Restaurants

Al Di La is an Italian restaurant in Park Slope, known for their amazing food (usually ranked as one of Brooklyn's best restaurants) and seriously long waits (no reservations). Their wine bar, next door, is well-stocked and can be used to help ease the pain of having to wait forever.

Often in Williamsburg you'll learn that the further you move away from the nexus of Bedford and North 7th the more likely it is that you'll find a place you can claim for yourself. For Italian dining that consistently raises the bar that place is Aurora. Here, aperitivos compete with the main courses for making a lasting impression on one's palate. The desserts are delightful and the dessert wines are a perfect afterwork activity. On a balmy weekend afternoon it would be best to brunch outside in their comfy patio.

Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, opened by Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich in June 1998, is an exuberant celebration of the best of Italian food, wine and lifestyle.

Beard Papa's is an Osaka based chain with locations all around the world, including a handful in New York City.  Their speciality is a cream puff pastry shell filled with whipped cream custard, available in vanilla, chocolate and a wide variety of speciality flavors, that is then lightly dusted with powdered sugar.

The cream puffs have been dubbed "Best Cream Puffs in the World" by a number of newspapers and in 2008 Wired Magazine awarded Beard Papa's the "Wired" rating - the magazines highest possible rating.