Brooklyn has carved out a special place in my heart. It’s gritty and cool and when I leave after a visit, I get a bit heavy, wondering if I’m ever really supposed to go.
Having lived in downtown Manhattan for many years in the 90s, I always considered myself a Manhattan girl. I lived in Nolita when it was just becoming Nolita, when Cafe Gitane first started baking eggs in little ceramic dishes, splashed with tomato and cream. Downtown had a burgeoning food scene with folks trying to do something different, refreshing old European methods that were at the core of the Italian and Asian immigrant population that lived there. Brooklyn, on the other hand, was this dark nook glowing at the other end of a long bridge, a place I’d visit for a party or a family obligation. But the food was just always better in Manhattan.
Oh my, have times changed.
When I visit Brooklyn now, I stay in Greenpoint, a neighborhood that echoes the Soho and Little Italy of the 90s. My friends live nearby, my cousins live in Park Slope and up yonder in nearby Queens, and my sister used to live in Williamsburg. I just love how this borough has totally creeped into my life.
With so many delicious things happening in Brooklyn, we crafted this mini-guide highlighting 12 of our favorite spots there. You can even print the last page of the guide on your next visit, tuck your cheat sheet into your pocket.
A huge thank you goes to Jessica, Chloe, Todd and Kumi – such wonderful, generous people who wrote, designed and photographed the guide. This guide wouldn’t be possible without them, and I really hope you like our labor of love. Shall we make one for Paris? :-}
