Carroll Gardens, a traditionally Italian neighborhood, is also known for its hip boutiques and restaurants. Along the main drag of Smith Street, you’ll find plenty of spots to shop, eat and drink mixed with old-school Italian bakeries, pastry shops, and grocery stores. Turn onto any of the side streets to find spectacular brownstones along tree-lined streets — this neighborhood is the only one in Brooklyn where the brownstones feature gracious, landscaped front yards.
Here are some not-to-miss spots in Carroll Gardens.
Buttermilk Channel
This is a great brunch spot with plenty of options, both savory and sweet. They have an entire Bloody Mary menu, including options with rosemary-infused vodka, or a freshly shucked oyster, or one that combines Jameson’s and stout. And don’t forget the pecan pie French toast.
Pecan pie French toast photo courtesy of Allison G. via Yelp. (more…)
Ice cream is one of the best ways to beat the summer heat, or just to treat yourself any day of the year. Following are some of Brooklyn’s ice cream meccas.
The flavors at Ample Hills are like Ben & Jerry’s on crack. The Munchies (pictured above) combines rich, salty-sweet pretzel-infused ice cream with swirls of potato chips, pretzels and candy. With an adorable shop in Prospect Heights, a huge new ice cream factory and store in Gowanus, and a cart in Brooklyn Bridge Park, it’s worth seeking out. (more…)
First off, let’s get one thing clear — there are no eggs in an egg cream. And it’s not like steak tartare or Caesar dressing, which are supposed to incorporate raw eggs, but often don’t because of health concerns. There was never egg of any kind in egg creams.
So what IS in an egg cream? Three things: milk, seltzer and chocolate syrup – Fox’s U-bet chocolate syrup specifically, if you’re a purist. That’s it.
The result is a classic case of something being more than the sum of its parts. What sounds as if it might taste like fizzy Yoo-hoo, or worse, watered down chocolate milk, somehow manages to be rich, creamy, chocolatey and refreshing all at once. And while living in Brooklyn doesn’t necessitate knocking one back on a nightly basis, there are a few great spots to get your hands on an authentic egg cream.
Photo by Barnaby Dorfman via Flickr