+ I certainly hope the BDC has one free night during the week of April 15!
+ As we have a little BDC'er in the cooker, we should take note how kids in Brooklyn (and beyond) are eating with the best of us. Maybe even better than us.
+ When do we get to go to the Brooklyn Burger Bar?
by Nick
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
Nick: "A treat at Ingrid's birthday party..."
There was a treat at Ingrid's birthday party - amongst the fancy pate, plentiful crudite, and delicious mini quiche was...
a plate of peanut butter and jelly squares on whole wheat next to a bowl of Lay's potato chips.
Genius.
The sandwiches were cut into two-bite sized (or just one, if you're me) pieces, the bread was soft and fresh and really quite tasty. Smooth peanut butter (I keep crunchy Jif at home, but creamy works better here, I think). A dab of jelly (was it grape? I prefer strawberry jam, but either way).
As the sole Manhattanite in the BDC, I don't know if this is a trend in Brooklyn dining circles, but I'm all for it. Simple and delicious PB&J squares. Highly recommended.
While we're at it, what other treats reminiscent of wholesome, all-American youth should accompany my Beefeater martini at the next hip, Brooklyn party?
I'm thinking mini opened-face grilled cheese with baby tomatoes and bacon pieces. Mmmmm....
by Nick
a plate of peanut butter and jelly squares on whole wheat next to a bowl of Lay's potato chips.
Genius.
The sandwiches were cut into two-bite sized (or just one, if you're me) pieces, the bread was soft and fresh and really quite tasty. Smooth peanut butter (I keep crunchy Jif at home, but creamy works better here, I think). A dab of jelly (was it grape? I prefer strawberry jam, but either way).
As the sole Manhattanite in the BDC, I don't know if this is a trend in Brooklyn dining circles, but I'm all for it. Simple and delicious PB&J squares. Highly recommended.
While we're at it, what other treats reminiscent of wholesome, all-American youth should accompany my Beefeater martini at the next hip, Brooklyn party?
I'm thinking mini opened-face grilled cheese with baby tomatoes and bacon pieces. Mmmmm....
by Nick
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Ingrid: "My birthday cocktail party..."
The only Brooklyn dining experience Liz and I had this weekend was getting take out from Bedouin Tent (it's Atlantic Ave middle eastern yumminess - we love their salads, lamb pitza, pita bread and the service guys flirted with us by treating us to a piece of corn bread seemingly soaked in honey) and Costco (a Red Hook staple of ours where there are also freebie samples that put a smile on Liz's face even w/out the flirting).
The trip to Costco was to prep for my bday cocktail party--missed you, Jessica and Betsy. We, like Jessica, love the Fairway in Red Hook a ton. The perfect Saturday for Liz and me is waking early and hitting the bakery for coffee and pastry as big as my ass, so that we can negotiate the aisles before the baby carriages get backed up... but back to Costco, cuz for parties, Costco is perfect.
We loaded up on pounds of pre-cut veggies, chips and frozen meatballs. With that said, our party special is the meatballs. "It's my mom's secret recipe", is the line I use when people ask for it. Prego pasta sauce (or any for that matter) over Kirkland meatballs. It's a hit every time.
We mixed up a specialty cocktail. It is based on one hell of a good drink we were blessed with at Blue Hill Stone Barn's, Dan Barber's farm based restaurant where they only use seasonal and organic foods. Our house specialty was a vodka infused w/ oats & honey. Scrumptious. I ended the the night feeling as though I was infused with vodka. Success!
by Ingrid
The trip to Costco was to prep for my bday cocktail party--missed you, Jessica and Betsy. We, like Jessica, love the Fairway in Red Hook a ton. The perfect Saturday for Liz and me is waking early and hitting the bakery for coffee and pastry as big as my ass, so that we can negotiate the aisles before the baby carriages get backed up... but back to Costco, cuz for parties, Costco is perfect.
We loaded up on pounds of pre-cut veggies, chips and frozen meatballs. With that said, our party special is the meatballs. "It's my mom's secret recipe", is the line I use when people ask for it. Prego pasta sauce (or any for that matter) over Kirkland meatballs. It's a hit every time.
We mixed up a specialty cocktail. It is based on one hell of a good drink we were blessed with at Blue Hill Stone Barn's, Dan Barber's farm based restaurant where they only use seasonal and organic foods. Our house specialty was a vodka infused w/ oats & honey. Scrumptious. I ended the the night feeling as though I was infused with vodka. Success!
by Ingrid
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Jessica: "I get very excited about anything food related..."
I’m finally contributing to the BDC blog…and I don’t even know where to begin. First of all, anyone who knows me knows that I get very excited about anything related to food (and wine…): eating, cooking, restaurants, eating, drinking, eating. You get the picture.
So when my husband Tommy and I moved to Brooklyn last year after nearly a decade in Manhattan, we couldn’t wait to try all the great restaurants the borough had to offer. We found some early favorites in our neighborhood of Prospect Heights/Park Slope (i.e. Beast, Blue Ribbon, La Villa Pizza, Franny’s, Amorina, Brooklyn Fish Camp) but when Nick called and suggested we start the Brooklyn Dinner Club (now renamed the Brooklyn Dining Club so we’re not limited to dinner), I jumped at the chance. After all, it gave me a chance to see more of Nick, who, when I still lived in the city, spent every Tuesday night at my apartment for two straight years for our weekly American Idol get-together (with our friend Kristi)…and see his friends (now mine too) Liz and Ingrid, whom I loved the minute I met at Nick’s birthday party a few years ago.
For our first outing, we met at Beast, upon my suggestion, not only because it’s really close to my current apartment but also because the food rocks. You wouldn’t know it from the dark, gothic dungeon-like décor and teeny, tiny open air kitchen but it does. Tommy couldn’t come (I think he was working on a Sat. night, as usual) but I met Liz, Ingrid, Nick, and his very cool friend Betsy (who looked so familiar that we swore we had met – turns out we hadn’t but we both belong to the same gym and had probably seen each other early a.m. sans makeup) at the restaurant.
We had the best time – conversation and wine flowed easily – and we tried nearly everything on the menu, which is sort of tapas-style so it’s great for sharing. In fact, we had such fun, we didn’t want the night to end so we walked over to Fifth Avenue in Park Slope and had dessert and after-dinner drinks (we evidently decided we were from the 1950s) at a cute place called The Chocolate Room. We sat at the “bar” and shared yummy desserts (a banana, chocolate and peanut butter concoction that sounded better than it was and an out-of-this-world brownie sundae with homemade choc-chip mint ice cream). When we parted ways, we all promised that we would meet for dinner at a different place every month. Well, we weren’t able to meet every month, due to everyone’s busy schedules and the holidays, but we did go to Ici in Fort Greene (good food, awful service…and Tommy came this time) and then again recently to a new Pan-Latin restaurant on Union St. btw Fourth & Fifth Aves. in Park Slope called Palo Santo, which was awesome and made us feel like we were in a Mexican garden. So much had happened in the few months since we’d last seen each other: Liz and Ingrid shared with us the exciting news that they were expecting (we call the baby “Tiny”), Betsy had a boyfriend she was head over heels for (he’d have to be invited as a BDC guest so we could all meet him), I had gotten a promotion at work to VP (yes, Nick, I was referred to as a “PR maven” – and don’t forget “PR diva” – on Mediabistro.com), and Nick was dating a new guy (but that really wasn’t anything new…).
This time, we had invited my friend and neighbor Tia in place of Tommy and she was such a good addition to the group, that we all agreed she should be inducted as a permanent member (sorry, Tommy, but you lost your spot). She and Betsy showed up late because Liz told everyone to get on the N train instead of the R and they ended up in Bay Ridge on the express train. Despite the late start, it was a fab evening and we ate (and drank) ourselves silly…so much for my New Year’s resolution of not drinking during the week!
Last Saturday, I had a little dinner party (Betsy, Liz and Ingrid were extended an invitation but they had plans) and as I was about to leave the house with Tommy for brunch, Tia called and asked whether I had gone grocery shopping yet and, if not, would I like to go to Fairway in Red Hook. I gave a resounding yes and told her I’d call her after brunch. We went to Flatbush Farm, a new place on Bergen off of Flatbush Avenue, which we had never tried before but Tia had recommended. About halfway through our meal (which was yummy), guess who walked in? Tia! She had never been there for brunch either but happened to walk in, not knowing we were there. She sat down with us, Tommy left to go to work (yes, again on a Saturday), and I stayed with her while she ate (we both had the smoked salmon cakes – hers with poached eggs). After brunch, Tia and I drove to Fairway (I actually remembered how to get there from my bike-riding trips to RH over the summer) and bought a TON of groceries. Then we stopped at my favorite bakery ever, Baked, on Van Brundt Street, and got mini cupcakes for the dinner party.
By the time we got home, I only had a couple hours to prepare the food and shower, but it worked out. I had to borrow a card table and folding chairs from Tia to fit eight people for dinner but it was perfect. Nick, Tia, my friends Randy and her husband Jason and Kristi and Julian, who have the cutest baby on the planet, Blake, but left him at home so they could enjoy their night out, came. I had loads of apps – white bean and asiago dip, spinach-artichoke dip, olives, cheese, etc. – and then served turkey breast, salad and roasted asparagus (I didn’t have that much so each person was only allowed 1-2 spears). We drank lots of wine and then ate the cupcakes for dessert, which were moist and delicious (I can’t believe I just used the word “moist” – I hate that word). Despite a broken meat thermometer (Tia had to run back to her apt and lend me one – thank g-d she only lives across the building), the night was a roaring success. Nick slept over, which was fun, and we watched about half of Zoolander before we fell asleep.
I can’t wait until our next BDC outing but I have to forewarn the group that every person I mention it to wants to join. I know we have to limit the number so we can get a table at our restaurants of choice but maybe we should rotate guests every month. To be discussed….
by Jessica
So when my husband Tommy and I moved to Brooklyn last year after nearly a decade in Manhattan, we couldn’t wait to try all the great restaurants the borough had to offer. We found some early favorites in our neighborhood of Prospect Heights/Park Slope (i.e. Beast, Blue Ribbon, La Villa Pizza, Franny’s, Amorina, Brooklyn Fish Camp) but when Nick called and suggested we start the Brooklyn Dinner Club (now renamed the Brooklyn Dining Club so we’re not limited to dinner), I jumped at the chance. After all, it gave me a chance to see more of Nick, who, when I still lived in the city, spent every Tuesday night at my apartment for two straight years for our weekly American Idol get-together (with our friend Kristi)…and see his friends (now mine too) Liz and Ingrid, whom I loved the minute I met at Nick’s birthday party a few years ago.
For our first outing, we met at Beast, upon my suggestion, not only because it’s really close to my current apartment but also because the food rocks. You wouldn’t know it from the dark, gothic dungeon-like décor and teeny, tiny open air kitchen but it does. Tommy couldn’t come (I think he was working on a Sat. night, as usual) but I met Liz, Ingrid, Nick, and his very cool friend Betsy (who looked so familiar that we swore we had met – turns out we hadn’t but we both belong to the same gym and had probably seen each other early a.m. sans makeup) at the restaurant.
We had the best time – conversation and wine flowed easily – and we tried nearly everything on the menu, which is sort of tapas-style so it’s great for sharing. In fact, we had such fun, we didn’t want the night to end so we walked over to Fifth Avenue in Park Slope and had dessert and after-dinner drinks (we evidently decided we were from the 1950s) at a cute place called The Chocolate Room. We sat at the “bar” and shared yummy desserts (a banana, chocolate and peanut butter concoction that sounded better than it was and an out-of-this-world brownie sundae with homemade choc-chip mint ice cream). When we parted ways, we all promised that we would meet for dinner at a different place every month. Well, we weren’t able to meet every month, due to everyone’s busy schedules and the holidays, but we did go to Ici in Fort Greene (good food, awful service…and Tommy came this time) and then again recently to a new Pan-Latin restaurant on Union St. btw Fourth & Fifth Aves. in Park Slope called Palo Santo, which was awesome and made us feel like we were in a Mexican garden. So much had happened in the few months since we’d last seen each other: Liz and Ingrid shared with us the exciting news that they were expecting (we call the baby “Tiny”), Betsy had a boyfriend she was head over heels for (he’d have to be invited as a BDC guest so we could all meet him), I had gotten a promotion at work to VP (yes, Nick, I was referred to as a “PR maven” – and don’t forget “PR diva” – on Mediabistro.com), and Nick was dating a new guy (but that really wasn’t anything new…).
This time, we had invited my friend and neighbor Tia in place of Tommy and she was such a good addition to the group, that we all agreed she should be inducted as a permanent member (sorry, Tommy, but you lost your spot). She and Betsy showed up late because Liz told everyone to get on the N train instead of the R and they ended up in Bay Ridge on the express train. Despite the late start, it was a fab evening and we ate (and drank) ourselves silly…so much for my New Year’s resolution of not drinking during the week!
Last Saturday, I had a little dinner party (Betsy, Liz and Ingrid were extended an invitation but they had plans) and as I was about to leave the house with Tommy for brunch, Tia called and asked whether I had gone grocery shopping yet and, if not, would I like to go to Fairway in Red Hook. I gave a resounding yes and told her I’d call her after brunch. We went to Flatbush Farm, a new place on Bergen off of Flatbush Avenue, which we had never tried before but Tia had recommended. About halfway through our meal (which was yummy), guess who walked in? Tia! She had never been there for brunch either but happened to walk in, not knowing we were there. She sat down with us, Tommy left to go to work (yes, again on a Saturday), and I stayed with her while she ate (we both had the smoked salmon cakes – hers with poached eggs). After brunch, Tia and I drove to Fairway (I actually remembered how to get there from my bike-riding trips to RH over the summer) and bought a TON of groceries. Then we stopped at my favorite bakery ever, Baked, on Van Brundt Street, and got mini cupcakes for the dinner party.
By the time we got home, I only had a couple hours to prepare the food and shower, but it worked out. I had to borrow a card table and folding chairs from Tia to fit eight people for dinner but it was perfect. Nick, Tia, my friends Randy and her husband Jason and Kristi and Julian, who have the cutest baby on the planet, Blake, but left him at home so they could enjoy their night out, came. I had loads of apps – white bean and asiago dip, spinach-artichoke dip, olives, cheese, etc. – and then served turkey breast, salad and roasted asparagus (I didn’t have that much so each person was only allowed 1-2 spears). We drank lots of wine and then ate the cupcakes for dessert, which were moist and delicious (I can’t believe I just used the word “moist” – I hate that word). Despite a broken meat thermometer (Tia had to run back to her apt and lend me one – thank g-d she only lives across the building), the night was a roaring success. Nick slept over, which was fun, and we watched about half of Zoolander before we fell asleep.
I can’t wait until our next BDC outing but I have to forewarn the group that every person I mention it to wants to join. I know we have to limit the number so we can get a table at our restaurants of choice but maybe we should rotate guests every month. To be discussed….
by Jessica
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Liz: "The BDC was born for us..."
The BDC was born for us, one night in early summer, when Nick was coming to Brooklyn for dinner, and randomly invited his two friends, Jessica, who lives in Prospect Heights, and Betsy, in Park Slope. I'd met Jessica at Nick's birthday parties, and wanted to be friends with her anyway, and had mentioned it to Nick. (Not only because she works at Hearst in PR, which I thought was chic, and because she is beautiful and looks biracial--I'm biracial, so I'm biased. She's not, BTW.)
They both agreed, on a Saturday night, no less, to meet us. We picked Beast, this then-new tapas place in Prospect Heights that I think is lesbian owned, and has a great outdoor area in the summer. We sat inside, and shared red wine that was a little too warm, but fine, and the amazing home-baked pita bread, and a bunch of other amazing meaty treats that I don't remember.
Betsy is a casting director--I'm obsessed with actors and entertainment, and found this very chic too. She was also one of the warmest and funniest people I'd ever met. She's a vegetarian, poor thing, and sometimes I think she gets ripped off at the BDC dinners because she can't partake in meat, but everyone eats her entree and her soup. (In fact, Ingrid and I had a small fight about the bill walking home last night, but that's for my blog, not this one.) At this meeting, Betsy was lamenting her single-ness and considering trying to start dating women because the men pool was bad. Normally I find that joke not funny but on her, it really was endearing. We also talked about therapy, and I felt so much better about my own issues after that.
The whole night felt so... organic. Really. We all got along as if we'd known each other for years, and we never ran out of stuff to talk about.
The next meeting was at Ici , a place Ingrid and I had been wanting to try, in Fort Greene. We got the cold shoulder with service, although we sat in a very lovely garden there. The food was alright, but the service was so laissez faire, that I vowed NEVER to set foot in there ever again. The only good memory I have is that we got free copies of that magazine, Edible Brooklyn , or whatever it's called.
A month later, Ingrid, Jessica, her husband Tommy and I cheated on the BDC by meeting at the Red Hook tents near the softball fields, across from the Red Hook Pool. There was a big piece in Edible Brooklyn, as well as another in the NYT (that basically ripped off Edible's), talking about the cheapest, most amazing food that comes out of these tiny stalls where these Latin families are cooking every Sunday during the summer. We had little pork tacos. Arepas with lots of white cheese. Some ceviche. And other deliciousness. They didn't have any desserts, that was the only drawback. We rode our bikes to Prospect Park and reluctantly drove by Uncle Louie G's on Union Street, and had to fight not to stop and get chocolate peanut butter ice cream. We sat and read the paper in the park, and then it was almost time to go. That day reminded me that new friendship can be as exciting as new romance, and doesn't carry the weight of the potential disappointment of awkward sex. Thanks, Jess!
Last night, we met at Palo Santo, everyone's new favorite restaurant. Delicious, offensively fresh Latin food. Kind of pricey, but so delicious. I thought the apps were better than the entrees, but Jessica might weigh in on the mole sauce. I tried Scotch bonnets, these amazing hot peppers, for the first time. We all had news: Jessica is promoted to a VP at Hearst; Betsy fell in love; Ingrid and I are pregnant; and Nick's ass is better than it was in January 2006. Best of all: we made a new dining partner: Tia, a very chic corporate lawyer, with a long-distance San Diego boyfriend. Tia has forbidden any blogging here about Manhattan restaurants. That's what citysearch is for, I guess.
Next hopes:
RoseWater
Maria's Mexican Bistro
Flatbush Farm
Sheep Station
And, do we venture out of Park Slope sometime soon? MARINE BAY? BAY RIDGE? FIELD TRIP TO ASTORIA FOR ALL THE ETHNIC FOOD THERE? Read this piece.
by LIZ
They both agreed, on a Saturday night, no less, to meet us. We picked Beast, this then-new tapas place in Prospect Heights that I think is lesbian owned, and has a great outdoor area in the summer. We sat inside, and shared red wine that was a little too warm, but fine, and the amazing home-baked pita bread, and a bunch of other amazing meaty treats that I don't remember.
Betsy is a casting director--I'm obsessed with actors and entertainment, and found this very chic too. She was also one of the warmest and funniest people I'd ever met. She's a vegetarian, poor thing, and sometimes I think she gets ripped off at the BDC dinners because she can't partake in meat, but everyone eats her entree and her soup. (In fact, Ingrid and I had a small fight about the bill walking home last night, but that's for my blog, not this one.) At this meeting, Betsy was lamenting her single-ness and considering trying to start dating women because the men pool was bad. Normally I find that joke not funny but on her, it really was endearing. We also talked about therapy, and I felt so much better about my own issues after that.
The whole night felt so... organic. Really. We all got along as if we'd known each other for years, and we never ran out of stuff to talk about.
The next meeting was at Ici , a place Ingrid and I had been wanting to try, in Fort Greene. We got the cold shoulder with service, although we sat in a very lovely garden there. The food was alright, but the service was so laissez faire, that I vowed NEVER to set foot in there ever again. The only good memory I have is that we got free copies of that magazine, Edible Brooklyn , or whatever it's called.
A month later, Ingrid, Jessica, her husband Tommy and I cheated on the BDC by meeting at the Red Hook tents near the softball fields, across from the Red Hook Pool. There was a big piece in Edible Brooklyn, as well as another in the NYT (that basically ripped off Edible's), talking about the cheapest, most amazing food that comes out of these tiny stalls where these Latin families are cooking every Sunday during the summer. We had little pork tacos. Arepas with lots of white cheese. Some ceviche. And other deliciousness. They didn't have any desserts, that was the only drawback. We rode our bikes to Prospect Park and reluctantly drove by Uncle Louie G's on Union Street, and had to fight not to stop and get chocolate peanut butter ice cream. We sat and read the paper in the park, and then it was almost time to go. That day reminded me that new friendship can be as exciting as new romance, and doesn't carry the weight of the potential disappointment of awkward sex. Thanks, Jess!
Last night, we met at Palo Santo, everyone's new favorite restaurant. Delicious, offensively fresh Latin food. Kind of pricey, but so delicious. I thought the apps were better than the entrees, but Jessica might weigh in on the mole sauce. I tried Scotch bonnets, these amazing hot peppers, for the first time. We all had news: Jessica is promoted to a VP at Hearst; Betsy fell in love; Ingrid and I are pregnant; and Nick's ass is better than it was in January 2006. Best of all: we made a new dining partner: Tia, a very chic corporate lawyer, with a long-distance San Diego boyfriend. Tia has forbidden any blogging here about Manhattan restaurants. That's what citysearch is for, I guess.
Next hopes:
RoseWater
Maria's Mexican Bistro
Flatbush Farm
Sheep Station
And, do we venture out of Park Slope sometime soon? MARINE BAY? BAY RIDGE? FIELD TRIP TO ASTORIA FOR ALL THE ETHNIC FOOD THERE? Read this piece.
by LIZ
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