Restaurants »Corner Frenzy (!)

995 Manhattan Ave

With QQ Mermaid Fashion as a very close second, Corner Frenzy! (I like to add the exclamation point) is the best named local business.

It’s also one of the most unusual in a hood packed with unusual (several local store fronts seem to feature nothing but a rotating collection of dirty carnival stuffed animals and cardboard boxes).

It’s primarily a laundromat, part ice cream shop, part smoothie spot and part empanada restaurant.

We’ve enjoyed the soft serve but why, oh why did it take me so long to get their empanadas?!

For a mere 4.50 I ate like a king.
Each filling: chicken, beef bean and rice and cheese was distinct and delicious.

The menu varies day to day, consisting of what they have made, but don’t worry it’s all tasty.

I’ve never been the hugest empanada fan but that’s because rarely are they so perfectly soft and doughy.

Be sure to say yes to the hot sauce, a homemade concoction of tongue tingling yumminess. She should bottle this stuff and add it to the store’s list of goods.

Probably the best deal around and with the most friendly service too!

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Posted on December 21, 2011

Restaurants »El Almacen

20110930-094542.jpg557 Driggs Avenue Williamsburg

We enjoyed an impeccable date night meal at El Almacen. It started a tasty gin, cucumber jalapeño concoction and amazing appetizers. Both the shishito peppers and avocado fries are worth reordering on my next visit.

Jim and I were so intrigued by the menu we got a few things to split. The Entrana skirt steak is fantastic, truly. Cooked perfectly to medium rare, but nicely charred it came with two flavorful dipping sauces and a nice poblano pepper mash potato. The grilled octopus and potato salad was refreshing and almost crab like while the empanadas boasted a buttery flaky crust unlike most I’ve had.

End the meal with churros if you’re not busting and be sure to bring cash. Can’t understand the relatively low marks on yelp. The place was bustling, loud, dark (hence, just one photo) and small but kind of fun in that way. One of the best new(ish) places to open in Williamsburg.

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Posted on October 1, 2011

Restaurants »La Buena Gazpacho

At Smorgasburg

La Buena Gazpacho from chef Alexandra Raij is so crazy delicious, I wish I had had gallons to enjoy over the Summer.

Perhaps a date night to one of her restaurants, Txikito and El Quinto Pino should be on our agenda…

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Posted on September 17, 2011

Restaurants »Mexicue

Various Locations

Most days I only have time for some microwaved meal between naps, diapers, and play so I can get pretty envious of Jim’s many food truck options that litter the streets around his office.

So I was pleased when a favorite of his showed up the other evening near McCarren Park.

Mexicue has a tempting menu but Jim advised that a smoked short rib taco and a pulled pork slider were the way to go.

Both were noteworthy but the pulled pork slider was exceptional.

If you think you can come up with an even better Mexican treat they should add to their menu? Enter their Menu contest!

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Posted on July 29, 2011

Restaurants »Tabare

221 South 1st St, Williamsburg

Tabare is cozy, intimate, and friendly – perfect choice for a date night! We weren’t sure exactly what Uruguayan cuisine would be, but it turned out to be flavorful, filling and delicious.

We started with killer empanadas and a glass of wonderful rose. I made my meal of an incredible gazpacho (nothing better during the summer) and a spiced fava bean and octopus casserole that was larger than I expected (a good thing). Jim couldn’t help himself and went for it with the gut busting chivito completo – a steak sandwich with bacon, mozzarella, onions, olives, lettuce, tomato and fried egg. He almost ate it all.

Barely able to eat another bite, we almost forwent desserts, but couldn’t say no to a fluffy creamy flan.

They boast a cute outdoor patio in back and the space actually reminded me of a secret spot we found in Barcelona with it’s planked wooden walls. They serve brunch, which I am sure if delectable and have seasonal specials.

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Posted on July 21, 2011

Recipes »Moqueca

from Simply Recipes

Jim and I were worried about blandness based on the simplicity of the ingredient list for this Brazilian Fish Stew, or Moqueca but they belie incredible flavor and one of the yummiest meals we’ve been surprised by in a while.

We used ingredients we already had on hand so we omitted the rice and cilantro.

This is one of those meals that impresses but actually takes very little effort. Another Simply Recipes gem.

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Posted on February 22, 2011

Restaurants »Red Hook Ballfields

Clinton St & Bay St, Red Hook, Brooklyn

I’ve been meaning to make my way to the much touted row of South American food trucks that line the Red Hook Ballfields for a long time. Too bad my stomach is squished into a little ball, making a true exploration of the cuisine difficult. I did however, manage an incredibly refreshing fresh watermelon juice from Victor and Ana’s Blended Wonders and a jalapeno and cheese stuffed pupusa from the Salvadorian El Olomega.

A pupusa is a thick corn tortilla filled with cheese and other goodies (Mike and Jim opted for a flavorful pork). It’s grilled and served hot with curtido (pickled cabbage) and onions. It was my first time with the dish and I can count myself quite a fan. We shared salty fried plantains from the same vendor. A creamy, spiced Horchata also from El Olomega was Jim’s refreshment of choice.

The vendors are open until October, so you still have a few more days to try authentic, amazing food you’re unlikely to find elsewhere. I hope I can make it back again this season to try more of the offerings.

Click here for the rest of Red Hook Ballfields

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Posted on September 12, 2010

Restaurants »Beco

45 Richardson Street, Williamsburg

Beco may be hidden behind McCarren Park but, judging by the full house at brunch last Sunday, the secret is definitely out. Featuring Brazilian specialties and more traditional favorites, the food here is pretty excellent and I can’t stress enough how filling and satisfying the Feijoada was: rice, veggies, and a bean and meat stew with toasted flour for thickening. All meals come with a coffee drink (they have yummy lattes served in glasses – which I always find pleasant) and boozy or juice beverage. My friends can also attest to the steak and eggs and the benedict.

The dinner menu looks just as enticing with Linguiça, banana, hearts of palm and chorizo peppered throughout the unfamiliar (to me) dishes, and I’ll be back to try more soon. The staff is courteous and very agile given the limited space they’re working in; the kitchen is barely bigger than a small mini apartment one, but the chef’s astound. From time to time they have live music too.

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Posted on March 28, 2010

Restaurants »Miranda

miranda brooklyn80 Berry Street, Brooklyn

Miranda has been around for a while now, but until recently I had steered clear. Not for any real reason, though I do recall the initial menu may have been too much on the pricey side to lure me in. That’s all changed, however, with the big bang for your buck pre-fixe menu which fills you up with three courses for a mere $25. I opted for a fresh beet and cheese salad, a spicy chicken chipotle gnocchi – which most pleasantly illustrates the restaurant’s seemingly strange but in actuality yummy Italian and Latin fusion flavor – and the coconut flan. The atmosphere is dark (so forgive the less than stellar photography) but inviting and the staff is accommodating.

I was certainly won over and plan to return during the colder nights to come as well as to try their intriguing brunch menu; creamy Polenta and Poached Eggs: wild mushrooms, tomato fonduta and Mangu and Fried Eggs: smashed sweet plantains, crumbled chorizo, pickled shallot being just a few items.

Click here for the rest of Miranda

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Posted on December 13, 2009

Restaurants »Pio Pio Riko

pio pio riko beef hearts Pio Pio Riko is well known for their incredibly affordable half-chicken meals that, while heavy, are yummy and offer one of the few worthy delivery options here in Greenpoint, but it's when one goes off into other, less explored areas of the menu, that the Peruvian delicacies really shine.

It always freaks people out when I order beef hearts, but maybe they're less scary under the Peruvian name Antichucos. Pio Pio's are tender and yummy and even the skeptical were impressed. I'd also recommend trying the ceviche that was surprisingly fresh and subtly flavored.

As I've mentioned before, it's also a great place to throw a party and, with actual hearts on the menu, would be a perfect spot for a pre-Halloween activities meal.

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Posted on October 26, 2009