Brooklyn Bike Tour

Last weekend, I braved the cold and ventured on a 16 mile bike ride throughout Brooklyn, from Williamsburg, whizzing under the Williamsburg bridge (above) through prettier neighborhoods of Brooklyn, including Fort Greene below. Maybe I live in the wrong neighborhood, I pondered during the ride.

I stopped in Park Slope to visit Bierkraft, because I was really interested in checking it out. It was a bit overwhelming at first, but I like that the beers are organized by region so that was able to focus on selecting a New York state beer, because I am trying to drink local whenever I can. And the cheese selection! What a great idea to sell beer and cheese - it's not just all about the wine and cheese anymore. I came up with this plan to get beers and cheese and have a picnic in Prospect Park. It was cold, but I managed, on a lovely bench by the lake as the sun set. My favorite cheese is Doddington, a cheddary English cheese, so I asked to try a new cheese that would similarly appeal to my palate and was given a cheese called Licolnshire, but Doddington still remains the champion in my cheese quest. Taste it, you won't be disappointed!


And by the way, Prospect Park is amazing! This was my first time, and I had no idea it was so woodsy and spacious. It fills that void in my life that Central Park just doesn't because Central Park never allows you to feel that you've escaped the city, but Prospect Park does.


After a ride around the park, and craft beers at some bars on 4th Avenue that did not live up to their reviews, I capped off the evening with dinner at Flatbush Farm , which I have been looking forward to for a while. Their menu is filled with seasonal vegetables and organic meat, sourced from New York state farms, at least I think so. As a burgeoning locavore, I was very excited to support this restaurant. To my dismay, there was a 30 minute wait for the restaurant room. But no problem! They simply directed me next door to the bar where I was still able to have a table and order from the restaurant menu. I don't really understand why they bother having a bar separate from the restaurant.


I love oysters, but haven't been able to indulge as much since oyster prices went up. Hence only five oysters as an appetizer below, but delicious they were. Slurp!




Since I'd been munching all day, I split one entree with my dinner partner, and we chose the half chicken with collard greens. It was the most delicious, meaty chicken I've had in a while, and the collard greens were as good as ... greens are. I could say more, but by that point in the night I was sufficiently liquored up that I don't remember much more than the dark, warm, ambiance of the restaurant and warm fuzzy glow in my stomach from the food.