organic fake-out on lexington

in the comments section for the post on the upcoming restaurant on greene + waverly, a reader asked: Have you checked out the new ‘organic market’ that just started to get all dolled up on Lexington btwn Grand and Classon? Crazy conversion… but needed.

and i was all ready to head down there this morning and check it out....until i went on the local parents' listserve. there was a discussion of the market going on there, and the truth came out: it isn't an organic market at all, but a set for a steve martin movie that's being filmed here.

bummer! on the plus side, if you like steve martin, they should be doing more filming this week....

CSA: Week One

This summer, I decided to go in on a CSA share with a CHB reader. Last Thursday was the first week. Pickup was at the not-so-convenient school on Gates and Downing. Thankfully, everyone there was SO NICE.

Once you arrive, you sign in and then can go pick up your stuff. Each selection is labeled in a bin, telling you how much of everything you should take. The best surprise? Basil, cilantro and dill plants, ready for planting at home!

We also signed up for the fruit share, which was fresh strawberries this week. The berries were small, but very sweet.

The amount seemed perfect for sharing. I think it would have been too much for a single person. I already used most of the goods last night making dinner for a friend.

So far, so good.

Community Garden Fundraiser

I'm planning a large post on community gardens for Monday. In the meantime, the Clifton Place Community Garden is having a fundraising bake sale this weekend:

I'll have more info on this and other gardens next week!

local sauce returns!

i just received word that the latest batches of devil's doodad are in the bottles and ready for distribution.

you can read all about the doodad and its creator here.

and you can find him at the fort greene farmer's market, until the stock runs out.....

Friday Photo

(White Castle on Myrtle)

Heavenly Crumbs: Yes, Indeed

heymama recently posted about a new bakery she discovered on Franklin called Heavenly Crumbs.  Being a sucker for sweets, I needed to try it myself. She. Was. Right.

Actually, Jay and I had planned on doing a little baked-goods-tasting-comparison in the area, and we started at Cake Man Raven. They had nothing out, and the woman at the register was less than engaging.  So after rolling our eyes, off we went to HC.

I really don't think I've ever had a tastier cupcake.  Seriously.  I've already eaten a chocolate with coconut frosting and the signature "passion fruit" cupcake.  The cake is supermoist, and the frosting is PERFECT.  I'm personally not a fan of ultra sweet, texture-y frosting, and Shannon's frosting is just perfect.

I have the red velvet and the triple-berry left.  They're enormous, so I am saving two for tomorrow :)

The info, once again:

heavenly crumbs 355 franklin ave. @ greene and lexington 718-623-6271 heavenlycrumbs.com

heavenly crumbs

when is a stack of luxurious boxes not a stack of luxurious boxes? when it's a cake. shannon pridgen has been doing custom cakes out of a rented kitchen in bed-stuy for the past 8 years. want a cake shaped like a coach handbag? she's done it. a pair of adidas? done it.

but now she's expanded and taken her operation retail, and her newer offerings look more like this:

which, to my eyes, is just as, if not more, beautiful.... this is, of course, the red velvet cupcake, with cream cheese frosting. now, i'll be up front here: i've never had red velvet cake before, not cake man raven's, not anybody's, so i was judging this cupcake purely on it's own merits. and the verdict is: it's a great cupcake. it was moist, not overly sweet, and the frosting was delicious, smooth and creamy. i also had a small sample of some of shannon's other goods: oatmeal cookie, vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting, carrot cupcake, and buttermilk biscuit. the cookie was great, very dense. the chocolate frosting on the vanilla cupcake was perfect, with the kind of cocoa-y flavor that i really love in chocolate frosting. the carrot cake i can't speak to, since the bite i had had a big raisin in it, which is just not my thing...so you'll have to go in and try that one yourself. and the biscuit was fine, and i suspect that if i'd had a whole one from the serving case instead of the piece that had been sitting out on the sample plate losing moisture, it would have been great. some of the other varieties in the case that i didn't get to taste are: vanilla cupcake with passion fruit frosting, yellow cupcake with triple berry frosting, spice cupcake with rum frosting, and chocolate cupcake with coconut frosting.

the space is tiny, with most of the room taken up by the kitchen. but there's a little table in the front, with a few chairs, two small benches, and a little pink stool for the kiddos that my kiddo at least was completely enamored of. there's also a tea and coffee station, with a drawer full of tea bags (herbal and black) to choose from.

shannon, who grew up in the bronx but has lived in brooklyn for the last 10 years, was working the counter, answering phones, reading cookbooks, and generally looking like a small business owner when i got there. she told me that she thinks of her desserts as "refined american", or "well-done comfort food".

which is exactly what a cupcake should be.

heavenly crumbs 355 franklin ave. @ greene and lexington 718-623-6271 heavenlycrumbs.com

Clinton Hill CSA

When I first moved to the Hill in 2004, I came across the Clinton Hill CSA's website during a Google search. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Participants purchase a "share," which enables them weekly summer deliveries of fresh veggies from Windflower Farms in Valley Falls, NY (food has to be picked up on Gates Ave in the summer, and Washington Ave in the winter). Participants must subscribe for the veggie shares, and then may add on other subscriptions as well, including fruit, flowers, eggs and meat. The winter share is delivered once a month. They charge on a sliding scale based on income, and also accept food stamps.Sounds like a super idea to me. The problem is, the site only lists the costs for families of two or more! What about families of ONE, like myself? I emailed them back in '04 to see if they offered shares for singles, but never received a response. I was kinda miffed, which is why I ignored them until now. Last weekend, friends of mine who have a share were out of town and asked me to pick up their goods (and also allowed me to take a few items for myself). It was a pretty good mix: potatoes, carrots, beets, greens, garlic and more. Sounds like a fun surprise to see what you'll get.

At this point, I know enough people in the 'nabe to go in on a share, so I might do that for the summer. But DO they offer single-people shares?

Anyone care to give some feedback on the CHCSA? Their website is here, and it looks pretty good (though I hope they'll update it more often in the summer- what's up with people who don't keep their sites updated??). They also appear to provide recipes occasionally, which incorporate current share items. Cool. The CHCSA serves Clinton Hill, Fort Greene and Bed-Stuy.

Little House on Clinton

Little House on Clinton150 Clinton Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11205 (718) 237-7780

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Chicken and Waffles.An odd combination that's oh so right.

And oh so good.

I was first exposed to them in California at the famous Roscoe's House of Chicken' n Waffles. It was love at first bite.

So obviously I was SUPER EXCITED when Little House on Clinton advertised that they would be serving Chicken and Waffles. When they finally opened I couldn't wait to give them a try. So plans were made with my friend 1UP and, of course, Lesterhead, and off to dinner at Little House we went.

Upon entering you are very warmly and robustly greeted making you feel immediately at home and comfortable. As Little House is quite small, 3 booths and 2 small tables, we had a bit of a wait but was treated to a couple of mini waffles for our troubles. Mmmmm...

We decided to look over the menu and order our food in hopes that we'll be seated by the time the food arrives. (We were.) The menu consists mainly of breakfast type fair, some burger selections, Quesadillas (???) and, of course, Chicken and Waffles - all at pretty reasonable prices.

1UP ordered Little House Meal number 2 (4 mini waffles, 1 chicken leg and 1 chicken thigh for $7.49) while Lesterhead ordered the Little House Meal number 1 (4 mini waffles, 4 chicken wings at $6.99). I opted for 12 wings at $7.49 so that I could try serveral of the sauce choices. I chose Jerk, Buffalo and Teriyaki leaving House BBQ and Honey BBQ for next time.

(I know, I know. I didn't order any waffles. BUT I knew 1UP was gonna hook me up with some of her's so that I could write up a fair evaluation. Food Review 101: Rule 153 - you've got to know your dining companions.)

And, of course, we had to get a side order of (Freedom) Fries.

The Waffles were light, golden brown and DE-licious! A nice fluffy interior with a crisp exterior that holds up to the syrup so that it doesn't get soggy before it's time.

The chicken wings were extremely crispy, well breaded and seasoned and very flavorful plain and as is. As for the sauces the Teriyaki was good, the Buffalo was good, the Jerk was better but the best sauce was...maple syrup.

Really.

Maple syrup. Squeeze a little on...oh my. Crunchy, sweet, salty...yum!

It's honestly the best way to eat them and probably what makes Chicken and Waffles such an awesome combination.

The regular chicken pieces were just larger versions of the wings.

The only disappointment was the fries. They were just eh. I think they could've been a bit crispier and SALTED. I've gripped about this before but I hate it when they don't salt the fries while they are HOT. Ugh. Salting after the fact...the salt just never sticks to it. Who's with me on this? Another minor grip is the lack of an easily accessable bathroom.  After eating sticky waffles and greasy chicken you wanna be able to easily wash your hands and...you can't.  I hope they clear that up soon.

So, overall, an awesome addition to the nabe.  Good fair at a good price.  If you go and plan on eating there plan on waiting a bit as it's pretty small inside but as a place for delivery or pickup - AWESOME.

Chicken and Waffles.  Yum. Who would've Thunk It?

Coffee + Croissant Comparison

An anonymous Clinton Hill fan recently set out on a quest to discover the best coffee/croissant combo in the nabe (based on both pricing and taste). She's kindly sent us her analysis: When I first moved to Clinton Hill in the beginning of 2001, the only café in the area was Tillie’s. Now, there are a lot more options, so I decided to venture out for my morning calories and try some of them. My goal was to procure a croissant and a large cup of coffee and compare availability, price, service and taste.

Connecticut Muffin, Friday, 9:30am Availability: Yes. Price: $3.85. Service: Friendly staff. Taste: OK croissant and very burnt-tasting coffee, which is a shame because they give lots of it (20oz). Comments: No line.

strong>Choice Market, Sunday, 10:01am Availability: Yes. Price: $3.25. Service: They are too harried to say hello or even look you in the eye. Taste: Excellent and fresh for both coffee and croissant. Comments: As always, this place is mobbed! I don’t understand it. The food (sandwiches, pastries, etc.) is good but expensive, and they have sometimes messed up my order in the past. However, I am pleasantly surprised that my croissant and large coffee (160z) comes to $3.25, which I predict will be the lowest price of all the cafés. Except for the horrid line, I am very happy.

Smooch, Monday, 9:45am Availability: Yes/No. Price: $5.75. Service: Friendly, but very slow. Just because they are slow period doesn’t mean I don’t need to rush to work. Taste: Excellent and fresh. Comments: This newcomer has an earthy collegiate ambiance, so I am shocked at my total price for a muffin (they didn’t have croissant) and a large coffee. The coffee takes a while to make (and I was the only one in line waiting for anything) and is small (12oz) for a large size. It’s good coffee, though; it’s possible I was given an Americano. Even though it’s not what I wanted, they have interesting muffin flavors; I got granola-pear. Drink card—free coffee after you buy 10.

Tillie’s, Tuesday, 10:45am Availability: Yes. Price: $4.25. Service: Fair. Taste: Not so much. Comments: It’s been years since I ventured into Tillie’s for coffee purposes, so I am looking forward to trying them again, hoping to have a better experience. I am pleased that they have a choice of coffees that appears to change daily. I go for the house blend, because the barista says it is the darkest roast of the two they are offering. The total is $4.25. The croissant is decent. The large coffee is generous (20oz) but not good. (I’m beginning to see a trend, the larger the cup, the worse the coffee). Unfortunately, it tastes like watery dirt, even when I put cream in it. This is why I stopped going to Tillie’s for coffee in the first place. Drink card—free coffee after you buy 10.

Grand 275, Wednesday, 11:00am Availability: Yes. Price: $3.48 (normally $3.85). Service: Terrific, friendly and swift. Taste: Fair. Comments: The staff is always friendly and this morning is no exception. They’re out of regular coffee (they also offer hazelnut) and offer me a large coffee—that was missing about around an ounce or two of its 16oz size—at the medium-size price. So I pay $3.48 instead of the usual $3.85 for my breakfast. The croissant is fresh but doughy. The coffee is a good, solid cup, and before I leave, they top me off with some fresh brewed coffee. That’s some neighborhood “gets-to-know-all-their-customers” service. All-in-all, another happy coffee run.

Brown Betty Café, Thursday, 11:00am Availability: Yes. Price: $3.70. Service: Gruff. Taste: Fair. Comments: This place has a very appealing interior decor, but you have to wade through our local drug trade to get there. This actually sounds worse than it is, but if you’re female, I recommend wearing a coat that covers your ass for a more enjoyable stroll. 16oz large coffee.

Marquet Patisserie, Friday, 9:45am Availability: Yes. Price: $3.15. Service: Friendly and swift. Taste: Fair. Comments: Despite this café’s quaint name, good location and nice interior atmosphere with friendly service, the croissant and coffee (16oz for a large) are only average, albeit fresh. I expected more with such a set-up. But what pushes this place into my top three is the price, the winner in that category at $3.15.

There are other places I have yet to try: Pillow Café on Myrtle and Le Gamin on Vanderbilt, for example. But for now, I feel I’ve sampled the goods within the radius where I spend most of my time.

I am shocked at who I feel is the best overall place—Choice Market (perhaps this explains the lines). When they moved into Clinton Hill, I was unhappy because I felt their Soho vibe was out of character with the neighborhood, but now I feel they are a nice addition to the neighborhood.

If you’re a coffee-fueled foodie, you’ll probably enjoy Choice or Smooch. For value, try Marquet or Choice. For quantity but not taste, try Tillie’s or Connecticut Muffin.

However, for me, Grand 275 was my favorite. It wasn’t the cheapest or the best tasting. But their solid cup of joe, super friendly atmosphere and lack of frenetic lines make it my destination of choice for a coffee, either to go or to sit and sip. Thanks! I'd add Outpost Lounge to this list as well. Hopefully our coffee/croissant fan will expand this review in the coming weeks, esp once Pillow moves to its new location.

Eating locally

Today was the first pickup day for the winter shares in the Clinton Hill CSA. From the left, coordinators Seth (I apologize--I'm blanking on his last name), and Sean Redmond, were handing out boxes of local produce on the porch of Sean's home, a place I've admired from afar many times. I love the color of his place--it's a very light spearmint--and the way it contrasts with the ruby red door.

In any case, I've never bought a share from a CSA (csa = community supported agriculture) before, so this was an exciting day for me. For $120, I get a box of locally grown food once a month for next four months. (I'm not sure if there are shares left, but if you're curious, this is the CH CSA site.) My box was filled with yukon gold potatoes, baby beets, turnips, parsnips, salad and braising greens, squash, apples, pears and a jug of cider. The veggies are grown organically on Windflower farm in Easton, NY (roughly 200 miles away) but the fruit comes from a different farm (Borden perhaps? That's the name on the cider), which uses a small amount of pesticides. I prefer no pesticides, but it beats the waxy apples at the Associated.

I'm not sure what to do with the turnips. Put em in a soup? Mash them with the potatoes? If you have any ideas, please share them...