The scent of drying grain wafts from the door of Coney Island's New York Bread bakery. The aroma emanates from the cooling room, where rack after rack of dark rye and wheat loaves wait to be bagged and shipped. For Brooklyn's Russian community, that smell is the essence of the homeland, of rolling fields of wheat and rye baking in the summer sun. More
Badri, the Georgian baker of Neptune Avenue, is a slave to his oven. Before he could open Georgian Bread, he had to construct a toné, the Georgian version of the tandoor. This beehive-shaped oven sits in the middle of his storefront bakery bellowing heat during the hottest summer days. Six days a week, he has to wake up at 4:00am to get to his bakery by five and light the oven. Then he ties a cloth around his head and begins to work. With just one assistant, he spends the next 12 hours mixing dough, baking bread, making Georgian salads, and tending customers. Everything he makes is delicious. More
To continue with the "tacos on the beach theme" that began last week at Rockaway Taco, this week I took another trip to another beach in a another borough: Coney Island. There are a few taco stands off the boardwalk,... More
"We're starting to wonder if the mysteries of Russian sushi are worth another visit." [Photos: Hawk Krall] At the eastern end of Surf Avenue, where the slightly sad yet beautiful remains of Coney Island morph into the Eastern European neighborhood... More
The original Nathan's World Famous Frankfurters shack, opened in 1916 on Coney Island, may be threatened by the ever-shifting landscape of Brooklyn zoning. One true Nathan's fan has penned an online petition to assign the building landmark status and save... More
Yesterday morning in Coney Island, thousands of cheering people crowded the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenue. But these cheers were not for independence—no, they were for something greater. Something meatier. Something log-shaped. Hot dogs—more specifically, lots of hot... More
Nathan's has stood on the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island since 1916, but according to the Brooklyn Paper, the mustard dispensers might disappear. A new building with a hotel, amusement park, and retail stores may... More
Photograph by luluinnyc Now that Phillips Candy has moved to Staten Island, Williams Candy is the last old candy place near the Coney Island boardwalk. From the looks of this caramel and nut covered mashmallow, maybe one is all... More
Nathan's Famous 1310 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11224 (map); 718-946-2202; nathansfamous.com Of all the New York City lines I've waited in, Nathan's, in Coney Island, has to be the worst. The line at the Shake Shack is long but... More
Meeting up with friends for food and drinks in the city always seems to end with me bemoaning the state of my ATM balance the next morning. Last weekend, my solution to going out without going broke was to skip... More
Capt. Nemo on ConeyIsland.com File under: Ignorance Is Bliss. New York mainstay Nathan's has complied with the Department of Health's mandate that calorie counts be added to the menus of chain restaurants with at least 15 outlets. It's interesting... More
