Traif

Traif is located in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn at 229 S. 4th Street.

"C" and I went there for dinner because Traif is known to be bacon-centric. They even have a cocktail with bacon on the glass' rim!

It's a cozy little restaurant with an open kitchen. They have almost zero counter space so we were really impressed at the dishes this small kitchen created.

We were given an amuse bouche of Strawberry and tomato gazpacho - cool and refreshing.

Then we ordered several plates to share:

Bacon wrapped blue cheese stuffed dates, spinach a la catalana ($7) - nice flavor and texture.

Spicy bigeye tuna tartare, japanese eggplant tempura ($9) - excellent with the eggplant serving as the "base" to hold the tartare.

Seared foie gras, fingerling potatoes, ham chips, sunny side up egg ($16) - worth the cholesterol, decadent and rich!

Shaking beef - filet mignon, red chilies, cantaloupe, mint ($10) - we were disappointed because it was a simply stir fry and not very interesting.

Hot pot of mussels, laughing bird shrimp, squid, black pepper ($12) - good, but not great

Strawberry-cinnamon glazed baby back ribs ($8) - very cinnamony and not as tender as we would have liked.

And for dessert we couldn't resist the Bacon donuts, dulce de leche and coffee ice cream ($6) - these were more like zeppoles or donut holes sprinkled with more bacon!

And we received complimentary Grilled pineapple to cleanse our palate.

Frankie's 457

...is located in Brooklyn at 457 Court Street.

"J" and I started with the chicken liver and pistachio crostini ($6) and two orders of the chickpea crostini ($3 each). Both were very good.

And we both ordered the spaghetti carbonara with guanciale ($18) for our entrees. We thought the pasta was a little too chewy and not al dente.

For dessert "J" had the Tiramisu ($6.50) and I had the Italian Ricotta cheesecake ($5.50). Both desserts were very good.

Marlow & Sons

...is located 81 Broadway in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood.

I had the Croque Madame with salad ($12) - the bechamel sauce was very thick. I also ordered an Aperol Sprizer ($8) although they were out of Aperol and substituted Campari (which was not as good because it was bitter).

Then I had the salted caramel chocolate tart for dessert ($8) which was a generous slice of very rich and thick chocolate and caramel.

T-shirt

I haven't dined at Marlow & Sons in Brooklyn yet, but I loved this t-shirt and had to have it!

Fatty Cue

There are many great restaurants in Brooklyn and this Williamsburg bbq spot is one of the. Located close to the bridge at 91 S. 6th Street you can smell the smokey goodness as you approach the restaurant.

"M" and I went there on a Sunday for their Whole Pig - they smoke whole pigs only on Sundays.

"M" started with a Dark & Storm Cocktail ($12) and I had a Ginger Beer ($6) made with Bermudian ginger ale (who knew?).

We shared the Nam Prik - eggplant, raw veggies and shrimp chips ($12), a serving of whole pig ($18), pork spare ribs ($14) and Pullman Toast with Master Fat ($4).

The eggplant, green beans, and shrimp chips were good, but I was not crazy about the raw bok choy, green mango and radishes.

The whole pig was tasty and served with steamed buns (we could have used two more buns). I know the skin would not be edible since it was smoked for several hours, but I missed that part of the pig. = (

The ribs were excellent - very tender and succulent. Great with the fish sauce.

And the toast was...well, the name says it all - Master Fat! It was similar to Texas Toast and served with clarified fat! Delish!

And we squeezed in dessert - S'mores pie ($6) which was a little disapointing. It was more chocolate pie and not enough marshmallow. And they served it with a heavy cream which might be overkill.

I loved the kitchy plastic chinese plates everything was served on.

We were jealous that the party of 4 next to us ordered the Half Pig's Head. We vow to return with 2 more in our party so that we can order the head as well.

Brooklyn Designer

"M" and I found this great little designer co-op in NYC's Williamsburg, Brooklyn at 339 Bedford Avenue.

I bought this recycled vintage tie pin for $30.

Brooklyn Ice Cream

...is located on Old Fulton Street in Brooklyn, NY near the Water Taxi landing.

"M" had two scoops in a wafer cone - vanilla and strawberry.

I had two scoops in a wafer cone - vanilla chocolate chunk and butter pecan. Each was $5.50, but you actually received two scoops of each flavor so it was 4 scoops of rich, delicious ice cream!

The Meat Hook

...is located at 100 Frost Street in Brooklyn. It's the meat shop combined with The Brooklyn Kitchen store.

I bought a "Meat Hook" t-shirt ($12) for me and tote ($15) for "M" because we are both meat lovers.

Pies N Thighs

Is a quaint little restaurant located at 166 South 4th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

"M" and I shared a donut ($2) because the menu claimed it was "Voted Best Donut in NYC". It was cakey with cinnamon sugar, but we both thought it wasn't "the best."

Then we both had the fried chicken and waffles ($10). The chicken was very crispy and moist. The waffles were topped with fresh fruit.

"M" had the Watermelon agua fresca ($3) and I had lemonade ($2.50).

For dessert we shared a slice of the rhubarb pie and banana cream pie (both $4.50) which were excellent.

We definitely will return to try other items on the menu.