WHAT TO EAT, DRINK & DO — ACCORDING TO ARTISTS WE LOVE
———————————————————————————————
Geta killer sandwich for a low price at Banh Mi Place
“If I’m not [at Cafe Eloise], I’m there. Not a lot of seating, but cheap. You can get a good banh mi sandwich for $7. It’s tasty and it’s a good portion, a good-sized sandwich. Very no-frills. Bubble tea galore — all the flavors you want. The amount of times I’ve gone there for a Thai iced tea bubble tea and banh mi is like double digits — 20, 40, 60…
They have hats with the Banh Mi logo, and I wanna get one. It’s time.” – Prince Johnny
824 Washington Ave, (718) 552-2660, banhmiplacebklyn.com
Check out (and get checked out at) not-quite-gay gay bar, Branded Saloon
“I think it won this award for being the best not-quite-gay gay bar.
There is a… predatory-ness of a lot of gay bars, or gay clubs, especially in Hell’s Kitchen. Brooklyn has the edge taken off a little bit, but you know, it’s the male gaze. It can feel like it’s hard to put your guard down and it’s kinda hard to be yourself and you’re always trying to prove something — like, hunt or be hunted. But Branded Saloon…somewhere between the ox heads and old-timey chandeliers, there’s something about the vibe that decreases that. And it’s very unpretentious. The food is good — there’s burgers… it’s kind of like, mix Chile’s and a gay bar. I love going there to watch Rupaul. The staff — everyone knows the bartenders there. It’s that similar Cafe Eloise thing…
And it’s very unpretentious. The food is good — it’s kind of like, mix Chile’s and a gay bar. I love going there to watch Rupaul. The staff — everyone knows the bartenders there. It’s that similar Cafe Eloise thing…
When I was sending off my second single and doing all the emailing shit, I did all of that at like 11 pm at the bar. You know, cafes close — where do I go when I’m a night owl and I want to work on stuff? Bring your laptop, sit down there, and they won’t bat an eye. Get a burger an hour in, get a cider…” – Prince Johnny
603 Vanderbilt Ave, (718) 484-8704, brandedsaloon.com
Catch some culture at Brooklyn Museum
“The Brooklyn Museum is incredible. We ended up playing there back in 2008. After that, we got friendly with the people who did some of the programming and played there three times. Every time we played there, the people were so friendly and were showing us what they were working on and different installations. It was cool because it just feels like a much more accessible version of The Met or MoMA. It’s also the difference between Manhattan tourism and Brooklyn tourism. Everything here feels more casual and intimate, [and] the Brooklyn museum is beautiful.” – Savoir Adore
200 Eastern Pkwy, (718) 638-5000, brooklynmuseum.org
Find coffee and community at Cafe Eloise
“I’ve never felt community in a neighborhood in my life before [until now], and it’s largely because of this place. I think the people that come here are truly creative and open and willing to help each other — I think of JuJubeing so generous with his skills. [Editor’s note: JuJu is Julián Macklemore, a (very talented) photographer who lives in the neighborhood.]
I just think that it’s so important to have somewhere around you where you feel safe to be yourself, that also has an intimacy to it. Because the whole thing with New York City is that you’re sacrificing the intimacy – until you find it. That’s the whole journey after getting here. You have to fight for the intimacy. Anywhere else – Oklahoma – you’ll have it. You’ll know everyone, whether you want to or not. So that’s what [Cafe Eloise] represents to me.
Oh, and good food at fair prices – I’m getting one of those avocado smash sandwiches soon. It’s so good. And the storytelling night – it’s magical. I love this place.” – Prince Johnny
417 Prospect Pl, instagram.com/cafeeloise/
Host your museum after-party at Cheryl’s Global Soul
“The best post-Brooklyn-Museum lunch spot is Cheryl’s. It was one of the first places I went when I moved to Brooklyn. You go in through that curtain and you feel like you’ve just walked into a tent or a camp mess hall — but a very elegant camp mess hall. It’s teeny and warm; they have a beautiful backyard. I don’t really fuck with brunch, but to get very great pancakes, waffles — your breakfast stuff — I do that at Cheryl’s.” – Lizzie No
236 Underhill Ave, (347) 529-2855, cherylsglobalsoul.com/
Get your music fix al fresco at Prospect Park Bandshell
“My other favorite non-North Brooklyn [spot] is the bandshell in Prospect Park. That’s the coolest fucking thing — a bucket-list thing to be able to play that. It’s such a Brooklyn level-up achievement.” – Savoir Adore
141 Prospect Park West, (718) 683-5600, bricartsmedia.org
Catch up-and-comers at The Way Station
“The Way Station was one of our first shows, and we still go back there. It’s definitely this cool, weird bar. It’s a Dr. Who theme, but you have to know and like Dr. Who to even get that — which I didn’t get. The point is, it’s very cool and quirky, and that’s where we got our start.
It’s a cool place to see up-and-coming music and musicians who are just coming out. It’s great because the people who go there support you. Our band started like seven years ago — the first iteration of the band — and we still have people who, when they see our name on the billboard outside, will come in and watch our show. We’ll walk down the street, and that neighborhood specifically is where people will be like, ‘Oh, you’re Brandi from Brandi & The Alexanders!’ It’s cool because you have that community and that bar, and they really support live music and support musicians. It’s nice to see that. Not every place has the musicians at heart.” – Brandi Thompson
683 Washington Ave, (347) 627-4949, thewaystationbk.com