Guide to the Guide

Over the summer, Bay Ridge's food scene was put under the microscope in Sherri Eisenberg's Food Lovers' Guide to Brooklyn. We begrudgingly share a chapter with Dyker Heights and Bensonhurtst, but at the very least, the author was sensible enough to understand that of the three neighborhoods, ours is first and foremost.

Eisenberg's writing is largely focused on the neighborhood hot spots. Each chapter (including the one on Bay Ridge) consists of four sections: "Foodie Faves", "Landmarks", "Specialty Stores" and "Food Events". It presents a positive image of Bay Ridge by keeping to our more popular establishments. Her vanguard totes popular restaurants like Grand Sichuan House, Areo and Al Safa.

When it comes to specifics, Eisenberg speaks generously. She praises particular dishes or discusses local favorites. Her quick explanation of the obscure Egg Cream is especially exciting, because most of her local favorites are more popular.

Eisenberg delivers criticism respectfully, but perhaps not often enough. She earns a nod for mentioning Areo's exclusivity (wear your best pinky ring), but she seems reluctant to go any further than that. Similarly, her selection of restaurants is limited by positivity. None of her reviews are focused solely on the negative aspects of a restaurant--or strictly warning against it. We can all think of at least one place we'd tell a friend never to visit.

If there is one striking problem with the book though, it's that the survey of Bay Ridge is fairly superficial. It overlooks many of the newer or less-known neighborhood favorites. Pegasus, 86 Noodles and Kettle Black are among the notable establishments that were omitted from her guide. These are the gems that locals look for because of their obscurity.

Although the guide is unsuitable for the needs of Bay Ridge regulars, Food Lovers' Guide to Brooklyn is fantastic for an overview. It will represent Bay Ridge well to curious Brooklyn foodies by showing our good side and its best smile.

Sweets Spotlight: Mini-Series Brought to You By...

It seems strange to say the little building which plays host to Bay Ridge Bakery houses a titan of the Bay Ridge food scene, but it's undoubtedly the truth. Along with Your Baker, it represents the pinnacle of our local dessert scene. It was inevitable that some of their less pricey treats would end up here.

If there's anything Bay Ridge can appreciate, it's likely a cannolo (cannoli is the plural). It only makes sense then, that a miniature cannoli would be just as appealing! For the uninitiated, a cannolo consists of a fried, tubular pastry shell with a sweet filling. In this iteration, it features a few small chocolate chips. These are sold by the pound, but individually go for about $1.25 to $1.50. Given the price, it's a small treat, but it's tasty and not without charm.

Less popular, but still worthy of praise is the miniature éclair. Consisting of soft, confectioner's dough, a light chocolate topping and a creamy, sweet filling, it hits all of the major notes one expects from a pastry: inside, outside and dressing. This will only last two or three bites, but each one s a series of sensations. Start with a soft bite and stop abruptly to avoid cutting right through the custard and clapping your teeth together. Like the cannolo, it's in the sub $1.50 range.

The last of the mini-pastry smörgåsbord comes in the form of a tasty strawberry tart. A strawberry crowns the soft, sweet dough shell, but it's not the only one present. After the first bite, one will find a second, equally enticing strawberry lurking inside of the crust. Heavier, it makes sense for this delight to cost more. At about $2.50 each, it's the most expensive of the miniatures.

I Wanna Be a Muffin Man

Muffins are like sophisticated cupcakes without the icing. That's part of what makes them in many cases, very bland. One can spice them up with blueberries or smear butter in an effort to liven it up, but realistically speaking, the muffin is hardly the go-to for most of Bay Ridge. However, there's nothing boring about the Red Velvet muffin from Five Star Bagel.

The muffin does its namesake justice, with the majority of its soft, spongy form taking on the appropriate flavor between chocolate in vanilla. In this example, the slider strays more toward the cocoa bean, but the hint of vanilla is key. Baked fresh in the morning, so long as one gets to this muffin before it's gone, it's a perfect way to perk up before the daily commute. Unlike many such machinations, this bundle of boo-ya doesn't lose its appeal after the first few bites. It's good from start to finish and like most of its brothers and sisters, doesn't go poorly with a bit of butter or a toast.

Backyard B.B.Q Scandal: Restaurant Actually In Doors

Up until a year ago, it seemed like barbecue lovers in Bay Ridge were left with no way to satisfy their cravings near home. That all changed with the arrival of Uncle Jimmy's Backyard B.B.Q. Changing the landscape, it provided a way to get something that was otherwise impossible to find: a real rack of ribs.

The key word when you're mapping out how to tackle a plate of Uncle Jimmy's ribs is "messy". There's no way to get in, out and look like a gentleman. Throw that one out the window and start thinking baby bibs and wet wipes. The sauce is plentiful, sweet and just smoky enough not to be juvenile. The meat is succulent and tender, falling off the bone with as little as a prod with an inquisitive finger.

Delicious is the right word to use, but so is caution. This plate of tasty pork isn't cheap. A half slab with two sides will run $14.00 and for the adventurous and hungry, a full rack is $22.00.

Dump me? Dump Ling!

It is truly regrettable that the most under appreciated dish at dinner is the appetizer. There's a lot to be said for something that makes you hungrier after eating it. Is that not some sort of feat in and of itself? This is precisely what the chicken dumplings from 86 Noodles succeeds in doing.

These are easily the best chicken dumplings in the neighborhood, outdoing all of the alternatives from the litany of Chinese restaurants in the neighborhood. The noodle is shaped traditionally, but still maintains much of the softness one associates with pasta. When fried, it's cooked primarily on one side, heating the meat and leaving the dumpling with two distinct textures: one slightly crunchy and the other firm but wavering. The filling is just the right level of prepared when served, each piece of chicken residing in that special, moist place between uncooked and dry. Finally, the dipping sauce is a fantastic mixture of low key sweetness and the more potent sour flavoring. Don't be fooled. It isn't soy sauce in a cup.

At just $4.50 for a plate of six, there are few reasons not to order a plate of these with your next big meal at 86 Noodles.

Sweets Spotlight: Cheese Filling? Are You Surprised?

When one imagines a dessert associated with Middle Eastern food, the first thing which comes to mind is typically baklava. This isn't a bad thing. That stuff is tasty and often hits the spot when a craving for honey arises. Still, there are other options. The gyro has other partners in crime, such as the the low profile and inexpensive cheese halawa served at Karam.

A cheese halawa, as the name might imply, consists primarily of sweet cheese. It's wrapped in a small, nearly tasteless pastry shell that serves to keep it together more than to add anything to the dish itself. The filling itself has a consistency that's tougher than most confections, but is still clearly of a delicate nature. It's in the grey area which separates creamy and spongy. It still falters easily beneath steady chewing, avoiding the awkward horse chomp that more rubbery deserts require. Mystery spices provide the biggest bursts of sweet flavoring in the form of curious pebble-shaped nuggets of deliciousness.

It's a subtle treat that may strike the palate abruptly, but has all the hallmarks of a more mature after-dinner pastry. At $1.50 a piece, it's foolish not to try one.

Gyro Wars: The Phantom Menace

All eateries serve food, but not all eateries have wheels. Mobility is a simple thing to overlook in a food cart, until it's gone. The 86th street strip spans from fourth to sixth avenue and features three gyro carts, all of which are a staple except one: the illusive green wagon.

This quiet challenger makes appearances in the 86th street area once every few months, but always leaves in less than a week. Why the owners wish to be so mysterious is unclear. What is apparent though, is that this buggy brings a completely different taste to contested territory.

A cursory glance at both the chicken and lamb gyro don't yield any immediate findings: a pita wrapped around the choice meat, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and white sauce. But, there's more here than what one initially sees.

First, there's the new approach to chicken. This chicken, unlike that presented by the other two competitors is sweet. There's lingering traces of honey-like flavor, contrasting sharply with the usual emphasis on garlic.

Second, the sauce here is altogether different. It has a thicker consistency and a more minty taste to it, lending itself more to salads than sandwiches. A copious amount of veggies helps balance the equation, making for a well-balanced wrap worth its price.

With good comes bad in this case, as not everything is spectacular. Regrettably, unlike its brother-in-bread, the lamb falls short of being special and sinks into the pit of being hard and dry. Likewise, it's better to avoid the falafel, given they look and feel like burs.

For the low price of $3 a sandwich, it's obvious why in some cases the food is sub-par, but where this kitchen excels is its ingenuity. It has a wider menu, offering lamb chops and other less available plates that smaller carts can't produce. More importantly, this place offers a different take on the traditional chicken wrap, making its rare appearances worth celebrating as a divergence from the norm.

Originally posted November 3rd, 2010