Breakfast (and Lunch and Dinner) in Bed

Bedford-Stuyvesant has long been famous—Shirley Chisholm, Biggie, Jay-Z, its vibrant mix of cultures—but until recently it has also been a culinary hole. I’ve lived in the neighborhood for seven years, and for many of those, just getting a box of edible hot wings felt like a victory. Like all successes, Bed-Stuy’s food scene took a lot of hard work over a long time, with Tiny Cup, Miss Dahlia’s Café, Peaches’ Hot House and Sweet Revenge all opening over a span of several years, each carving out a little culinary and geographical niche.

And then came the deluge. The last six months have seen the rapid-fire opening of many, many restaurants, more than we could possibly include here. Is this process freighted with economic, social and racial tension? Sure, but let’s think with our stomachs instead of our MAs in sociology. It’s a lot more fun.

Bedford Hill Coffee Bar 343 Franklin Ave. (at Green Ave.), Brooklyn, www.bedfordhillbrooklyn.com.

Opened in November 2010 by Allison Stuart, a veteran of Greenpoint’s Champion Coffee, Bedford Hill is a cozy cafe with a collegial atmosphere—it seems like Stuart, almost always behind the bar, knows every third person that walks through the door. Located below street level, this spot is especially charming during winter, when snowdrifts frame the street over their steaming cups. While it doesn’t have drip coffee, the large Americano (served in a pint glass) is a welcome substitution. There are also New Yorker bagels ($2–$3), local pastries ($2–$3) and a truly divine egg-and-cheese sandwich ($6). The coffee bar has already been the subject of numerous New York Times’ write-ups, and some enterprising soul has even used its name to re-brand part of the ‘Stuy surroundings in a Wikipedia article.

Dough 305 Franklin Ave. (at Lafayette Ave.), Brooklyn, 347-533-7544.

Krispy Kreme habitués may be tempted to get a dozen or more donuts from Dough. Resist this. Each delicious and exotic confection, whether it’s lemon meringue, passion fruit, Nutella or (my personal favorite) blood orange, is hearty enough to equal at least three of those Southern treats ($2–$3). And they’re heavy: I recently carried five donuts on a short subway trip and my arm tensed like I was lugging a week’s worth of groceries. Open since early 2011, Dough also provides baked goods for Provisions and Choice, which can lead to the frustrating situation of being “out” of a doughnut when there are racks and racks of them at a shop across the borough. Ask nicely, though, and they’ll probably whip you up one right on the spot.

SUD Vino and Cucina 1102 Bedford Ave. (betw. Lexington Ave. & Quincy St.), Brooklyn, www.sudnyc.com.

With respect to the other places on this list, Sud, opened in February 2011, is the most exciting restaurant in Bed- Stuy. And the most surprising: the Italian establishment has French owners. From inside a beautiful, softly lit interior, all hard-worn wood and exposed brick, the cooks focus on southern Italian fare and a delicious assortment of handmade pastas ($8–$10) including a phenomenal gnocci. Choose a bottle of wine because the restaurant is no longer BYOB (bad news for us cheapskates) and make sure to listen to the day’s specials, usually around a half-dozen meat and vegetarian dishes. And there is WiFi! So have a drink, nibble on some pasta and finish that novel.

Do Or Dine 1008 Bedford Ave. (betw. Lexington Ave. & Quincy St.), Brooklyn, 718-684-2290.

This late-night spot is open from 4 to 4, with dinner service from 4 to 10, followed by “drunk food” service from 10 until close. Opened in a former Jamaican vegetarian food restaurant (short-lived, unsurprisingly), Do or Dine has been undergoing extensive renovations since October 2010. “If you see it, we had to build it,” said a worker putting some finishing touches on the space on a recent weekend. The work shows: the steel counters and linoleum floors have been replaced by dark wood trim, mirrors and lovingly done black-and-white tile work (including a mosaic skull-andcrossbones in the entryway).

Still, the main attraction is the eclectic menu, which ranges from cumin-and-lime chops to nachos or straight-from-the-package snickers ice cream bars.

Alcatraz 344 Franklin Ave. (betw. Greene & Lexington Aves.), Brooklyn, www.alcatraznyc.com/.

Alcatraz, in Bed-Stuy since November 2010, is a perfect example of the neighborhood’s new, eclectic culinary scene. The brainchild of executive chef David Sharp, an hautecuisine veteran whose resumé includes work with Govind Armstrong, Suzanne Goin, Wolfgang Puck and Julia Child, this three-table restaurant provides a dose of quality Mexican food to a place that needs it. While the experience of eating in the restaurant can be a bit odd—Sharp visible in the kitchen through makeshift prison bars, the menus somewhat confusingly tucked under the chairs—the food is handcrafted in the Rick Bayless vein: traditional, delicious and full of fresh ingredients—not to mention cheap (most menu items cost under $10). The tamales are perfectly textured, the enchiladas just melty enough, and everything is full of the rich, complex flavors you forget are the point of Mexican food when you eat at food trucks.