The Best Delivery in New York City - A Guide to Take-Out in BoCoCa, Brooklyn

BoBoCa, Brooklyn
A guide to Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens

Nearby: Park Slope/Prospect Heights>>

BY JON STEINBERG



		La Rosa & Son 98 Smith St., between Atlantic and Pacific; 718-935-0545 This superlative pizzeria offers a tasty break from local mainstays like Giardini's, Sal's, and House of Pizza. • Minimum order: $8 • Delivery area: Clark St. to Carroll St., Nevins St. to Hicks St. • Hours of delivery: 5:30 p.m. - 11 p.m. • Accepts credit cards: no • Keeps address on file: no • Delivers alcohol: no

		Le Petit Café 502 Court St., between Nelson and Luquer Sts.; 718-596-7060 A full lineup of pancakes, French toasts, and omelets will make you forget that empty fridge of yours. • Minimum order: no minimum • Delivery area: Carroll Gardens as far as Red Hook Hours of delivery: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. (Thu. - Sat.), 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. (Sun. - Wed.) • Accepts credit cards: no • Keeps address on file: no • Delivers alcohol: no

		Café Scaramouche 524 Court St., between Huntington and Nelson Sts.; 718-855-9158 This Argentinean bakery/café provides delicious scones and cakes for Dean & Deluca, while spoiling its lucky Carroll Gardens customers. • Minimum: $10 • Delivery area: Union St. to Hamilton Ave., Smith St. to Columbia St. • Hours of delivery: 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. (Mon. - Sat.), 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Sun.) • Credit cards: yes • Keeps address on file: no • Delivers alcohol: no

		BKLYN Bread 436 Court St., between 3rd and 4th Pls.; 718-403-0234 The café's heros, while pricey ($7-$10), are lovingly prepared using fresh brick-oven bread. • Minimum: $10 • Delivery area: 10-block radius • Hours of delivery: 6 a.m. - 9 p.m. (Sun. - Thu.), 5:30 a.m. - 10 p.m. (Fri. and Sat.) • Credit cards: no • Keeps address on file: no • Delivers alcohol: no

		Bagels by the Park 323 Smith St., at President St.; 718-246-1321 The bustling Smith Street bagel-maker delivers some hand-rolled humdingers. • Minimum: $10 • Delivery area: Fifth Ave. to Bond St., Columbia St. to State St. • Hours of delivery: 6 a.m. - 7 p.m. (Mon. - Sat.), 6 a.m. - 6 p.m. (Sun.) • Credit cards: no • Keeps address on file: yes • Delivers alcohol: no

Crave
570 Henry St., between Carroll and Summit Sts.
718-643-0361

American, Asian, French
Crave is a neighborhood spot that is so tiny and tucked away, that many in the neighborhood don't even know it exists. Chef/owners Debbie Lyn and Marco Morillo, formerly cooks at Nobu and Industry (food) respectively, have created a seasonal menu that is uniformly fantastic. We're particularly in love with Crave's Shrimp Po' Boy ($10), which arrives on a crisp ciabatta bun, stuffed with lightly fried baby shrimp, pickled white onions, and spicy remoulade. An herb roasted free-range chicken ($20) comes with butternut squash puree, brussel sprouts, apple and pancetta ragout and chicken jus—it's comfort food fit for a comfortable setting.

Minimum: $10
Credit cards: no
Keeps address on file: no
Delivers alcohol: yes (beer only)
Delivery area: Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Columbia Waterfront District
Hours of delivery: 6 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. (Tue. - Thu. and Sun), 6 p.m. - 11 p.m. (Fri. and Sat.)

CurrySource
88 Bergen St., near Smith St.
718-797-9719

Indian
Since the words "You asked for it. 25% More!" are stamped on everything—menus, paper bags and plastic containers—it's surprising how small CurrySource's portions look. Especially at an average of $8 a plate. But quality trumps quantity at this closet-sized shop, which offers Anglo-Indian groceries and re-heatable curries for takeout and delivery only. Any one of the four main dishes is superior to what you'll find at other area curry houses (that means you, Baluchi's), with the sweet-spicy chicken vindaloo ($8) being a favorite. The miniscule kitchen has been known to run out of food by Must-See TV time, so get your order in early.

Minimum: no minimum
Delivery area: Columbia St. to Eighth Ave., Brooklyn Heights to Hamilton Ave.
Hours of delivery: 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. (Mon - Fri), 2 p.m. - 8 p.m. (Sat and Sun)
Credit cards: yes
Keeps address on file: no
Delivers alcohol: no
Website: curry-source.com

Empire Kitchen
205 Court St., between Wyckoff and Baltic Sts.
718-858-1975

Chinese
The only thing that separates Empire Kitchen from the other wok-to-doorstep restaurants delivering in South Brooklyn, is a "special diet and health menu." It consists of exactly one entrée ($6.95), but you can customize it to your arteries' content. Pick from a list of a dozen fresh vegetables bought every morning in Chinatown, ranging from the fairly mundane, like string beans and snow peas, to the scratch-your-head exotic, like wu lu gourd and fuzzy melon. The veggie bowl is steamed without oil, cornstarch, or salt, and comes with a choice of three diet-busting sauces that undoubtedly ignore those restrictions.

Minimum: $10
Delivery area: Atlantic Ave. to Union St., Henry St. to Bond St.
Hours of delivery: 11:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Credit cards: no
Keeps address on file: no
Delivers alcohol: no

Jake's Bar-B-Que
189 Columbia St., at Degraw St.
718-522-3981

BBQ
We're not going to toss too many superlatives Jake's way. You can definitely find better BBQ in NYC but it's easily the top smokehouse delivering to this section of the Borough of Kings. Specialties like the moist pulled chicken platter ($14.50) are a great value, coming with a choice of bread and two sides. The brisket melt ($14.50), a lip-smacking pile of smoky beef smothered in cheddar, swiss, or mozzarella cheese, made us feel extremely naughty--which is exactly what BBQ is designed to do.

Minimum: $10
Delivery area: Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, Fort Greene, Park Slope, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Sunset Park and Prospect Heights.
Hours of delivery: noon - 9:30 p.m. (Mon. -Thu.), noon - 10:30 p.m. (Fri. and Sat.), 1 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. (Sun.)
Credit cards: yes
Keeps address on file: yes
Delivers alcohol: no
Website: jakesbbq.com

Joya
215 Court St., between Warren and Wyckoff Sts.
718-222-3484

Thai
We absolutely love Joya. Problem is, so does everyone else. The perennially packed Thai restaurant is the people's choice in Cobble Hill, thanks to its delicious sautés, extremely fair prices, and suave environs. If you can't handle the hour-plus wait at the bar, do what we do: just stay home. Trust us: The chili-basil soaked spicy noodles ($6.95) or kang kyo whan moo ($7.25), sliced pork with eggplant, bamboo shoots, peppers, and carrots in a green curry sauce, taste just as good without the live DJ, the leaping flames, and the crush of humanity.

Minimum: $10
Delivery area: Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights
Hours of delivery: 5 p.m. - 11 p.m. (Sun. - Thu.), 5 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. (Fri. and Sat.)
Credit cards: no
Keeps address on file: no
Delivers alcohol: no

Osaka
272 Court St., between Butler and Douglass Sts.
718-643-0044

Sushi
For an area that's chock-a-block with good restaurants, it is still difficult to find decent sushi around BoCoCa. The lone exception might be Osaka, a sushi house squeezed into a slender storefront on Court Street. The delivery system is second-rate at times (once, our delivery guy came bearing an empty wallet: "No change. Sorry!"), but the sushi is first-class. A piece of scallop atop the White River Roll ($10) has just the right snap. The Botan Maki ($11) features king crab wrapped in moist rice then generously topped with sweet jumbo shrimp.

Minimum: $10
Delivery area: Montague St. to W. 9th St., Fourth Ave. to Columbia St.
Hours of delivery: noon - 3 p.m., 5 p.m. - 11 p.m. (Sun. - Thu.), noon - 2:45 p.m., 5 p.m. - midnight (Fri. and Sat.).
Credit cards: yes
Keeps address on file: yes
Delivers alcohol: no

Schnäck
122 Union St., between Columbia and Hicks Sts.
718-855-2879

Hamburgers, Hot Dogs
Sure, it's a little strange to order hot dogs and hamburgers for delivery. But imagine that you've got a horrible summer cold, and you can hear the neighbors' raging rooftop barbecue from your Kleenex-littered bed. That's when you'll be calling Schnäck. The restaurant's spicy Sabrettes ($2.50) and crisp, pink swojska dogs ($3.50) are so close to flawless, you won't care if they arrive slightly cold. And we're pretty sure that burgers do not get any cuter than the 1.5 ounce "Schnäckies" ($.99). The mini-patties come plopped on tiny golden buns smeared with mayonnaise-y "Schnäck Sauce." Pop a few of those and call us in the morning.

Minimum: $10
Delivery area: Atlantic Ave. to Nelson St., Columbia St. to Hoyt St.
Hours of delivery: noon - midnight
Credit cards: no
Keeps address on file: no
Delivers alcohol: no
Website: schnackdog.com

Zaytoons
283 Smith St., at Sackett St.
718-875-1880

Middle Eastern
We have seen perfection and it comes wrapped in tin foil. Packed with juicy chicken slices and a fragrant mélange of diced onions, tomatoes, and pickles, Zaytoons' chicken shawarma sandwich is an eight-inch gift from the Holy Land (or thereabouts). Miraculously, the warm, doughy pita soaks up the meat juice and tahini without dissolving into a greasy mess. And it costs—get this—five bucks. To fill out Zaytoons' $8 minimum for deliveries, you might want to order a side of hummus ($3.50-$5), rife with the scent of lemon. Or you could opt for the delicious leg of lamb platter ($10.50)—thinly-sliced lamb spiced liberally with cilantro and garlic, paired with rice, a green salad, and that warm, floury pita. All praise be to the delivery man.

Minimum: $8
Delivery area: Atlantic Ave. to Red Hook, Bond St. to waterfront
Hours of delivery: 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. (Mon. - Thu.), 11 a.m. - midnight (Fri. and Sat.), 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. (Sun.).
Credit cards: yes
Keeps address on file: yes
Delivers alcohol: no

Published May 3, 2004