What’s good and new?
BONG - Crown Heights
Not new new, but, new. I had the pleasure of going to Bong in Crown Heights with a pal about a month ago and it blew me away. The bright green jewelbox by Chef Chakriya serves Khmer food that is beyond fresh and exciting. The best thing I had was the Crabbage. A delightful crab and cabbage dish where each piece of warm cabbage (and crab) was perfectly laced in a slightly thick, savory sauce balanced with green peppercorn. The other fav was the Plea Satch Ko, a spicy fragrant salad with Beef Tenderloin and a mountain of herbs.
After going to Bong in March I was lucky enough to work on this campaign with my sister where they put Bobbie formula on the menu at Bong as an April Fools’ joke. Chef Cha is a Bobbie mom and so it was a natural collab, and she was so awesome to work with.
Go to Bong.
And what’s good and old?
HOMETOWN BBQ - Red Hook
When the sun decided to come out on Sunday I made my way to Red Hook. What was a chilly, cloudy ferry ride on the way there ended up being a sunny, warm return on the way back. We went straight to Hometown and as always, it was amazing. As a native Texan, I cherish the few places here that nail Texas style BBQ or Tex-Mex, and Billy Durney definitely knows how to do it at Hometown. The brisket queso is not to be missed.
Opening Soon
CHIPPY’S - East Village
Ed Szymanski and Patricia Howard of Lord’s, Dame, and Crevette are opening a fish + chips spot in the East Village this summer. The husband-and-wife duo had a pop up in summer 2020 that the people loved, and they’ve bringing it to a more permanent space soon. We may not know exactly when or where Chippy’s is opening, but we do know they’re serving Sarson’s malt vinegar, it’s counter service, and they will have mushy peas, so that’s enough to get me excited.
