"Sweet black apricots" ($3.38 per pound) read the sign, but after buying a half-dozen and getting under their skins, I'm not convinced that these were anything other than pluots, and plummy ones at that.
Eco Gourmet Market
1701 McDonald Ave. (at Ave O), Midwood, Brooklyn
Surviving signage, Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn
The storefront and decor aren't much to see. At The Orchard, all eyes are on the produce, for which you will pay dearly; the lack of overlarge price tags suggests as much. A cherimoya, about the size of a softball and half again as heavy, cost $10, but this was a fair price for a handsome specimen that would also help me to benchmark less shapely cherimoyas in Chinatown.
As it happens, the cherimoya shown here is not the same one I purchased that day. I couldn't pin down the cultivar with certainty, and the crate at The Orchard had offered no clue, but a fruit label with the name Santa Barbara Exotics offered a lead. The California farm grows three varieties, according to owner Peter Nichols: Lisa, Bay, and White. Based on my after-the-fact description — I'd already scooped clean the super-creamy flesh, evocative of pear and pineapple, at a single sitting — Mr. Nichols opined that the Lisa cultivar was most likely.
After follow-up research, I'm confident he was correct. Shortly thereafter Mr. Nichols kindly shipped me several end-of-season cherimoyas of all three varieties, clearly labeled, as well as a half-dozen tennis-ball-size white sapotes to help fill in the gaps between the larger fruits. This fully ripened Lisa cherimoya, whose skin, not atypically, had turned slightly brown but whose flesh remained resolutely white, was one share of that booty.
The Orchard
1367 Coney Island Ave. (Ave. J-Cary Ct.), Midwood, Brooklyn
718-377-1799
www.OrchardFruit.com
(This venue is closed.) This tiny satellite kitchen turns out red-sauce fare that's been squeezed out of the celebrated and busy pizza ovens at nearby Di Fara. No rush jobs here: The contents of these meatball and eggplant heroes (each $6.50, plus 50 cents for parmigiana) spent a good ten minutes bubbling in the oven. Note also the blackened end of the second roll. At my dining buddy's request, a good portion of the crumb was hollowed out, after which the roll was toasted well done.
Seats are few; unless your timing is exquisite, figure on taking your order to go.
MD Kitchen
1012 East 15th St. (Ave. J-Ave. K), Midwood, Brooklyn
917-789-9556
Closed Monday
This cinnamon strudel ($6 per pound) was very moist despite being dairy-free, my dining buddy observed. Also available in poppy, chocolate, and one variety that appeared to be almost 50 percent raisins.
Isaac's Bake Shop
1419 Ave. J (14th-15th Sts.), Midwood, Brooklyn
718-377-9291
Closed Saturday
The map of Moldova, hanging in the cafe-like front of the restaurant, was almost comical in its lack of context. Only through diligent inspection (and some head-twisting, to read text set down at several different angles) did I confirm that the country is bordered by Ukraine to the north, east, and south, and by Romania to the west.
(This venue is closed.) Stopped for a bite, stayed for a drink.
(This venue is closed.) Cyrillic letters point to Eastern Europe; a silhouette in the colors of the national flag specifies the cuisine.
Rib-sticking fare, confectionary department: Mansoura's take on Turkish delight has an unusually high payload of chopped pistachios. The rosewater-scented gel that binds their loukoum, as it's also called, is firmer than most, too. This 200-plus-year-old family business — which quietly marked its 50th anniversary in Brooklyn earlier this year — makes many other specialties from the Middle East and the Mediterranean. How to choose? On this occasion, I had what many other customers were having: My quarter-pound order ($4.80, at $20 per pound) cleaned out the tray.
Mansoura Pastries
515 Kings Highway (East 2nd-East 3rd Sts.), Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn
718-645-7977
www.Mansoura.com
Closed Saturday, and on Sunday in July and August
All sorts. Also seeds.
Thank you!
