Surprise food stands are the best. We were visiting the Brooklyn Botanical Garden this weekend for our annual cherry blossom peeping. My son demanded a treat from a Mr. Softee truck and I got lucky by catching this new “summer house” during their soft opening.
Aunts et Uncles is a Caribbean plant based café in Flatbush and it’s been on my list for a while now. I don’t find myself in Flatbush very often, but it turns out Aunts et Uncles just debuted a seasonal stand right outside the Brooklyn Museum.
I had forgotten they were plant-based at my first gander at the menu. Once it clicked, I had to order the lobster roll. While I love the actual crustacean, I was fascinated to see how they re-created this with no sea creatures.
The lobster was replaced with tender, meaty hearts of palm and tossed with enough vegan mayo and dill to fool even the most discerning Mainer. Flavorwise, it might have missed some of the sweetness of lobster meat, but it had the texture down, and was
Unlike many lobster rolls I’ve tried in New York, the “meat” was overflowing here from the incredible pretzel roll. The bread was sweet. salty, wonderfully warm, and held up the main component. I found myself not being able to stop eating this.
It was a great surprise on many levels. And while my son was content with his predictable super hero flavored ice cream pop, I was experiencing many pleasant surprises with my plant-based lobster roll from the summer house. Price: $16
| AUNTS ET UNCLES |
| 200 Eastern Parkway (at Washington Avenue), at Brooklyn Museum Prospect Heights, Brooklyn |
| 1407 Nostrand Avenue (between Linden Boulevard and Martense Street), Flatbush, Brooklyn (347) 295-0001 |
| auntsetuncles.com |
