Red Hook: Sticky Bun Heaven at Home/Made

Thy and I went to a small little cafe/restaurant in Red Hook called Home/Made for brunch recently, where we found possibly the best sticky buns in Brooklyn.

But first, we each ordered a main meal.  T ordered the French Toast.  This was not your ordinary French Toast.  It had a real blend of interesting flavors.  The pears and apples added a strong fruit flavor, the cherries added tartness and the caramel sauce added a little bit of bitterness.  Very creative overall, although it actually could have used some additional sweetness.

French Toast ★★★★☆

I ordered the Wild Mushrooms and Fontina Scramble, which had a nice lightness.  The potatoes were well-seasoned and I liked the texture of the mushrooms mixed in with the eggs.  Overall, the scramble was enjoyable but not spectacular.  I also ordered a side of  Chicken and Apple Sausage, which was very good.  There was an unexpected sweetness to the sausage and great flavor.

Wild Mushrooms and Fontina Scramble ★★★★☆

The best part of this meal, however, was the Sticky Pecan Buns.  We just ordered 1 sticky bun, which came out warm and buttery.  What I really liked about it though was that it was not overly sweet.  The outside is crunchy like a croissant and the raisins add a perfectly simple tartness.  The crunchiness of the outside is due to some slight caramelization and it was just awesome.  The flavor is great, the texture is great, and I don't even know where you can find a sticky bun as good as this one.  This is the type of thing you want to tell all your family and friends about.

Sticky Pecan Buns ★★★★★

Gowanus: Excellent Vietnamese Comfort Food at Nightingale 9

T and I decided to celebrate the New Year with brunch at a new Vietnamese restaurant in Gowanus, Nightingale 9.  We were pretty hungry so we ordered 4 things off their menu.

The first was the Steamed Pork Dumplings.  According to the menu, the dumplings came with a sauce called Kentucky Soy Dipping Sauce.  This turned out to be delicious.  The dumplings themselves were very basic but the sauce was a blend of soy sauce and either lemon or lime I believe, and perhaps other things.  It was really delicious and if you also add some of the homemade spicy fish sauce, homemade sweet fish sauce or homemade hot sauce, you will have experienced a pretty awesome array of flavors.  The sauces are what this a 5 star dish.

Steamed Pork Dumplings ★★★★★

The second thing we got was the Fried Chicken Thigh Banh Mi.  This was pretty good.  The chicken had a nice crispiness and the pickled veggies and fresh cilantro were nice additions.  It wasn't fantastic but it was enjoyable.

Fried Chicken Thigh Banh Mi ★★★★☆

The third thing we got was the Big Classic Breakfast.  This was fantastic.  The dish consisted of two eggs over easy on top of onions, sausage and crispy pate with a side of baguette.  This is one of the most comforting breakfasts I have ever had.  The bread came out warm and was crispy and flaky on the outside.  I made myself a breakfast sandwich and added all the sauces, which were again, delicious.  The sweetness of the onions, the savoriness and saltiness of the sausage, the texture of the pate and the pure deliciousness of the sauces made for a great breakfast.  This is a dish that I crave for.

Big Classic Breakfast ★★★★★

The last thing we got was the Chicken Pho.  This was good too.  The broth had a nice and clean flavor, although not very salty by itself.  When I add in the chili peppers, the fried onions and the lime, it was a nice flavor.  The lime adds a hint of sourness that is different but in a good way.  Again, add the homemade fish sauces and homemade spicy sauce if you want to give the dish extra flavor.

Chicken Pho ★★★★☆

Overall, a very satisfying experience.