Sweets from a Local Cheese Shop

Leave it to me to check out a new cheese shop and stock up on sweets. I'm sure Valley Shepherd Creamery's cheese is amazing and I love that it's all made just an hour away in Long Valley, NJ, but in my defense their high-end treats are way too distracting. I was finally able to try some cookies from Whimsy & Spice (chocolate orange cardamom, so good with a cup of tea) and discover virgin chocolate from Raaka, a company that doesn't roast their cocoa beans. Let me be clear that this chocolate is not cheap by any means, but I'm a sucker pretty packaging, and more importantly, good ingredients—their Black Coffee bar has espresso from Cafe Grumpy. If a glass of wine in a restaurant costs $10, 5 to 8 bucks for some really good chocolate isn't so crazy, right?

I also picked up a cheese slicer for Daniel's stocking since ours broke ages ago, a pretzel croissant that's a lot like the amazing ones at City Bakery but just 85 cents and much smaller, and some hot chocolate on a stick for Nico. Leo loves cheese and has a soft spot for the good stuff. Soon after we walked in, the guy behind the counter must have heard his cries for "more cheeeee" because he surprised him with a nice slice to snack on. By the time I was done obsessing with the sweets, we had to go, but I'll be back again soon to try the cheese, some fresh pasta, and maybe a sandwich or two.

Valley Shepherd Creamery
211 Seventh Ave (between 3rd and 4th Streets)
Park Slope, Brooklyn

Couleur Café

Some of my favorite places are on Seventh Avenue in the South Slope. There's Cafe Grumpy, Beer Table, Thistle Hill Tavern (whose owners are opening another restaurant just a few blocks down with Dale from Top Chef!), and now I have a new one to add to the list: Couleur Café.  It's a French cafe that just opened and now has me craving a sweet brioche topped with crunchy sugar crystals and an almond croissant every day. Oh, and their fresh lemonade is on the tart side, just the way I like it.

On Saturday, Nico helped me do a few loads of laundry. While our clothes were washing, he tried out his new scooter. After we transferred everything to the dryer, we went to Couleur Café for a treat. Being there with him reminded me of the diner trips I used to take with my grandfather every week when I was little. We'd squeeze into a booth, put some quarters in our jukebox and after drinking my own cup of coffee and eating a donut twist, I'd practice my dance moves on the leather seats. I loved that diner and our special outings so much and am sure they encouraged my love of restaurants and food.  Nico still has a long way to go when it comes to restaurant etiquette. When I told him to calm down on Saturday and explained that we were in a restaurant, he responded, "But Mama, this is a cafe, not a restaurant!" Still, it's so fun to be starting some rituals of our own.

He devoured a chocolate croissant in about one minute. He ate in silence and didn't take his eyes off it for a second. After, we built train tracks out of sugar packets. Before I knew it, he was laughing wildly and ready to run around outside again.

Couleur Café 
435 Seventh Ave, between 14th and 15th Streets
Park Slope, Brooklyn

A favorite block in Brooklyn (and free ice cream, comics and massages!)

One of my favorite blocks in Brooklyn is Bergen Street between 5th Ave and Flatbush. With places like Bark, home of the borough's best hot dogs, and Bump, my go-to spot for maternity and nursing wear, and Sun in Bloom, a cafe with vegan, raw and macrobiotic food and drinks where I once paid $8 for a freshly squeezed juice and balked at the price before realizing I've handed over double that amount for a glass of wine, it's a lively side street full of colorful storefronts and signs. There's also a Lululemon, a comic book store (that you might have seen on an episode of HBO's Bored to Death), a Babeland, and although it's not on Bergen Street, Bklyn Larder is conveniently located around the corner. Many of the business owners on the block plan events from time to time and there are a few things going on this weekend.

Bump is giving out free scoops of ice cream from Blue Marble on Saturday from 2-4pm and accepting (and matching) donations for Providence House, a non-profit that helps transform the lives of homeless, abused, and formerly incarcerated women and their children. They'll also be donating a portion of the weekend's sales to the organization and are offering 20% off all regular priced items. Bergen Street Comics will be giving away free comics (supplies are limited, so go early and bring your kids!) and Lululemon will be giving free chair massages from 2-4pm on Saturday and Sunday. If you live in NYC, come check out a cool part of Brooklyn.

Have a wonderful weekend wherever you are and Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas out there!

Image credit: SaSaDi Odunsi, co-owner of Bump

A Spring in Our Step

It's amazing what a little sunshine can do. After months of bundling up, searching for missing mittens, battling about winter hats, and braving the cold, the boys and I can finally leave home with short sleeves and sunblock on, light jackets tucked into our bag just in case, toes peeping out of sandals and Crocs without socks. Walking around our neighborhood is such a treat right now. Flowers are blooming everywhere and just like last year, Nico longs to pick them all. I spend a lot of time explaining why certain rules apply to other people's gardens, but as much as he likes magnolias, daffodils and tulips, he's fond of dandelions too. His pockets are usually full of them by the time we get home.

On Tuesday, a long walk led to a search for ice cream. We ended up at Red Horse Cafe, a popular Park Slope spot that recently started serving scoops from SoCo Creamery, a company in the Berkshires that makes small batches of cool flavors like chai spice, mission fig and lavender honey.  We'd picked up some watermelon along the way, and I was hoping that would keep Leo happy since he hasn't had much sugar yet. When I went to reach for the container, I forgot that the top was already off and it went flying and slimed him, bringing to mind the show You Can't Do That On Television that I loved as a kid.

Splashed with a lot of watermelon juice and fat pieces of fruit, he didn't cry, but looked at me wide-eyed and bewildered while his big brother filled in the blanks: "Why did you DO that to him?!?" The whole incident helped me realize how unthoughtful we were about to be. "Here little guy, let me rub it in your face, literally, the fact that we get to lick luscious scoops of ice cream while you munch on some deeelicious watermelon!" I guess it ended up working in his favor because I couldn't possibly withhold ice cream from him after that. He had a few bites.

Afterward, Nico used a sippy cup to give his little brother a light shower. Watching him make Leo laugh—those wonderful belly laughs that are seriously the best sound in the world, especially when coming from a baby with a sweet, sticky face and a watermelon seed or two stuck to his cheek—made my day even better.

Red Horse Cafe
497 Sixth Ave, at 12th Street
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-499-4973

Butter Lane is Coming to Park Slope

I wasn't surprised when King of Cupcakes on 7th Ave closed. Sounds like they had a falling out with their investors, but their cupcakes were disappointing and easy to pass up. What I didn't expect was Butter Lane, the East Village cupcake shop, to take its place. Their cupcakes are dangerously good. I'm delighted (and a little scared) they'll now be in walking distance and not a subway ride away. I went by yesterday to see if they had opened yet, but no luck. After doing a little research, I found out they'll be up and running in May. They're referring to this location as a pop up shop to gauge neighborhood interest, but I'm sure Butter Lane will have no problems in Park Slope.

Butter Lane
240 7th Ave, between 4th and 5th Streets
Park Slope, Brooklyn

Blooms, Burgers and Bark

Today's sunny weather was perfect for a long walk to Bark, my favorite place for hot dogs. Walking along Prospect Park West with Karlyn and Fox, we were all happy to see so many flowers and trees starting to bloom, little pops of color leading the way and reminding us that winter really is over. At Bark, I planned on getting a hot dog, but when Karlyn told me she really likes their cheeseburgers, I decided to try one. A mix of short rib, chuck and pork jowl, it was cooked and seasoned perfectly, topped with pickles, sharp cheddar, shredded lettuce and a special sauce and wedged between a soft and squishy potato roll, the best bread for a burger if you ask me. If I'd had my camera, I would have taken a picture, but I was too busy feeding Leo fries and replenishing Nico's ketchup anyway. Karlyn took all of these with her iPhone.

Nico and Fox sat at their own table and didn't eat much, but rather than run around and hide under people's tables, they sat still for a while, chit chatting about condiments. I'm all about Bark's hot dogs, but now that I know how good their burgers are, I'll be torn next time I'm back. You can find a more detailed review and photos of their burger here. I'm still craving one of their hot dogs, but Karlyn told me about this family bike ride on Sunday to support the Prospect Park West bike lane. Bark will be giving away free dogs at the finish line. Sounds like it's time to dust it off our bikes and take the boys for a ride.

Bark
474 Bergen Street
Park Slope, Brooklyn

Brooklyn or the Burbs

I grew up in a suburb 30 minutes from Manhattan and came into the city a lot while growing up. My Mom took me to see Cats, Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables, and for birthdays, we'd celebrate at special places. As I kid, I got a real kick out of the Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood, and didn't realize that the Gotham Bar and Grill and Windows on the World were actually much cooler. When I was in middle school, I started coming in on my own with friends. We'd ride the 6 to St. Mark's and buy peace sign earrings and when we were on break from college, we started going to bars on the Upper East Side. I loved living so close to Manhattan and having the best of both worlds. I even remember telling one friend that I never wanted to live in the city. It was dirty, loud and I already lived close enough. Eventually, I made my way. I spent less than a year in Manhattan before Daniel brought up Brooklyn, a place I never thought I'd consider. After circling just one block, I was sold. That was almost 10 years ago.

Our apartment is only 600 square feet. We need more space and I've been dreaming about having a house, preferably on the west coast. California isn't in the cards, at least not now, and after looking for a new place for the last two months and feeling discouraged by what's out there, we've started considering the suburbs. For a few days last week, I thought I was ready to go back. House hunting had something to do with it, I'm sure. When you're used to looking at small urban spaces, a real house feels so big. Too big. Especially when they have entire rooms devoted to laundry. Basements full of toys where kids can run and play while adults have real conversations upstairs. A backyard with a swing set. No neighbors above or below. Quiet streets free of noisy city buses and annoying car alarms. But I know better than to be swayed by a seemingly idyllic place. Nowhere is perfect and there are trade-offs wherever you go. My friend Bernadette also made sure to remind me of the movie Revolutionary Road. Whether or not we should leave Brooklyn, a place that really feels like home, is a huge decision. And if I need to look to food to help me decide what to do, so be it. You've gotta go with your gut.

Bklyn Larder is one of so many places I'd really miss. A gourmet deli, it's where I go for sandwiches, or top notch prepared foods and all of their desserts taste as good as they look. Their walls are also lined with chocolate, candy, granola, jams, honey and all sorts of other tempting things. Our friends Marg and Dante came over for dinner last week and they brought some treats from there with them. Chocolate cookies that were rich and crumbly and topped with flecks of Maldon sea salt, and two kinds of gelato. The almond one is airy and addicting and it's laced with a crackly layer that tastes like crushed amaretto cookies. It reminds me of the toasted almonds I used to get from the Good Humor truck growing up, but it's a million times better. I joked with Marg and Dante that they were using Bklyn Larder to convince us to stay in Brooklyn. Well, in a way, it worked. I went back to Bklyn Larder twice this week and while thinking about this one house I really loved in the burbs, I kept wondering where I'd go to find fresh bread, or chocolate chip cookies, or to stock up on dark chocolate. In Brooklyn, my apartment might feel like it's closing in on me, but knowing I can walk a few blocks and get crepes or ride the subway a few stops for homemade doughnuts, somehow makes up for the lack of space. I'm not saying good food is impossible to find in the suburbs. I just know that it doesn't come close to what I have here in Brooklyn.

Last week, we changed our minds about where to move almost every day. Daniel would be for the burbs, and I'd say no. Then I'd jump on board and he'd run the other way. Today was rainy and dreary and we spent most of it going to open houses in Brooklyn. We even saw two apartments we really liked. After, we went to Bklyn Larder and split two sandwiches—grilled cheese on ciabatta with pickles and roasted turkey, pickled shallots and comte. As usual, they were amazing. Expensive, but worth every bite. I think it's safe to say we're staying.

Bklyn Larder
228 Flatbush Avenue
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-783-1250

Hot Chocolate and Crepes

Nico used to always ask "Where are we going today?" Winter brings his Brazilian side out and lately, he's been begging to stay in. Even though the sidewalks are still full of snow, he now likes to ask "Is it spring yet?" Monday was fairly mild, but it still took awhile to get him outside. I assumed we'd just go to the park or call a friend. Instead of asking to walk, he hopped in his stroller and requested hot chocolate. On the way, we spotted this sweet house with a white picket fence. Wedged in between apartment buildings it was an unexpected sight. A little piece of country in bustling Brooklyn. Determined to take a photo with my phone, I crossed the street. Trying to cross back, I got our stroller stuck in a mountain of snow. For a moment, I longed to move far, far away.

After setting the stroller free, we made our way to Cafe Grumpy where I quieted my chatty child for a few minutes with a warm mixture of milk and stone-ground chocolate that he drank slowly with a straw before finishing it off with one long gulp.

After that, we went to Crespella, a cute place with crepes that sells Stumptown coffee, Robicelli cupcakes (which I've heard again and again are some of NY's best, but still need to try), a granola made in Brooklyn that looks really good, and a small selection of Italian specialities. 

I planned to get our crepes to go, but we ended up sitting on stools and watching all the action on 7th Ave while eating them there. Danny, the friendly guy behind the counter even took photos for us with his phone. He also held the door when it was time to head home, a big help since Crespella is tricky to enter and exit with a stroller.

Blackberries and blueberries with a hint of honey for Nico

Spinach, mushroom, ricotta and olive oil for me

Spring really can't come soon enough. But adventures like these make winter a bit more bearable. Luckily, Leo likes this weather so far. Let's see how he feels about it next year.

Cafe Grumpy
383 7th Ave
Park Slope, Brooklyn

Crespella
321 7th Ave
Park Slope, Brooklyn