Food/Drink items made in Brooklyn

[jasbet07]

Wanting to give an outside of NY foodie a basket of items made in Brooklyn or NYC for an xmas present. My initial thoughts were McClure's pickles, Junior's cheesecake, the pretzels from the farmer's market (I know they're outside of the city...but close enough), Brooklyn Brewery beer, Jacques Torres chocolates/hot chocolate mix, etc. Are there others? Are there stores/markets that tend to carry items made in the area? Thinking Bierkraft, Stinky, etc.

Any help much appreciated! All ideas welcome.

Happy Holidays.

[MaspethMaven]

All from Greenpoint:

Kelso nut brown ale (maybe in a growler) are you shipping or delivering in person?

Acme smoked fish (yum)

Kielbasa from W. Nassau or Steve's or even Polam

Definitely Manhattan Special and U-Bet

[roux42]

Barbicide and Ex-lax were both Brooklyn natives.... But! Helas.... they have more recently moved on...

[efdee]

Sam's Serious Egg Nog by the bottle (or drink) at the Waterfront Ale House. It's definitely serious (three rums + bourbon) and absolutely delicious.

[yuriwebboy]

I just saw this today for the first time. . .it looks beautiful and dangerous. one of my favorite combinations.

[jakeyd]

Brandy as well, Sam's is the bomb.

[nychas]

Brooklyn Brewery's Local 1 is a great beer and comes in a beautiful big bottle with a champagne style cork:
http://www.brooklynbrewery.com/beer/?...

[seb]

Stinky has a shelf in front of the register that has Brooklyn-made chocolate bars and other candies & cookies. I'm sorry I can't remember the brand, but I have bought the chocolate bars in the past and thought they were very good. Different from Torres, because they are not truffle-type chocolates.

[gfood]

Another one is wine cellar sorbets.

I've never had these either, but supposed to be great.

[TBird]

Z crackers

[Cheese Boy]

I completely forgot about these. Gfood is correct. If placed in a foodie basket, they magically transform into coolers.

W C S --> http://www.winecellarsorbet.com/ourst...

[gfood]

Wheelhouse Pickles. I've never had, but made in Brooklyn, supposed to be good

[margieslocal]

Wheelhouse is great. Pickled Pears, Champagne dills - delish. You can get them at Blue Apron in Park Slope or the Whole Foods on Houston.

Also fabulous is One Girl Cookie in Carroll Gardens. www.onegirlcookies.com
Then there's GetFreshNYC - a new, locally sourced prepared foods place in Park slope (5th Ave and 4th St). They sell Brooklyn pressed olive oil.

At Stinky's, you'll find Cary-Mo chocolates. Pretty good stuff. But Cocoa Vino might be more exotic. They're mostly online, but you'll find some stuff at Getfresh, and they are based in Bed-Stuy. www.cocaovino.com

[yuriwebboy]

Brooklyn Petro makes an amazing hot sauce that has Brooklyn right there on the label . . .

http://www.brooklynpetro.com/

[JFores]

Get some sausage on 18th Av. That keeps well. Mozzarella from the lady in Williamsburg?

[bobjbkln]

I assume the "lady in Williamsburg" is
Tedone Latticini
597 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211

Yes, both the fresh and smoked mozzarella are extraordinary. And the huge round lard breads from Napoli Bakery across the street is IMO the best in Brooklyn.

The lard bread won't last 24 hours (but get it for yourself), the mozzarella, maybe 72 refrigerated.

[jen kalb]

YOu dont say whether these need to be nonperishable items or whether they can be fresh. Personally, I am a bit down on the items that mainly reflect nostalgia (the U-Bet, Cheesecake, etc) for a Brooklyn that barely exists any more.

If you can give fresh stuff, why not some of the great breads, italian cheeses (fresh or dried mozz) italian sausages or pastries (modern, turkish/middle eastern, scandinavian, whatever,) being made in our ethnic and yuppie bakeries now?

[Fleur]

Fox's U Bet and Junior's Cheesecake are wonderful. As is Chocolate from Jacques Torres.

As for "a Brooklyn that barely exists any more", that is baloney. I was born and raised in Breooklyn, as were my parents and grandparents. The same groups and clubs continue, the same Churches, the same traditions, the same activities. There is a continuity here that some newcomers often miss, because they are looking in the wrong places.

Brooklyn is, and always was, a state of mind, as well as a real place. Brooklyn is now better than ever, and for a much larger and more diverse group of people.

[jen kalb]

Surely you will agree that many of traditions popularly identified with Brooklyn (U-Bet, cheesecake, blackout cake, etc) are essentially those of an immigrant Jewish population that has largely moved on and a time of fond memory. Id just like to encourage a broader concept of Brooklyn communities than that - not to encourage buying gentrified fancy foods but to reach out for some of the specialties of our major cultural groups - a platter from Sahadis or a basket from the Royal Crown specialty shop on Third Avenue in the 90s, for example

[Fleur]

No, I surely do not agree.

The Brooklyn I grew up in was, and still remains, mostly WASP. We had our own local Clubs, Schools, Associaltions, Dances, and traditions, but we always went to Brooklyn institutions like Juniors, Gage & Tollner, and drank Egg Creams made with u-Bet syrup. We always supported Brooklyn institutions like the Brooklyn Museum, Botanic Gardens and Bam, among others.

I don't know what "gentrified fancy food" is, but I do know what good food is. I also know that today's Brooklyn offers much more good food than ever before. Excellent purveyors of meat and fish, excellent availability of produce and groceries, and an assortment of specialties from different neighborhoods.

My favorites being the Pastry and Gelato from Villabate in Bensonhurst, the meat, Poultry and Game from Staubitz, the Bread from Caputo, and the Biscotti from Court Street Pastry.

re: Junior's. the population that you referred to has gotten much older, but the younger generations still come, and in addition., other groups. It has changed the Menu a bit, but who ever said that Matzoh Ball Soup and Fried Chicken and Collard greens can't share the same Menu? Junior's continues. Brooklyn continues.

My in-laws visited from Texas recently, and all their friends told them they just had to go to Junior's. They did, and they loved it. We are sending them a Junior's Cheesecake for Christmas, and a Cheesecake sampler to my DH's Grandmother . They recently sponsored a Church Youth Group Trip to NY, and all the kids, aged 13-16 had Junior's on their must-do list. They had a terrific time.

[Tay]

Fleur
Most likely the Brooklyn in which you grew up was Brooklyn Hts.which was and probably still is, pretty much the only "WASP" neighborhood in Brooklyn. I agree that there is wonderful food to be found throughout the different Brooklyn neighborhoods, You mentioned some excellent examples. To imply that Brooklyn's demographic has not changed significantly, is incorrect. One has only to visit Bensonhurst, Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Williamsburg, Coney Island, etc to see the changes as evidenced by the changing cuisines, fruits, veggies, baked goods, meats, etc that are to be found in the local shops. For those of us that did not grow up in the Hts, our neighborhoods have changed, some very dramatically. There are many delicious foods to be found in Brooklyn, but they are no longer to be catagorized as being the Top 3. "Jewish" "Italian", or "Norweigan."
For the vast majority, jen kalb s right: Even the Ht's is not immune to the changing times as the demise of Gage and Tolliner demonstrates.

[Cheese Boy]

I have to agree that many Brooklyn neighborhoods have suffered as a result of today's "modern immigrants" but without them we would miss out on the various cuisines they also bring. I feel that eventually we'll all have to integrate in order to live happily and avoid any dislikes for other cultures that clash with our own. Once that's established, we can eat with greater contentment! I think Astoria Queens is a neighborhood we should all model ours after, for its diversity. Brooklyn has its own charm and will always be revitalizing.

[Tay]

Cheese Boy
I think you make some good points.
In some ways, Brooklyn's diversity has become it's strength.
The number and variery of different cuisines has made if a fascinating borough in which to dine. I love the diversity.
In other ways, it has been detrimental to it's prosperity.EG: in areas where the residents don't economically support the local stores.
I absolutely agree that the variety of different cuisines, has been a wonderful thing. I remember standing in Sunset Park and thinking that I could go 10 blocks in any direction and be completey immersed in a different culture/cuisine. All uniquely Brooklyn.

[Nehna]

How about D'Amico coffee on Court St? They ship gift baskets (www.damicofoods.com).

[Widmark]

I did a D'Amico gift when I lived in the hood for a relative who'd just gotten a grinder. They have different beans named after different neighborhoods in Brooklyn, so that's pretty appropriate.

[Cheese Boy]

An absolute necessity for good chocolate egg creams inside (or outside) of Brooklyn.

H. Fox & Co., Inc.
416 Thatford Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11212
718.385.4600

Link: http://www.foxs-syrups.com/

Also a good resource here ---> http://www.madeinnyc.org/searchprofil...

[Woodside Al]

Fox's U-Bet chocolate syrup... absolutely.

[vegas]

try Six Point Beers/Ales from Red Hook . . .blows away Brooklyn Brewery products

[brooklynr]

Are they bottling yet?

[Ralphus]

No but you can get a growler full from Bierkraft. Last weekend they had the GNT which is a BK exclusive Imperial Red type beer. YUM!!!

[JFores]

Can't recc Six Points enough. Great beers. Oatmeal stout! I sort of know all the owners through a friend so... yeah...

[Widmark]

I don't know if this is a big secret, but I swear I saw a giant Junior's factory in...Maspeth. So much for the famous "Brooklyn" cheesecake! Seriously though, although not food, Junior's Egg Cream glasses are a cute gift to go along with "outer borough" foodstuffs.

[Puppimus]

Well, there are offshoot Junior's restos about -- I don't know how many, but I know there's one in the theater district right by the Schubert Theater. They can't make all that stuff at their Flatbush shop!

[Tay]

Although you'd never know it from the astronomical price, I believe Black Hound Cookies are baked in Brooklyn

[guide boy]

Brooklyn and astronomical prices don't go together?

[Tay]

guideboy...
Naaah... Not really.(Unless you're counting those tourist traps like the River Cafe and PL's) Certainly not expensive when it comes to bakery prices.
You practically have to mortgage your home to purchase a pound of Black Hound cookies!.I mean as in $28 bucks a lb. And they aren't filled or iced or stuffed, or ...Anything
Sheeesh! They don't even use waxed sheets of paper to keep the butter from seeping through their plain cardboard boxes.:-}
Their stuff is very delicious, but considering their factory is located somewhere in Greenpoint (I think) it's insanely expensive . Take a look...

http://www.blackhoundny.com/products2...

[guide boy]

I guess I meant real estate, and places that serve six dollar pints of too warm, nothing special beer, or an arm and a leg for a mixed drink in a plastic cup. A part of this borough (the safe for yuppies part) is a whole lot like Manhattan in both price and attitude.

[Tay]

There's a 'safe for yuppies, part?'...
And here I thought we had hunted them all down... :-}

I'm just waiting for the day when a bar/pub/restaurant serves me a drink in a plastic cup...lolol

[Marge]

Manhattan Special coffee soda.

[jakeyd]

Steve's Keylime Pies made in Red Hook.