My first listsicle!
Instead of individually reviewing a bunch of places, I’m going to give you a list of the good/bad/ugly of places to
eat if you have to serve jury duty in Brooklyn.
I’ve had the “honor” of serving grand jury duty for the past
2 weeks in BK. It’s actually quite an
eye-opening and frankly, scary view into how fucked up our judicial system
is. But this is a food blog and not a
political blog, so I will stop here. But
being stuck in jury duty for 2 weeks means 2 weeks of finding lunch options in
the depressing downtown Brooklyn neighborhood.
At first glance, there aren’t a lot of great options as the immediate
area of Fulton Street Mall is packed with fast food places like Burger King and
cheap pizza joints. But there are a few
gems and if you are willing to take a 10 minute walk.
Potbelly – Yes, it’s fast food but it’s one of the better
sandwich places around and it’s fast and very cheap (you can get a sandwich for
<$10). It’s a definite go-to if
you’re looking for something that isn’t burger and fries. My go-to is the Roast Beef and there's just something about the toasted bread that makes it tastes that much better. They also have killer
cookies and milkshakes if you need a sugar high in between cases. 4 Forks
Photo Credit: Yelp
Juice Shop – This is right next door to Potbelly and it was
a healthy lunch life saver. This isn’t Tribeca
or Soho where you can find a bougie salad place every 10 feet, so it's slim pickings out here. The only place I saw within a 10-15 minute
walk that served real salads (I’m not talking about the kind at Hill Country
Chicken where you can basically put fried chicken in your salad), was The Juice
Shop. They only have kale salads and
they have a variety of combinations but the one that I got (Baja Verde) which amazing. Topped with kale, quinoa, corn,
beans and an addictive verde dressing, I definitely became hooked on this
place. Everything tasted fresh and healthy and it was actually really filling. I came back two more times and and now actively looking for other locations in the city so that I can get my free freaking salad (only 7 more to go!) 4.5 Forks
Yaso Tangbao – I was shocked to find this place in the
middle of downtown Brooklyn. It bills
itself as Chinese street food but it’s a very clean and well run joint. It has a very similar vibe to Xian Famous
Foods but the focus on the food is less on spicy noodles but more on soup
dumplings and other noodle dishes. I got
the beef noodle soup which is a dish that I remember loving in Taiwan. This one was ok – it was a simple beef broth with sliced braised beef, nappa cabbage, bok choy and these pickled Chinese greens. But what makes this dish is the broth and this one needed more salt and flavor to it, it was just kind of bland. It could have also had more sliced beef but at the very least it was a nice change in a world of sandwiches and
salads. 3 Forks
Photo Credit: Yelp
Hanco – When I lived in Park Slope, this was a favorite
go-to place because they made a solid Banh Mi sandwich. It’s a 10 minute walk towards Brooklyn
Heights but the food is quick so even if you have an hour, you can still make
it. I got the classic sandwich and
summer roll. The summer roll was nicely
done with shrimp, lettuce, rice vermicelli wrapped in rice paper and served
with oh so delicious peanut sauce ($5.25).
The classic sandwich comes with ground pork, Vietnamese ham, pate, mayo,
butter, cucumber, pickled carrot, daikon radish and cilantro on a soft and
toasted French baguette ($6.75). It’s a
delicious sandwich although it is super messy with the ground pork falling out
every time I took a bite to eat. It’s a
cheap and delicious and makes me sad that I no longer have one in my
neighborhood. 3.5 Forks
Photo Credit: Yelp
Sophie’s – Ahh Sophie’s.
I have been going to Sophie’s (not this location) since I first came to
NYC and worked at Goldman Sachs downtown.
It’s straight up Cuban comfort food and it is seriously addictive. I always get the exact same thing: baked chicken with yellow rice and
beans. It’s a chicken thigh/leg served
on the bone, which is why it’s so moist and delicious. But the absolute best part of the dish is
actually the green sauce that they give you in a bottle at the table. It is seriously the most addictive sauce I’ve
ever had – it’s got a hint of spice but it mainly tastes like a cilantro sauce (they won’t tell you what’s in it or sell it by the bottle). I seriously go through half a bottle when I
eat there and if I do take out, I will pay extra for more of it (they only give
you 2 small servings of it). I slather it on everything, the chicken, the rice, the beans. Honestly, the rice and beans are just a vehicle for me to get to the sauce. The food
here is heavy and every time I eat here for lunch, I want to take a long nap
afterwards, but it is so worth it. 4 Forks
Photo Credit: Yelp
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