Bedford-Stuyvesant (or Bed-Stuy, or that neighborhood south of Williamsburg, north of Crown Heights, and east of Clinton Hill) is the best place to live in Brooklyn these days ("up and coming" is the term of art). Lots of new restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and other types of places are opening every week. Since I get to live here, and since Eve and I eat out pretty much every night because we are footloose and fancy-free about our sodium, I get to see it all happening, and I wanted to share some of my favorite places, which still seem "underground" in the giant jumble of delight that is NYC.
1. For seafood tacos, drinks featuring mezcal, tequila, jarritos, and hibiscus, and homemade tortilla chips in the most beautiful hole-in-the-wall, try Calaca. (Cash only.) You can sit at the picnic table next to many tiny dusty cactuses and enjoy a summer afternoon casting its last light on the weathered tin ceiling, or you can spy on interesting patrons in the giant mirror over the bar. Website here. 139 Putnam.
1. For seafood tacos, drinks featuring mezcal, tequila, jarritos, and hibiscus, and homemade tortilla chips in the most beautiful hole-in-the-wall, try Calaca. (Cash only.) You can sit at the picnic table next to many tiny dusty cactuses and enjoy a summer afternoon casting its last light on the weathered tin ceiling, or you can spy on interesting patrons in the giant mirror over the bar. Website here. 139 Putnam.
calaca's interior is kind of like the mexican/brooklyn version of juliet binoche's shop in chocolat
2. For iced dirty chais, never-bitter cappuccinos with always-sweet foam leaves, and a glimpse of Bed-Stuy style, try Bedford Hill. The ham and brie croissant in the morning is delicious, and the BLT with avocado is available all day. This is the place that most made my parents feel old. My mom remarked "It's like the village in the 80s." Whether you can imagine what she means or not, you might run into the guy who has tiny dinosaurs glued to his glasses, you might get to groove to Aaliyah, and you will certainly get to wonder "What do these people do all day?" Also, they have drinks at night! Website here. 343 Franklin Ave.
bedford hill's blt
and a friendly patron
3. For insanely fresh doughnuts even for people who don't like doughnuts (like me), go to Dough. (Cash only!) They recently opened a branch in Chelsea, so you can enjoy their perfect light rich giant doughnuts there too. After many months of careful experimentation, I can tell you with certitude that these flavors are the best: cinnamon sugar (Eve's top favorite), café au lait (my top favorite), cheesecake, and the doughnut holes (if they have them, get them, for the delightful ratio of crunchy outside to fluffy inside). Website here. 448 Lafayette Ave.
one of the best parts is that you can watch them whipping up doughnuts...and pies...and all kinds of other stuff involving butter, as you wait on line.
"we fry in bed-stuy"
And that's it for the first guide! Soon I'll cover Scratch, Brooklyn Kolache Company, Daily Press, One Last Shag, and others...so check back!
All posts about Bed-Stuy are here.
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