What would it feel like to be fed on the whim of a woman? Childhood, perhaps. Yes, it might feel like it did when you had to eat whatever Mother put on the table. If your mother were an accomplished chef who shops locally and seasonally, and serves up the best of what her mind and the markets had to offer, then it would feel pretty incredible. And that is the effect of The Halcyon Gourmet in Greenpoint, Brooklyn owned and operated by Chef Maria Rizzo and her business partner, Archie Gianunzio. The menu changes daily, so you never know what you are going to get. You just know it will be so, so good.
"I got a great big batch of Berkshire pig pork shanks from our friends at The Meat Hook in Brooklyn and we're making pressed Cubano sandwiches," says Chef Rizzo. Also on today's menu: corn chowder and the ever-popular lentil soup with chorizo. Other favorites include the pork tenderloin BLT with siracha mayo, curried chicken salad, and the filet mignon sandwich with caramelized onions, fontina, and rosemary aioli. Getting hungry yet?
If that is not enough to lure you to hop on the subway, get on your bike, or hail a cab right this second to Greenpoint, then consider this: the Peanut Butter Bliss cookie. It's so good that Chris Rock would claim there were drugs in it (remember the "Kracky Kremes" bit from his show "Never Scared?"). The flat cookie sandwich is crunchy and salty, packed with a creamy peanut center. And it's big. Oh, that peaceful, calm, carefree feeling is coming our way...
