In terms of top-rated spots and sheer diversity, you can’t beat the restaurant Shangri-La that is Manhattan. But as Sherri Eisenberg, author of “Food Lovers’ Guide to Brooklyn: Best Local Specialties, Markets, Recipes, Restaurants, and Events,” tells Metro, NYC foodies shouldn’t overlook what’s happening across the East River.
Did you do all the research for every restaurant yourself? Or did people also send in recommendations?
I asked everybody and read everything I could get my hands on so I could make a list of restaurants. I then went to every restaurant myself. The book ends up being much more personal because it’s based on my take of Brooklyn and what I think you should do in different neighborhoods.
What places would you recommend for visitors to the Brooklyn Museum or Prospect Park?
I would send someone to The Vanderbilt (570 Vanderbilt Ave.) or James Restaurant (605 Carlton Ave.) in Prospect Heights. They’re great places to go after a day at the museum to have a glass of wine or a cocktail and some really well-prepared food. Both are close enough to the museums and the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens that if you really wanted to make a day of it, you could end your day there.
Did you ever stumble upon places that weren’t on your list?
I always stumbled across some that I’d never heard of before. And that’s one of the great things about Brooklyn — there are so many places that have yet to be discovered. There are so many different exciting types of cuisines in Brooklyn. Some of it is about the new cuisine, and homemade recipes and focusing on what’s fresh and seasonal — and another part of it is focusing on the immigrant groups who have come here and brought their cuisine with them.
