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BESTOFBROOKLYN2017

BEST OF BROOKLYN FESTIVAL SATURDAY JANUARY 28 INDUSTRY CITY Bogota Latin Bistro www.bogotabistro.com Bogota Latin Bistro, a Fifth Avenue institution, is the best spot for Colombian and Latin food in Park Slope. The inside’s got a funky vibe with colorful murals celebrating Latino culture that will take your mind to the tropics, no matter the weather outside. What will really transport you are the rural Colombian dishes, like the “bandeja paisa” (Spanish for “mountain platter”), a serving of grilled steak, “chicharron” (fried pork skin), “arepa” (white cornmeal cake), rice, beans, fried egg, “maduros” (sweet plantains) and avocado. And they’re open for brunch, lunch and dinner. And they cater! SPREAD Giovanni's Brooklyn Eats www.giovannisbrooklyneats.com Hearkening back to the days when South Slope was a largely Italian neighborhood, Giovanni's is the place for real Italian comfort food. Owner and Brooklyn native Giovanni Tafuri opened this restaurant with the goal of bringing some of his family to you. Dishes like Luca’s Lasagna, Spaghetti alla Calabrese and their signature dish, Nonna’s Famous Meatballs, are all recipes passed down through his family. Those, along with the family heirlooms and photos of the Tafuri family past, make you feel like you're stepping into a living room in the Old Country. If you grew up without your Nonna telling you to "mangia, mangia!" come on by Giovanni's and get a feel for being part of the family. Bareburger www.bareburger.com Bareburger may span the globe with 41 locations in 5 countries, but it all started in Brooklyn. Back in 2002 Euripides Pelekanos and his family opened a dive bar, performing art space and music venue in Bed-Stuy. They also sold organic, grass-fed burgers on the side. Soon after the Pelekanos realized people wanted the burgers most of all, so they opened the fi rst Bareburger in 2009. Not 10 years later they're slinging patties the world over. The impetus for this explosive growth is — you guessed it — incredible burgers. All ingredients are free of pesticides and GMOS, cage-free, pasture-raised and the highest quality. This is how you make a name in a crowded burger market. Miti Miti: Modern Mexican www.mitimitinyc.com Opened as recently as 2015, Miti Miti is a newcomer to the Park Slope food scene. But its provenance goes back farther, being the second restaurant opened by George Constantinou and Farid Ali Lancheros, the owners of wildly successful Bogota Latin Bistro. Miti Miti off ers Mexican fare with a twist. Classic fajitas, empanadas, ceviche and quesadillas sit alongside 14 diff erent types of tacos (!). And they just recently expanded Taco Tuesday (kind of like a happy-hour for our tortilla-wrapped friends) to fi ve nights a week. Perfect for a date or just taking a solo trip to Taco Town. Kulushkat www.kulushkat.com Kulushkat is Hebrew for "Shut up and eat!" Of course, it's said with love, especially coming from the owners' grandma, who insisted food come fi rst. This philosophy guides the restaurant, which off ers mostly vegan Israeli and Middle Eastern dishes. Simple favorites like falafel, hummus and stuff ed grape leaves will surprise you with complex fl avors, thanks to high quality, local and allnatural ingredients. There are also delicious all-natural chicken, beef and lamb dishes, too. In case you're wondering, all veg and non-veg dishes are cooked separately, so you can share company with a meat-eating pal, but not the meat. Cafe Grumpy www.cafegrumpy.com Cafe Grumpy is the ur-Brooklyn coff ee shop and roaster. With name-dropped fame from HBO’s «Girls,» a successful wholesale business and locations throughout the city, it’s easy to forget that Cafe Grumpy started with one shop in Greenpoint. Since then they’ve grown into a city institution, but haven’t lost that local appeal. And the coff ee is still so damn good. 1166 BBEESSTT OOFF BBRROOOOKKLLYYNN 22001177 •• wwiinnnnEERRS SG UGIUDEiD •E B • EBSETSOTOFBFKBK.C.OCOMM Ho’Brah www.hobrahtacos.com Ho’Brah is what you say when you’re about to tell your buddy about Ho’Brah’s tacos or what you utter once you bite into their Baja Street Corn. Ho’Brah is an attention getter from Hawaiian surfer slang used by the owners as they travelled the world looking for the best tacos known to man. Once satisfi ed with what they found, they brought the tasty Mexicali cuisine to Bay Ridge, merging it with a chill vibe you usually only fi nd on Oahu. Empanada Papa www.instagram.com/empanadapapanyc LIC Flea market favorite Empanada Papa is a relative newcomer to the NY food truck scene, but no shrinking violet. They claim to have the best empanadas in the city; we might have to agree. They’re perfectly fried -- not too crispy, not too soft. And Papa’s not afraid to depart from traditional street fair style. Exotic fl avors like guava and cheese and churro empanadas are so deliciously sweet and savory, they justify the hyperbole. Kings Highway Bakery www.kingshighwaybakery.com Kings Highway Bakery storefront may seem understated, but that's only because their baked goods are good enough to speak for themselves. This traditional Brooklyn bakery is where locals keep coming back for freshbaked Italian and French breads, cannoli, cookies, doughnuts and everything else gluten and good! Chavela's www.chavelasnyc.com Way back when, Chavela's was a tiny, crowded fi ve-table bistro on Classon Avenue. From such an austere beginning grew one of the best Mexican restaurants this side of the East River. Now their new home on Franklin takes up two storefronts and is always fi lled to the brim with happy diners. The guacamole is thick and chunky — enough almost to spoil your appetite. But you always fi nd room for their tortas, quesadillas and, oh, the tacos (get the Nopales, seriously). Add to that an awesome beer and tequila selection and incredible sweet breads and you've got one hell of a meal. Gourmet Fit www.gourmetfi t.net Gourmet Fit Kitchen has brought the concept of healthy eating to a traditional, sit-down restaurant. These aren’t just bean sprouts and raw kale dishes — they make healthy food you want to eat! Check out the hummus and guac’ appetizer. The wild salmon and tuna are incredible — and good for you. You’ll also fi nd burgers made with grass-fed beef, organic everything (even the beer and wine!) and even delightful, light desserts. Go on, you’ve earned it. Beehive Oven www.beehiveoven.com Born out of a spontaneous charitable food stand after Hurricane Sandy, the BeeHive Oven has become the place for Texas comfort food in Brooklyn. Husband and wife team John and Chef Treva Chadwell are native Texans off ering nearly two dozen diff erent types of biscuits, Southern treats like shrimp and grits and chicken-fried steak and now a wide beer selection. Check out their new cook booklet and bring some of that Texas taste home with you. Coney Shack www. twitter.com/ConeyShack Coney Shack is a food truck serving Southeast Asian-inspired tacos, plus American beach fare like burritos, quesadillas, grilled cheese and hot dogs. You’ll fi nd them all around the city — even Midtown for lunch. Just follow their Twitter feed and keep an eye out for the Coney Island «Funny Face» on the black and red truck. TICKETS AVAILABLE AT BESTOFBROOKLYNFEST.COM


BESTOFBROOKLYN2017
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