All in Food and Drink
The call of Mister Softee is strong in the Brooklyn summer, but for more interesting frozen treats, head to Crème & Cocoa Creamery. Owned by husband-and-wife team Omar and Astrid Thorpe, the Flatbush parlor scoops nuanced, all-natural ice cream and sorbet in flavors inspired by the Caribbean and Central America. Think rum raisin, coconut ginger, papaya, mango-passionfruit, soursop and tres leches.
BOB Massive, did you know? Not only is today #WineWednesday — it’s also National Wine and Cheese Day. (¡Salud!) Get your supplies in order with a visit to Wine-O, a cozy Bed-Stuy shop with a well-curated selection of bottles from different regions, varietals and price points. Owner Janette Young opened the store last October because, basically, she wanted a decent red in the vicinity.
We love bringing you fresh-out-the-box businesses, but Black-Owned Brooklyn is also about the classics. Serving exemplary jerk chicken with crispy, blackened skin and deep-marinated spice, Peppa’s Jerk Chicken in Flatbush is a certifiable institution.
Greedi Vegan, a striking plant-based restaurant in Crown Heights, is actually the second business for Latisha Daring. For 10 years she operated Pieces (the legendary Prospect Heights boutique known for one-of-kind statement dresses and accessories) before soaring rent priced her out in 2010. But with a strong vision and belief in endless possibilities, the BK-born-and-raised Daring opened her new venture eight weeks ago.
Happy National Rosé Day (June 9)! We’ve gathered our supplies at Bottoms Up Wine & Spirits, a serious but accessible shop on Franklin Ave specializing in small-batch booze. “We want to service anyone, whether you’re living paycheck to paycheck or whether you want the most expensive bottle in the store for a special occasion," says owner Shaun McGee, a Queens native who opened Bottoms Up three years ago
Our dining-out philosophy trends toward: “I’m here for a good time, not a long time.” (Extra fries, please.) At Brooklyn Blend, a Bed-Stuy juice bar serving healthy sandwiches, salads, shakes and smoothies — which are also some of the neighborhood’s most fire provisions — we don’t have to choose.
After weeks of rain, we’re finally in the midst of a sunny stretch. Don’t let it go to waste! Get your day party on — or enjoy a low-key nighttime hang — at Ode to Babel. Owned by twin sisters Marva (pictured) and Myriam Babel, the Prospect Heights cocktail bar and lounge hosts a regular calendar of themed DJ sets and pop-up kitchens, drawing a creative clientele.
We went to Abu’s Homestyle Bakery to prepare for National Coconut Cream Pie Day (May 8), ordering their rich, creamy coconut custard variety. We stayed for their signature dessert: bean pie.
Onishka Camarena, owner of El Jeffe Modern Mexican Grill, doesn’t mind when people describe her fast-casual restaurant as serving tacos infused with Caribbean flavors — but it’s not exactly her culinary point of view. “I love Mexican food and wanted to add the seasonings that we use in Panama,” says Camarena, who is Panamanian-born and Brooklyn-raised, of El Jeffe’s concept.
Sol Sips, a vegan restaurant in Bushwick, has only been open for a few weeks, but it is by far Black-Owned Brooklyn’s most requested spot. The BOB Massive (plus your moms, cousins and basketball teams) rushed to tell us about Francesca Chaney, Sol Sip’s incredibly self-possessed 22-year-old owner, and her mission to make healthy, plant-based food accessible to all. Going viral has drawn visitors from as far as D.C., Atlanta and Oakland.
Grandchamps is a great many things. It’s a Haitian restaurant serving hearty staples such as griot (pan-fried pork), legume (stewed eggplant and squash), tassot cabrit (marinated goat) and djon djon (black mushroom rice).
Christa Lynch was feeling stressed recently. The founder and chef of Brooklyn Braised, a farm-to-table meal delivery service, vented to her husband about the endless demands of her new company. “He was like, ‘Do you wanna quit?’” she recalls, incredulous.
A Bed-Stuy fixture for more than 50 years, Tip-Top Bar & Grill feels nostalgic and built for low-key turn-ups, like your uncle’s basement back in the day.
You know how we do. Today is National Crabmeat Day, so...OF COURSE. We can think of no better place to celebrate than Brooklyn’s pantheon to all things crustacean, the Crabby Shack.
We keep a lookout for code words that suggest a business might be Black-owned. Take Daddy Green’s, a pizza shop in Bed-Stuy named after the pizzeria owned by Bruce Leroy’s dad in The Last Dragon.
Happy Women’s History Month! Start the season strong with a visit to feminist bookstore and coffee shop Cafe Con Libros. “I wanted to build a space that is completely and unapologetically dedicated to feminist texts, narratives and authors,” says Kalima Desuze, who opened the store with her husband (and barista) Ryan Cameron last December.
“Every Nigerian knows one buka or another,” says Lookman Mashood, owner and head chef of Buka, when explaining the Nigerian restaurant’s namesake.
Nothing makes us happier than walking down the street and spotting this kind of sticker on a storefront window…
You ever finish a lingering meal with friends — the kind with about five starters and sides, where everyone shares a piece of their entree — and think, “Yo...everything was good?” It’s a rare condition, but that’s the experience you get at Jemz.
Nothing makes us happier than walking down the street and spotting this kind of sticker on a storefront window…
