Borough Vegetarian

Franny's on Flatbush - New Space But Consistently Delicious Food

We love Franny’s on Flatbush for their soups, salads, pizzas and pastas (and desserts…so pretty much everything).  Almost everything we have had there over the years has been fantastic, with two notable drawbacks being its price and long wait times during peak eating times.  So while we would otherwise eat at Franny’s all the time, unfortunately our checkbooks and desire to not wait for hours (on weekends in particular) means that Franny’s is only an occasional treat.  

(White Pizza with Ricotta and Buffalo Mozzarella)

We recently checked out Franny’s new, larger space (which somehow has not made getting in easier at all) and thankfully for an early 6pm dinner on a Saturday with friends, we didn’t really have to wait that long.  Sadly though, the prices were still what they are, so departed with a significant dent in our wallets (though, granted a lot of those funds went to drinks).

(Pizza with Tomato and Buffalo Mozzarella)

The food was fantastic though.  We played it fairly safe with bruschettas, pizzas, and pastas, but everything was great.  The pizza crust was perfectly flavorful, the toppings slightly sweet and salty, and the pasta was cooked perfectly.  I sadly did not have a soup on this visit, but I once had a vegan kale and bread soup which was completely out of this world (and something I have dreamed about replicating at home).

(Remains of Perfectly Cooked Cacio e Pepe)

Franny's

348 Flatbush Avenue

Park Slope, Brooklyn

Accessible by several train lines, including the B/Q trains at 7th Avenue and the 2/3 at Grand Army Plaza

Tom’s - Solid Breakfast Spot Near the Brooklyn Museum

If you search Yelp for the “best breakfast” or “best brunch” in Brooklyn, Tom’s on Washington Avenue will appear at the top of the list.  Far from a new Brooklyn hot spot, this diner has been in the neighborhood for decades.

After years of wondering if a trip to Tom’s would better than our local diners, we finally decided to make a late morning trip during last year's holiday week.  We waited for about 15 or 20 minutes for a table, and were ultimately seated on their indoor patio at a relatively small but comfortable table.  

We decided to split a savory dish with a sweet one, and both were pretty good, though not outstanding (even for diner fare).

I got the veggie omelet with cheddar, which was definitely HUGE but otherwise not that special.  The breakfast potatoes were also pretty good but didn’t really deviate from the norm for similar potatoes.

The husband got the Danish pancakes with blueberries.  I think I liked them more than him in that the blueberries gave the pancakes a nice sweetness and the parmesan, which I couldn’t fully taste, may have added some salt to the dish?  In any case though, I don’t think it’s a dish that we would necessarily re-order in the future.

So ultimately, we will probably go back to Tom’s if we are ever in the neighborhood at breakfast time.  However, I don’t think we’ll travel again just to eat there.

Tom's

782 Washington Avenue (at Sterling Place)

Crown Heights, Brooklyn

Easily accessible via the 2/3 subway lines at Eastern Parkway, and slightly longer (10 minute) walk from the 2/3/4/5 subway lines at Franklin Avenue