Brooklyn: Fort Greene
Posted by Erin Zimmer, September 16, 2009 at 2:30 PM
"Pastry chef and co-owner Nicholas Morgenstern really knows how to make a dessert—and make you want to eat it even when on the verge of popping."
[Photographs: Erin Zimmer]
General Greene
229 Dekalb Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11205 (near Clemont Avenue; map); 718-222-1510; thegeneralgreene.com
Service: Attentive, friendly
Setting: Homespun mom-and-poppy vibe with a tinge of barnyard
Compare It To: Char No. 4, Prime Meats, Buttermilk Channel
Must-Haves:Deviled eggs, 8-ounce grilled steak, salt and pepper ribs, salted caramel sundae, chocolate-chip cookies
Cost: $7 to $16 for sharable plates
Grade: B
General Greene is definitely listed in the mythical How To Open A Brooklyn Restaurant: 2008-2009 Edition that Carey described recently in her review of Rye in Williamsburg. Beer served in Mason jars? Check. Local, seasonal, and fatty foods? Check. Somewhere between a barnyard and Prohibition vibe? Mm-hmm.
But at this Brooklyn restaurant, the food, courtesy of recently installed chef Julie Farias, comes exclusively on small plates. Fatty cuisine in tapas form sounds intriguing—or maybe just sad. (Wait, where's the spilling-over platter of ribs?) The menu divides the dishes into “Cold” and “Hot” categories, in addition to bar snacks that include deviled eggs and a radish tower with anchovies. Yelpers seem extremely mixed on General Greene, ranging from "really tasty" to "huge disappointment!!" Whoa, two exclamation points? We had to check this out.
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Posted by Erin Zimmer, August 18, 2009 at 2:15 PM
Note: The 2009 Vendy Awards, a celebration of New York street food, will be held on September 26 at the Queens Museum of Art (buy tickets here). All proceeds will benefit the Street Vendor Project, an arm of the Urban Justice Center, advocating for the interests of New York street vendors. This year's five finalists will all be on hand to feed the crowds, the judges, and compete for the ultimate title in street food. Each day this week, we'll be profiling one of the finalists.
Pork and beef huarache
Fernando Martinez and his wife Jolanda spend their weekends patting down many a masa patty, so the world can eat more huaraches. These piles of Mexican goodness, the truck's specialty, are burrito-sized, but get folded up like a soft taco and wrapped in a paper plate to prevent drippage (which never actually happens). On both Saturday and Sunday, they can be found at the Red Hook ballfields at the intersection of Clinton and Bay, and have a satellite branch at the Brooklyn Flea. Just look for the line that doesn't seem to be moving—with people in it that don't seem to care. Yeah, it's that good.
Beany huarache innards
The famous huaraches ($6) are what most people are waiting for (a typical line stretches to about a half-hour). Starting as oblong wads of masa, a thick dough made of dried corn, these huarache jackets puff up on the griddle, then get filled with a soft layer of beans, your choice of meat (pork is a big hit), shredded lettuce, and fresh guacamole—and don't forget the salsa station on the truck's "counterspace."
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Posted by Erin Zimmer, April 20, 2009 at 5:30 PM
After the Brooklyn Flea this weekend, I took a stroll around the nabe. In the mood for a refreshing nibble, I misread the "Jamaican Grapenut" flavor on the chalkboard menu at Bittersweet to be "grapefruit." Mini fiber-laden pellets aren't as refreshing as a ball of citrus, but it was still ice cream so no complaints.
The owner of the part coffee shop, part ice creamerie (all flavors are churned in-house) is Jamaican, and apparently this is the country's unofficial flavor. It's satisfying in the way healthy cereal can be—especially when multiplied by heavy cream.
Some branches of Uncle Louie G's (like the one on Prospect Park Southwest) also stock grapenut ice cream, but Louie doesn't seem to have any Jamaican lineage.
Bittersweet
180 Dekalb Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11205 (map)
718-852-2556
Posted by Erin Zimmer, April 20, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Saxelby Cheese
The Brooklyn Flea returned to Fort Greene on Saturday and was predictably packed. It should really be called the Brooklyn Food Lines—more people seemed invested in the grilled cheeses than the flannel shirts and costume jewels.
The Three Longest Lines
1. Saxelby Cheese for grilled cheese ($5). Slices of Pawlet, a raw cow's milk cheese from Bardwell Farm that they were also selling by the pound, went on ciabetta with spicy McClure's pickles, and then into a press.
Average wait: 45 minutes
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Posted by Ed Levine, April 12, 2009 at 7:12 AM
The Examiner.com's ethnic eats blogger Laurel Fantauzzo has come up with a trio of interesting, inexpensive, and hopefully seriously delicious Brooklyn Easter Meal restaurant possibilities:
Pacificana, a dim sum parlor in Sunset Park, 718-871-2880
Caribbean Soule Restaurant in Fort Greene, 718-399-7200
El Viejo Yayo, a Dominican restaurant in Park Slope, 718-369-9651
Posted by Robyn Lee, December 19, 2008 at 5:30 PM
This is the last weekend to pick up Itzy Bitzy Patisserie's December line of French-style macarons from the Gifted holiday market in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. This month's flavors are chestnut, chocolate cranberry, double chocolate, rose raspberry litchi, gingerbread, and peppermint. My favorites are the double chocolate and the gingerbread—of course, you should try all of them.
Related: Mitzy's Macarons From New Jersey: The Best Macarons Outside of Paris
Itzy Bitzy Patisserie at Gifted
317 Clermont Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11205 (at Lafayette Ave; map)
Posted by Erin Zimmer, December 8, 2008 at 4:00 PM
While it might seem sacrilegious to remove the stick part of the stick-pierced marshmallow step in roasting s'mores, it's allowed when you have a pizza peel baking stone (and a mobile wood-fired oven). Dave Sclarow of Pizza Moto added s'mores to his normal pizza menu at the Brooklyn Flea this weekend, and let's just say sticks and campfires should watch out. There's a new innovation on the s'mores scene.
Starting with a graham cracker slab from One Girl Cookies, the Cobble Hill bakery, Schlarow broke up some marshmallows, threw them on top, and onto the peel they went. For no more than a minute, the two melted, and then came a square of Belgian chocolate for a final minute in the wood-fired oven.
While three bucks is almost enough for a small girl scout troop's s'mores budget, this has a great roasted, smokey flavor and gooey factor. Every ingredient was the tastiest version of itself. Judging by Schlarow's success this weekend, he'll have them again next Sunday.
Pizza Moto at Brooklyn Flea
Lafayette Avenue, between Clermont and Vanderbilt avenues (Fort Greene; map)
Posted by Robyn Lee, November 26, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Cute logo brought to you by Cakespy.
This weekend get awesome French-style macarons from Itzy Bitzy Patisserie at the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene. The woman behind Itzy Bitzy Patisserie, Mitzy Budiono, took classes with French macaron master Pierre Hèrme—it's the real deal. Even though the Brooklyn Flea is an outdoor market, you should brave the cold; I went last weekend even though my feet almost froze off, and it was totally worth it. You can choose from six types of macarons: pumpkin, pistachio, passion fruit, chocolate caramel pecan, chestnut green tea, and coffee. Each one is $2.50, or save money by getting a six-pack for $12. Need more convincing? Read my previous post about Mitzy's macarons.
Itzy Bitzy Patisserie at the Brooklyn Flea
176 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11238 (map)
brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/
Sundays until Dec. 21, 10 a.m - 5 p.m.
Posted by Tam Ngo, October 24, 2008 at 2:30 PM
Along with many others, I'll be heading over to the Broken Social Scene show tonight at the Masonic Temple in Brooklyn. I mulled over a few good places to eat in the Fort Greene area and happily, another serious eater was one step ahead in posting this topic to the Serious Eats:New York Talk section. Taking a few of those suggestions and adding my own, here's a map for concert-goers (and other diners!) interested in Fort Greene's food offerings. Check it out after the jump.
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Posted by Joe DiStefano, September 26, 2008 at 3:00 PM
As much as I hate to admit it, sometimes a body needs to eat something that's both tasty and healthful. Man cannot live upon steak and offal alone. Hence my recent visit to The General Greene. I’d heard this newish spot slings up some fresh seasonal fare along what some would call haute barnyard lines. Since the menu necessitated a “Have you dined here before,” rap from the waiter I started off with a cocktail called The St. George. The combination of St. George Absinthe, Junipero gin and dry vermouth along with a rosemary sprig placed across the inside of a martini was quite refreshing. As the cocktail washed over my brain the menu didn’t seem so complex. It was divided into three sections: bar snacks and cold and hot shared plates. I wasn’t quite ready to start eating rabbit food just yet, so I started off with a bar snack of bacon-wrapped dates that combined sweet bits of fruit with salty, caramelized bacon.
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Posted by Kathy YL Chan, September 8, 2008 at 6:00 PM
A rainy start to this past weekend didn't stop vendors and eager crowds of shoppers with food on the mind from flooding the Brooklyn Flea Market on Sunday. Since the start of the Market earlier this year, the number of food, clothing, and furniture vendors has grown at a remarkably quick rate. We did a rundown of the food options back in May but so much has changed since then, we decided to revisit again to see what tasty tidbits have been added.
Red Hook Vendors
As expected, lines were long for pupusas from the Red Hook Vendors, which at $2.25 a piece are the best food deal found at the market. In addition to the standard beef, chicken, beans, and cheese pupusas, Sunday's vendor featured "special" zucchini and loroco versions. The adjacent two stands offered everything from huraches to flautas, a myriad of fruit juices, and of course, the much loved Mexican corn. Though long, the lines here pale in comparison to those at the original Red Hook location.
This time of the day is usually devoted to sweets, so your sugar rush is after the jump.
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Posted by Allison Hemler, August 22, 2008 at 4:30 PM
Please welcome fall intern Allison Hemler to the Serious Eats team. We're excited to have her working with us. She's a barista by morning, a blogger, now, by afternoon, and an aspiring baker at night. I don't know how she fits it all in. She must be siphoning off coffee before she comes in to the SE offices. Glad to have you aboard, Allison! —Adam
Last night I attended a ricotta-making workshop run by the lovely owners of Salvatore Bklyn, Rachel Mark and Betsy Devine (who you may remember from this Serious Eats Q&A a few months ago). The class, which featured a demonstration of the cheese-making process, was full of laughter, questions, pairing recommendations, and plenty of Salvatore Bklyn ricotta with black pepper and a shot of honey on olive oil and garlic toasts. The class is one of many in a series that the soon to be launched publication Edible Manhattan is bringing to the Culinary Center inside the Bowery Whole Foods. 95 East Houston Street, New York NY 10002 (on Bowery; map).
You can visit the Salvatore Bklyn stand at the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene on Sundays from 10am-5pm, where they also sell cannolis, and this weekend, tomato sandwiches. Their website lists a few other locations to find the goods, but don't pass up an opportunity to visit them in person at the Flea.
Related
Sugar Rush: Brooklyn Flea Market
In honor of the current tomato season, Brooklyn based lists three of Brooklyn's best BLTs along with some of the best tomato dishes and recipes from Brooklyn chefs.
The Great Hot Dog Cookoff: "Come as a chef and compete ... or just hang out with us and eat! Our winning 'chefs' in the past were a hit with their Pesto Dogs, Crawfish Dogs, Buffalo Wing Style Dogs and more." Space is limited to 100 attendees and we hear it's almost sold out. Fort Greene; Saturday, July 12; Tickets, $15; all proceeds go to the Food Bank for NYC
Posted by Zach Brooks, May 27, 2008 at 11:45 AM
I guess we weren't the only ones with this Memorial Day weekend idea
As promised, pupusas, tacos, and huaraches made their first appearance of the season on Sunday alongside the grilled corn and fruit at the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene. The pupusa line was out of control (a 30-minute-plus wait at peak times), but for those who were paying attention, huaraches and tacos were being sold on a different side of the table and had little to no line for much of the day.
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Posted by Kathy YL Chan, May 21, 2008 at 5:45 PM
Editor's note: I don't know how things work at your office, but in the late afternoon, our collective sweet tooth starts acting up at Serious Eats HQ. Enter Sugar Rush. Every afternoon, we'll point you to some sweet something—so you can rush out and get your fix. Today, you'll have to make do satisfying your virtual sweet tooth, as Brooklyn Flea is open only on Sundays. Until the weekend, you can use this post as a guide to your Brooklyn Flea visit. —Zach
Perhaps the only thing in the world that delights me more than a bakery, is, many bakeries clustered together. Enter the Brooklyn Flea Market, a weekly Sunday event featuring dozens of local vendors with plenty to offer: bikes, jewelry, vintage clothing, antiques—anything you could imagine. The vendor list sounded fascinating, but the only thing that caught my attention was a category most properly titled, "Tasty Treats." Edible treats? At the Flea Market? With a list of three particular bakeries in mind, I made it top priority to visit the Market the following Sunday.
At Salvatore Brooklyn Ricotta they were selling fresh ricotta by the pound, the luxuriously thick and creamy cheese a tempting siren. As to not to be lured by the possibility of consuming pounds of ricotta for lunch, I dived straight for the filled-to-order cannoli ($3/piece). I wasn't sure what to expect, though honestly did not anticipate biting into doubtlessly the most delicious cannoli my tongue has ever welcomed. A perfect three bites in length, the crispy powdered sugar dusted shell shattered into a expertly piped mass of ricotta tangled with sharps hints of lemon, marsala and little chocolate bits. The first bite left me in awe, the second clamoring for more, and the third and final, in utter bliss. Nothing wrong, and everything right, so very right, be it the visual contrast between the yellow zest and chocolate speckled ricotta tucked in golden brown fried pastry, or the sweet flavor combustion rewarded by silky light mouthfuls alongside the sharp crackling shell.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, April 21, 2008 at 12:00 PM
Is Wafels & Dinges, the Belgian waffle outfit that opened late last year, using frozen waffles in its operation? A tipster at Eater emailed that website a photo of what appears to be evidence of such. The photo was captured at Brooklyn Flea, where Wafels & Dinges has a seasonal outpost.
Related: The Best Belgian Wafel (Waffle) Maker in NYC: When They're Made to Order!
Posted by Ed Levine, March 30, 2006 at 12:40 PM
I find most chicken and/or turkey sausage dry and tasteless. So when I discovered DiPaola's Turkey Sausage at my local greenmarket a couple of years ago, I was thrilled. DiPaola is a local poultry farm located in Trenton, NJ. Its sweet turkey sausage actually tastes like good Italian sausage. It has enough fat in it to keep the turkey meat moist and the right amount of fennel seeds. It tastes great formed into turkey sausage patties, crumbled into pasta sauces (I just brown the sausage and throw it into some Patsy's Marinara Sauce), or served alongside a couple of softly scrambled eggs in the morning.
DiPaola Turkeys, Trenton, NJ Ph: 609-587-9311
At 16 New York greenmarkets, including Union Square on Wednesdays and Fridays; Grand Army Plaza, Fort Greene, Borough Hall and Cortelyou in Brooklyn on Saturdays; Dag Hammarskjold Plaza on Wednesdays; West 97th Street on Fridays; St. George and Historic Richmond Town, Staten Island, on Saturdays; Columbia University on Sundays.
