When Knopf published The Brooklyn Cookbook in 1991, the restaurant world had not yet embraced buzzwords like artisanal and farm-to-table. Instead, the book, edited by the legendary Judith Jones (who discovered Julia Child) offered a nostalgic tribute to the borough’s ethnic culinary roots.
Twenty-five years later, the heirs to authors Lyn Stallworth and Rod Kennedy Jr. have replaced anecdotes about Ebbets Field and egg creams with photographs of gleaming tin ceilings and cool marble bars. And whereas the earlier title felt compelled to address certain stereotypes—the flap copy admitted that, sure, some Brooklynites really did say “toidy-toid” for 33rd—this season’s titles flaunt Kings County’s newfound global cachet.
Brooklyn Bar Bites
Barbara Scott-Goodman
Rizzoli, Apr.
Recipes for signature cocktails and snacks come from top-notch drinking establishments including Maison Premiere (a Williamsburg oyster den) and Clover Club, the Cobble Hill shrine for classic libations from acclaimed bartender Julie Reiner.
Brooklyn Bartender
Carey Jones
Black Dog & Leventhal, May
A collection of 300 recipes, organized by spirit and garnished with advice from barkeeps. Profiled bars include Williamsburg’s Bushwick Country Club, where the name for the pickleback shot—a slug of bourbon and pickle brine—was coined.
Food & Beer
Daniel Burns and Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergso, with Joshua David Stein
Phaidon, May
The book’s title mirrors the real-life pairing of two compatible but distinct establishments that share space in Greenpoint: laid-back Danish beer hangout Tørst and the sleeker, Scandinavian-inspired restaurant Luksus.
Brooklyn Rustic
Bryan Calvert
Little, Brown, June
Calvert, who helped cement the borough’s culinary rep through seasonal American cooking at James, his Prospect Heights restaurant, expands on more than 125 recipes for homey but refined dishes such as melted romaine, and dulce de leche cheesecake with sea salt and caramelized apples, with essays that explain his cooking philosophy.
