Friday Foodporn: Bonnie's Grill, 278 Fifth Avenue

 

My submission for the best burger in the neighborhood is the spiced Black Angus sirloin burger from Bonnie’s Grill, on Fifth Avenue near First Street.   

Owners Anthony Bonfilo and Mike Nabor brought their formidable grillin’ skills to Park Slope from Buffalo ten years ago, and can be spotted behind the long counter most days and nights. The tiny, boxcar-style space is often filled to capacity, and the lack of a kitchen makes the view from the counter very exciting. 

The fresh-ground sirloin is dredged in steak seasoning before making its way onto a ripping hot grill, and it comes with a choice of crispy fries or chili. The Kaiser roll isn’t ideal, but it holds up well to the juiciness of the burger. Other wise options include a heaping pulled pork sandwich and extra-crispy Buffalo wings. Add to that a great beer selection (from $3 PBRs to Hacker-Pschorr to Kelso), and you’ve got one of the most dangerous dining options in town. 

Bonnie's Grill, 278 Fifth Avenue Brooklyn NY 11215. 718-369-9527

Blue Apron Foods, 814 Union Street

There’s no lack of gourmet food shops in Park Slope, but there’s something about Blue Apron Foods that makes me keep coming back. Maybe it’s the incredible cheese and charcuterie; maybe it’s the cupcakes in the window or the Jacques Torres Chocolate; maybe it’s the friendly salespeople who are never too busy to help you sort through one of the city’s largest selections of imported products, from coffee beans to Bavarian sausages to Walker’s Pickled Onion potato chips.

When Ted Matern and Allen Palmer opened the shop off of Seventh Ave in 2002, they brought with them over 50 years of experience at specialty stores such as Balducci’s and Dean & Deluca. Though the emphasis is on European imports, lots of locally made food is available as well, including Biellese Charcuterie, Wheelhouse and Rick’s Picks Pickles, Karl Ehmer Meats, Q Tonic, Jacques Torres Chocolate, Salvatore Bklyn Ricotta, cookies from local resident Amy Berg, and breads and pastries from Amy’s, Royal Crown, and Almondine Bakery. 

Drop by Blue Apron Foods next time you’re in the neighborhood and do some browsing. Odds are you won’t leave empty-handed, even if you try.  

Blue Apron Foods, 814 Union Street Brooklyn NY 11215. 718-230-3180.

Friday Foodporn: Chiles & Chocolate's Chicken Mole Tamale

Authentic Mexican food is hard to come by in Park Slope, but if you're willing to shell out a few extra bucks it can be found at Chiles & Chocolate Oaxacan Kitchen, on Seventh Ave and Lincoln Place. Owner Robert Lopez opened the restaurant three years ago, shortly after emigrating from (where else?) Oaxaca, Mexico. 

The dark, spicy, chocolatey concoction known as mole negro is Oaxaca's culinary claim to fame, and it's the star of Lopez's menu. He ships the ingredients directly from the Mercato de Abastos in Oaxaca City weekly, so regional specialties such as huitlacoche (corn fungus) and chapulines (roasted grasshoppers) sometimes find their way onto the specials list as well (non-adventurous eaters need not apply). 

A great lunchtime alternative to the dense chicken mole is the chicken mole tamale, which is about half the price and just as filling. The corn masa is stuffed with a heaping portion of shredded chicken, and it's flaky, flavorful, and tastes pretty damn authentic. If there's a better mole negro in the city I would love to hear about it. 

Chiles & Chocolate, 54 7th Avenue Brooklyn NY 11217. 718-230-7700.

Friday Foodporn: Hanco's Banh Mi

Here's the Banh Mi from Hanco's Vietnamese Sandwich and Bubble Tea Shop, which opened February 21st in the site of the former Tea Lounge, on Seventh Avenue and Tenth Street. 

Vietnamese ham, pate, and spiced ground pork is topped with a handful of peanuts, cilantro, and pickled vegetables and stuffed into a toasted baguette. It's 7 bucks, which makes it a little more expensive than their Bergen Street location and about twice as much as banh mis in Chinatown. But if you're in the mood for something a little different, it's the only place in Park Slope where you can visit this particular corner of the culinary world. I've heard the shredded chicken sandwich is good as well, but I haven't tried it yet. 

If you go, be careful: the food is spicy unless otherwise specified. 

Hanco's, 350 Seventh Avenue Brooklyn NY 11215. 718-499-8081.