March 26, 2015 - 8:33am
New York artisan bakeries
We'll soon be leaving the UK behind for a week or so and will be visiting family in NYC, the Northport area of Long Island, and up around Woodstock/Kingston.
Can anyone recommend any good artisan bakeries in the city and/or around Northport and Woodstock?
I would bet there's a good bakery in the Woodstock area, though I have not been there in ages, because that's the type of shop that would do well in the affluent, small town, post-hippy place that Woodstock is.
Northport is on "the island." No artisan bakeries there, with the possible exception of Huntington. You should go to Bagel Boss. There's one nearby. Terrific bagels, incredible lox, and fantastic baked salmon. If you go on a Sunday morning, when they are crowded, you will see artistry in action, a snappy quick taking of orders. Think Seinfeld, maybe a bit more polite than the soup Nazi guy episode.
For artisan bakeries, best bet is Brooklyn, though there's a few in the city, especially the Village and below. Take the LIRR, that's Long Island Railroad, to Atlantic Ave., the only Brooklyn station. "The city" is Manhattan, as in "I'm going into the city," or "I'm taking the train to the island." Get the lingo. And, please, please, please, never let the words "Avenue of the Americas" escape your lips. That's 6th Ave. Saying "Avenue of the Americas" is like putting a mark in the middle of your forehead. One more: Do not wear white pants. New York is a black clothing town, maybe weird patterns; only tourists wear white.
Eat pizza, lots of it. Perfect NY pizza on the island. Do not get toppings. Do not cut it up. Do not get rid of the grease. It's healthy NY grease and integral to the pizza. For a demonstration, watch this Jon Stewart piece. (It's a Sarah Palin meets Donald Trump thing, but mostly about pizza.) He gets the pizza eating right. We were screaming at home when we saw it.
Many thanks for this; I enjoyed reading it and will definitely look at the Jon Stewart clip.
I've been visiting NY regularly for the last 40 years, so am pretty familiar and deeply fond of its mannerisms and uniqueness.
We'll be staying with family in Huntington. Someone on Twitter has suggested Duck Island Bread (not far from the station) and in Woodstock, Bread Alone .... as for the bagel place, there's one particular one we go to; it may be Bagel Boss, I'm not sure. If not, I'll check that one out.
Once again, thanks ...
I'll bet you know how to fold your pizza and eat hot dogs with mustard and sauerkraut. Have a great time!
If you find yourself in NYC between locations there will be a great variety to try. Bien Cuit in Brooklyn is one I've never been to but have heard great things about.
As for Woodstock. Bread Alone, Dan Leader's bakery is in Boiceville which is not too far from Woodstock and should be well worth the trip. While they've grown to a very large business their bread practices are still top notch.
Josh