Ten things you should eat in Bay Ridge

Eye On Real Estate

August 31, 2016 By Lore Croghan Brooklyn Daily Eagle

There are ever so many dining options in Bay Ridge, among them the Wicked Monk, an Irish pub on Third Avenue. Eagle photos by Lore Croghan

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Food, glorious food.

There are scores of palate-pleasing treats in Bay Ridge restaurants and bakeries. To whet your appetite for the culturally diverse fare in the southwest Brooklyn waterfront neighborhood, we’ve made a short list of 10 things you should try.

Our list is lacking in leafy green vegetables — but we promise you, plenty of salad is served in Bay Ridge. For instance, Nature’s Grill (7417 Third Ave.), a health-conscious restaurant that’s everybody’s go-to place for fresh juices and smoothies, dishes up a really good pear salad.

When you’re not noshing, you’ll need a nice long walk to work off some calories. See related story for suggestions about where to go and what to see in the neighborhood.

* Middle Eastern: Try the cauliflower steak at Tanoreen (7523 Third Ave.) — which was rated New York City’s Number 1 Middle Eastern restaurant by Zagat in 2013. The prestigious Michelin Guide has included chef/owner Rawia Bishara’s restaurant in its Bib Gourmand list of top-quality restaurants with two-course meals plus a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less.

The crave-worthy cauliflower, covered in a crunchy coating of panko and Parmesan cheese, is jazzed up with tahini sauce, sweet pomegranate molasses and harissa.

* Turkish: There’s tasty chicken doner, also called chicken gyro, at Hazar Turkish Kebab (7224 Fifth Ave.) — the chicken is cooked on a rotating spit and well-seasoned.

* Scandinavian: The cakes at Leske’s (7612 Fifth Ave.) are tempting.

The bakery was launched a half-century ago, when a heavy concentration of Norwegian-Americans lived in Bay Ridge. It closed in 2011 but was reopened the following year by new owners, one of whom was a baker who had worked at Leske’s.

* Greek: Order the baklava at Omonia Café (7612 Third Ave.), a Zagat-listed Greek dessert mecca.

* Italian: Have the sweet capicollo, mozzarella and long-stem artichoke sandwich at Paneantico Bakery Café (9124 Third Ave.), a hugely popular Bay Ridge eatery that’s also Zagat-listed. The server will bring out a bottle of Roso Balsamic Glaze reduction — a sauce that’s thicker than salad dressing and instantly addictive. Be sure to use it.

* Central European: The Korzo Burger at farm-to-table restaurant Brooklyn Beet Company (7205 Third Ave.) has langoš, which is Slovak bread, wrapped around it instead of a bun. This meat lover’s entrée was on the Village Voice’s 2011 list of New York City’s best hamburgers.

* Vietnamese: The beef pho — which is rice-noodle soup, as of course you know — at Pho Hoai (8616 Fourth Ave.) was on the Daily News’ 2012 list of the best pho in New York City.

* Irish pub: The chicken pot pie at the Wicked Monk (9510 Third Ave.) is really good.

* Italian: Have the Nutella-banana pancakes at Pasticceria Rocco (9402 Fourth Ave.), an offshoot of an Italian pastry shop in the West Village.

* American: Try the bagel with fresh lox and cream cheese at Bagel Boy (8002 Third Ave.), which is another hugely popular neighborhood institution. By the way, the shop’s rainbow bagel is a big seller.