Simple And YummySmoothies are great. You get your creamy, your protein (we add vanilla protein powder) and your fruits with little effort. This week we’ve been enjoying a simple Banana Smoothie. The key is one banana to one cup of milk, no more, no less.
1110 Manhattan Ave, Greenpoint BrooklynGreenpoint boasts plenty of good places to grab some coffee (with Grumpy and Five Leaves, one might even say it’s the best neighborhood to grab some coffee), but another spot that’s as relaxed and lovely as Milk and Roses is always welcome. Located in the upper Acapulco regions of the neighborhood, it stands apart with it’s impressive and unique food menu that includes my obvious pick – an anchovy and cheese sandwich. Breakfast staples and desserts are also available. Coming from the manager of the yummy Cacio e Pepe, I shouldn’t be surprised that the food is great (coffee’s very nice too).
A wall of colorful hardbound books, a piano, and dark aged wood floors make for an elegant atmosphere supported by an easy sound track of jazz which makes lounging with a book quite pleasant. There’s a nice backyard while the good weather lasts. For all you winos, most importantly, it will soon also be a wine bar (license pending).
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251 E 82nd StKings’ Carriage House only opened a decade ago but you’ll feel whisked away to the beginning of the century with the elegant, cozy and lovely decor. Admittedly a bit clueless about word of mouth spots above 14th street, I found out about this because good friend and fellow mom to be, Grace had her afternoon tea baby shower here. It’s a great place to host a private event and the tea was scrumptious.
We were served tea sandwiches complete with crusts removed including egg and watercress and cucumber butter. Smoked salmon pinwheels allowed me to cheat a little on my pregnancy diet (smoked salmon is a no-no, but one small bite can’t hurt) and mango goat cheese tartlets were surprising and yummy. The teas, chamomile and English breakfast were wonderful and served in the quaintest China I’ve seen since being at my English grandmas house as a kid. 
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Traditional DrinkWe drank all the left over Horchata before I remembered to take a photo, so I must give credit for this lovely photo to Food People Want. I must give thanks and credit to Andriana and Krista (of radiogastronomy) for bringing homemade version of the delightful, refreshing, milky, spiced beverage to my party. It was actually my first encounter with the Latin drink, that matches perfectly with the spice of Mexican food. Versions of the drink go back to ancient times and have made their way all across the world.
at The Big Booty Bread Co, 261 West 23rd StI really don’t think that while I was waddling the streets of Chelsea in the heat that I could have dreamt up anything more appealing than a sign telling me to “cool off” with “Mint Watermelon Lemonade”. It was The Big Booty Bread Co, which I recommended years ago for their sweets, that was offering this lovely refreshing beverage that sounded like the elixir of the gods to me (mint, watermelon and lemonade?? in one drink?? genius!) and it was heavenly. Here’s a recipe over at Smitten Kitchen if you care to make it yourself (just add mint).
Only at 7-11The addition of a 7-11 to Greenpoint meant only one delicious thing to me – coke slurpees!! These frozen indulgences bring me back to my adolescence when mom would drive my sister and I to the 7-11 on 8th street in Colorado after school. It was a pleasure to be able to walk up the street for this long lost treat and it’s a yummy as I remembered.
Hibiscus Tea Juice, can be found at Vamos al Tequila at 162 Franklin StreetLet me introduce you to the most refreshing summertime beverage you’ve never heard of (and if you have, I envy you – wish I had known about it sooner): Jamaica Agua Fresca. It was introduced to me at the new, quite good Greenpoint Mexican restaurant Vamos al Tequila (picture below from New York Shitty). Our sweetheart of a waitress described it as a hibiscus made juice that is similar to cranberry without the tartness, and that’s pretty accurate. I am not sure how available this drink is, but it’s worth seeking out while we endure these heatwaves.
131 2nd AvenueGem Spa, a corner over-sized bodega, cluttered with cheap sunglasses and trinkets doesn’t strike one instantly as the very best place to find anything, but they boast, in their signage at least, to have the best egg cream in New York. Having not tested every egg cream out there, but having had my share of separated ones that have that strange tongue coating plastic-ness caused by incorrect balance of ingredients. I can say that this one, offered in a paper cup with no fanfare or even a smile is pretty excellent. I’d definitely go back to get an egg cream fix- Brooklyn (vanilla) style of course. It’s such a temperamental though simple drink that you want to make sure you get one that’s made right, plus Gem Spa’s a bit of old New York and one of the few places left to get the native beverage.
193 Meserole AvenueCafe Grumpy (or as my friend and subsequently i pronounce it “caf-ay grum-pay”) has become a nice part of my new life as a freelancer. Morning iced decaf americanos have been a welcome start to many days, and recently a rare treat of caffeinated coffee made me pretty much bonkers all day (not in a necessarily bad way – I got tons done) even die hard coffee drinkers I know have agreed that the iced coffee is beyond the normal dinky caffeine injection. I also recently discovered another spectacular treat that Grumpy does like virtually no one else: a gourmet mocha that is to mochas what those fancy ten dollar organic handmade chocolate bars are to a Hershey’s kiss.
Once a local Greenpoint special spot, the Grumpy empire has expanded to Park Slope and Chelsea and was one of the forerunners of high end espresso spots invading the city.
from Radish, 158 Bedford Ave, BrooklynRadish is a fairly new charming Neo-olde-timey food store that popped up pretty quickly in the old home of no good cupcakes, Pennylicks. The comforting space features a really nice staff, lots of local imported food specialities and home made take home foods like meatballs and pasta salads. However I was drawn in by a sign that read “Maple Cream Soda”. Just the idea was mesmerizing, and the reality is quite delicious. They use soda from their own tap and the cream is a handmade mixture that’s sweet and thick. It’s like a newfangled egg cream and worth a visit to try.
