The Best Soup in Ridgewood at Cracovia Deli


It’s fall. Time for soup! On our way to Grover Cleveland Playground one day, we had a lucky encounter with perhaps the best soup in Ridgewood at Cracovia Deli. It’s a minimalist, sort of old-timey Polish deli with a surprising amount of homemade goodness for sale. The main draw is their rainbow of soups, including simply prepared sorrel, vegetable, mushroom, red borscht, white borscht, chicken noodle, and pickle — all $2. Continue reading

Stuff We Like from Parrot Coffee

 

 

Hello again! Welcome to our new regular feature called “Stuff We Like from Parrot Coffee” (working on catchier name). We will periodically share several can’t-miss items from our favorite neighborhood grocery, Parrot Coffee — a modest little storefront on a sleepy stretch of Myrtle that features a dazzling array of homemade and imported goods from Europe, the Middle East, and the Balkans. Half the stuff we eat comes from here!

Our top picks from Parrot: Continue reading

Sfogliatelle from Catania Bakery

catania bakery lobster tail

 

I am finally getting around to writing our first Ridgefood post! Sorry it’s taken forever!

Friends, one of the very best things about Ridgewood — and what inspired me to explore all the food nooks and crannies of the ‘hood and start this website — is sfogliatelle from Catania Bakery on Fresh Pond Road. Since I’m not into custardy fillings and dry cookies, I don’t usually enjoy Italian pastries. But sfogliatelle (aka “lobster tails”) are sooo good. The bottom is sort of a cross between a cream puff and a croissant, and the top is all these flaky, crunchy layers. Delicious! It’s filled with a version of French pastry cream that is basically whipped cream with powdered sugar and egg white for a bit more body.

FYI: There’s another branch of Catania Bakery at 487 Harman Street (corner of Cypress), a few blocks over in Brooklyn. A few key differences: Pastries are topped with a maraschino cherry (?!), and more importantly, THE LOBSTER TAILS ARE NOT THE SAME. The filling is more custard-like, which I do not enjoy and cannot recommend.

Catania Bakery

64-10 Fresh Pond Road [map]
(718) 417-5700