by Steve Farber (stevefarber@gmail.com)
Damascus Bread and Pastry Shop, 195 Atlantic Avenue
Ghassan Matli beams behind the counter, introducing his baker and friend, the man who’s been making by hand the exquisite collection of tempting pastries behind the glass for 28 years. Matli himself has been there for 30 years, running the shop for the third generation of the Halaby family since the shop opened in 1928, “same spot, same business, same location…same recipes.” There are refrigerated cases lining the walls of the shop as well, bursting with containers of hummus, baba ghanouge, and more, all made daily. Open 7 days a week, with everything made on the premises, the place is usually bustling by lunchtime. A 30-year Brooklyn Heights resident picks up a bag of pita bread. “This shop is what gives this area character, the authenticity is a destination.” Another rushes in pleading, “I need my weekend falafels,” before a man in his 20’s quietly picks out a vegan pie. Moments later Matli hands a piece of pistachio baklava to a customer. “That’s made with love. Phyllo, pistachio, a little bit of butter and honey. Love.”
Two for the Pot, 200 Clinton John McGill has been selling coffee and tea (the two for the pot) in his shop on Clinton Street since 1973, sourcing fresh roasted beans from nearby reliable suppliers, some of whom have been there since day one. A one time manager of McNulty’s in the Village, McGill has a deep knowledge of the coffee business in New York City and brings an understated humor to his trade. “Coffee became a bigger deal in recent years, where small roasters visit far flung places to source coffee, sort of like that’s the holy grail. I carry a lot of very good coffees that are very fresh, but it’s not a religious pursuit for me.”
In addition to fresh, roasted coffee and tea, McGill stocks an array of coffee and tea barware, spices, and UK, NZ and Aussie pantry staples. And of course, tea and coffee pots.
Montero Bar & Grill, 73 Atlantic
A crowd was milling outside Montero Bar & Grill around midnight on a Thursday, laughing over cigarettes near a gleaming red Ducati parked out front. Originally from England and Nigeria respectively, Martin and Reena had come over from Manhattan to enjoy the sunset over the river. Brandy and her beau were in from Crown Heights. Katy, a British filmmaker from Williamsburg, was there to meet up with a group of fellow female filmmakers. “There’s a really good mix of people, you go in and everyone here is real.”
Inside, it was still packed while a few patrons were belting out a version of Born to Run. Images from a nature documentary danced across a big screen tv inside. When Montero first opened in its current spot in 1947, the people who came were longshoremen on their way to or back from the piers just a few blocks away. “It always changes. Nothing stays the same. It keeps going,” Pepe Montero said, taking his leave from the crowd and heading back into his bar.
Shelsky’s of Brooklyn, 141 Court Street
When you see the chalkboard on Court near Atlantic with the Instagrammable zinger, you know you’ve found it. Shelsky’s is the real deal: inimitable smoked fish and meats served up with compassion for empty stomachs and souls unhinged by the reigning political order. From house brined pickles to their hedonist’s ratio of cream cheese to bagel, Shelsky’s is always right.
Books are Magic, 225 Smith Street
With quite possibly the coolest name for well, anything, Emma Straub and Michael Fusco-Straub opened this essential independent bookstore in spring 2017 to pick up right where the belated BookCourt left off… and immediately forged their own identity. With shelves stocked with quirky selects, hard to find titles, best sellers and a large dedicated kid’s section, you’d think that was enough. You’d be wrong: readings every night, children’s storytime every weekend, weekday hours open until 9pm, and more… Communications Coordinator Colleen Calley assures visitors with a laugh, “there’s always something happening!”
Exit9 Gift Emporium, 127 Smith Street
Founded with his business partner Christy Davis, owner Charles Romano hung his hat in Red Hook until Sandy forced him to Crown Heights. Their eclectic gift shop is a treasure trove of offbeat, hilarious and often thoughtful gifts, from phone controls for airplanes, to handmade unicorn horns and socks printed with unprintable advice you can silently dispense simply by crossing your legs. If you can’t find a gift here, you don’t know your friends well enough or you need new friends.
Adam Yauch Park
Tucked into a corner both under the blare of the BQE and in a quiet elbow of Brooklyn Heights, this shaded park with bronze bears playing in streams of water slyly captures a slice of Brooklyn’s dichotomous flow – and is named for sorely missed Beastie Boy, Adam Yauch. This Brooklyn Buddhist adroitly solves the world’s oldest riddle with: “Which came first the chicken or the egg?/ I egged the chicken then I ate his leg.” Another of his pseudonyms, lederhosen wearing, red-bearded Swiss movie director Nathanial Hornblower whose cousin built wooden helicopters is, incredibly, another coincidence of Yauch’s eternal duality… Hornblower Cruises is the official NYC ferry operator.
Espresso Me, 88 Atlantic Avenue
Newish to the neighborhood and planted firmly next to the ruins of Long Island College Hospital stands Espresso Me – but don’t let the name fool you. Espresso Me may start at beans but isn’t done until they’ve made you lunch and dessert, and will have you back for gelato, tea, fruit smoothies and donuts. It’s a laptop and kid friendly space, with a small separate area for kids and a mellow vibe. A recent visit found Bethanie foaming milk while Victoria helped a customer decode neighborhood open secrets layered into their themed sandwich menu. “The Brooklyn Heights and the Cobble Hill are the exact same sandwich,” she began with a smile, then, “except the Brooklyn Heights has avocado.”
Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 6
Beach Volleyball Courts
It was a sweltering 91 degrees on a summer Saturday in Brooklyn Bridge Park and Mike was brushing sand off his forearms, laughing and chatting strategy with his daughter. After cutting his beach volleyball teeth back in the day on the shores of Chicago’s Lake Michigan, he rounds up his family to meet up here. On the ferry it’s practically direct, he says, “From Bay Ridge to the beach! It’s fun, it makes the commute as much fun as playing.”
Picnic Peninsula and Tables
Diana and Yareli had claimed a table and were setting up a birthday party for Diana’s 5 year old son before everyone else arrived. The birthday boy sat calmly in his stroller, clearly saving energy for the party to come. Tables in the park are first come first served. “You show up, you set it up if you find a table… it’s amazing.
Soccer Fields at Pier 5
Uriel and Jason watched their friends play on one of the soccer fields with lower Manhattan just across the water. “It’s nice now, but it’s even better at night, the city gets all lit up.”
Erwin Wurm: Hot Dog Bus
Austrian artist Erwin Wurm has transformed a vintage VW bus into a nebulous, bun colored food truck sculpture that recalls an vintage Oscar Meier “wienermobiles” first started in the 1930’s. Wurm’s Hot Dog Bus is serving free all-beef hot dogs every weekend in August. It’s a whimsical experience of public art wrapped in a blanket of fast food overconsumption… with free hot dogs as bait (1 per person).
Dumbo
If you’d like to spend the afternoon at work or play in Manhattan, your feet will hit the gangway at Pier 11 from Dumbo in less than 5 minutes thanks to one of 23 high-speed catamarans with names like Ocean Queen Rockstar. However, the first ferry crossings from Brooklyn to Manhattan began in the 1640’s on an ad hoc basis, with Breuckelen farmers rowing travelers across the East River at the end of a well worn Lenape trading path that evolved into today’s Old Fulton Street, taking off pretty much from where the ferry docks now. And of course it was the street’s namesake and steam engine messiah, Robert Fulton, who finally united the Village of Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan with regularly scheduled ferry service with his vessel, the Nassau, in 1814.
Surrounded by signs for Etsy and a few centuries worth of brick, glass, steel and cobblestones, it may be hard to imagine that Dumbo—a mash up moniker attributed to the same imperiled tribe of 1970’s artists who fled SoHo—once shimmered so brightly with towering trees, fresh springs and fertile soil that the pair of late 18th century brothers who bought the parcel called it Olympia, a utopian nod to the site of the ancient Olympic games, then only recently discovered.
While the springs have long since gone, the energy transforming Brooklyn all along the waterfront is as palpable as ever… here are just a few tips to help you plug in and get lost in Dumbo…
Brooklyn Historical Society Dumbo, 55 Water Street
Your first, best stop may be the Dumbo outpost of the Brooklyn Historical Society. Opened in 2017 in the 19th century Empire Stores, the Society’s current exhibition, Waterfront, is a deeply curated multimedia examination of Dumbo’s past and future relationship to the water, from manufacturing to climate change, frequently explored through the experiences of people whose lives – willingly or not – were bound to Dumbo.
Smack Mellon, 92 Plymouth Street
Running for 22 years now (in their current space at the corner of Water Street since 2015), Smack Mellon is a non profit arts org nurturing underrepresented and emerging artists, while also mentoring underserved high schoolers throughout the year. Summers are devoted to guest curators; the current show, Laugh Back, was inspired by activist Desiree Fairooz’s arrest during Attorney General Jeff Session’s confirmation hearing —for laughing out loud. Incorporating live performance, high-def video, photography, sculpture and more, the show pokes a delirious and subversive finger at claims to power. Follow up at smackmellon.org for more info
Gleason’s Gym, 130 Water Street
In Dumbo now for 21 years after opening in the Bronx in 1937, the legendary Gleason’s Gym is first a family, then a boxing gym. Visitors are welcome to come in to snap photos for a small fee, and anyone is welcome to come in and train. On a recent, rainy weekday, boxers drilled footwork in one ring while a trainer taught combinations in another. The sense of purpose in the place is infectious, no one is sitting still. Amid the constant thrum of gloves on bags, Teresa Arca bubbles with the warmth of a den mother who might have a baseball bat under the desk. No one really wants to find out. With over 1200 members, she keeps track of who’s coming and going.
On cue Teresa stops a headphone wearing teenager heading out the door in a t shirt and shorts.
“Hey, honey, you’re going running? It’s raining. Have fun with that.”
Pedro’s, 73 Jay Street
When you’re ready for old school Dumbo, head down the three stairs of the small building guarding the corner of Jay and Front Street and let yourself in to Pedro’s.
In continuous operation longer than anything else by a long shot, Pedro’s has been serving Mexican food with lots of love at good prices since 1970 when it was first opened by Pedro and Rose – both of whom are still there virtually every day. Rose was born in Dumbo, just a few doors down the street. You’ll spot her, shy and smiling in the back or waiting tables herself, and that’s her son behind the bar – it’s a family business, run the old fashioned way, where everyone has a name and a home when they walk in the door. By the way, if you’re looking for the oldest bar in Dumbo, you’ve hit the jackpot. When Pedro and Rose bought the business, the previous owner used to shut down at 4. In the afternoon. Now she keeps the doors open until midnight, making sure everyone who comes in is well fed and most importantly, happy.
Matchaful Cafe, 25 Jay Street
In place only since last November, Matchaful is a busy pop up inside Brooklyn Roasting Company at Jay and Plymouth Streets. On a recent weekday, Maria Mejia handled the bar, making several of their popular Coco Vanilla Zen matchas. “Matcha is more in tune with your body,” Maria said, “it’ll pick you up really smoothly and leave you feeling vibrant.” The brainchild of Hannah Habbes, Matchaful serves a single estate USDA organic matcha cultivated in Japan, and is decorated in an understated, industrial chic decor. At the counter, a mother teased with her daughter over what to order. So far, this is Matchaful’s only location, but clearly not for long…
Berl’s Brooklyn Poetry Shop, 141 Front Street
A friend visiting town for the New York Poetry Festival on Governor’s Island had only one other ferry stop to make: Berl’s. A beautifully, uniquely curated shop, Burl’s specializes in chapbooks, micro and independent press poetry books, and then is sure to display them gallery style with each cover in plain view along the walls or laid out on table tops at finger height. With plenty of events, including live readings and performances. Check out berlspoetry.com for more info
Superfine, 126 Front Street
In 1996, Cara Lee Sparry and her roommates, Tanya Rynd and Laura Taylor, used to run an occasional supper club out of their John Street loft. After one night ended at 5 am, after the food had been devoured, after their friends had gotten engaged on the roof, and the fashion show was over, when the disco ball started reflecting the rising sun… the three of them collapsed to the floor and looked at each other. One of them said, “This should be our job.”
Armed with a puckish smile and boundless good-natured energy, Cara Lee laughs hard when she remembers. “The three of us have our own discrete set of talents, and when we get together, we can show people a really good time.”
Superfine has been going strong for over 20 years now. There’s great music and good times, but the focus has always been on the food and always organic. “We really wanted to prove to people that you could eat food that was picked from the earth or caught from the ocean that day. Or be from a farm where an animal isn’t tortured. And you don’t have to spend so much money for it.” Operating out of a horse stable she and her partners converted in 2011, Cara Lee shows a visitor carefully hand drawn graffiti that’s at least 100 years old, amazed that it’s still there. Some things are built to last. Those rooftop friends that got engaged are still married… and the disco ball still lights up every night at Superfine.
Drop in on Superfine any day of the week until 2 am, weekends until 4 am. Superfine.nyc
dumboLUV @Olympia Saturdays 4-11pm
Thom Abbey has a been quietly building a reputation for fresh, inventive small plates in Dumbo. If you haven’t been to Olympia on a Saturday night, you’re missing out.
For the better part of ten years, Thom has developed daily working relationships with local farmers, butchers, fish and cheesemongers, but has plated everything he’s made in other people’s homes as a private chef. In May 2017, that changed, when he started using Instagram to announce every Friday night his Saturday menu based on what he’d sourced earlier that day. Recent dishes range from strawberries and feta with smoked black pepper wrapped in phyllo with a tease of balsamic reduction, to a lemony roasted pygmy hen served with grilled new onions.
Speaking smoothly with a polite accent that belies his Tidewater, Virginia upbringing, Thom says, “The goal is to kind of create trust where, instead of becoming known for a specific dish,
we decided we want to inspire the confidence in people to know that if they just show up, they will be satisfied with an amazing menu, even if they won’t know what it is going to be.”
For a chef who’s been cooking in other people’s homes for the last 10 years, there’s no place he’d rather be than his own kitchen.
dumboLUV at Olympia, 54 Jay Street, Saturdays 4-11pm
Follow Thom Abbey on instagram @eatdumboluv
Olympia, 54 Jay Street
Just off the corner of Water Street on Jay sits this upscale casual neighborhood gem, perfect for couples or catching up with a friend or two whose thoughts you actually want to hear. Anchored by a dozen or so stools which stretch along a beautiful, hand formed zinc bar at the center, small plates come out quickly and succulent, such as a bloomy ricotta with wildflower honey on crostini, or a special of fresh summer tomatoes slicked with olive oil, sea salt, cracked black pepper, and a small shower of basil. The real stars however are the wines and cocktails; it’s hard to go wrong with the happy hour $5 Moscow Mule, but the Ella – named for owner Karen Johnson’s young daughter – packs a subtler summer punch, with Bombay gin and St. Germain, topped with healthy splash of prosecco and a twist of lime.
One Comment
Thank You!! gluten free diet