Photo courtesy of marcinmoka

So how does an out of town guy impress a woman who lives in Manhattan? Take her to Brooklyn, say commenters on Chowhound. A gentleman is “visiting NYC this weekend to meet for a first date of sorts with a lovely young woman who is originally from the South, and a relative newcomer to Manhattan.”

Planning on heading over to the DUMBO arts festival in the afternoon on Saturday – What can chowhounds recommend in the neighborhood for lunch and/or dinner that is bound to impress?

Some place, a true chowhound place, that will make her wonder…”How did HE, who doesn’t even live here, know about this great place in this neighborhood?”

It’ll be our little secret. ;)

Some recommend going to Jacques Torres for the chocolate or to Almondine for the ham and brie sandwich. “If she doesn’t like either, you don’t want to be with her.” Agreed, well said.

But there are opposing views on River Cafe:

No no no on River Cafe. It’s great, but very formal and expensive–and you will be surrounded by dressed-up couples celebrating their anniversaries or proposing marriage–way too much for the early date stages (where it sounds like you are.) Instead, try Superfine, a funky/cool restaurant and bar practically under the Brooklyn Bridge that has an American/Mediterranean menu with some Southwestern touches (they also do a great bluegrass brunch on Sunday mornings, should the date last that long….)

A casual first date restaurant will probably be more comfortable for both of you. If you are coming from Manhattan, why not walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and take in the breathtaking views? That should impress anyone.

{How to impress a southern woman? Help me chowhounds!, Chowhound.com}

Related food posts:
{The River Cafe, DumboNYC.com, 11/3/06}
{NYC’s Best Baguette in Dumbo?, DumboNYC.com, 10/17/06}
{Jacques Torres Chocolatier Review in CandyBlog, DumboNYC.com, 8/11/06}

  Photo from New York Daily Photo

New York Daily Photo, a New York City photo blog by ‘Brian’ does a great job of capturing some images and events around New York City. Brian got some great shots of The River Cafe, which probably has some of the best views of Manhattan, but it seems to be one of the few places in Brooklyn that attracts more Manhattanites than Brooklynites. New York Daily Photo writes:

“In 1977, when chef-owner Michael O’Keefe opened The River Cafe on the Brooklyn waterfront , it was definitely a pioneering move, with doubts as to whether they would survive. Destinations off the beaten path do not always fare well in NYC – South Street Seaport is an example. New Yorkers and visitors are spoiled – we expect everything to be at hand and traveling to a restaurant, when there are 17,000 in Manhattan alone, is asking a lot. But the River Cafe has triumphed over these concerns. Their success has been driven by the spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline, New York’s harbor and the Brooklyn Bridge.”

I’ve never been there myself. Are there any Brooklynites out there who have been to The River Cafe? How’s the food?

The River Cafe
1 Water Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Tel: 718-522-5200

“The River Cafe accepts reservations for lunch, brunch, and dinner up to one year in advance, with the exception of reservations for special Holidays”

{The River Cafe, newyorkdailyphoto.blogspot.com}

You will enjoy delicious and nourishing food, partake in cooking demonstrations, learn self-care techniques, walk away with easy and healthy holiday recipes, and much more!

Thursday and Friday, October 26 and 27
6:00 – 8:00 pm
42 Main Street, 2A
Brooklyn, NY

Call for info or register with Carla Cohen at (607) 222-4439
or email carrotsandkale@gmail.com

  Photo by epc

I heard from a reliable source that Dellorito’s on 29 Jay Street (next to The Plant) is opening for business on Saturday. Their sign says:

“Dellorito’s, Grill and Creamery
Serving grilled cheese and Panini Sandwiches
Burgers, Soups and Salads
Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor (fountain drinks, sundaes, cones, hot coffee)”

This will be a nice complement to Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory or Almondine in the area. Let us know what you think of Dellorito’s if you happen to go this weekend.

UPDATE: A commenter confirmed via an ad in Brooklyn Papers that the opening day is tomorrow.

  Photo from New York Daily

The Daily News has a piece about Brooklyn’s best eateries today. Dumbo institutions Grimaldi’s and River Cafe made the list of Brooklyn’s top restaurants in Zagat’s top 50.

  Bubby’s Menu, Photo by Happy Dave

Meanwhile, NYCnosh.com, a food blog has a thorough review of Bubby’s in Dumbo. While I haven’t had all the entrees they reviewed, I agree that some dishes are wonderful, while others are just plain. I’ve had both brunch and dinner there. The dinner was disappointing compared to their brunch. I had their burger, where their bun was so thick and dry, and the sides were bland that I decided that I was not going there for dinner again. The brunch is a different story. I’ve been to Bubby’s in Tribeca and had very good brunch there. So I recently went back to the Dumbo Bubby’s for brunch. If you like sweet breakfasts, their french toast, waffles, and pancakes are very good. The best savory dishes include the corn beef hash, apple turkey sausage, and thick cut bacon.

I hate to say this because Bubby’s in Dumbo is in my neighborhood, but I prefer Bubby’s for brunch over dinner. Their homemade pies are delicious.

{Still the big cheeses, New York Daily News}
{Aiming for the Sweet Spot at Bubby’s Brooklyn, NYCnosh.com}

  Photo from New York Mag

Steven L. Kaplan, Professor of European History at Cornell University and apparently the world’s preeminent French-bread scholar, named Dumbo’s Almondine’s baguette the best in New York. New York Mag assembled a baker’s dozen of baguettes from the city’s best bakeries and subjected them to Kaplan’s rigorous system of evaluation. The article doesn’t name all 13 bakeries, but there must be some great bakeries out there that weren’t tested.

In any case, this is the Professor’s assessment:

“Mmmm, yeah,” said the professor. The Almondine baguette has a nice look, nice resonance, and a nice song, he said. It has a little bit of fruit, a peachy, buttery quality in its nose, he noted. It achieves a good marriage of crust and crumb, and although it would not be among the best breads in Paris, it would hold its own clearly in a neighborhood bakery – but then there are 1,275 neighborhood bakeries in Paris.”

The description sounds like a bread version of a snobby oenophile, but haven’t seen any wine described as a “bad case of acne…looks like it has eczema, psoriasis, or leprosy”, “lacks sapidity”, or “reduced the male crust to helpless impotence”, as he did with some of the other baguettes.

I personally haven’t bought their baguette, but Almondine’s was rated best-looking, crust, and crumb. “Amy’s smelled the best, but Sullivan St. Bakery had the best mouthfeel. Kaplan is a tough but fair grader, and only the top two baguettes overall (Almondine and Pain d’Avignon) merited his Michelin-style wheat-sheaves designation.” Have you tried it?

Almondine
85 Water St., Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-797-5026

{Monsieur Baguette, New York Magazine}

The Plant, the commisary kitchen and cafe devoted to raw food preparation, education, and distribution is offering a Japanese “cooking” class this Saturday, September 30 at 1pm as part of their “Organic Academics” classes in September. Raw foodie lovers all know and love The Plant, but for carnivores like myself, raw food is defined as:

“the term raw refers to keeping all of the ingredients under 118 degrees, which preserves the food’s natural enzymes which catalyze digestion. Wheat, dairy, soy, and refined sugars are naturally omitted in raw food preparation.” (from Pure Food and Wine Restaurant).

I’ve been to Pure Food and Wine and I have to admit, I was skeptical at first, but the food was fantastic. I had a sushi roll which tasted great, and I didn’t notice that the “rice” was not even cooked. I have not yet been to The Plant, but I may have to go. BlueGreen Organic Juice Cafe is also part of The Plant.

on the menu for the class:

• Miso Soup with Tofu
• Dumplings
• Sushi
• Cherry blossom cake with green tea ice cream

Tuition is $65.00 per guest, reservations are required.

25 Jay Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
tel: 718-722-7541

“Bubby’s Pie Social – Sunday 9/24 – Bubby’s is hosting a pie social in Dumbo near their restaurant as a benefit for PS 29 (Brooklyn) and PS 150 (Tribeca) and as a social event for the neighborhood on Sunday, Sept. 24th from 12pm to 4pm. There will be face painting, balloons, drinks and lots of pie.”

Bake & bring one or more pies and get a discount on tickets to taste other pies. Bubby’s is trying to make this very kid friendly and wants to encourage pies baked by kids. For more info and an application check out Bubbys.com.

There’s a new deli on Front Street between Main and York Streets in Dumbo, Brooklyn. It’s a few doors down from 57 Front Street, and doesn’t have a name yet, but aside from Peas and Pickles on 66 Water Street, we now have another 24 hour deli/market to go to. I haven’t shopped there yet. If anyone’s been there, let us know what you think. I’m sure there’s more to come…

Previous grocery news from Gothamist:
- A Grocery Grows In Brooklyn
- Foraging in DUMBO

UPDATE: The deli, called 7 Stars Deli is not 24 hours, and it seems to have remodeled. Their hot sandwiches were good there. Open 6 days a week. Phone: (718) 875-3600.