(This venue is closed.) Fig buttermilk pie, from a modest storefront on a nondescript block that I walked down by happenstance. Now on my map.
Pels Pie Co.
446 Rogers Ave. (Lincoln Rd.-Lefferts Ave.), Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn
347-350-5906
www.PelsPieCo.com
The top layer is a cinnamon-scented crumble; beneath it is a custardlike layer of mashed sweetened navy beans. I'll bet that the sweet potato, pecan, and coconut are good, too, but at Abu's, I always fall back on the bean pie. See more about its history.
Abu's Homestyle Bakery
1184 Fulton St. (Franklin-Bedford Aves.), Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
718-230-1115
www.AbusBakery.com
Chosen as much for the dressing as for the filling: crab roll with warm garlic butter, on a toasted potato roll.
The Crabby Shack
154 Clinton Ave. (Myrtle-Park Aves.), Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
718-596-6555
Also at 613 Franklin Ave. (Dean-Bergen Sts.), Crown Heights
718-484-1507
www.TheCrabbyShack.com
Doubles are typically eaten by hand, like a burger, but even when unwrapped carefully, they're very difficult to photograph unless you set them down just so. (Same goes for this sloppy joe.) A basic order of doubles (that's the singular) consists of two baras, or fried flatbreads, that sandwich a layer of curried channa, or chickpeas. By all accounts, doubles are a popular street food in their native Trinidad and Tobago; despite that country's considerable community in New York, however, only the Trini Paki Boys, in Midtown, seem to sell doubles from a cart. Just as well, if you'd rather sit.
A&A Bake & Doubles Shop
1337 Fulton St. (Nostrand Ave.-Verona Pl.), Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
347-425-0016
www.AandABakeDoublesandRotiShop.com
Closed Sunday
(This post is based on a visit to the shop's original location, about a half-mile south.) Attaining the gelatinous texture of cow-heel soup (above) takes time. Pepperpot (below), a dish perhaps even more beloved in its native Guyana, is lacquered with a sauce based on cassareep (Cazh-uh-rip). This reduction of cassava-root juice has a bittersweet character that's tempered by chile pepper, brown sugar, and other seasonings. My dining buddy noted lots of clove. This version featured beef and — you gotta have it — more cow heel.
German's Soup
410 Utica Ave. (Crown-Montgomery Sts.), Crown Heights, Brooklyn
718-831-6713
www.Facebook.com/GermansSoupBrooklyn
The Garifuna Indigenous People of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (GIPSVG) parted ways, more than two centuries ago, with the Garifuna of coastal Central America; that their festival foods are so different is little surprise. No judutu here. My smoke herring platter was filled out by madungo bakes, made from arrowroot starch, and what might look like a typical humdrum potato salad — except those are chunks of breadfruit. Usually my dining buddies and I take pains to avoid duplicating dishes, but for breadfruit salad we made an exception.
Also shown: tri-tri, well-seasoned fish fritters; a thin, granular, griddled flatbread called cassava bam bam; ducuna, a sweet potato dumpling; and a peanut sugar cookie, no explanation needed.
GIPSVG Annual Culture Pot
Friends-Crown Heights Education Center, 1435 Prospect Pl. (Utica-Rochester Aves.), Crown Heights, Brooklyn
www.Facebook.com/events/591037551267801
(The 2018 festival was held on August 11)
Many West African meals consist of a starch and a protein-enhanced sauce or soup. The first, often served on the side but sometimes deposited directly in the main bowl, is employed to scoop up the second. In matters of texture, some people new to these cuisines are put off by fufu, a thick paste of cassava generally blended with green plantain. During a group lunch at Akwaaba ("welcome," in the Akan language of Ghana), our yellowish wad of fufu sank down and spread out under its own weight. That's typical.
When sold by the slice rather than by the stick, West Indian pastries are invariably cut on the bias to show off as much filling as possible. Allan's offered an additional enticement: Although we stopped by during the middle of a weekday afternoon, this coconut roll was still warm from the oven. My buddy's currant roll was even better.
Allan's Bakery
1109 Nostrand Ave. (Maple-Midwood Sts.), Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn
718-774-7892
www.Facebook.com/AllansBakery
Shortbread crust, savory custardy filling, post-Thanksgiving portion: Guyanese cheese pie ($1.50).
East Coast Restaurant
658 Rogers Ave. (Clarkson-Parkside Aves.), Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn
718-450-8393
(This post is based on a visit to the Park Slope location, now closed.) Shades of brown: a sampler of still hot-to-the-touch falafel. Color, and Israeli bona fides, provided by a countertop display of imported amba, hot peppers, pickles in brine, and tahini.
Kulushkat
1137 Washington Ave. (Lefferts Ave.-Lincoln Rd.), Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn
347-378-2514
www.Kulushkat.com
Thank you!
