Which is why it’s good to remember that vestiges of the old Brooklyn remain, if you make an effort to notice them. In fact, in some areas, the Brooklyn of my youth is positively thriving, especially when you venture out of the gentrified neighborhoods closest to Manhattan. Well, except for the stickball…I haven’t seen anyone play a pickup game of that since the ’80s.
To that end, here is my personal list of destinations for a truly old-school Brooklyn eating experience. Before diving in, I need to be clear about one thing: This is not a list of the “best” restaurants in Brooklyn, whether newer ones like Roberta’s or older ones like Totonno’s. Those lists already exist, in triplicate, in just about every publication in the land. No, these are the places that most remind me of the good decades I spent in one of the greatest cities in the world—because, yes, Brooklyn is a city unto itself, no matter its political designation—and all I can do is thank the heavens they’re still there, carrying the torch.
