Perhaps the name seemed propitious from behind the register, but when I'm phoning in an order for Chinese takeout, "Hello, long line" isn't what I want to hear. Today, they're long gone.
Long Line Restaurant
501 Atlantic Ave. (Third Ave.-Nevins St.), Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
Memorial Day wasn't the time to find yourself in Boerum Hill or Carroll Gardens with a craving for whoopie pies. But when One Girl Cookies reopens on Thursday, May 29, after a three-day makeover, the Dean St. bakery will expand into a new room with indoor seating, side by side with its neighbor Bar Tabac.
Perhaps you still won't find a sidewalk table with parking for your scooter, but then again, you'll never enjoy a whoopie pie at Bar Tabac — and often, it's those little things that matter most.
Like the sign says, they don't do French.
It's the largest, busiest, and best-known of Atlantic Avenue's Middle Eastern provisioners, but sometimes I just stop in for a drink.
I'm an admirer, too.
The fellows at Stinky Bklyn had their own private stash, but it had dwindled to the point that the best they would offer was a referral. After scoring my own whoopie pie ($1.25), twin pumpkin cakes sandwiched around cream cheese frosting, I can't blame them.
One Girl Cookies
68 Dean St. (near Smith St.), Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
212-675-4996
www.OneGirlCookies.com
I ended up at the freezer case, not the fridge.
Come brunchtime, this amiable bistro displays a delicate touch.
A flat but scenic landscape.
"The strawberry is awesome," she said.
Fateh ($15), bread bits cooked in gravy and topped with minced lamb, was our large group's clear favorite on a cool, drizzly evening.
Good, strong brew here (about $2) from Gorilla Coffee, a "micro-roastery" in Park Slope. Free refills — which also seemed to be the case with the lemonade, iced coffee, and iced tea. Sue, Kathi, and Gil live nearby, and they're very fond of the food, too.
Boerum Hill Food Company
134 Smith St. (Bergen-Dean Sts.), Brooklyn
718-222-0140
(This venue is closed.) Beef brisket on challah with mustard ($3, at least at the Atlantic Antic) was dry, and the bread was too sweet for my taste.
Nosh Delicatessen
214 Atlantic Ave. (at Court St.), Brooklyn
718-596-2EAT
Here the focus is on the sweets and savories in one long row of display cases. The filling in my spinach pie ($2) was good, but the wrapper was less like a pastry and more like a bread. I've had plenty of great desserts here on other occasions, though; must come back soon.
Damascus Bread and Pastry Shop
195 Atlantic Ave. (Clinton-Court Sts.), Brooklyn
719-625-7070
Most days this is just what you might picture for a Middle Eastern market — a carefully selected array of bulk products like spices, nuts, dried fruit, grains, and beans that gently intrudes into the aisles; more goods stacked on the counter, on shelves, and wherever else there's room. For the Antic, this grocery also showed off its catering moves; too bad a picture can't show how the juices sizzle each time they spin the shwarma.
Oriental Pastry & Grocery Co.
170 Atlantic Ave. (Clinton-Court Sts.), Brooklyn
718-875-7687
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Walked the Atlantic Antic this afternoon with my friends Sue, Kathi, Gil, and Jim. Since we'd just entered at one end of the festival, I started off light with a grilled sardine ($2), juiced with a squeeze of lemon. Sue got the paella; very moist, from the couple of tastes I managed.
La Mancha
135 Atlantic Ave. (Henry-Clinton Sts.), Brooklyn
718-797-1975
I'd revisit a number of beers from the Brazen Head's Cask Ale Festival, especially the spicy Heavyweight Ginger Altbier. With food I'd give another go to the bitter Dark Star, the hoppy amber Inveralmond Thrappledouser, and the Blue Point Oak Aged Imperial Stout. The Magic Hat HI.P.A. (pronounced "High P.A.?") helped me understand what it means for a beer to be "grassy"; I'd order this again, too, if only to see if I could find some food to pair with it. For me, none of these will serve as a "session beer," but I have a few more "familiar faces" I can look forward to seeing again.
The Brazen Head
228 Atlantic Ave. (Court St.-Boerum Pl.)
718-488-0430
