Just because we aren’t jet setting around Asia anymore, doesn’t mean we need to retire our explorers hats. So a few weeks ago Andrew and I set out to explore Red Hook Brooklyn. We are true Manhattanites so venturing out to Brooklyn is a real adventure into the unknown. After all I have somehow managed to only take the train to Brooklyn 3 times in my many years living in and around Manhattan – thanks mom and dad for always picking me up and carting me there and back! Well, I am happy to say, there is life outside Carroll Gardens and Williamsburg after all, and life well worth visiting. Below is a recount of the foodie tour we embarked on that lended to a well appreciated long digesting trip back to civilization…cough…Manhattan.
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The Transportation: Free Ferry to Ikea/Fairway
I love a good taxi ride home, but a water taxi? Isn’t that only for tourists? And what – it’s free? Yes ladies and gentleman, it’s true. New York Water Taxi runs a daily shuttle from Wall Street’s Pier 11 stopping at both Red Hook Fairway market (stop 1/2) and Ikea Brooklyn (stop 2/2). On Saturdays & Sundays, the taxi is free for everyone. On weekdays, the shuttle is $5 per person or free for those who spend $10+ at Ikea. The shuttle runs every 20 minutes, but it seemed to be delayed so when we arrived we waited 45 minutes to get on as a very, very long line started to form behind us. Budget extra time to account for extra wait. Or send someone over to Gregory’s coffee to get a treat 🙂
Getting there: take the subway (2/3/4/5) to Wall Street. Walk East on Wall Street until you hit the water and you will see Pier 11 right in front of you. Make sure you are in line for the IKEA EXPRESS. There is a separate line for paying tourists with the Water Taxi Day Pass which makes other stops around Brooklyn & Manhattan.
- Link to Schedule: https://www.nywatertaxi.com/ikea
El Olomega
Our first stop was to El Olomega, a food truck located at the Red Hook Ball Fields about a 1/2 mile walk past Ikea. Through the sweltering heat we trekked past intensely competitive racketball tournaments, DJ’d 5 year old birthday parties, and Sandy destroyed city parks in recovery before finally sighting crowds of people surrounding 5 food trucks around the baseball fields. What were we in search of? An authentic cheap eat in the name of Pupusa – something we were told was like an arepa, but even better.
What the heck is a pupusa? A traditional Salvadoran dish made of thick, handmade corn tortilla stuffed with something delish like cheese or meat. For more information on how these are made, watch this video.
We ordered up a Pupusa Platter which allowed us to pick 2 tortillas with our choice of fillings for only $6!! We chose 1 pork & cheese and 1 jalapeño & cheese. Other options included chicken, plantains, chorizo among others. The platter comes with a side of cabbage slaw (curdito) which we didn’t care for much. Make sure to get some crema on the side and a dish of hot sauce for dipping.
The verdict? A cheap eat destination must. Delicious and filling. Totally worth the $6. Perfect for a snack or eat it as a full meal. The women that run this truck are charming, hardworking, and know how to run a good business. We will be seeking out more Salvadoran food and trying the other famed Pupusa Truck, Solber Pupusa, very soon.
- Address: 155 Bay Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 (at Red Hook Ball Fields)
- Website: http://www.elolomega.com
- Yelp Review: http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-olomega-new-york
Red Hook Lobster Pound
Ah the quest for the every perfect lobster roll. A challenge I am always up for. We made the long, hot, sweaty walk back over to main street Red Hook – Van Bundt Street – and were quickly seated as soon as we arrived. Red Hook Lobster Pound has been on my list for quite some time, but I always pictured it being a nothing shack type place with outdoor seating. Needless to say, when I arrived to see it was a sit down restaurant, I was somewhat surprised, but immediately felt comfortable within the casual decor.
The menu is very robust, but don’t get distracted. Go for what you came for and order one of their famous lobster rolls. The two most popular are the original Maine Lobster Roll and the Connecticut Lobster Roll. The difference? A Connecticut-style lobster roll is served warm and tossed with butter. A Maine-style lobster roll is served cold and tossed with mayonnaise. All rolls can be served a la carte or as part of a meal with choice of fries, potato salad or greens. We came to try the most famous, so we ordered up 2 Main Lobster Rolls and a root beer to put it down with.
The verdict? A solid, simplistic lobster roll. Everything tastes super fresh, pure and balanced. Personally, we like the slightly more sinful version at Luke’s Lobster and Lobster & Burger better, but with the generous and meaty lobster and the freshness in taste, it was perfect for a summer afternoon.
- Address: 284 Van Brundt Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
- Website: http://www.redhooklobster.com
- Yelp Review: http://www.yelp.com/biz/red-hook-lobster-pound-new-york-2
BAKED
This is a food tour, so before making our way to our final destination, we had to make a stop at another neighborhood favorite, BAKED. The bakery was super cute and homey. You could clearly see this is a favorite neighborhood hangout on the weekends. While they are most famous for their cupcakes (best in NYC?), we took a look at the display case and couldn’t resist splitting a Salted Caramel Twix Bar. The bar was fudgy and delicious. A little too big for what we needed, but hey we are walking a lot!
- Address: 359 Van Bundt Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
- Website: https://www.bakednyc.com
- Yelp Review: http://www.yelp.com/biz/baked-brooklyn
Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pie
Al Roker once said, “Steve’s is one of the last genuine key lime pies in the US” and I believe what Al Roker has to say about food! Let me tell you why.
First, the story. Steve Tarpin, a Florida native, moved back to his home state and became dissatisfied with eating mediocre Key Lime Pies made with pre-made fillings. He knew he could make a substantially better pie if he made them using freshly squeezed key limes, so that’s what he set out to do. He started bringing his pies to cookouts and was asked to start selling them at a friends restaurant. Soon after, he purchased a 1953 Ford truck and started selling pies out of the back eventually settling into a permanent home in Red Hook. Since then, Steve’s has been a staple in the Red Hook community for nearly 20 years ago. The beloved pie shop was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy but now finds itself in a new home at Valentino Pier with amazing views of the Statue of Liberty and downtown Manhattan skyline.The truck now sits in front of the warehouse as a nod to the company’s humble origins.
So now, the pie. Upon entering the shop we pondered the big question, do we get a swingle or the real deal – a regular key lime pie? But first, what is a swingle, you ask? A swingle is basically a mini key lime pie on a stick and dipped in chocolate. There are a few different kinds including La Victoria (topped with chipotle puree and dipped in dark chocolate), the Raspberry Blonde (topped raspberry puree dipped in white chocolate), and the Raspberry Classic (topped with raspberry puree dipped in dark chocolate). Luckily, we aren’t the only people that have been faced with this epic dilemma, and Steve offers a combo where you can get a swingle and a 4″ pie for $10.
So what makes Steve’s so unique? According to the American Pie Council, only 2 commercial bakeries in US use fresh squeezed key lime juice. What most bakeries use is bottled juice reconstituted from concentrate. At Steve’s they juice all the limes at the bakery (hence the shop motto: ‘Always Freshly Squeezed’) so the flavors are as fresh and natural as possible when they go into the pie. They also hand make the pie crusts using Graham cracker crumbs that are free of transfats and high fructose corn syrup and blend it using 100% pure butter – nothing fake! Finally, inside they use Wisconsin sweetened & condensed milk, cage-free eggs and their freshly squeezed key lime juice to make the filling. With solid ingredients, you can definitely taste the difference and the intensity in flavor.
If you live in Brooklyn, Steve’s is definitely a great place to pick up a winning dessert to bring home for the holidays. If not, you will have to wait until October when Steve’s promises to start ordering/delivering pies online.
- Address: 185 Van Dyke Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
- Website: http://stevesauthentic.com/wpnew/
- Yelp Review: http://www.yelp.com/biz/steves-authentic-key-lime-pies-brooklyn
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We could only cram so much into our bellies, so there were some places we missed and plan to venture back to. These notable destinations include:
- Brooklyn Crab for seafood and outdoor drinking- http://www.yelp.com/biz/brooklyn-crab-brooklyn
- Hometown Barbecue for BBQ brisket and ribs – http://www.yelp.com/biz/hometown-bar-b-que-brooklyn
- Red Hook Winery for wine tasting – http://redhookwinery.com
TwoBlindRice 