Lunch. It’s What’s For Dinner. (or I Heart Carroll Gardens, Part I)

A few years back I did my student teaching in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. Reveling in the fact that I needn’t join the morning straphangers with a trip into Manhattan, I day dreamed during my quick walk to to N. Henry that I was employed by my fieldwork school, that I had gotten my certification, completed my degree and had my first classroom. This was an important time in my life. I had, after 5 years, bid farewell to an cozy office job in order to student teach, and had just ended a 6 year relationship. I was planning my 2-month stint in Thailand and compiling my graduate school applications. I have vivid memories of feeling invigorated with living, like I was finally getting to where I wanted be. I casually and contentedly strolled to my placement each morning, occasionally picking up a morning bagel to spread with the tofutti I had stashed in the mini-fridge. So, years later, it was nice to stumble back into that bagel spot, Brooklyn Bread, on a lunch break from my current teaching job in Carroll Gardens and realize I had been there before. Ok, so my knowledge of this part of Brooklyn is limited. I had no idea I now worked so close to where I did my day dreaming years ago… and I had no idea that Brooklyn Bread had such delicious sandwiches! I speak of the The Vegetarian Special. Grilled portabella mushrooms, artichokes, grilled zucchini, roasted peppers, arugula and Tuscan olive oil on their delicious fresh bread. Besides its perfect combination of taste and texture, the colors pay homage to the old school Italian cluster in the neighborhood.
A neighborhood can be accurately judged by the quality of their… Thai lunch special! So Em Thai Kitchen confirms the wonderfullity of Carroll Gardens. With big lunch portions and the inclusion of two, yes, two appetizers in their cheapo lunch special ($8), it is a great deal indeed. But more, they offer seitan as a choice for their standard dishes. Of course I rarely get anything but a big pile of broad rice noodles in sweet soy sauce and Asian broccoli: Pad See Ew. Better still, this is two lunches. After three scrumptious and delicate little dumplings and two sturdy spring rolls, I boxed up most of my entree and ate it the next afternoon. That is $8 well spent. Em also gets pluses for ample people watching (and natural light for food photos) on Smith street and a table set-up that caters to the lone eater. 

Of course I have to pay homage to my go-to for a quick and easy bite, Park Natural. I rather enjoy the vegan macrobiotic bento box and an original Synergy kombucha beverage. It’s kind of like my super value meal except, with my usual Greens+ bar, it runs me about $11 or so. Eeek. Park Natural is a great little health food store which supplements my regular grocery shopping/food errand running just a couple of blocks from my school. The meal always causes quite the stir with on-looking colleagues back in classroom, although here it rests calmly on my vintage fabric-dressed teacher desk.