Durian doesn't play well with others. The spiky husk requires careful handling, to be sure, but the "king of fruits" is most notorious for the pungency of its custardlike flesh. Few shops make durian ice cream, out of concern that the scent will get into everything.
The smaller bagel is a vanishing breed in New York, but at Bagel Hole, it thrives.
(This venue is closed.) There's the beef.
Not every patacón is a sandwich.
The immediate past tenant of this building seems to have been New Wing & Sing Poultry. The inspiration for the sculpted, colored decorations on the facade (click for a closer look) is more intriguing, and still a mystery.
Al-Noor Halal Chicken
204 20th St. (Fourth-Fifth Aves.), Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
718-832-7338
(This post is based on a visit to the now-closed Cobble Hill location.) The sign was staring me in the face.
This Israeli-staffed eatery styles it "fish and chips," but in the little pitcher, that's not tartar sauce, let alone malt vinegar.
Chop, chop.
Roma Pizza's facade was already wearin' the green, so at least in color, the St. Patrick's decorations coordinate nicely. Basil leaves trimmed like shamrocks wouldn't be worth the hassle, but a few rashers of fatty bacon sliced onto a pizza — there'd be your "pot o' gold." As it is, Roma offers meatballs, sausage, and pepperoni for your pie, but there's no bacon at the end of the rainbow.
Roma Pizza
85 Seventh Ave. (Berkeley Pl.-Union St.), Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-783-7334
Where to wait, presumably, before you're led to your (s)table.
Bar(n)
at Flatbush Farm
76 St. Marks Ave. (near Sixth Ave.), Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-622-3276
At a place that proudly flies the Southern Cross, on both the national flag and the flag of the Eureka Stockade, you'd never expect grub from the Great White North — unless you knew that one of the owners is French-Canadian, with a soft spot for loose cheese curds on crisp fries. Unlike the top-heavy dinosaur once prepared by The Inn LW12 (but now extinct), the only other component of Sheep Station's trim, classic poutine ($6) is a thin brown peppery sauce.
Some customers order the poutine for takeaway, I'm told, with sauce on the side to be heated later; to me, it seems ideal for this Australian restaurant's front barroom, though I have yet to determine the perfect poutine-to-pint proportion.
Sheep Station
149 Fourth Ave. (at Douglass St.), Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-857-4337
www.SheepStation.net
Red or green, it's great with oatmeal.
My pizza arrived with blistering speed.
We're not talking dessert here; we're talking savory grab-and-go grub, Aussie-Kiwi style.
Boneless chicken dinner (50 cents).
La Bagel Delight
284 Seventh Ave. (6th-7th Sts.), Park Slope, Brooklyn
(one of several locations)
718-768-6107
www.LaBagelDelight.com
For a frozen dessert, it's about as drab as they come, but if this peanut butter ice (small; $2) is any indication, sign me up for a tour of the menu.
When it was "dragged through the garden," this Chicago dog ($3) picked up relish, onions, lettuce, tomato, and a pickle spear, but the sport peppers eluded the harvest; I missed the traditional poppy seed bun, too.
Hot Diggity Dog
263 Prospect Park West (16th St.-Windsor Pl.), Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn
718-499-0008
Until recently this storefront sold pet supplies; renovations by a new tenant revealed stained glass from a soda fountain called Wetter's. Now the glass has been covered again, but only for a short time; The Pizza Place is a fictional setting (click for a better view, and note the 555 telephone exchange) for a new movie called "I Hate Valentine's Day." In the near future the building will house a second outlet of Slope Cellars, a wine and spirits store on Seventh Ave.; expect stained glass, but no slices.
The Pizza Place
216 Prospect Park West, Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn
Former home of Wetter's, future home of Slope Cellars
Like the sign says, they don't do French.
American Spoon's preserves and fruit spreads are fabulous. Their cherry mustard (9 oz.; $6.95) — rusty red, with a thin consistency — is tangy out of a spoon, but you'll need to ladle on a healthy amount if your wurst is well-seasoned. Even in the face of a mild-mannered ham-and-cheese sandwich, it's a little timid.
This specialty grocer and market is compact but intriguingly well-stocked; I already regret passing up the Spanish pressed cake of green papaya and almonds.
Blue Apron Foods
812 Union St. (Seventh-Eighth Aves.), Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-230-3180
Thank you!
