Thursday 6 March 2014

Vinegar Hill and French pastry (Brooklyn)

Named after an Irish battle, then becoming a navy ship building yard, Vinegar Hill is one of the many locales in New York where architecture boasts history.  On a tour around Brooklyn in the freezing weather, we stopped in at the so named, Vinegar Hill House, for a spot of brunch.

With exposed walls, busy tables, vintage decor and brunch menu, one could have almost been at home in Melbourne.  Oh, but wait... there was no proper coffee.  We were still in the US with filtered.

The ‘enchilada’ was made in a neat, large ramekin, cooked and served in the same dish.  The green tomato sauce was tasty with chilli, making it hot in both temperature and flavour.  Inside was a host of potato, perfectly soft eggs, strings of cheese and enchilada bread baked in.  It was such a creative way of serving enchilada (and brunch).  It was warm, hearty and filling – perfect against the cold day.


Others in our group ordered pear pancakes, which looked and smelt delicious – apparently the dish for which the cafe is renowned.

We walked around the streets with the novelty of cold and snow subsiding, and soon found ourselves warming up at local French patisserie, Almondine Bakery, for apparently the best French pastries in Brooklyn.  The cakes and other sweet treats looked absolutely divine, with me eventually opting for the classic Napoleon.


The combination of buttery, crisp layers against creamy, vanilla crème was thrilling.  Whilst only an understated shop from the outside, the quality of the food here is excellent.

We walked back to Manhattan via the park, bridge and then through China town, learning more and more about this magical city.


Vinegar Hill House
72 Hudson Ave 
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 522-1018

Vinegar Hill House on Urbanspoon

Almondine Bakery
85 Water St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 797-5026
www.almondinebakery.com

Almondine on Urbanspoon