking,” he said, reflecting on one of his first solo shows. “I think that’s really cool to still be able to have that feeling. It’s very special that music can still be that for me—it can still be the nerves and the excitement.”

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MUSIC

“Whenever I play the song, something magical happens and I go back to that night and that moment�

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MUSIC

It’s not that he doesn’t think Parquet Courts is exciting. “But I could play a lot of those songs in my sleep at this point, because they’re so embedded in my muscle memory, I don’t even really have to think about them when I’m playing them. When I’m doing one of these newer songs, I really have to think about it and be on my game, and remember the lyrics. It’s one thing to do a kind of emotionally vulnerable song with a band, but it’s another thing to do one just by yourself.”

And when a musician tours constantly, performing the same songs for months and years on end, it’s

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only natural that they might not feel butterf lies as they hit the f irst note for the hundredth time.

Savage won’t often be playing his live shows with just himself and a guitar— he’ll usually be accompanied by a full band—but the change up, playing smaller venues, smaller crowds, dive bars, is something that he’s eager to welcome back into his life. “It’s just good to know that there are ways to avoid becoming jaded and becoming perfunctory with music, which is the last thing that I would want,” he says. “Because it’s one of the most special things in my life.” ■

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DESIGN

THE MP SHIFT What do you want a customer to say to their friends when they talk about your space? words M a t t h e w I s m a e l R u i z photos H e i d i ’s B r i d g e & Margarita Corporan

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In a city like New York, with an insane number of restaurants packed into each square mile, and Elite Yelpers wielding influence like an army of unpaid restaurant critics, it’s not enough for the food at your restaurant to taste good. The music, lighting, decor, and even the menus leave an impression that can last long after that avocado toast clears your taste buds.

That’s where the women of The MP Shift—a design and branding studio—come in: “We’re creative directors who want to bring the rational side back to design,” Amy Morris and Anna Polonsky tell me. That question about what people will tell their friends is one of the first things they ask new clients, and lays the foundation for the work they do.

Morris and Polonsky have been friends for ten years, and apply their combined experience in fashion, branding, and advertising to the restaurant design space. Polonsky spent her childhood in Paris and moved to New York as a teen; Morris hails from Boston and studied in Colorado before

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DESIGN

landing in the city. They’ve since found a niche consulting other creative types on how best to make their dreams reality. “We’ve always had a design ethos [that] celebrates the imperfect, to never impose any signature style,” they say. “Success is elevating our clients’ vision; It’s not about our artistic fantasies!”

One recent success, the chic Nolita cafe De Maria, personifies this kind of collaboration. The MP Shift oversaw and executed the space’s interior design, but it’s a reflection of the vision of De Maria’s directors: co-owner/chef Camille Becerra, co-owner/creative director Grace Lee, and art director Nikki Brand.

Named after mid-century artist Walter De Maria, the cafe is brighter than its predecessors, but still respects those who came before it, both in the neighborhood and in the space itself.

“We wanted to bring in the flavors of Nolita and Soho in the ‘60s and ‘70s, inspired by Walter de Maria as well as Donald Judd’s former house just down the street,” Morris and Polonsky say. “The idea was to create a space that feels like it’s been passed down from artist to artist, each leaving their mark behind.”

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In practical terms, that meant mixing in 1” mini tiles and touches of brass with the subway tiles on the feature walls, and keeping some of the original brass tables but also adding tables reupholstered with navy and sea-green leather. They also had an artist paint the former bistro mirrors, and in the bathroom, Lee and Brand designed a neon-blue Virgin Mary inspired by the cafe’s namesake.

Morris and Polonsky see themselves as more than just designers—they want to be the Creative Artists Agency of the hospitality space. They offer branding, marketing, and visual identity services, and have even helped brands develop programming that helps achieve their goals without a permanent space.

To help Google Translate celebrate 10 years of their language translation app, The MP Shift produced an event based around the hashtag #EveryoneSpeaksFood. Morris and Polonsky put together a team of four lead chefs—Danny Bowien, JJ Johnson, Einat Admony, and Gerardo Gonzalez—and asked them each to bring three collaborators from different cultural and language backgrounds.

The event ended up featuring over a dozen chefs from around the world, with zero English spoken or written

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DESIGN

“The idea was to create a space that feels like it’s been passed down from artist to artist, each leaving their mark behind.”

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throughout. The waitstaff and the menu featured a variety of languages—including on the signage—and guests used the Google Translate app to guide them through the experience.

Morris and Polonsky have proved themselves adept at helping otherwise creative people grow the seed of an idea into a full-fledged “thing”—whether that’s a restaurant like De Maria, an office like Mission Chinese’s, or a marketing plan for the Plaza Hotel’s food and beverage services. And they’re spreading those seeds far and wide; they will debut their first Texas project in early 2018, a “health-forward cafe/lifestyle space”.

Morris and Polonsky praise the owner’s impeccable taste, but admit it will be a challenge to narrow down the wide selection of good ideas and remain “unique, on-brand, and timeless.” If their past successes are any indication, they will rise to the challenge. ■

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W W W. AT L A N T I C AV E .O R G

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Words Laura Itzkowitz Photos Nicole Fara Silver

Dale Talde Won’t Be Tokenized With five new restaurants and bars this year, Brooklyn’s favorite Top Chef and Taste Talks alum aims to redefine Asian-American cuisine Top Chef and Taste Talks alum Dale Talde is known for many things, but sugar coating his opinions isn’t one of them. When I mention I’ve been seeing a bunch of recent press coverage predicting Filipino food will be the next hot thing, he responds emphatically. “To me that’s bullshit,” he retorts, “I don’t give a shit if Filipino is the next thing. I’m not flying the flag. Our culture’s not a cliché culture. We’re here, we’ve always been here. So for me, at this point now, I don’t give a fuck if people wanna eat it or not, I’m just gonna make my food and hopefully they wanna eat it.”

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I can understand his indignation—nobody wants to be tokenized or reduced to a passing fad that mainstream culture will embrace as an exotic curiosity until the next hot thing comes around. The thing is, people do want to eat his food, regardless of trends. This becomes crystal clear as I sit in a booth at Talde in Park Slope and watch

the restaurant, which was fairly quiet when I arrived at 5:00 pm on a recent Friday, quickly fill up. By the time I leave a little after 6:00, it’s buzzing with the sounds of people talking and eating. Plates of kale salad and Brussels sprouts are flying out of the kitchen. Talde watches them with eagle eyes and doesn’t hesitate to call over

the waiters to tell them the portion size is “way too fuckin’ small.” Like many successful chefs, Talde exhibits an incredible attention to detail.

At 38 years old, the Chicago-born chef has a lot on his plate (pun not intended), and he’s not slowing down. As we talk over a dish of smoked chili shrimp sambal—a killer new addition to the menu—he tells

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me he’s preparing to open multiple new locations inside the new Hotel 50 Bowery. These will include a restaurant called Green Lady in the cellar and Rice & Gold on the ground floor. He and his partners, David Massoni and John Bush of the Three Kings Restaurant Group, may have closed their Park Slope spots Pork Slope and Thistle Hill Tavern late last year, but they’re

You know what the secret to this is?

It’s butter.

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moving on. So far this year they’ve opened Massoni, Talde’s “Italian-ish” restaurant in the Arlo Hotel NoMad; Atlantic Social, a sports bar serving all-American comfort food near the Barclay’s Center; and the Crown in Hotel 50 Bowery, where they are in charge of all food and beverage, including room service. Up next he’ll be working on a food hall in West Palm

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Beach, Florida, and he will participate in Northside’s own upcoming Taste Talks, and a host of other events.

Though critics didn’t always embrace Talde wholeheartedly, he’s earned his place in New York’s restaurant scene. When Talde opened in 2012, New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells gave it a mixed review, suggesting that Dale neglected Talde when he opened Pork Slope, but acknowledged, “Mr. Talde has a well-polished knack for translating Asian dishes for popular tastes.” And though the New Yorker’s Hannah Goldfield wrote that the team went a little overboard on the decor, she moreover praised his pretzel pork-andchive dumplings (a staple of the menu since the restaurant opened), declaring they “taste like the love child of a Hong Kong hawker stall and a New York hot-dog cart.”

In his “Where to Eat 2013” feature, New York Magazine’s restaurant critic Adam Platt wrote, “Food-obsessed Brooklynites used to have to take the L train into Manhattan to get their fix of the latest Asian-fusion or tapas craze. But these days, it’s jaded Manhattanites who are making the long slog out to Talde, in Park Slope, to sample ingenious fusion comfort-food creations.”

Food & Wine named Talde New York’s Best New Chef in 2013 and has featured him and his recipes in numerous articles since.

Talde rose to stardom for his idiosyncratic brand of Asian-American cuisine— combining his personal identity with the technical prowess he’d picked up at the Culinary Institute of America—and his years of cooking at Morimoto and Buddakan. He moved to New York in 2005 to work with Chef Masaharu Morimoto and restaurateur Stephen Starr. He then became Chef de Cuisine at Buddakan and was promoted to Director of Asian Concepts for STARR Restaurants before striking out on his own.

“I’m not Filipino, nor am I American. I don’t fit in anywhere,” he tells me. “The reality is I have a foot in both words, so I embrace that, and I embrace fusion. That’s literally where the food stems from.”

His pretzel pork-and-chive dumplings may be the most obvious example, but you’ll see this approach in everything from crispy oyster and bacon pad thai—a 46

That’s my attitude toward this food. If it’s supposed to be spicy, don’t fuck around.

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far more extravagant version of the dish than you’d ever see at your average Thai joint—to newer items, like the smoked chili shrimp sambal. “You know what the secret to this is? It’s butter,” he tells me after I take a bite. “‘Cause Malaysian people won’t cook it in butter. They’ll cook it in some cheap-ass oil they have lying around—it might be coconut oil, but it’ll never be anything super dope. You drop the butter first and you add the sambal to the butter—it’s a totally different dish.”

I wouldn’t have been able to put my fin-

ger on it, but he’s right. The flavor is even richer and more intense than the sambal I made during a cooking class on a recent trip to Bali, where I mashed the chilies, garlic, herbs, and spices in a mortar and pestle and toasted the paste in a pan with oil. “It helps carry the flavors along, but it helps tame the heat, ‘cause this is fuckin’ spicy,” he continues. “For some people that’s too spicy; not for me. That’s my attitude toward this food. If it’s supposed to be spicy, don’t fuck around. Don’t half-ass it.”

After tasting this smoked chili shrimp

sambal, I definitely wouldn’t accuse him of half-assing it. Talde’s M.O. seems to be to find something that sparks his imagination and go all in. His inspiration might come from childhood memories of his mom’s home cooking—or from his travels around the world. A recent vacation in Barcelona and San Sebastian inspired a dish he’s developing combining Spanish f ideos with a smoked paprika dashi and chorizo Iberico broth. Trips to Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines have influenced his

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cooking too. When I ask how he wraps all these inf luences together, he waxes philosophical. “For me, what’s Asia? You know? It’s funny when people put these names and start categorizing things. Like, the Middle East is Asia. So now I’m like, why am I sticking to what people think Asia is when I can expand people’s idea of what Asia is?” He continues, “So like playing with halal, Persian-style chicken and rice, but turning it into fried rice, so not traditional but tasty. You know, tasty is the only boundary that we have limiting

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ourselves personally. Does it taste good?

If it tastes good, cool, run with it. If it’s whack then we don’t put it on the menu.”

It’s an approach he’s taken to Massoni, where he’s making biryani arancini and other Asian-Italian mashups in a lively space plastered with vintage Italian ads and travel posters.

At this point, five years after opening his 48

namesake restaurant, Talde has proven that he can make not only awesome Asian-American cuisine, but also Italian-Asian cuisine, and straight-up American comfort food.

Each new project is a challenge to expand the boundaries of his culinary expertise and prove that he can’t be reduced to a stereotype.

Aside from his professional pursuits, this has also been a year of personal growth.

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Talde is settling into a new house he bought with his wife in Fort Lee, New Jersey, last year. After five years living in Downtown Brooklyn,he’s now ready to start a family.

And though it may not fit with his image, he seems to be enjoying some newfound domestic pursuits. “This is super cheeseball shit, but I let the dog out in the morning. He takes a shit in the yard. And I sit there and look

Dale’s Smoked Chili Sambal Shrimp Recipe Serves 4 Ingredients:

1 oz. Toasted dried anchovy 16 oz. Red finger chilies, stems removed 8 oz. Dried chipotle (reconstituted) 16 oz. Lemongrass, root end removed 1 1/4 oz. Kaffir lime leaf, rib removed 16 oz. Garlic 8 oz. Ginger 8 oz. Galangal 12 oz. Shallots 2 oz. Coriander seed 4 cups Vegetable Oil 8 oz. Fish sauce 4 oz. Palm sugar

1 oz. Fresh turmeric

Method:

1. Put all ingredients together into a food processor (or mash them together in a mortar and pestle) to make a paste

2. Pour 2 cups of oil into a large pot and add paste

3. Slowly increase heat and toast sambal. Cool for about 15 minutes

Putting the dish together:

1. In a sauté pan, add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of sambal and let toast for 1 minute

2. Add 2 pounds of shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes

3. Finish with lime juice, mint leaves, and cilantro

4. Garnish with lychee, romaine lettuce leaves, and more mint and cilantro.

at the plants and see how they’re doing,” he confesses. But even if he’s moved away, he still loves the borough where he got his start, he assures me, adding that he hopes to open another restaurant here. “Brooklyn’s been good to us. We came up in Brooklyn and it started us off, but just because we left doesn’t mean we don’t love it as much as we used to.” ■

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Words Michael Olson Art Maddy Pierce

Where’s My Kale?”

Food Deserts, Farmer’s Markets, and the Evolution of the Urban Grocery

Many American cities were having a tough time in the late 20th century.

The days of a working-class urban center were a fading memory, and virtually the entire country struggled to cope with the change. The 1919 Census of Manufactures showed that the garment industry alone employed over 250,000 New Yorkers in more than 11,000 factories— and that was just counting the businesses in Manhattan. By 1944, the Regional Plan Association found that there were under a million manufacturing jobs in the whole New York Metro, total—and things didn’t look up from there.

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New York, along with virtually every city in the industrialized world, passed new zoning regulations throughout the mid-1900s that made it more diff icult to build factories in the city center, and urban development sh ifted towards white-collar office jobs. A mass exodus of middle- and upper-class residents from the city to the suburbs following World War II caused the populations of urban centers to shrink dramatically—and the new suburbanites took amenities, jobs, and capital along with them.

The formal conversation around what we now call “food deserts” began in the late 1960s when researchers started seeing strong ties between lack of access to fresh, quality food and the burgeoning obesity and diabetes epidemics. While early studies focused primarily on gaps in retail activity in urban centers caused by migration to the suburbs, more recently they’ve included suburban and rural areas as well.

To no surprise, most food deserts are concentrated in poor areas, both urban and rural. These are the same areas that typically lack access to quality education, health care, and other social services. But when new grocery stores start opening their doors in these areas, often doing so because the area is perceived as an untapped market, the health problems don’t disappear. In some cases, people buy the same unhealthy food they may have bought at the convenience store before, but in larger quantities and at lower prices.

In 2015, the New York Times ran a piece summing up some recent studies that critique the whole concept of the food desert, tilted “Giving the Poor Easy Access to Healthy Food Doesn’t Mean They’ll Buy It.” What this and similar articles show is that there’s more at play than just access to quality food. Consumer preference, largescale market forces, education, income, and regional cuisine are all part of the equation. In short, “fixing” food deserts is a complicated issue. Food is an important part of culture, and culture is a lot more permanent than a grocery store.

But people have been working hard to shift the food culture in New York for decades. One of the biggest names in this effort is GrowNYC. From their website, their “mission is to improve New York City’s 52

quality of life through environmental programs that transform communities block by block and empower all New Yorkers to secure a clean and healthy environment for future generations.” They oversee the Greenmarket network, which has over 50 locations throughout the five boroughs, and provide resources and education on topics like recycling and gardening. They’ve been around for over 45 years—about twice as long, in fact, as “food desert” has been an academically recognized term.

Michael Hurwitz, director of the Greenmarket Program, has seen GrowN YC take on new life since he started there in 2007. “I was incredibly fortunate to come to GrowNYC a year after our Executive Director, Marcel van Ooyen, arrived.

While GrowNYC established itself in its first 30 [or so] years as a crucial resource to New Yorkers that wanted to make a significant impact on the environment by making simple changes in their everyday lives, Marcel took this organization to the next level.” Hurwitz noted that some of the most impactful programs GrowNYC has championed over the past decade include gardening programs in area schools; teaching gardens on Governors Island and Randall’s Island, where visitors can learn about urban farming firsthand; and the first-of-its-kind Heath Bucks SNAP incentive program, which gives SNAP recipients a two-dollar voucher for every five dollars they spend at farmers markets using SNAP on an EBT card, extending their local-produce purchasing power by 40%. Hurwitz was also instrumental in establishing Greenmarket Co., which connects farmers directly to commercial clients, “from Michelin-rated restaurants and specialty retailers to bodegas, senior centers, and soup kitchens,” according to their website.

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first Whole Foods in NYC opened in 2001; there are now 12 stores between Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The newest store, on W. 125th Street in Harlem, a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood, opened this summer.

GrowN YC is now in the process of developing a new Regional Food Hub. “With the construction of 75,000 square feet dedicated to regional food aggregation and distribution, hundreds of area farms will have access to the New York City marketplace in a way that has never existed before,” shares Hurwitz.

While GrowNYC’s work has undoubtedly done much to increase food access across the city, most New Yorkers still do their shopping at the grocery store. And when it comes to grocery stores, Brooklyn is changing. Fifteen years ago, no one besides, perhaps, a savvy real estate investor, could

have imagined a high-end grocery store on the corner of Bedford and N 4th. But today, there it stands in all of its ten-dollar kombucha glory: Whole Foods.

The first Whole Foods in NYC opened in 2001; there are now 12 stores between Manhattan and Brooklyn. The newest store, on W. 125th Street in Harlem, a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood, opened this summer.

And what about that new Trader Joe’s in Downtown Brook lyn? There were virtually no residential buildings within walking distance of the store’s current location before parts of the neighborhood FA L L 2 0 1 7

were rezoned in 2004. But over the past decade there has been an explosion of development, with well over 10,000 new apartments either completed or currently under construction in Downtown Brooklyn. This has transformed the area from a 9–5 business district to an up-and-coming, 24-hour neighborhood. Trader Joe’s has been breaking into similar neighborhoods in the New York City market since their first store in NYC opened in 2006, with seven locations currently open for business and two more slated to open by the end of 2017.

The expansion of these two brands in particular paints the picture of what’s been 53

happening in a lot of neighborhoods over the past decade or so years. Gentrification isn’t just making the rent go up. It’s changing the way NYC eats, too.

But not everyone is benefitting from the presence of these new, higher-end (and higher-priced) grocery stores. I spoke briefly to Councilmember Antonio Reynoso, who represents East Williamsburg and parts of Bushwick and Ridgewood, about how he’s seen the neighborhood change since the Whole Foods opened on Bedford.

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He noted a decrease in the number of bodegas in the neighborhood, even mentioning that one former bodega now houses a vintage home-goods store.

While most food advocates don’t consider bodegas a great source of quality food, they play an important role in the food culture of the communities they serve.

Affordability is a huge part of access—if longtime residents can’t afford these new, higher-end chains, they’re forced to travel farther for the same goods that used to be

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just around the corner; if new, less-affordable bodegas replace the old, the challenge, too, persists.

When I attended a Community Board meeting in my neighborhood last fall, I heard about a study on grocery shopping habits and satisfaction with area stores.

The Board wanted to know where neighborhood residents were shopping, and how satisfied they were with things like affordability and the quality of fresh produce. I recently sent an email to learn more

almost half of the neighborhood is doing their shopping elsewhere, the other half, shopping near home, suffers, because the stores are catering to a decreased demand, thereby often providing less variety and lower-quality goods.

about that study. Atim Oton, the chair of the Economic Development Committee for Brooklyn Community Board 8 (CB8), which is composed of Prospect Heights, northern Crown Heights, and Weeksville, says the study is, “based on some discussions of what we felt were key issues facing the residents and from concerns we heard over the years about the food options in the community.”

According to a 2014 study by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, CB8 ranks in the lowest 15 of the city’s 59 Community Boards for grocery store square footage per 100 residents.

Brooklyn as a whole ranks substantially lower than the five-borough average by the same measure, beating out the Bronx for the number four spot by only one square foot per 100 residents. Oton shared that the Board is hoping “to use the study as a needed tool for our discussions internally and externally and one that is based on actual sampling work rather than speculation.” In the future, they would love to see more grocers come into the neighborhood, especially in Weeksville and northeastern Crown Heights.

So far, the Community Board’s study found that about 40% of residents shop almost exclusively outside the Community District boundaries. Much of the out-of-neighborhood business is split between the Gowanus Whole Foods, Court Street Trader Joe’s, and online services like Blue Apron or Amazon. What exactly do numbers like these mean, and why are they important, especially in a rapidly changing neighborhood?

When almost half of the neighborhood is doing their shopping elsewhere, the other half, shopping near home, suffers, because the stores are catering to a decreased FA L L 2 0 1 7

demand, thereby often providing less variety and lower-quality goods. It might be a pain to pick through the avocados at the local grocery store, but maybe that’s because they don’t have enough demand to keep the produce you like in stock. By shopping in their own neighborhoods, residents become a part of creating that demand.

Even if we claim that food access is a product of larger economic forces, we can’t deny our role in their manifestation.. There’s nothing inherently wrong with shopping at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. (And I’ve ordered bloody mary mix and fancy pickles on Amazon Prime Now more times than I care to admit.)

As consumers, we’re allowed to choose where we shop.

But we are responsible for those choices, and there is power in deciding where we spend our money. It might be convenient to stop at the Whole Foods in Union Square on the way home from work, but why not check out the Greenmarket right across 14th Street? Take a few minutes and think about the extra packaging waste you’re creating before you order that bag of groceries from bed on a Saturday morning.

Does the food you’re buying support good jobs, sustainable farming practices, and a shorter, more efficient supply chain?

New York is growing. The Department of City Planning projects that the city’s population will hit 9 million in 2040, up from 8.2 million in 2010. The city has a lot of work ahead to accommodate that growth. We can’t foresee every challenge, nor is it likely that we’ll fix all issues around food access, but we can do something. And if we claim to care about the future of our neighborhood, city, country, and planet, we need to think about how our eating and shopping habits affect that future. ■

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Words Sid Orlando Art Danielle Moalem

We Decide to Roast a Chicken An essay

It’s February in mid-apocalypse New York, and we’re hungry and we might be cold. It’s hard to say if we’re really cold—the weather’s an impenetrable in between, and we’ve gotten good at layering.

We start too early this Saturday, crowded into the tiny window seat of a white-tiled diner. Our knees-gone-weak clash under a table too small for two plates and two cups. We eat griddled hash made of diced potatoes and yellow onions and smoked meat. It needs more flavor but, somehow, it’s good; the meat’s dark exterior makes textured cameos; we say it’s nice, we like it, we’ll order it again. Eggs, sunny-side up, just barely cooked, gelatinous like our knees, adorn the dishes. They’re twin suns we don’t know we’re waiting for, double shots of untouchable springtime. I drink tea with milk and so much raw sugar that I can grind the coarse crystals and my gritted teeth right down.

At the floating table in the window, we talk about good things and bad things and things that are bigger than we are. We talk about panic. We read the news. Our hearts pound. Sometimes we kiss.

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Soon, we’re full and we might be warm, it’s hard to say, and we go from store to store, looking for things we won’t f ind.

We’re hand in hand amongst antiques and fragilities and heirlooms and histories.

We sing songs and smell candles and peer through windows to places where nothing is ours. We are looking for something easy.

We are looking for something, sure.

On this Saturday in mid-apocalypse New York, the city’s full of ghosts and shadows and complications, devoid of footsteps.

We wander into an afternoon too cold for street food, too warm to stay inside—we don’t know. Honey clouds of what ought to be bloom on every corner. We breathe them in. We stop to read bad news. We try to stay sweet.

We buy drinks at a deli to wash the car exhaust and soot off our tongues. We read the copy-paper menu and its misspellings and pay for the drinks in cash. The deli makes meatball subs and chicken cutlets and salami sandwiches; the cashier makes perfect change. We drink seltzer and plastic-bottled tea—favorites, familiar, hard to swallow.

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We extend our arms into responsibility, culpability, and question marks.

We bare our throats.

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We take the train running local, rickety, cramped, back to home-is-where-theheart-is, and we’re thrust to the surface just as Saturday starts to turn its back. It’s that broken time of day when everything’s a shout; inside, too, all we are is shouts.

We hold each other in what might now be cold, it’s hard to say. We try not to press against the city’s churning bruises as we press against the ache in each other. We whisper our fears then try to listen better.

We can’t help but pick at the gauze on our collective wounds.

We want comfort and the love of every mother and our own mothers who we’ve grown too old and tall to hide behind. We extend our arms into responsibility, culpability, and question marks. We bare our throats.

We are trying. We are looking. We have to do something—but forgive ourselves for taking pause.

On this Saturday in mid-apocalypse New York, we decide to roast a chicken.

In a grocery store with tightrope aisles and wilting produce tumbled to the floor, we choose a chicken that’s ugly without

its feathers—headless and footless and empty inside, but there are signs it once ran free, and the chicken and I, we’ll come to an understanding. I tell it I’m not sure how it makes me feel, but it doesn’t seem to mind. We’ll invite it to our table—or at least, to our plates.

We go to home-is-where-the-heartbleeds, carrying heavy bags, with heavy spirits we try to lift. In the kitchen, there is no indeterminate breeze sighing listless against our earlobes. We turn the oven up high, 450°F, and the seasons settle into heat. In the kitchen, we think, we start to feel warm.

We cook down carrots, celery, and onion in butter or maybe olive oil, throw in fresh sprigs of thyme and some coarse salt. We prepare the bird—washing it quickly, patting it dry—and stuff it with the softened vegetables and chopped stems of flat-leaf parsley. We add celery leaves, six thick slices of lemon, and our fingerprints.

I do my best to truss the bird, but it slips sometimes, and my heart can’t take a fight. I need help, someone stronger and more level-headed than I am, who thinks differently about survival. I let go and let help come; I watch as the bird is securely tied in kitchen twine that, in my fingers, had been razor wire. Together we salt and pepper the chicken’s body in reverence.

Into the oven it goes, on a rack in a pan of chopped winter vegetables, kept moist with the tangy broth from other chickens.

After 15 minutes, we take the bird from the oven and slather butter across its skin.

We treat it with kindness and tell it it’s beautiful, then turn the heat down to 350°F. The oven’s white-noise roar is reduced to a whistling purr. Our anxious breaths get quieter.

With the bird scrubbed off my hands and brightly painted nails, I stop to read the news again. My fists are full of fire. I don’t remember how to pause.

On the stove, starchy potatoes boil; I’ve distracted us—we forget to add a clove of garlic to the water until it’s too late. When we mash the potatoes later with milk and salted Irish butter and sour cream, we’ll forget to infuse the milk with thyme or rosemary. In the end, the potatoes will be uncomfortable—soft and lilting with poor posture and too many textural surprises—but delicious nonetheless. We’ll have done them right, in our distracted way. We’ll have tried.

In the galley kitchen as we cook, we listen to salsa and dance as if our hearts are

as light as our feet. I pick up-tempo songs, play them through a retro-looking speaker, but it’s hard to turn away from doomsday’s tides. I wonder if I’ll always remember the day we roasted this chicken as a terrible day. If these weeks will someday be printed in textbooks that warn the future about a devastating and repeatable past. If these bad stories will be pop-quiz questions in history classes for the children I might never have. I wonder what it would feel like to be surprised about this. I wonder if we’ve even got a chance.

I wonder.

There are vegetables on the stovetop now, Brussels sprouts with pancetta and garlic, crisped in silky green olive oil. We let the garlic turn gold and the pancetta lean toward crunchy, the Brussels going lush with a splash of wine, then developing a dangerous tan. We baste the chicken with a shimmer of its own drippings as the Brussels finish. Soon we spear the bird with a thermometer and our affection. The juices run clearer than any water within miles of the city. We should travel more, we say; if we can, if we could. The chicken’s skin has gotten crackly and crisp.

As we pull the chicken out to rest, we each ask if the other is cold. We wind our

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bodies together. We try, for just a tired minute, to not think about bad news. We stare at each other with inevitability.

We are looking.

It’s late now, on a Saturday in mid-apocalypse New York. Outside, a couple is fighting as the traffic growls by. We fill our dishes, anointing the meat and vegetables with the holiness that is gravy, made of more herbs and slices of roasted onions and pan drippings and stock. We sit together in the living room crowded with boxes full of things collected during another life.

The table’s too buried in transition to be used. There’s brick dust on the floor. The shouting’s never stopped.

For me, safety is tomatoes and muzzadell, sofrito and rice and beans; to him, it’s meat and starch in the soft edges of hard places across the sea; right now, we’re borrowing the recipe for somebody else’s peace.

Before we eat, we can’t help but read the news. We touch each other’s arms and mouths and forks. We ask questions and beg truths. We thank the chicken for joining us at dinner. Our tender city holds us close.

It’s February in mid-Apocalypse New York. But, for just a minute, we’re sure that we are warm. ■

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Tasha Angelica Grocery 101 Kingston Avenue, Crown Heights 60

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Photography Ira Yousey Words Susanna Friedman

The Bodega Cats of Brooklyn A visual ode to the unsung heroes of Brooklyn: the Bodega Cats Bodegas in Brooklyn are everywhere you look. They have anything one could possibly need in a hurry, from chips and sandwiches for a quick snack fix, to household cleaning and personal hygiene products—and if you stumble upon the right one, you can run into the elusive Bodega Cat. Kept by bodega owners to scare away rodents and pests, the Bodega Cat has become a legendary creature in Brooklyn. Multiple blogs and Instagram accounts have taken to documenting these creatures resting on cases of beer, sleeping among rows of flowers, or perched by the cash register, assuming the role of a feline store manager.

We took a ride around Brooklyn looking for the best, most hard-at-work cats, and the results did not disappoint. These cats were on a mission, ready to combat any threat to your local bodega fare. So this one’s for you, Bodega Cats: thank you for protecting our snacks, and being pretty darn cute while doing so.

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SueĂąo

Franchesca Mini Mart 1074 Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint

Ruby

L Stop Gourmet 223 Montrose Avenue, Williamsburg 62

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Mars

Martinez Grocery 370 Court Street, Carroll Gardens

Lucy

Washington Deli and Grocery 912 Fulton Street, Clinton Hill

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Mesh-Mesh

Green Food Deli 397 Classon Avenue, Crown Heights

No Name

Community Deli 471 Marcus Garvey Boulevard, Bed-Stuy

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Thanksgiving

SJ Green Market 767 Franklin Avenue, Crown Heights

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Picnic in Brooklyn

Words Tyler Wetherall Photos Julie Goldstone

Summer may be coming to an end, but it’s not too late for some al fresco feasting.

Here we bring you the best places in Brooklyn to picnic in style and the provisioners who should be packing your knapsack. You’re welcome.

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Brooklyn Bridge Park

& Sahadi’s 187 Atlantic Avenue

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Hummus Baba ghanoush Stuffed vine leaves Tabbouleh Greek salad Fried cauliflower

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Falafel Pita bread Pistachio baklava Fruit juice Water

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Lose yourself in Sahadi’s maze of Middle Eastern goods: nuts and seeds and jars of candied fruit, barrels of coffee beans, and deep vats of every shade of olive. This bustling foodie bazaar has been here since the 1940s, when Wade Sahadi set up shop as an offshoot of the family’s Lower Manhattan import business. Sahadi’s has survived as other similar small businesses here have fallen by the wayside—note the Barney’s across the road for a sign of the times. Siblings Christine Whelan and Ron Sahadi now helm the restaurant, and they just landed an America’s Classics awards from the James Beard Foundation. Deservedly so.

We like to creep around the 250-strong cheese counter, home to the best feta this far from the Mediterranean, until somebody relents and gives us a taster. If negotiating the ticketing system at the deli counter is too taxing, then they’ll pack you a Mediterranean Meze Picnic hamper for $35 and deliver it to you anywhere within the vicinity. Make that vicinity Brooklyn Bridge Park, a short walk away, for the sake of the skyline. Watch the boats knock together in the harbor or the kids kicking about on probably the most scenic sports field in Brooklyn. If you time it right you can catch a free concert or outdoor film screening after you’ve eaten.

Alternatively, hop on a Governors Island ferry and take your goods over to this 172acre playground, somehow overlooked by tourists despite the historic houses and open green spaces.

Rejoice that Red Hook remains far from a subway line; it’s the only thing that’s saved this atmospheric waterfront enclave from a rash of development—so far. The narrow cobbled streets are lined with redbrick warehouses-turned-artist-studios, and while IKEA can be blamed for the increased crowds (as well as many wasted hours of home assembly), Van Brunt Street has kept the mom-and-pop spirit alive. Check out the indie art zines in Pioneer Books or screen-printed stationary at Foxy & Winston before sticking your head into the gallery at Pioneer Works.

Wind your way down to Fairway Market and admire the enormous building with its wooden shutters and arched windows; once the iconic nineteenth-century Red Hook Stores housing cotton, coffee, and other commodities, it turned into Fairway’s best outpost in 2006. They stock some next-level grub, like house-whipped mozzarella and Italian meats, as well as local goodies like the organic bean-to-bar Cacao Prieto chocolate, made in a factory up the road, or Sixpoint craft beers, whose brewery is around the corner. Get in and get out: this place is like the Tardis for gourmet geeks.

Check out the last remaining antique rail car parked just behind Fairway before heading to Valentino Pier. An unassuming park, it has some of the best sunset views in the city, looking out over the Buttermilk Channel (which was once the main waterway for New York’s shipping industry).

During the summer, Red Hook Boaters offer kayak rides from the small pebble beach or you can take a walk along the pier and wave at the Statue of Liberty in the distance, weeping for America. Once you’ve wrapped up your picnic, decamp to Sunny’s for some bluegrass and wholesome community vibes.

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Sixpoint Sweet Action Boylan Sparkling Lemonade Prosciutto San Daniele Ciabatta Olives

Mozzarella Sun-dried tomatoes Cacao Prieto Absinthe Chocolate Cupcakes Mixed berries

Valentino Pier

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Pr o s p e c t Pa r k h a s all the picnic spots you could ask for and then some: get lakeside down by the LeFrak center (we recommend a picnic on a pedal boat for comedic value) or seek out one of the secluded benches, preferred by lovers and smokers. If enjoying a good meal requires a table and chairs, then commandeer one of the picnic tables at the Picnic House, adjacent to Long Meadow on the westside.

The 4,000-square-foot brick-and-glass pavilion makes for a nice backdrop when you’re inevitably making everyone wait to eat until you’ve photographed your food.

After which the point of having a picnic is over, right?

For the meat-free folk amongst us, head to Riverdel Fine Foods in Prospect Heights.

This is a vegan cheese shop, which will either sound like a world-shattering oxymo-

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& Riverdel Fine Foods 820 Washington Ave.

ron or the equivalent of the dairy-free messiah, depending on your attitude towards lactose. They take their stock seriously here, with a huge selection of plant-based cheeses thanks to entrepreneurial animal advocate and owner Michaela Grob, as well as house-made raw cashew cheese, celebrated by vegans citywide.

The shop is sweet like your nan’s pantry with a ladder to reach the provisions stacked high on the shelves and photos of the cows and sheep whose milk you’re not sapping. There’s sustenance for the non-vegan too and the Balthazar bread makes the sandwiches top notch. Riverdel also offers a prix fixe picnic hamper for $37 with two sandwiches, two drinks, a salad and a dessert. All proceeds from the Rescue Bar go to animal rescue groups, as if this wasn’t all feel good enough.

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The Parisian: brie, apple, arugula, and candied nuts on ciabatta Cucumber sesame salad Rescue Chocolate

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Prospect Park

Croissant-wich: tofu “egg”, “bacon”, tomato, greens, and cream cheese Jackson’s Honest Coconut Oil Potato Chips

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Spindrift Sparkling Water Pepper Billy Chive Billy Gluten-free Onesto Ancho Chile Cracker

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Marinated garlic-and-herb flank steak with grain mustard and charred broccoli rabe Fiuggi sparkling water

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Polenta-crusted tilapia with pickled onions and spicy herb sauce Manhattan Special

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Penne polpettine with broccoli rabe and roasted garlic Flourless chocolate cake brownies

Sunset Park

& Brancaccio’s Food Shop 3011 Fort Hamilton Parkway

“Sunset Park is so hot right now,” says everyone who wants to sell you a house, while the rest of us are still a little confused about where it is. The mega development at Industry City is bringing in tech and media types, as well as the world’s first avocado bar—as if we needed one of those—but the rest of the ‘hood remains refreshingly free of Starbucks and the like, instead boasting excellent dim sum restaurants along Eighth Avenue, Brooklyn’s own Chinatown.

Sunset Park itself gives a great view: Manhattan skyscrapers framed by ye olde worlde lampposts. Head up the hill for the best vista and ample green space to lay your picnic blanket beneath a tree. There’s also a 1930s Art Deco public pool and some basketball courts for impromptu games.

Before you set up camp, hit up Brancaccio’s Food Shop. Okay, maybe it’s not the most local, but it’s worth the 15-minute

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cycle. This is no straight-up Italian deli, despite chef-owner Joe Brancaccio’s Italian heritage; he credits the culinary feats of this 600-square-foot spot to the international influence of his badass team (hailing from Haiti to Mexico), some of whom have worked with him for 20 years—though a special nod goes to nonna’s mega meatball recipe. There’s Beastie Boys blasting in the background and Joe moving between the kitchen and counter, chatting to the loyal customer base and sampling the goods.

The specials change daily, but the penne polpettine will be the best pasta salad of your life—and if you say that’s only because it’s coated in parmiggiano then yes, you’re right, so what?

After feasting, walk off the carbs and caponata with a stroll through the gothic Greenwood Cemetery, and indulge in any Buffy the Vampire Slayer fantasies you may harbor.

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Coney Island

& Paul’s Daughter 1001 Boardwalk

In high season the hot dog-eating hordes descend on the clattering wooden boardwalk, margaritas to-go clutched in their sticky hands and slick pink suntans. It’s best to visit post Labor Day when the holiday masses clear out, taking their windbreaks and soundsystems with them, leaving it like a kitsch 1960s movie set, the Cyclone still in the backdrop.

If the Nathan’s Famous unidentif ied “metal flakes” scare of last year put you off their dogs, then head next door to Paul’s

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Daughter, one of the oldest joints on the boardwalk, with its vintage signage and iconic rooftop burger-wielding man (presumably Paul) and beer-drinking lady (presumably his daughter). They’ve been serving funnel cakes, corndogs, and knishes to the Coney crowds for over 50 years. We came for the clams on the half shell, though, washed back with a cold beer or a few.

Alternatively, keep it simple, and pick up a Tontonno’s Napolitano pie en route, then lie down with languor and call it a day. ■

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Littleneck and cherry stone clams Lobster rolls

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Brooklyn Lager Candy floss

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Words Sarah Zorn Photos Hayley Rosenblum

The to of Brooklyn’s Food Scene It’s a vast undertaking to plumb the nuances of Brooklyn food culture, which is why we attempted a broad-strokes analysis by breaking it down by letter.

Although even the alphabet can scarcely contain our compelling, sui generis scene.

A is for Authentic: For all of the previous decade’s Johnny-come-lately establishments that purposely appropriated Brooklyn’s shticks and ticks and ladled on the irony, there are plenty of places that remained oblivious to trends and just did them—from red sauce icon L&B Spumoni Gardens, where plastic tablecloths groan with veal parm, stuffed clams, and square pies, to Tom’s, where lime rickey’s and egg creams have graced the menu since the 1930s, to Sunny’s, a bonafide dive that recently turned to the contemporary concept of crowdfunding to keep the doors open (and ultimately proved successful due to over 80 years of manifest neighborhood affection).

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is for Bagels Popularized by Eastern European immigrants in the 1900s, the boiled and baked yeast circlets are undoubtedly one of Brooklyn’s defining foodstuffs. Simply schmeared or tricked out with capers and lox as part of the ultimate NYC brunch spread, variants are notably available at Bagel Hole (dense and crunchy), Mill Basin Bagels (which supplies traditional, springy orbs to modern-day appetizing shops like Shelsky’s), and The Bagel Store—which recertified Brooklyn as a bastion of bagel innovation with their Kardashian-approved rainbow bagel and led to a healthy increase in Instagram followers, an advance-order policy, and, of course, scores of imitators in the borough and beyond.

is for Dumplings While Chinese potstickers instantly spring to mind (which deliciously run the gamut from five for $1 options in Sunset Park, to dry-aged beef bundles via East Wind Snack Shop in Windsor Terrace), Brooklyn offers a veritable crash course in international dough pockets. Greenpoint is ground zero for Polish pierogies, Ditmas Park houses Tibetan momos, and Bath Beach and Brighton Beach boast Brooklyn’s very own Silk Road, with cafés specializing in Georgian khinkali, Ukrainian vareniki, Russian pelmeni, and Uzbek manti.

is for Earnest To be sure, no one goes into the hospitality industry to be rich. And in Brooklyn, numerous businesses appear especially unconcerned with turning personal profit. Emma’s Torch in Red Hook provides employment, culinary training, interview preparation, and ESL programs to refugees, human-trafficking victims, and those seeking political asylum, and at Lauren Bush’s FEED Shop & Café in DUMBO, purchases f inance the f ight against childhood hunger worldwide.

is for Fermented The dream of the (18)90s is alive and well in Brooklyn (as well as Portland), and you bet we can pickle that. We’re not just talking cucumbers, but any and all products whose sugars can be converted into acids, gases, or alcohol—from beer, wine, cider, and kombucha (Other Half, Brooklyn Winery, Brooklyn Cider House, Kombucha Brooklyn), to bread (Bien Cuit), yogurt (Sohha), and even vegan cheese (Dr. Cow).

is for Global Perhaps more than anything, Brooklyn’s food scene is characterized by its inherent multiculturalism. This is where many working-class immigrants settled (and settle), and the borough is indelibly imprinted with their culinary traditions. How amazing it is that just by walking down an avenue or two, you can find yourself in Little Poland—i.e., Greenpoint—feasting on kielbasa and potato pancakes, end up in the Caribbean (otherwise known as Crown Heights) enjoying curry and roti, and eventually find yourself in Sunset Park, which transitions almost seamlessly from Mexico—chock-a-block with taco spots and tiny bodegas serving mole poblano in the back—to China, with its dim sum palaces and dumpling shops, before turning into the Hasidic enclave of Borough Park, a treasure trove of bagels and smoked fish.

C is for Collaborative It would be easy for eateries to view their compatriots as competitors, considering what a constant battle it is to attract business and press. And yet, you’ll find spots regularly joining forces for mutually beneficial food mashups (think Raaka and Café Grumpy’s espresso-spiked chocolate; Paulie Gee’s and Hometown’s brisket pizza) and even resource-sharing think tanks (the Asian Food Mafia, SweetUps) realizing a rising tide really does lift all boats.

is for Hot Dogs Though it may have devolved in the past half centur y into a notoriously seedy strip, Coney Island was once NYC’s most sought-after resort destination, not to mention the birthplace of one of its signature eats—hot dogs. The circa-1916 location of Nathan’s stands head and shoulders above its numerous franchises, but is once again facing stiff competition in its legendary rival, Feltman’s—which recently returned to its stomping grounds of Stillwell, rocking a recipe (and origin story) believed to have predated Nathan’s by 40 years.

is for Independent The times are definitely a-changing (witness the influx of hospitality groups and famous names like April Bloomfield and Marcus Samuelsson, the inevitable aftereffect of totally untenable rents), yet Brooklyn was long considered a haven for young chefs with big dreams and plucky momand-pops, actually able to go it without the benefit of big-money backers.

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is for Junk Food For all the fuss over kale, quinoa, and kombucha, Brooklyn hasn’t totally given itself over to abstemious, sanctimonious eats.

To wit: this is the borough that brought us bowls full of bacon (Whiskey Brooklyn), fried bologna sandwiches (Wilma Jean), and chicken and waffle cones (Brooklyn Star). You can even have it both ways at the punk-rock vegan Toad Style, home of hot cashew cheese fries, soy and gluten-free rainbow cookies, and a sloppy BBQ pulled jackfruit sandwich, capped with grilled cabbage slaw.

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is for Kickstarter Brooklyn Heights’ Colonie is credited with being the very first restaurant to turn to Kickstarter for financing. And seven years later, crowdfunding has become a de facto method for eateries to attempt to defray opening costs. All Hands and Win Son are only two recent examples (the former offered oysters and recipes in exchange for $11K in pledges, while the latter dangled promises of high fives, tote bags, and knife skills classes, for an impressive $30K). Even higher-profile chefs have gotten into the action as well— Carla Hall created a Founder’s Wall at her hot-chicken–serving Southern Kitchen in the CWD, to thank her Kickstarter backers for their $264K in support.

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is for Local Forget about fancy French and Italian imports. In Brooklyn, real bragging rights belong to spots that source within the tristate area. iCi (now Maison May) was one of the first to adopt this close-to-home philosophy, gathering lettuces from Added Value in Red Hook and chickens from Violet Hill Farm upstate. Nowadays, supplier shout-outs occupy significant real estate on a majority of restaurant menus—no wonder, considering you don’t even need to leave the borough for produce (Brooklyn Grange), charcuterie (Brooklyn Cured), pasta (Sfoglini), or wine (Rooftop Reds).

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is for Mercurial While so often an arbiter of taste (see below), the borough has proved equally susceptible to outside influence. As far as design goes, witness the evolution from folksy reclaimed wood interiors to spare Nordic tasting salons to modern glassand-steel compounds—all accompanied by increasingly high-concept bathrooms.

In regards to food and beverage programs, we’ve flirted with everything from fried chicken sandwiches to wood-burning ovens to shareable small plates to low ABV. And then there are the larger-tent issues— Brooklyn has dipped a toe in the no-tipping arena, and has taken up the charge of lowwaste (also see below).

is for Neighborhood

is for Overexposed

While contemporary Manhattan spots are intent on wooing the one-and-done Instagram set, Brooklyn businesses know they live and die by their communities. That’s why—with notable exceptions—many are composed with an eye towards affordability and accessibility, in hopes that their actual neighbors will elect to eat there, perhaps numerous times per week.

Much of what is endearingly “A for Authentic” about Brooklyn has been simulated, magnif ied, and corporatized to the nth degree. A part of us dies whenever something is touted as epitomizing some ultimate “Brooklynness.” Heaven help us if we’ll be sold short by a limited definition of our diverse borough.

is for Pizza It’s interesting to note that a slice of pizza and a subway ride have remained correspondingly priced over the years. Pretty fitting for two constants to the NYC way of life, being that they’re both everyperson purchases, available everywhere at any time. That said, we have significantly more praise to bestow upon pizza, not to mention the businesses that have upheld Brooklyn’s great pie tradition, from old-timers like Totonno’s, L&B Spumoni Gardens, and Di Fara, to Motorino, Speedy Romeo, Roberta’s, and Paulie Gee’s.

is for Quirky The benef it of forgoing a corporate, f inancial safety net is that chefs have full freedom to indulge their flights of fancy and can elect to not put a burger on their menu in order to bolster their bottom line.

Sure, Do or Dine has since closed, but they were adored during their heyday for foie gras donuts, gyoza nachos, and Dr. Pepper-glazed frog’s legs. Aska is unapologetic about pouring blood into pancakes (not to mention the $250 price tag on their 19-course menu), and newcomer Belly isn’t especially concerned with taking a something-for-everyone approach when it comes to their all-bacon omakase.

is for Rising Rents These past few years have been a rough on restaurants, with even the most seemingly ingrained institutions folding on the regular. While it’s due to numerous factors, the most omnipresent and blatant is the astronomic rises in rent, averaging $120-per-square foot. How does an independent owner (see above) manage to appeal to the neighborhood (see above) without serving burgers (see above)? See below—they don’t.

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is for Seasonal When’s the last time you saw a stalk of asparagus in January, an ear of corn in October, or a tomato salad (Peter Luger notwithstanding) in March? Operating hand-in-hand with “local,” “seasonal” means that restos have ceased sourcing from greenhouses in California, instead honoring East Coast farmers by using what’s currently—and naturally—available.

is for Waste-Free When it comes to sustainable practices, “waste-free” takes the aforementioned conventions to the next level by finding culinary uses for carrot tops, fish bones, potato peels, and spent grain. 21 Greenpoint and Sunday in Brooklyn are leading the way as far as local restaurants go, with the upcoming The Fillery reimagining the grocery store, and Smallhold selling vertical mini-farms that grow king oyster mushrooms out of old coffee grounds.

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is for X-Rated Amongst a handful of establishments taking quirky to decidedly racy places are the breast-and-barbecue–themed Boobie Trap; Okiway, where you can pair your okonomiyaki with a cup of sake, which, once drained, reveals an image of a spread-eagled lady; and House of Yes, where naked models serve as platters not just for sushi, but steak, cake, grilled mushrooms, and fried quail. Incidentally, they all happen to be in Bushwick—perhaps Parental Advisory stickers should be plastered on the L-train?

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is for Youthful We’ve often pondered the existence of a portal on Broadway in Williamsburg, where anyone over 20 that attempts to wander north is immediately sucked through and expelled. Lately, we’ve suspected the same of the restaurant industry, as chefs, owners and food entrepreneurs appear to be getting younger and younger. But that’s just an observation...

is for Trendsetter Lumberjack beards and skinny jeans aside, what are confirmed Brooklynphiles like Paris, Sweden, Russia, London, Japan, and Dubai actually so into? International borough-mania largely references our creative culture and proliferation of small, bespoke brands—but you won’t be hard pressed to find hip restaurants around the world clearly inspired by the ubiquitous Brooklyn chic.

is for Upheaval While everything on this list is buried deep into the marrow of what Brooklyn is, the current climate has put it all into question going forward. Talk about sustainability—how much longer can we maintain a unique identity when the shuttered shells of former self-determined shops can only be occupied by giant chains and hospitality groups, with branches in Tokyo, Vegas, Beverly Hills, and Bahrain?

is for Vegetable Focused The notion of “non-vegetarian” restaurants working solely with vegetables largely took root at Semilla and has only gathered steam since. The third stage of the past decade’s sustainable trajectory (following farm-totable and nose-to-tail before it), it presents versatile produce as a perfectly acceptable centerpiece—one with far fewer ecological implications than protein.

is for Zenith Have we indeed reached peak Brooklyn? Are we about to be eclipsed by the Bronx, Staten Island or Queens, Jersey City, Maplewood, the Hudson Valley, or Philly, each of which has been heralded as the next “us” for years? We suppose we’ll find out—but we don’t really think so. ■ FA L L 2 0 1 7

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Words Sarah Zorn Photos Sasha Turrentine

Behind the Line: Restaurant Norman There’s no shortage of cooks in New York City— constantly hungry for knowledge and excited about the challenge of living behind the line, despite the long days, short breaks, and high-stress environment.

We’re seeking out the city’s line cooks to discuss why (for the love of God, why?) they do what they do, and how that time, energy, and effort pays off.

When you actually break it down, it’s hard to believe that anyone elects to pursue becoming a chef. Especially when that goal generally involves years spent working up the ranks as a line cook. In short: 12-plus-hour shifts spent entirely on Croc’d feet, standing over 130° stoves; a perpetual breakneck ballet, performed with razor-sharp, white-hot, cryogenically cold implements (and often in full view of an audience, thanks to the proliferation of open kitchens).

The altogether absence of a conventional social life is owed to the forfeiture of weekends, holidays, and evenings by the 9-to-5 standard. And all for less than glorious pay.

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A consequence of this, however, is that the hospitality industry is currently a committed line cook’s oyster. It’s a rare breed that stops to consider the above, then continues to move forward full bore. Which means that, in a city saturated with restaurants (many of them attempting to bolster profits via breakfast-through-dinner service, creating an even greater need to staff up), talented, self-realized soldiers have become a major commodity. After all, it’s tough to sift through the quickly disillusioned detritus of Top Chef-weaned wannabes.

Yet, at Restaurant Norman in Greenpoint, chef Andrew Whitcomb was somehow able to land one of those elusive white whales in 19-year-old Jack Tippett. This North Carolina transplant hoped to expand his Nordic horizons, after his previous employer was closed by the DOB. “During his interview, he said something that reminded me a lot of myself when I was a kid, which is all he thinks about doing when he’s home is working,” Whitcomb said. “And I knew exactly what he meant. When I was coming up as a cook, I generally had four jobs at a time—only one of them paid. Whether it was whole-animal butchering or dry-curing or making a foam, if there was a skill I wanted to learn, I’d find a restaurant where I could do that, and offer to work for free a couple days a month. Needless to say that prior to Jack, it had been a while since I’d encountered the type of person who thought—or acted—like me.”

So when it comes to retaining highly desirable, knowledge-hungry team members like Jack, Whitcomb is mindful to constantly keep them engaged. He tasks them with prepping start to finish (Norman doesn’t employ production staff ), rotates their stations every couple of months, and gives them creative license to test-run dishes for lunch service, turning their culinary inspirations into daily specials.

But perhaps most importantly, Whitcomb fosters that desire to branch out, grow, and yes, even trail, which is, essentially, an on-the-job training session at various restaurants. Luckily for cooks like Tippet, Norman has the benef it of

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Jack Tippet at Restaurant Norman 29 Norman Ave., Greenpoint (347) 966-2092, restaurantnorman.com FA L L 2 0 1 7

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Laws of the Kitchen 1. You are now at the point in your life when you are developing your professional reputation. You are doing so at the top-tier restaurants in New York City—make it count.

Only your work ethic will speak for you, not past chefs or friends.

2. You must love to do this for a living–no question. You must love to stay late or come early if it is necessary to get the job done.

You must love to practice only the best, most perfect techniques in order to produce a product you are proud of. Your end product is a direct reflection of how much love and respect you have for yourself and your work.

3. All cooks must work in the most efficient manner, with full regard to producing the highest quality product possible.

4. It is the responsibility of each and every cook to keep any area at which they are working spotless, regardless of its previous condition.

5. Every cook should familiarize themself with every product they are using on a hands-on basis.

Learn its origins, its classic uses in the french kitchen, and how we use it here at Norman. Each cook should know and record all recipes and techniques that are applicable to their stations.

6. All cooks must think ahead and anticipate. Having your station set up completely, with back-up mise en place close at hand in anticipation. Doing small projects during service lulls is a way to think ahead for your partner. Always think about the next project, doing mise en place for the next day, work to keep your partner set up, start breaking down your station early, etc…

7. All cooks must watch each other’s backs. If you are done setting up, see who needs a hand. Split common jobs between stations.

Work for the team so we can have the tightest kitchen in New York.

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being part of a larger group. The co-owners are Fredrik Berselius, of the Michelin-starred Aska, and Claus Meyer, behind the Brownsville Community Culinary Center, Agern, the Great Northern Food Hall, and Meyer’s Bageri.

“We’re always trying to change our systems and how we operate here, so there’s a benefit to sending our staff to more established restaurants, to bring back ideas I’ve never thought of,” said Whitcomb.

“The lifeblood of the restaurant industry is collaboration, and affording our cooks the ability to actually bring something to B K M AG .C O M

the table enhances us as a whole.”

Via the connections from Norman, cooks have opportunities to tr y their hands at coffee roasting, have a go at pastry baking, and help transform lambs hearts into ash, all with the implicit understanding that they’ll eventually return to the nest.

“The rule is if you’re going to go somewhere to learn something, you need to bring something back for me,” emphasizes Whitcomb. “I don’t just want you to go and observe; I want you to get involved, and then show me what you learned.” ■

Line Cook Quickfire: Jack Tippet age 19, hailing from: North Carolina Years in NYC: 1 Positions Held in NYC: 2 Current Restaurant: Norman Best Job Perk: The opportunity to move within the restaurant group. I haven’t taken advantage of it yet, since I’ve only been here since May, but I’m hoping to get a stage at Aska. Andrew said he could potentially set that up for me.

Favorite Station: I like working garde manger, because I can really focus on making the food look as good as it can; I can take the time plating.

I also enjoy cooking the proteins and making sure the mains are up to the standard they should be.

Least Favorite Station: I don’t necessarily have a least favorite, because each station allows you to focus on a different aspect of cooking. If I had to choose though, I’m not the biggest fan of the hot app station, because it doesn’t challenge me as much.

Most Memorable Line Cook Horror Story: We were already two people short in the kitchen, and running a two-man line one night at my last restaurant. Then the dishwasher came in so drunk he couldn’t work and had to leave in the middle of service.

So we were trying to wash dishes AND cook everything on a fairly busy night with just two people when it should have been four or five. Honestly though, I find the crazy nights more exciting, because it gives me extra opportunity to gain experience and knowledge.

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Most Valuable Piece of Culinary Advice Ever Received: At my last restaurant, my old sous chef definitely gave me a lot of advice about taking criticism and using it to improve myself as a cook. You have to understand that you don’t know anything about food, so you can actually understand food.

Dream Solo Project: I definitely want to continue to explore local food. Maybe do a tasting menu with a lot of foraged items, because I tend to forage on the side for fun.

If I Were In Charge: Personally I think that in a restaurant, it’s important to share the wealth and joy of success. So for my cooks, I would want to pay them as well as possible and provide a place where they could learn and feel comfortable asking questions.

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HOROSCOPES

An Astrological Guide to Eating Your Feelings

These are trying times, friends. Go ahead and bury your sorrows in comfort food. words Sid Orlando

LIBRA Sep 23–Oct 22 A ll-dressed pizza, cut into eight perfect slices. Pile on the toppings. Hope that they’re symmetrical. And remember: Sharing is caring, except when you’re really, really sad. Alternative comfort foods: None.

Alternative comfort foods: None.

SCORPIO Oct 23–Nov 21 For the love of God, channel your anguish into something productive—like eating too much or reveling in your better passions. Indulge in carnal, decadent pairings, like chocolate with chile or figs, as you hold your sweet ones excessively close. Alternative comfort foods: Mid-priced red, straight from the bottle.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 22–Dec 21 Remember the good old days when you’d go for Thai with friends and you were only like 75% stressed out? Revisit that with a bowl of silky-smooth green curry with veggies. Your shattered spirit needs something that will nourish and transport, not weigh you down. Alternative comfort foods: A really big Greek diner salad that you will never, ever finish.

CAPRICORN Dec 22–Jan 19 You like things straightforward and comfortable, so when life is anything but, it’s an extrasharp thorn in your side. Patch up your punctured soul with some roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and slowcooked collards—and keep your chin up, if you can. Alternative comfort foods: TV dinners; working late; calling mom.

AQUARIUS Jan 20–Feb 18 “T here w i l l be no revolution if we sit around eating hamburgers,” an Aquarius told me recently. So skip the burger—cry into your banh mi, mega-sized gyro, or footlong Italian sub instead.

Alternative comfort foods: Hamburgers and revolution.

PISCES Feb 19–Mar 20 We can’t officially recommend edibles (can we?), so try something almost mystically clean on your quest for elusive calm. A bowl of pho, a crisp sugar cookie or five, or a shot of the shiniest moonshine will do just fine. Alternative comfort foods: Basically whatever, just don’t drink any East River water, okay?

ARIES Mar 21–Apr 19 Your fiery angst fuels a particularly high-temp hunger. Grab some street-cart tacos, keep yourself in motion, and let the rage simmering in your stomach find kinship with all the hot sauce you can handle. Alternative comfort foods: Chicken vindaloo on the go; an entire jar of pickled jalapeños.

TAURUS Apr 20–May 20 Slow and steady wins the sob fest. Bur y your feelings in a double helping of mac ‘n’ cheese. Meticulously prepare your Kraft dinner with extra butter; if you’re truly broken, go for lobster mac. Alternative comfort foods: Buttercream-frosted cupcakes, baconwrapped meatloaf, poutine—all the calories.

Alternative comfort foods: Buttercream frosted cupcakes’ bacon wrapped meatloaf; poutine—all the calories.

GEMINI May 21–Jan 21 As a social creature, you prefer not to suffer alone. Invite your equally devastated—or irritatingly supportive—friends for a scream into a massive bowl of spicy smoked popcorn. (While you’re at it, maybe plot to save the world.) Alternative comfort foods: That caramel popcorn in the big tins at Duane Reade; multicolored macarons by the dozen; really boozy punch.

CANCER Jun 22–Jul 22 Loaves and loaves of homebaked bread will lift your spirits (and your blood sugar); be sure to sprink le w ith desperate tears for an extra-crispy crust.

Gluten free? Just cry while watching the bread bake. It’s okay. Let it out. Alternative comfort foods: Dumplings; empanadas; a calzone.

(Read: dough plus hopefully fond memories.)

LEO July 23–Aug 22 Your comfort isn’t the food, it’s the fancy. Treat yourself to a royal meal out. Convince someone else to treat you to a royal meal out. Run up your credit card. Run up someone else’s credit card.

Pretend one of you can afford it. Be nice to your server, even if you’re dying inside. Alternative comfort foods: High-end sorbetto; a broken bottle of Veuve.

VIRGO Aug 23–Sep 22 You could try eating a million pistachios to keep your fidgety fingers busy, but we’d recommend having a good ol’ PB&J instead. Cheap, conventional, classic—just like you, sweet freaked-out Virgo.

Alternative comfort foods: Hot dogs. And a knish. And a Sprite. And some potato chips.

And. And. And.

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FOOD & DRINK

C AT F I S H

D R O P O F F S E RV I C E

M A B L E ’S S M O K E H O U S E

Catfish draws its inspiration from the great city of New Orleans and offers the same easy going atmosphere you would expect to find in Old Dixie.

The bar offers 16 rotating drafts, Big Easy inspired cocktails, in addition to a diverse of collection of bourbon, whiskey, scotch, and absinthe. The kitchen whips up traditional Cajun fare around the clock, serving brunch daily and dinner till close every night.

Now featuring Bayou B.I.N.G.O every Monday 8–10PM, no cover. Let the good times roll!

Serving a great selection of American Craft Beer, European Classics and Cask Ale we take pride in our beer. Pristinely maintained beer lines and amazing Happy Hour deals keep our 26 lines moving, giving you the freshest cleanest beer possible. It’s not just about the beer though, We take pride in everything we do. We offer well thought out wine selections with great values from around the world. And delicious Seasonal cocktails featuring our house made ingredients.

Mable’s is a Southern BBQ restaurant born from family recipes using fresh, simple ingredients to make quality, homey dishes. With great beers and cocktails, Mable’s brings a no-frills BBQ experience to the heart of Williamsburg. Now open for lunch and brunch 7 days a week.

1433 Bedford Ave, Crown Heights.

347-305-3233. catfishnyc.com

211 Avenue A (between 13th & 14th), East Village. 212-260-2914.

44 Berry Street, Williamsburg. 718218-6655. mablessmokehouse.com.

SHOPPING

CITY FURNITURE City Furniture in the heart of Greenpoint is a local business driven by passion for design and quality. We are authorized dealers of Eilersen, Innovation, Varier and Greenington. Visit us for: latest trend sofa, bed, sideboard and lighting.

Complementary delivery within Greenpoint, Williamsburg with this posting.

820 Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint.

347-457-5727. cityfurnitureshop. com.

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D RY D O C K W I N E & SPIRITS Out Magazine describes us as “beautifully edited.” Offering outstanding value and quality from smaller vintners and distillers from around the world, including a vast selection of wines priced under $12, and a noteworthy selection of hard-to-find craft dis-tilled spirits, including over 100 whisk(e)y choices.

Free wine & spirits tastings weekly.

Anchord in Red Hook–On the way to Fairway & Ikea.

424 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook.

718-852-3625. drydockny.com.

B K M AG .C O M

A&G M E R C H Founded in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in 2006, with the idea of being a neighborhood furniture store for those who prefer not to “default” to a big box retailer. We keep it cute but not cutesy, an urban-cabin-chic kinda thing, but not so predictable.

111 N 6th Street, Williamsburg.

718-388-1779. aandgmerch.com.

SHOPPING

P I Z Z A PA R T Y

S A LT + C H A R COA L

Pizza Party is jam-packed with nostalgia, i.e. everything 80’s!

Besides all that fun, the Pizza in this Party comes from a 112 year old gigantic coal fired oven. Two elements that you must experience for yourself!

Salt+Charcoal, Williamsburg’s Japanese Charcoal Grill restaurant is proud to present our brand new menu with several great new dishes.

Try our new Filet Mignon Steak Sandwich with homemade Japanese lemon onion sauce for lunch/brunch, or our amazing Dry-Aged Wood Charcoal Grilled Beef Steak for dinner. We are conveniently located just a few minutes away from the Bedford Ave and Marcy Ave stations.

Pizza Party is now a full bar! Now serving frozen cocktails and hurricanes.

Open 12pm - 4am everyday.

254 Irving Avenue, Bushwick.

171 Grand Street, Williamsburg. 718782-2087. masa@saltandcharcoal. com. saltandcharcoal.com.

AWO K E V I N TAG E One of the most popular vintage stores in Brooklyn. Stocking on-point vintage for men and women. Also a wide selection of Brooklyn-made products. All items are handpicked from across the globe and here in Brooklyn, of course!

132 North 5th Street, Williamsburg.

688 Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint. @AwokeVintageBrooklyn awokevintage.com.

B E AU T Y, H E A LT H , & WELLNESS

G R A H A M AV E B I D

G R I S T L E TAT TO O

S E L F S A LO N

The Graham Ave BID is Williamsburg’s largest and most affordable place to shop. Our Farmer’s Market runs every Saturday from July 8th - October 8th on Cooke St. and Graham Ave. Take the M/J to Flushing Ave; the B46 or B43 bus; peddle, or walk!

Gristle is a custom tattoo shop specializing in vegan ink + procedures. Gristle Art Gallery promotes local and international lowbrow, pop-surreal artists.

Community events such as pet adoption events are also held regularly.

Self Salon is a sought-after destination for ladies and gent’s hair needs. With two locations in prime Williamsburg and Bushwick, Self has built strong community ties. The cultural diversity of New York City and Brooklyn, is mimicked in Self Salon’s equally diverse and versatile team of experts.

Specialty services include dry-cutting, Deva Certified specialists, barber cuts, bridal hair and makeup, hair painting, and color corrections.

12 blocks in East Williamsburg. 718387-6643. grahambid@verizon.net. grahamavebid.net.

26 Bushwick Avenue, Williamsburg.

347-889-6422.

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182 Grand Street, Willamsburg: 718599-1449. 42 Wilson Ave, Bushwick: 718-484-1599. @selfsalonbrooklyn selfsalonbrooklyn.com.

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PEOPLE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

I think that while the current political climate can be stifling and sometimes depressing, I really feel like there is a much stronger sense of togetherness and community. The discomfort has opened up the table for us to have conversations that we would usually just sweep under the rug.

What would you say to a fresh-toBrooklyn transplant that wants to consider bartending on the side of their day gig?

MAN Z E LLL GLOVE R words Alica Forneret | photo David Moriya Because it provides the flexibility of keeping your day job, the opportunity to pursue a passion, the security of paying for university, or (in many situations) just great cash in your pocket, the life of a 9-to-5er by day and bartender by night can be rewarding.

We spoke with a Brooklyn transplant that’s found his place in the tip-driven world of bartending on the side of a passion. Like many bright-eyed Californians before (and no doubt after) him, Manzell Glover moved from the West Coast to the East in search of a change of scenery. He made some trades: sunny beaches for Prospect Park; jammed freeways for packed subways. But one constant in any thriving city—whether New York or L.A.—is the hospitality industry’s draw of bartenders and barbacks to work the late nights and make young crowds happy (and drunk, so drunk).

With no plans of becoming the next Robert Kreuger or Pietro Collina, Glover enjoys his time slinging drinks at Greenpoint’s Night of Joy, while appreciating what the industry can offer a New Yorker with dreams.

What has working hospitality in a city like New York afforded you?

Manzell: Definitely an addiction to traditional hot yoga, but aside from that I’ve met some serious life-long friends. I think working in such a social environment really helped in those first couple years of living here and figuring out my place in this city.

What are the pros of that schedule and lifestyle, though?

I get to do my errands while everyone is at work, and almost never deal with rushhour commutes.

And what are the cons?

Sometimes feeling of FOMO come up, especially in the summer with all the music 96

festivals and things during the weekend.

And it’s almost impossible to get a regular sleeping pattern going.

So then how do you balance your health—mental, physical—in your hours outside of work?

Yoga, coconut water, coffee, and long phone conversations with family in California.

The two worlds that you move between—teaching at Yoga to the People by day and bartending at Night of Joy by night—are incredibly different environments. What are you hearing and seeing that other people might not be noticing about the world right now?

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I would say to try and pace themselves, a lot of people do both and it always seems like a good idea and you can have a little more financial security when doing it. But I think it’s important to remember in order to be productive and achieve the things you want in life you need to be happy and rested. There will always be a million ways to exhaust yourself in exchange for money in this city, it’s important to try and make memories for yourself.

What would you say to that same person if they want to become the next hottest bartender this side of the Williamsburg Bridge and are just gonna jump in full time?

This person sounds ambitious! I would say to prepare for rejection and don’t let it stop them. Like everything in NYC, the bar/ restaurant world can be tough and competitive—it’s not something that you’re gonna just jump right in and take over, but with that being said someone is going to say yes eventually, so stick with it.

What is significant about being a neighborhood bartender for a community, whether you’re famous or not? What do you try to offer people as a local bartender in a Brooklyn watering hole?

I think going into the night with the idea of trying to cultivate and support a sense of community within the space is key. We’re really known for our rooftop patio, and while we love to celebrate the new neighborhood, we try to keep the hours that the roof is open friendly to the rest of the older people in the neighborhood that were here before Instagram. ■

© 2017 Blue Point Brewing Company, Toasted Lager ®, Patchogue, NY and Baldwinsville, NY | Enjoy responsibly.

the secret to toasted lager is a blend of six specialty malts. but we can‘t tell you which ones. because that’s the secret.

TOA S T ED L AGER IS A CRISP A MERIC A N A MBER L AGER WI T H A U NIQUE “ TOA S T ED” FL AVO R A N D A LON G-L A S T ING SMOOT H FINISH .

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