Breakfast Club at Four & Twenty Blackbirds

For most Americans, pie season is over. Pumpkin, apple and pecan treats are of a season past, and the preferable winter indulgences are cakes and bonbons. But if you happen to live near Four & Twenty Blackbirds in Gowanus, then pie is a yearlong celebration.

(You might even want a slice of malted chocolate pecan, along with a baked oatmeal muffin, for breakfast.)

If you go to Greenpoint...

Where?? Green-point! Just north of Williamsburg. Join all the hipsters for brunch at Five Leaves. The ricotta pancakes await.

And while you're (inevitably) waiting for a table, saunter over to Ovenly. Tres adorable; Brooklyn at its best.

Breakfast Club at Bakeri

Heaven. We were in heaven.

Ben suggested Bakeri, in Williamsburg, for our latest Breakfast Club. I couldn't have been happier to oblige.
Opened and run by Nina Brondmo since 2009, the place is just adorable.

 

(Does that mural look familiar?)

More important, it's beyond delicious. Everything is baked from scratch in the morning, and there's an incredible selection of breads and pastries, inspired from America (strawberry pie!), France (chocolate brioche!) and Nina's home country, Norway (Skolebrød!). It was tough to decide, but we made exemplary choices.

The chocolate hazelnut tort that Ben insisted upon was perhaps the highlight.

Chocolaty and nutty, still a titch warm from the oven, it was sweet but savory and a totally decadent, but right, breakfast choice.

The strawberry lemon cake with lavender crumble wasn't so bad either. Heavy with moistness, it was equal parts tart and sweet.

The bread pudding was of the savory sort, this one filled with spinach and feta and tomatoes, and every bit as eggy and lovely as one would expect from bread pudding.

But still, we weren't sated. So we went ahead and ordered that ridiculous-looking chocolate raspberry scone.

It was a favorite Breakfast Club destination.

(That's me, genuflecting before the sign.)

150 Wythe Avenue
Williamsburg, BK

Beautiful at Runner & Stone

Gowanus is cleaning up real well.

Four months in, Runner & Stone is already renowned for its bread.

 

But its French pastries by Amy's Bread alum Peter Endriss deserve a look, and taste, too.

Runner & Stone
285 Third Avenue
Brooklyn

Fruit in the middle at Blue Sky Bakery

I've walked by Blue Sky Bakery on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope countless times. I knew—from one sole experience years ago as well as sporadic press over time—that their muffins are stuff of legend. But every time I walked by, the bakery was already closed for the day. Yesterday was my lucky day.

The muffins look impressive. And the flavors make it hard to choose. This one, a cranberry-strawberry muffin, was still a bit warm from the oven.

But that nice touch had nothing on the fruit inside.

It just kept erupting with fresh berries.  Such delicious artistry!

Of course I had to try more than just one. So we got a pumpkin banana chocolate chip.

You heard me. 

Pumpkin banana chocolate chip, the chips still a bit melty. It was another beautiful specimen, another reason to go back and try the other muffins on future Sundays.
Blue Sky Bakery
53 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope

Ode to One Girl Cookies

A little spot of magic in Cobble Hill.

Don't you just want to be there now?


One Girl Cookies
68 Dean Street, Brooklyn

Big and Dough-y

There was plenty of eatin’ at Smorgasburg this Saturday.

Walnut chicken bruschetta.

The “Bamberg”: a parsley and panko breadcrumbed chicken sandwich with pickled cucumbers and daikon and spicy dijon mustard on a pretzel roll. Delicious.

Even some sweets like Brown Butter Salty and Oat Chocolate Chunk cookies from The Good Batch.

But it was all about the doughnuts.

I’ve long heard about Dough (“We fry in Bed-Stuy”) and wanted to try their doughnuts.

 Saturday was my chance. I had two eating partners.

From all the amazing flavors (Blood orange! Dulce de leche!), we chose café au lait...

... and hibiscus.

Giant. Dense and doughy. Sweet and perfectly pitched.

Smorgasburg was dreamy. But the doughnuts were to die for.