Stopped by Union Pizza Works a while back for brunch, because it was clearly the easiest place to get a table in the area. Everywhere else was packed. I’m not sure why this place was pretty empty. Nice spacious spot. Good looking menu. My breakfast pizza tasted good. ello, Jefftown?
Union Pizza Works – 423 Troutman St (b/t Wyckoff Ave & St Nicholas Ave in Bushwick) Brooklyn, NY 11237
Tutu’s is a hip looking restaurant bar in Bushwick. Looks like a cool place for outdoor brunch in the summer. I went after work one night, during Happy Hour (which is until 8pm). Seemed like I should partake in the Burger and Beer Happy Hour deal $10, but went with what sounded really good to me –Braised Lamb Shank. It was just meh. Not worth $24 to me.
So then I ordered the Burger and Beer special $10, because fuck it. That’s a good deal and a pretty darn good burger. Just needed a little salt. But really good.
Tutu’s – 25 Bogart St (between Varet St & Rock St) Brooklyn, NY 11206
When Cafe Ghia is too packed for brunch, I think Arepera Guacuco is an adequate backup.
I got the Desayuno Capitalino (Perico (which is scrambled eggs with tomato and onions), shredded beef, paisa cheese, black beans and a plain arepa $10). It was good, but you know what really took it over the top? The sauces! There’s three sauces in squeeze bottles. Peruvian/Venezuelan creamy green sauce, whatever that is, it rules. Also there’s a orange chipotle mayo type sauce and a green chile pepper sauce.
Shit. I’d just go for the sauces. Can I just order a beer and the sauces?
Arepera Guacuco – 44 Irving Ave (between Jefferson St & Troutman St in Bushwick) Brooklyn, NY 11237
Wow, this is some of the best Mexican food I’ve ever had. I saw a friend post about this place, Tacqueria Izucar in Bushwick on Facebook. I looked it up. It’s a favorite of the Village Voice with their Veal Flank Tacos ($1.50 each), making it their Best Restaurant in Bushwick 2014.
I went with the Mole Enchilada $10 with Chicken. I asked if I could have it with both half and half red and green sauce, but she didn’t seem like it was possible. So I went with the red. She said it was spicier. Okay, for some reason, I always thought green was spicier or the same level of heat. But red makes more sense. Before I moved to New York, I thought red was supposed to be spicier. Anyway, it was spicy, but really really good.
The place is small and the seating is limited to the counter. But there is a TV that was playing hockey. I just sat near the window and stared out and enjoyed my meal and wiped the sweat off my forehead.
Tacqueria Izucar – 1503 Myrtle Ave (between Linden St & Gates Ave in Bushwick) Brooklyn, NY 11237
It’s always packed at Cafe Ghia in Bushwick during brunch. I’ve come here several times and saw the wait, so I just left. But one time I came really super late for brunch. Got to sit at the bar. Ordered the Mofongo (Mashed fried green plantains with bacon, over easy egg and avocado $12). Pretty good.
There’s always walking tours of Bushwick art in the area. Pretty interesting. Bushwick used to be pretty dumpy. Now it’s a hipster street art scene and you see white tourists taking walking tours of the neighborhood. Kinda weird, but I guess it makes sense. There was an SNL skit about the gentrification of Bushwick this past Saturday. I don’t think it’s really like this, but I guess it’s kind of funny. …Okay, I just watched it again. It’s funny.
Cafe Ghia – 24 Irving Ave (@ Jefferson St) Brooklyn, NY 11237
The night before Veteran’s Day was pretty eventful. I know I drank a lot, but what I can remember is that I went to the opening reception of Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami’s new exhibit at the Gagosian Gallery. I’ve never seen so many hipsters and Asians in one place since I looked in the mirror.
I love Murakami’s work and this was some awesome stuff. Now I have a question. If it’s free to see his art, how do they make money? Murakami or the gallery? Do they sell this stuff? And who has the space in their NY apartment to hold these gigantic sculptures?
Then I went to Housing Works to check out the Night School: Lowbrow Lectures, where they talked about things like “The Quantum Mechanics of Time Travel in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” “Hello Kitty is a Cat: A Polemic,” “The Ron Swanson of the 18th Century,†and “The Complete History of Cats on the Internet.†I remembered getting pissed off at the guy who made fun of Tim Tebow with an animated GIF of the football bouncing off Tebow’s head to make a point about time travel. What a dick.
Then I headed back to Bushwick and hung out at Cobra Club for quarter of Monday Night Football. Then ended up at The Bodega where there was more football. I got a the Basic German Sausage (Grilled Krainerwurst from Ridgewood’s Karl Ehmer, served on pretzel roll with sauerkraut and chips $8). It was really good. Cam Newton wasn’t.
The Bodega – 24 St Nicholas Ave (@ Troutman St) Brooklyn 11237
Now that I live in Bushwick, I can have one of the best burgers ever at Fritzl’s. However, I chose the “Palace” Fried Chicken Sandwich instead –Homemade chicken patty (brined breast and thigh) with lettuce and mayo on a roll $9. That sounds really good and it was.
I assume it’s modeled after Palace Fried Chicken restaurants that’s around New York. This tasted like a really good Burger King Chicken Sandwich …or a Palace Fried Chicken Sandwich. Instead of a ground/mashed up formed frozen patty, it’s real bits of chicken formed into a crispy hockey puck.
You know what I think makes it taste especially good is the mayo and shredded lettuce. Something about that makes it taste good. I think SNL was right on target when they made this skit about a new fake KFC item called KFC Shredders –a bag of lettuce where you put mayo and then shake.
Then I remember McDonald’s soon followed and made something very similar called Salad Shakers, where you shake up the lettuce and dressing in a sundae cup. Or maybe SNL was making fun of McDonald’s, but I remember the timing was the other way around.
Fritzl’s Lunch Box – 173 Irving Ave (btwn Stanhope St & Stockholm St in Bushwick) Brooklyn, NY 11237
I ordered the big Feast Combination lunch special ($12) at Bunna Cafe and when it came out, the girls sitting next to me were like “that’s as big as ours” and they were two people. They thought they got jipped. I didn’t respond to them because I was nervous. Then they asked the server why my order was so big compared to theirs. She said it was because I ordered the Feast and not just the lunch combination. I guess that makes sense.
Then I thought I heard the next guy to sit down next to me order the Feast. But his plate was so much smaller.
Okay, here’s what I think might have happened:
1) Maybe that’s just the size of the Feast. So get that. It’s a much better deal. A lot more food.
2) Maybe the chef made a platter for two by mistake. And since it would be more wasteful to throw it away and make another plate for one, they just gave me that.
3) Maybe they saw me taking photos of the menu and assumed I was food bloggging. So better make a good impression.
Anyway it was good food. Bunna Cafe is vegan however. I did miss the meat more than I thought I would. But it was still good.
I ate here because I just had a tooth extraction and was only supposed to eat soft food. But a stalk of the beets when straight into my gum hole.
Bunna Cafe – 1084 Flushing Ave (b/t Varick Ave & Knickerbocker Ave) Brooklyn, NY 11237
