The Southerner’s Guide To Brooklyn
WHAT TO EAT
Photo: Austin McAllister
Biscuits: Every Southerner knows that a great biscuit can renew you and the closest you’ll come to biscuit-y perfection is by eating what’s coming out of Beehive Oven. Founded in 2013 by husband-and-wife duo John and Treva Chadwell (the chef and Southerner in the relationship), the bakery got its start at Smorgasburg, where the Chadwells’ booth became famous for its delicious ham-and-brie buttermilk biscuits. This spring, the pair will open a brick-and-mortar eatery at 743 Driggs Avenue in Williamsburg and soon all of Brooklyn will know the restorative power of a warm, homemade biscuit.
Tyson Ho hosting one of his Hog Days of Summer events. Image: Josh Bousel
North Carolina-style BBQ: There are three schools of barbecue–Kansas City, Texas and North Carolina–but only the North Carolinian kind is truly Southern. And while Brooklyn has plenty of BBQ joints, none are entirely pork-centric, which is the crux of the N.C. style. And Brooklyn has that totally covered between Bushwick’s Arrogant Swine and Red Hook’s Hometown Bar-B-Que. Let the meatiness wash over ya’ll.
Image: Pecan Patti
Pralines: Very few staples of Southern food are considered healthy and that’s because when it comes to pure indulgence, no one does it better. That brings us to pralines, which are just little mounds of caramelized sugar with some nuts thrown in, and a favorite of Southern hedonists everywhere. The best pralines Brooklyn has to offer come courtesy of Pecan Patti, another Smorgasburg alum, who mixes maple syrup from New England with fresh Georgia pe-cans to create the confection. If you can’t make it to Williamsburg to pick up these pralines, feel free to order a bag or two (or three) online. We won’t stop (or judge) you.
Photo: Austin McAllister
Gumbo: You’d be hard pressed to find authentic Louisiana cuisine this far North, but if you search hard enough it’s out there. The most well-known types of gumbo are seafood and chicken with andouille sausage, but Brooklyn’s go-to gumbo guy, Simon Glenn of Tchoup Shop, has seen fit to elevate the dish by using duck instead. The results are unsurprisingly delicious and spicy enough to have you periodically sipping your beer before going back in for more. You can try a $6 or $9 bowl at Bushwick’s Heavy Woods (50 Wyckoff Ave.) any day of the week.
Photo: Austin McAllister
Fried Chicken and Collard Greens: Yes, fried chicken is universally accepted as one of the best foods ever created, but it could be argued that no one loves it more than people from the South. (There’s even a “church” to honor our chicken overlords.) The closest you’ll come to perfect fried chicken in Brooklyn is while chowing down at Peaches Hothouse (415 Thompkins Ave.) in Bed-Stuy. At this Nashville-style spicy chicken joint, customers can choose from regular, hot and extra hot drumsticks as well as a heavy-hitting lineup of great sides including coleslaw, crispy grits and their irresponsibly delicious collard greens.
Photo: Austin McAllister
Pecan Pie: Some of the best pies Brooklyn has to offer come from Gowanus’ Four and Twenty Blackbirds (439 3rd Ave.) bakery and while we appreciate each and every one of the homemade pies they offer, their takes on pecan pie are particularly inspired. This winter, the bakery is offering bitter sweet chocolate and malted chocolate pecan pies that have captured both our hearts and our wallets, so, it’s no wonder that the bakery is doing so well. In fact, owners/sisters Melissa and Emily Elsen were able to open another shop at the Brooklyn Public Library last month.
Photo: Austin McAllister
Cornbread: The best cornbread is slightly sweet, light, fluffy and just this side of crumbly. It’s a hard thing to perfect, especially when making it from scratch, but the folks at Greenpoint’s Habitat (988 Manhattan Ave.) seem to have figured it out. Grab a drink from their ever-rotating beer list, order the scrumptious cornbread (only $2!) and you’re set.
Photo: Austin McAllister
Mac ‘N’ Cheese, Creamy: There are two kinds of mac ‘n’ cheese in this world and we’re prepared to featured both. First, you have your creamy, sauce-based mac ‘n’ cheese, which are usually prepared in skillets and that’s exactly what they’re serving up at New Jersey export Elbow Room (267 Flatbush Avenue). The eatery offers everything from spicy buffalo chicken mac ‘n’ cheese to Margharita mac, but at the end of the day, their no-frills Old School Mac, topped with New York cheddar, creamy bechamel and garlic bread crumbs, is the star of the show.
Photo: Austin McAllister
Mac ‘N’ Cheese, Cheesy: Now, the second type of mac ‘n’ cheese is the more cheesy kind and you’ll find this one coming out of an oven. Roebling Tea Room (143 Roebling St.) has you covered. Their extra gooey, hot sauce-doused mac ‘n’ cheese comes out swinging and will knock the unexpecting on their ass. All we have to say is make sure you keep a glass of water nearby with this dish.
Photo: Austin McAllister
Red velvet cake: Yes, red velvet cake is just chocolate cake with dye in it, but you know what? It’s well-established as a separate genre of cake and we’d stake our good name on that fact. Far and away the best red velvet Brooklyn has to offer can be purchased in cake or cupcake form at the super-popular Betty Bakery (448 Atlantic Ave.) in Boerum Hill. At a cool $6.25/slice and $2.95/cupcake, their cream cheese frosting-topped cakes are perfectly moist without being cloyingly sweet.
Photo: Austin McAllister
Grits: Grits are so unequivocally Southern that three-fourths of them are sold and consumed down there. It’s a poor man’s dish, made of nothing more than ground corn, water and a little salt, but that just makes it easier to elevate and Clinton Hill’s Marietta (285 Grand Ave.) has done just that. For their take on grits, the eatery adds Benton’s Smoked Ham, aged gouda and a littering of chives to course organic, heirloom grits from South Carolinian producer Anson Mills. Once your spoon dips into the creamy dish, it’s only a matter of minutes before it’s all gone.
