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Guide to Brooklyn

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Where to Eat & Drink

Al Di Là
Unimpeachably authentic Northern Italian (braised rabbit, stewed tripe), served in your Nonna’s homey parlor. You’ll wait an hour for a table, then be grateful you did.
248 Fifth Ave., Park Slope; 718/ 783-4565; www.aldilatrattoria.com; dinner for two $60.

Alma
Casual, ever popular spot serving nouvelle Mexican with a side of wow: the view of Manhattan from the covered rooftop is breathtaking.
187 Columbia St., Columbia Waterfront District; 718/643-5400; www.almarestaurant.com; dinner for two $65.

Applewood
A folksy, hearth-warmed room sets the scene for farm-fresh cooking at this creative mom-and-pop op (literally—the owners’ toddler is usually in the house).
501 11th St., Park Slope; 718/768-2044; www.applewoodny.com; dinner for two $75.

Beast
Brooklyn’s most inventive tapas bar, where the wild things are on the walls (an odd mythological-monsters theme) and the plates (short ribs braised in Guinness, a pickled fennel–and-feta salad).
638 Bergen St., Prospect Heights; 718/399-6855; dinner for two $40.

Blue Ribbon Brooklyn
Roomier, friendlier, and better than the acclaimed SoHo original, with a superb raw bar and a comically diverse menu of American comfort food (fried chicken, Caesar salad, a pupu platter). A branch of the great Blue Ribbon Sushi (718/840-0408) is next door at No. 278.
280 Fifth Ave., Park Slope; 718/840-0404; www.blueribbonrestaurants.com; dinner for two $60.

Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory
The obsessives at BICF make only eight basic flavors (hey, remember plain old "chocolate" and "vanilla"?)—but take the time to get each exactly right. Bonus: Grimaldi’s Pizzeria (718/858-4300) with its coal-oven pies is waiting just steps away.
Fulton Ferry Landing Pier, Dumbo; 718/246-3963.

Di Fara Pizza
It’s everything I promise it is…I promise. Don’t come expecting silverware. Or speed.
1424 Ave. J, Midwood; 718/258-1367; whole pizzas from $15.

Dressler
The latest from the owner of Williamsburg’s beloved Dumont, this gorgeous bistro goes one better, with bold flavors (striped bass with chorizo, broccoli rabe, and cockles) and equally forceful design (Baroque-style chandeliers, ornately filigreed dark-wood paneling).
149 Broadway, Williamsburg; 718/384-6343; www.dresslernyc.com; dinner for two $60.

Frankies 457 Spuntino
Brick walls, plain wood tables, sultry lighting, and the occasional Hollywood star (Kate Hudson, Liv Tyler, Leo DiCaprio) set the rustic-yet-urbane vibe at CG’s hippest restaurant. It helps to have great food, from delectable greens to knockout salumi to a perfect cavatelli with sausage and sage butter.
457 Court St., Carroll Gardens; 718/403-0033; www.frankiesspuntino.com; dinner for two $65.

Franny’s
Yes, the brick oven–fired pizza is fabulous (try the clams, chile, and parsley combo). But the secret weapon is the carefully sourced produce, like the delicate pea shoots served with braised squid, and an unassuming salad laced with powerful herbs.
295 Flatbush Ave., Prospect Heights; 718/230-0221; www.frannysbrooklyn.com; dinner for two $50.

The Good Fork
It’s Korean-meets-French-bistro food (crispy sweetbreads; steak with kimchi, rice, and a fried egg) at this tiny, low-key room on Red Hook’s burgeoning foodie strip.
391 Van Brunt St., Red Hook; 718/643-6636; www.goodfork.com; dinner for two $60.

The Grocery
There’s no flash or attitude at this 30-seat, husband-and-wife-owned jewel in Smith Street’s crown—just assured, inspired, greenmarket-based cooking that would fetch twice these prices in Manhattan.
288 Smith St., Carroll Gardens; 718/596-3335; dinner for two $90.

Jacques Torres Chocolate
French expat Torres is New York’s best and most imaginative chocolate maker; this tiny shop attached to his waterfront factory sells—or, rather, exhibits?—his artful creations.
66 Water St., Dumbo; 718/875-9772; www.mrchocolate.com.

Marlow & Sons
Bracing Malpeques, hearty fish stew, and ethereal Spanish tortillas are highlights at this funky oyster bar/tapas joint/épicerie (there’s a shop in front selling featured ingredients).
81 Broadway, Williamsburg; 718/384-1441; www.marlowandsons.com; dinner for two $55.

The Orchard
The city’s finest fruit selection, bar none (it’s certainly the most expensive). Stop in before the obligatory visit to Di Fara, around the corner.
1367 Coney Island Ave., Midwood; 718/377-1799; www.orchardfruit.com.

Peter Luger
Everyone knows Luger’s has the best straight-ahead porterhouse in NYC, but did you know about the fantastic burger served only at lunch? Now you do.
178 Broadway, Williamsburg; 718/387-7400; www.peterluger.com; dinner for two $110.

St. Helen Café
Impeccable lattes are the lure at this handsome, intimate café. Sip one next to the carp pond in the backyard garden.
150 Wythe Ave., Williamsburg; 718/302-1197.

Sette Enoteca E Cucina
An alluring, vine-fringed patio, a reasonably priced wine list, and earthy Italian cooking (like a great pappardelle with oxtail) make this a local favorite in the Slope—Steve Buscemi’s here every week.
207 Seventh Ave., Park Slope; 718/499-7767; dinner for two $80.

Sixpoint Craft Ales
The best beer in the city is made by two twentysomethings who met at the University of Wisconsin, won a bunch of home-brewing prizes, then relocated to Brooklyn and took over a small, disused brewery in Red Hook. Two years on, Shane and Andrew are local heroes, and their seriously quirky, unfiltered, uncategorizable beers (is that a pale ale or a hefeweizen?) are on tap at New York’s top restaurants. Drop by at 1 p.m. on Saturday for the extremely casual tour and tasting.
Behind Liberty Heights Tap Room, 34 Van Dyke St., Red Hook; 646/ 924-9365; www.sixpointcraftales.com.

Tanoreen
Dinner way out in Bay Ridge? Sign us up, if we’re having Rawia Bishara’s revelatory Middle Eastern food (tender braised lamb, garlicky stewed eggplant, luscious zahtar-topped flatbread), which puts her competition in Manhattan to shame.
7704 Third Ave., Bay Ridge; 718/748-5600; www.tanoreen.com; dinner for two $55.

Thanh Da II
A closet-size shop where local Vietnamese kids indulge their cravings for banh mi: barbecued pork, ham, pâté, cilantro, and pickled vegetables, served on a warm and crusty baguette. Follow it with a savory bowl of phô (beef noodle soup) at nearby Phô Cho Lon (5604 Eighth Ave., 718/492-1592).
5624 Eighth Ave., Sunset Park; 718/492-3760; banh mi from $3.

Where To Go Out

Barbès
Speaking of the French: This unerringly hip, Gallic-owned live-music club runs the gamut from washboard swing and Reinhardt-style guitar jazz to quwwali and klezmer.
376 Ninth St., Park Slope; 718/965-9177; www.barbesbrooklyn.com.

Bar Tabac
The liveliest of several bistro-cum-watering holes jostling for lead position in Brooklyn’s burgeoning Little Paris (actually, the funky feel is more like Little Marseilles).
128 Smith St., Cobble Hill; 718/923-0918.

Brooklyn Social
Packed to the pressed-tin ceiling on weekend nights, agreeably lively most others.
335 Smith St., Carroll Gardens; 718/858-7758.

D.O.C.
Sardinian-style enoteca offering 40-odd Italian wines, tasty antipasti and crostini (as well as some larger plates), and the opportunity to feel like a totally clued-in local.
83 N. Seventh St., Williamsburg; 718/963-1925.

Larry Lawrence
Prettiest bar in the borough? Could be. The atmosphere recalls an outsized Finnish sauna, with acres of glowing pine and a glass-enclosed deck (except that isn’t steam, it’s cigarette smoke: the deck is one of NYC’s few remaining smoking areas). The crowd, most nights, is just as attractive.
295 Grand St., Williamsburg; 718/218-7866; www.larrylawrencebar.com.

Primorski
Funniest club in the borough? Definitely. This glitzy, schmaltzy, Russian-Georgian supper club hosts a nightly bacchanal replete with dinner, disco balls, drinking (a lot of drinking), and supremely cheesy live music that’s hardly changed since the place opened in 1981.
282 Brighton Beach Ave., Brighton Beach; 718/891-3111; www.primorski.net.

Zebulon
Some of the city’s hottest jazz and Afrobeat is performed every night—free—in this sultry, low-lit lounge, tucked in beside a motorcycle-repair shop. Look out for the explosive funk of Amayo’s Fu-Arkest-Ra (featuring the lead singer of the great Antibalas) and Malian talking-drum master Baye Kouyate, who tends bar here on his off nights.
258 Wythe Ave., Williamsburg; 718/218-6934; www.zebuloncafeconcert.com.

Where to Shop

Bark
Owner Linda Downey’s interior-design and clothing boutique is tactile heaven: Mongolian-lamb rugs, silk coverlets, hand-loomed striped blankets, and mohair throws.
495 Atlantic Ave., Boerum Hill; 718/625-8997; www.barkshop.com.

Bird
Impeccably curated women’s clothing boutique offering one-stop shopping for 718 hipsters. Stock ranges from denim by Australian cult label Sass & Bide to fancy frocks by NYC’s Philip Lim.
430 Seventh Ave., Park Slope; 718/768-4940; also at 220 Smith St., Cobble Hill; www.shopbird.com.

Brooklyn Flat
An outpost for whimsical, funky design. Ceramic salt-and-pepper shakers in the shape of chicken feet share space with silk-screened pillows by a local graphic artist.
150 Ainslie St., Williamsburg; 718/302-2138; www.brooklynflat.com.

Butter
An airy showcase for top fashion names such as Dries van Noten and Rick Owens. The shoe selection alone (Henry Beguelin, Ann Demeulemeester) inspires many a pilgrimage from Manhattan. New this summer: the Butter Outlet (103 Bond St., Boerum Hill; 718/260-9033).
389 Atlantic Ave., Boerum Hill; 718/260-9033.

Darr
A stuffed grizzly bear? Buddhist devotional statuary? Vintage card-catalog drawers? Antique maps? All are under one roof at this defiantly eclectic emporium.
369 Atlantic Ave., Boerum Hill; 718/797-9733; www.shopdarr.com.

Environment 337
Young parents from the playground across the street come to ogle Czech glassware and mod ceramic vases like kids at a candy store.
337 Smith St., Carroll Gardens; 718/ 522-1767; www.environment337.com.

The Future Perfect
If you hit only one design shop, make this the one.
115 N. Sixth St., Williamsburg; 718/599-6278; www.thefutureperfect.com.

Golden Calf
The Chinese and American antiques are unexpectedly high-quality for such a low-fi setting: the gritty margins of Williamsburg.
86 N. Sixth St., Williamsburg, 718/302-8800; www.goldencalf.net.

Matter
The housewares here range from kitschy items like Piet Houtenbos’s infamous grenade lamp to diminutive, high-concept products from other esteemed designers.
227 Fifth Ave., Park Slope; 718/ 230-1150; www.mattermatters.com.

Moon River Chattel
In a borough littered with beautiful old buildings, these architectural-salvage specialists sell an impressive range of hard-to-find fixtures and hardware.
62 Grand St., Williamsburg; 718/388-1121; www.moonriverchattel.com.

Otte
Once you get past the staff’s haughty (decidedly non-Brooklyn) attitude, you’ll find racks upon racks of flirty Vanessa Bruno, Ulla Johnson, and See by Chloe designs.
132 N. Fifth St., Williamsburg; 718/302-3007.

Sleep
A sumptuous bed in the store’s window is strewn with high-end lingerie (Cosabella, Eberjey, Leigh Bantivoglio)—perhaps the place should be called Stay Up All Night?
110 N. Sixth St., Williamsburg; 718/384-3211; www.sleepbrooklyn.com.

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