Southern Comfort

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Southern Comfort

The Wandering Goose Capitol Hill  thewanderinggoose.com

sum up:  Bring on the biscuits at this stick-to-your ribs, Southern comfort spot. With a pastry counter piled high with baked goodness, prepare to stuff yourself like a Christmas goose.  

looks: As adorable as a children's book. Considering owner Heather Earnhardt penned one sharing the cafe's name--quotes are etched into the wood tables--cuteness is expected.  Flour-bag lampshades, honey-jar-lined walls, and church-pew seating add to the countrified charm.  

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Good Gallic In A Petite Package

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Good Gallic In A Petite Package

buvette  noun (f)

1. a refreshment stall or counter

2. a snack bar at a theater, train station, beach, etc.

In French, and English for that matter, the diminutive "ette" connotes feminine (coquette) or little (cigarette), so it is implicit that buvettes are small.  Buvette, Jody Williams' Gallic gem, is indeed petite, but that's all it has in common with it's casual joints across the Atlantic.  Chef Williams' version--which she calls a gastrothèque-- is a pleasure chest of French delights, from fresh-baked croissants and housemade charcuterie, to classic coq-au-vin and cassoulet. 

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Brooklyn Passeggiatta

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Brooklyn Passeggiatta

Brooklyn. Whether you love it or love to hate it, it is the holy grail for explorers of the edible. Throughout the borough, ethnic enclaves serve up regional fare: Russians in Brighton Beach, Hasidic Jews in Williamsburg, and Italians in Carroll Gardens. Let's focus on the latter, a neighborhood I once called home. In Carroll Gardens, the streets are peppered with old-school Italian joints, pastry shops, and seasoned butchers, whose friendly paesanos affectionately call you "sweetie" without any hint of sexism. While authenticity & flavor abound, you also get big portions, affordable prices, and the simple joy of knowing that your dollar is helping a local business.

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