a romp through carroll gardens and boerum hill

Brooklyn is quite amazing.  An incredible transformation of a borough.  Each area is just screaming out community, community, community.  I love it. 

Emily and I spent the day in the area of Carroll Gardens and Boerum Hill.  Just a few places we wanted to check out.  I particularly wanted to go see Bien Cuit, a bakery at 120 Smith Street.  Before we got to Bien Cuit we walked into One Girl Cookies which is like walking back in time.  An adorable store with tiny cookies all made fresh daily.  We tried four. 

Orange coconut, chocolate coffee caramel, ginger bread and cinnamon cookies with a chocolate filling in the middle.  All delicious.  Love the size.  I particularly loved the orange cookie.  Small like a Mexican wedding cookie topped with shredded coconut.  Cookbook coming...

Just a little background here on Bien Cuit where we went next.  I met with the owners, Kate and Zach about a year and a half ago if my memory serves anything.  They are married.  Zach has quite the baking resume.  They were ready to open up their own bakery and ended up getting to me through of all people, my lawyer, to get some advice.  BTW, I love my lawyer. I never tasted their wares but the pictures looked amazing.  They had saved a pretty decent amount of cash, enough to not have to take anyones money but still in need of maybe another $20/30K tops to do what they needed to do.  We talked location, we talked construction and we talked about running a bakery. They were brand new to NYC.  I introduced them to a few people who knew these topics better than I did.  I also pointed them in the direction of a city loan so they didn't need to take anyone elses cash.  If they were still short, I recommended putting what they needed on a credit card because if they were successful quickly they could pay off that debt with no reprecussions easier on a credit card than with a loan.  Bottom line, they sent a few emails now and then and then they opened.  The bakery is called Bien Cuit.  I finally got out there to visit with Emily.  The place had a line the entire time we were there.  They were understaffed but it could have been the day.  They are in desperate need of music because the place is eerily quiet.  But let's get down to it, the pastries, the bread and the iced tea are out of this world.  It was like eating a pastry in one of the top patisseries in Paris, that good.  The one above is an artichoke goat cheese pastry.

This is the pear apple open faced croissant.  The bread is out of this world on both of the pastries.  Perfectly browned, savory yet sweet at the same time, just down right omg.  Congrats to both Kate and Zach.

BTW, they sell Christine Ferber jams there, straight from Paris.  Check out the breads!

Our next stop was Bird.  A womans clothing store on Smith Street but they have 2 other stores, one in Park Slope and the other in Williamsburg where they carry mens clothes too.  They do a really good job.

We also stopped in a store that only carries items made in Brooklyn, store name By Brooklyn.  Anything from bitters to chocolate to clothing.  It kind of defines what is happening in the borough.

Jumped into Smith + Butler before moving farther down the street.  A super groovy store that can outfit anyone who is looking for that hipster Brooklyn look, particularly the men.

Em wanted to go to Court Street Market.  Another walk in to the past.  They even carry Durkee sauce, something I grew up with and of course had to buy. 

This was one of the sweets in the front of the store.  I figured out what it was the second I saw it.  Quisp cereal being substituted for Rice Krispies in a treat.  I grew up on Quisp.  Cap'n Crunch in a different shape.

The store has a bunch of great singular products....really well curated.  I bought a variety of crackers.  Emily and I had the turkey club for lunch.  They make the sandwiches right there and then you can sit down in the back.  Wow.  Just perfect.  We added a little hot sauce but otherwise quite a treat.

Here is the sign for the club.  Love this place.

Many more places to come back to.  I wish Bien Cuit could deliver fresh croissants to my door daily!