Some folks like to get away, take a holiday from the neighborhood.
When Billy Joel sings those lyrics, he’s implying that no vacation is as satisfying or comfortable as being in his home state.
But New York State of Mind was written long before the gentrification of Red Hook. In the last few years, this remote Brooklyn neighborhood (you can’t get there directly by subway) has been invaded by restaurants, breweries, Swedish furniture stores (you know the one) and young artists looking for cheap rents. It now truly feels like an escape from the city without ever having to leave the five boroughs.
I didn’t have much time on my first visit to Red Hook, but I wanted to walk through the quaint streets and explore the cute and unique shops. I had a similar feeling walking around the port towns of Maine. And maybe that’s because Red Hook is actually a port town (neighborhood?) that unfortunately now sees more of the IKEA Water Taxi than anything else.
There’s also a little bakery that churns out unusual takes on the classic cookies, brownies, and cupcakes. Considering the number of hipster and artist types residing in this hood, I’m pretty sure Baked doesn’t only refer to the fact that this local bakery makes great baked goods (all legal, mind you).
The Brewer’s Blondie was on the TONY list so I didn’t spend much time looking for other sweet options – though I did grab a menu to make myself jealous on the ride back to Manhattan. I’m dying to try their Coca Cola bundt cake and the Red Hook Red Hot (red velvet cake with cinnamon butter cream) cupcake.
Baked uses malt from Sixpoint Brewery, which is down the street, and while the confection doesn’t bring back memories of drunken college days (I sorta wished it had a stronger beer flavor) it does bring back memories of childhood. My mother used to always add a treat in my brown bag (I was too spoiled and scared to eat the school lunch) and she often included those oatmeal cremes. The first bite of these blondies reminded me of those. But as I continued savoring the bar, it was clear we were working on a whole other level. Unlike those dry and processed middle school treats, these had a rich malty flavor with notes of chocolate and caramel and bite size pieces of pecans.
They were not as unusual as the name implies, but these blondies are richer and more complex than anything I ever had as a kid. And for that alone, it’s worth a trip out to Red Hook. And why not take a holiday from the neighborhood (even if this happens to be your neighborhood)?
Would Baked’s Brewer’s Blondie make my Top 100 of the year? I really enjoyed the balance of sweet flavors and appreciated the collaboration of other local food businesses. So this delicious bar gets an 8 out of 10.
