I’m leaving New York City next week. I’ve been here for seven years and there’s still so much I haven’t done. I haven’t eaten a Cronut. I haven’t performed with my guitar at an open-mic night. I haven’t auditioned for a Broadway play. And until a few weeks ago, I hadn’t been to Red Hook, Brooklyn.

Christie and I met up on a Sunday afternoon at Brooklyn Crab, in Red Hook. I am addicted to shellfish so I was looking forward to this experience. When walking up to Brooklyn Crab, you are greeted by lawn games being played in the parking lot which assures you immediately that this place is awesome. There are three levels of seating on decks, reminiscent of the crab places on the bay back home in south Jersey. I wanted to get my hands dirty cracking something open but we also wanted to try a few different things, so we went with a Cool Platter with 3 Jonah Crab Claws, 3 Poached Cocktail Shrimp, and 3 West Coast Oysters. We ordered the Hollander Mussels, French Fries, and the Jalapeño Corn Bread to share. Everything was incredible, especially the corn bread which I would order by the pound and bring with me to Asia to eat everyday if I could.

Lunch was topped off with a pitcher of the Southern Tier Brewklyn Crab, available only at Brooklyn Crab. I was distracted by the perfection of the name of the beer and didn’t realize it was an IPA until it was dropped off at our table. After years of telling people I didn’t like IPAs, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I find them delicious, at least this particular one.

While I would’ve liked an excuse to wear a lobster bib, the less messy meal we ordered was a good choice. We had plenty more to do in Red Hook that day, although we didn’t know it at the time.

Our next stop was Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pies. Just like with IPAs, I would’ve normally said “nah” to key lime pie, but a place that only serves key lime pie and has served it in a weird location at the end of an empty street for over 20 years has to be in business for a reason. Christie and I each bought a Swingle, which is a small 4-inch pie dipped in chocolate and presented on a Popsicle stick. We could have definitely split one, and it was while enjoying our Swingles when we really could have used lobster bibs. We both had chocolate on our hands and faces, but trust me, it was all worth it.

Christie and I wandered around the neighborhood for a little bit, stopping in cute stores like Foxy and Winston {where I bought something I didn’t need and a gift for someone that I might end up keeping for myself} and Wooden Sleepers, an awesomely curated vintage shop which had about 120 camouflaged jackets and a fencing mask not unlike the ones we used in the movies we wrote, directed, and starred in as kids. At Cacao Prieto, a combo chocolate factory and distillery, we checked out the courtyard in the back of the building and realized there were chickens and a peacock just hanging out – which, of course they were, because it’s Brooklyn.

We went to Fort Defiance for one more drink before parting ways. I ordered too quickly and got beers for us, but Fort Defiance is known for their cocktails, as in some of the best in the city. Another drink wasn’t in the cards for us, so this gives us another excuse to come back and explore more of Red Hook another time.

After Christie and I said our goodbyes, I decided I needed one more treat for the way home. At Baked, I bought myself a famous Brookster {a cookie baked on top of a brownie!} that was absolutely delightful and the brownie/chocolate chip cookie flavored icing on the cake of a perfect Brooklyn afternoon.

xx