bklyn.

i realized last summer that i had not had the opportunity to enjoy the holidays that i had earned. since i worked for a project that lasted only till the end of the year, i was presented with a few weeks of leisure. add overtime, and there was plenty.

last fall there were five weeks left, so on a plane i hopped to see a dear friend.

sandy had visited just a few days before, and i landed into a city that was moved by donation rallies, a barely working subway system, was to be hit by a blizzard only a few days afterwards and where everyone felt anxious about the coming presidential election. an exciting time to be in the heart of everything, then.

for me, the fact that manhattan was hardly accessible did not matter. only the j train was running for half the time i was there, but i am completely comfortable in brooklyn and ended up visiting the island twice: once to see a doctor for a strep throat that devastated me for a few days and once to see a friend and visit a couple of museums. greenpoint, williamsburg and bushwick were plenty and, most importantly, a walking distance from my base.

because i am fond of eating, i spent my days flaneuring and enjoying the incredible food. it is handy that i have a local foodie taking me around: the city changes constantly and it is incredibly hard to keep up. lucky me was instantly handed a list of places worthy of visits during the day, and at night we picked dinner and cocktail spots that were, truly, amazing.

here are some of my favorite places to stuff my guts.

toby's estate.

my daily javafix was taken care of either here or at blue bottle coffee (that i have mentioned before). toby's is better for hanging out: comfortable, spacey and inviting. (blue bottle is more of a visit to a lab which you leave with the perfect pour over.) they offer excellent single origins with enough information  to help you choose the perfect cup.

guatemalan single origin coming up.

hanging out at toby's.

el beit.

another small coffee shop where i liked to sip a hot drink and read my book was on bedford. perfect indie soundtrack, organic teas and beautiful fresh cakes, like my pear and ginger loaf served in an urban rustic setting.

five leaves.

for breakfast there is nothing more incredible than their ricotta pancakes. everything else is good, too. getting in for brunch on the weekends may take up to five hours, but is probably worth the wait – if you cannot make it in during the week, that is.

the ricotta pancakes. the size of the banana halves give you an idea of the portion. the dollop on top is maple butter. i am serious: this is heaven on earth.

egg.

for the perfect brunch that soothes every nerve in your body. organic and local, carefully prepared. served with a calm. and they give you crayons if the smoothness of everything gets a little too balsamic for your taste. just grab a color and go crazy on the tablecloth.

eggs rothko.

brooklyn label.

another great brunch spot is up in greenpoint. the chipped paint, the crammed bar and lines of locals who just grab a coffee to go make it homey even for a visitor. definitely not touristy, yet, the wait is still about an hour on weekends. a good tip is to walk in for the waiting list and stroll down the street to word for a great book.

artichoke mash and veggie sausage.

m shanghai.

for dumplings, there is really no need to go to chinatown. dough-covered yumminess is available right on grand, in the new location of m shanghai just a block from their original spot. the indie diner vibe is still there, as is the tattooed staff, and the food as sumptuous as ever.

samurai mama.

nothing makes me feel better jet lagged that a hot bowl of soup. udon with a fully flavored broth might just about cure all your ailments. no, actually, i am sure it will.

sansai udon.

café de la esquina.

although nowadays you can get decent mexican street food in helsinki, too, a proper fish taco experience is something i truly cherish on my trips to nyc. this old, glitzy diner brings simple and beautiful mexican tacos and quesadillas to the table. fresh and lovely.

pescado a la brasas taco.

lobster joint.

forget hotdogs, it's time for a little more elevated street snack. everyone in nyc seems to have been raving about lobster rolls for a couple of years now, but i finally had my chance with the scissory suckers. it is slightly more pricey than your average meat-in-a-bun, but here the value for money is definitely at its best: lots of lobster, fresh herb mayo, fries and a pickle. served fast, hot and to be eaten standing up. serious business, i say.

new england lobster roll.

the meatball shop.

don't let the name fool ya, there's plenty for a vegetarian to enjoy at the meatball shop. they serve great veggie balls, sliders, smashes and a mouthwatering selection of sides. and if you visited linnanmäki kattila last summer, you'll see where the inspiration for their meatball menu came from... imitation is the highest form of flattery.

we stumbled in during the blizzard and secured a seat without waiting. probably the only night out in brooklyn when everything was almost empty... perfect weather for some hearty food.

the blue stove.

i hardly ever eat dessert. my sweet tooth got snatched by the tooth fairy around the time i turned 22, and it's been awol ever since. however, on my trips i seem to get beside myself thinking about pie, cakes and donuts. especially pie. american bakeries and diners offer the most amazing pies with crusts that are never too sweet and where the fruit is tart and fresh. and then there is blue stove with a gazillion huge pies just waiting for me to turn into jabba the hut. decisions, decisions. i dare you to leave after eating just one slice...

pumpkin pie.

momofuku milk bar.

when sweet is not sweetness enough, there is crack pie. a heavy slice of sugar, butter, more sugar, more butter, some cream and milk and some more sugar. and a rather heavy pinch of salt, just to perfect it. once you have a taste, the name will seem natural. trust me.

do not let the looks deceive you. this is crack.

well, it seems ate my way through brooklyn.

ff6600.

the warmth is gone and i am spending a few days inside trying to cope with a series of colds that have conquered me this fall. a small office with plenty of visitors and long days have attacked my immune system and left me defenseless with the viruses.

fortunately, nothing too serious that rest and plenty of liquids could not cure.

while i cocoon myself between the blankets and fall asleep watching yet another movie on apple tv, these photos from a couple of weeks ago remind me of the perfect shades of fall.

mushrooms. again. i promise these are different ones from last time.

tomatoes in four stages of ripeness.

suncherished.

pumpkins taking over the field.

perfect shades of fall.

i hope you're enjoying the ripening weather.

weekend freewheeling.

a beautiful fall day in the city. a bicycle. some shopping.

last weekend i took my new bike out for a proper spin. working in a pressing schedule and spending 14 hours at my desk tapping away more often that is humanly possible, there are perks: our office bikes arrived from pelago with their little blue bells and customized to our own personal needs.

light gliding through the foliage covered streets has never felt so invigorating.

i rolled by helsinki10, one of my favorite stores in town, and got something i had my eye on since the summer. luckily the sales people also remembered my object of fancy since i was stopped at a party a couple of weeks ago with the message:

"your sweater is still in the store and it is on sale. just so you know... come and get it."

little things that make you happy.

heaven.

a few weeks ago i got a sneak preview of forthcoming firmament when i visited the construction site of kluuvi shopping centre. a murky, stuffy and dark labyrinth of a mall was to be redone completely, and already while under renovation it looked brighter and more fresh.

cables, concrete and tile.

heads will roll.

i haz a helmet! wearing makia. (and a safety vest.)

last thursday i got to experience it fully. it was lighter and brighter definitely, but the celestial bliss waited in the depths of the basement...

tradition meets urban.

butchers who know their business.

genelec for soothing sounds.

milky.

"the right to clean food."

eat & joy farmers' market opened a large store downstairs the entirely renovated downtown shopping mall. shelves filled with local and seasonal produce, their own cheese maturing facility, a bakery, a smokery, butchers, grain mills and a potato cellar where genelec speakers play ambient music to the pleasure of the veggies and roots – talk about some rutabaga boogie...

the first night and the weekend were filled with people just browsing and lingering, tasting and, at times, complaining about the prices... as could be expected with finns who are used to eating distantly grown food cheaply and thinking that they are being ripped off because they have a hard time understanding how relatively high prices are formed in an environment where the weather is everything but suitable for human inhabitation let alone farming and where two corporations monopolize the food industry. (whoa, was that a sentence?) constraints come in forms that bind the mind sometimes.

needless to point out, this is no whole foods. we're still up north and awkwardly situated and it just does not make sense to have a selection of tropical fruit and other whatnot on offer year round. if ever, that is.

as far as trying to take the prices down, i have to side with thinking that we should learn to pay for what we choose to eat according to the real toll it is taking on our entire (eco)system although i feel uneasy with the elitism the thought might provoke. i actually believe that a healthier food chain can and should provide us with more affordable food, but it may just change our eating patterns drastically.

and if i understood correctly from my chat with the owner of the store, they are not single-mindedly promising to cut prices with more demand, but intend to grow the portion going to the producer – supporting healthily profitable agriculture and artisan food production.

swallowing that will be hard for those who believe in simplified interpretations of economics... but yeah, such is life.

the market also serves food and today i had my first lunch. a welcome addition to the neighborhood, it seemed some sort of normalcy arrived with monday.

in regard to nourishment, this fall has promise. such promise.

neighborhood recommendation #21: grocery store.

it's hard to explain the deprivation one feels when thinking about the situation with local grocery stores in helsinki. after living in nyc and london, it feels even more desperate: a mere thought towards trader joe's and whole foods, and i feel like weeping.

there are a few – anton & anton, juuren puoti, eat&joy farmers' market and even my local little store, kaartin kotikauppa – that show the example of serving the neighborhood with quality, mostly organic fare with a heart.

i love the fact that the people whom i deal with daily recognize me, as i do them, and know what i like. although i am not one of those people who start a discussion with strangers, familiar friendliness comforts me. my heavy lids get a boost in the mornings from the sunny greeting and chatter from the guy behind the counter at sis.deli, and the classical music and attentive but informal service at kaartin kotikauppa win me over every time.

it's the sort of hybrid of anonymity and familiarity that entails what urban life at its best is all about. having your own neighborhood, your routines, people you share them with and thousands of others who walk by utterly unaware of who and what you're about.

about two weeks ago a very welcome newcomer opened a few blocks away. called aitokauppa ("real store"), it is a local attempt to provide everyone with fresh locavore food and serve the neighborhood with the sort of genuine interest that is rare but, oh, so treasured.

because we are not located in a transport hub such as new york nor in an area where year-round crops are possible, eating sustainably changes drastically how we plan and shop for food. aitokauppa's shelves are filled with dry goods and seasonal fresh products – gone are the days of just browsing a cookbook for inspiration and selecting whatever suits one's mood.

i, for one, welcome the new way of planning my daily menu. inspiration that builds from living in the moment is truly food for thought.

fall barlotto.

the best purchase of this fall has without a doubt been our vegetable dryer.

yellowfeet + trumpets of death. gotta love the names of these delicious little fungi.

with limited freezer space, a flourishing garden and a shared love of mushroom picking, our stocks are overflowing. drying shrooms and veggies feels almost like cheating: vast piles shrink into diminutive heaps that promise a year long pleasure.

all dried out: mushrooms and leek.

since we had not dried anything previously, i had to make sure everything turned out all right. hence, i took a bag of organic barley – local, nutricious and much smaller in both carbon and water footprint than rice – and simmered it with dried leek and mushrooms until a creamy "barlotto" decorated my plate.

barley, veggie stock, leek, mushrooms, butter, salt and pepper. that's it.

simple and delicious.

neighborhood recommendation #20: nibbly chic.

for someone like myself who enjoys great food, but is terrible with arranging their daily schedule to accommodate regular eating – not to even speak about exercise or other hobbies – the variety of nearby restaurants is a crucial part of survival. with my hectic days, the time i can allocate for cooking seems to be evaporating and frequently i notice that an entire day has passed without a single morsel of nourishment passing my lips.

for days when i've had lunch and feel slightly overwhelmed, a tapas bar is a great option for dinner. a small selection of plates provides enough variety and even better if the fare is fresh, organic and local.

ever since restaurant juuri (root) opened i have adored their little "sapas", and their boutique of a grocery store is a destination for tranquil days of cooking bliss. the fact that the restaurant is rather pricey, small and usually full, it unfortunately isn't a place where i'd just pop in for a quick little meal.

a couple of months ago a corner space in the same block just off the design museum was transformed. the basement bar that was first known as bob's which later evolved into the cleverly catchy ob's after ownership change by just scraping the unnecessary b off the windows – how genius is that, huh? – had been hosting local winos for years.

juuri took over and turned the below-street-level space into a cosy wine bar. they named it latva, as in "top of the tree", and serve the sapas familiar from and similar to their original venue.

view from below.

quality organic and biodynamic wines and local brewery products make sure you do not have to stay thirsty. moreover and not meant as critique, the pricing guarantees you enjoy just a couple, carefully selected glasses.

limited edition wines... i heard that this barolo is quite exquisite.

each sapas costs 3,90€ which feels very decent regardless of their minuscule size – the ingredients are local and they're delicious.

our selection.

parsnip chips and spruce shoot gelee.

perch wallenberg and dill sour cream.

perfect for dates or just hanging our when something a little more chic is needed. i already look forward to winter, a glass of beautiful red wine, cheese and conversations with friends.

cobblestones.

during our holiday we kept the promise we made last year: we decided to stay nearby and share our time between the cottages and destinations close by.

one tuesday afternoon we hopped in the car and drove to porvoo, a quaint little town outside of helsinki. the wormhole of thirty minutes drops you strolling the small streets of the second oldest city in the country.

by the river and amongst wooden houses you get a faint glimpse of what life in one of finland's largest cities of c18 could have been. nonetheless, it is hard to imagine that this little town was the hotspot of fur trade and a commercial hub.

today the town is a hilly cobblestone maze but, nevertheless, highly walkable. the streets are calm and beautiful on a summer day. courtyards hide old storage buildings and secret gardens worthy of fairytales. i am sure that on dark august nights you can hear pixies buzzing amongst the rosehips and the house gnomes hold meetings under the plum trees with the occasional smashing sound as ripe fruit bounces off their slouchy caps.

there are little shops selling handicrafts and the sort of interior design, trinkets and knickknacks one expects to find adorning the shady blue and white rooms of seaside villas in the archipelago. the similarity between the stores and their goods boggles the mind. but they seem to stay in business...

porvoo hosts lovely, intimate cafes and some great restaurants, such as the escargot farming establishment, timbaali, famous for serving their own little critters.

we stopped by the little chocolate factory for some fresh artisanal bars.

our late lunch spot of choice was johans, a summer restaurant overlooking the river. their "pienet" ("little ones") we're delicious tapas-like portions of traditional scandinavian fare and my fish with barley risotto simply adorable – highly recommended.

pienet.

before leaving we enjoyed coffee and cake on the terrace of café helmi which is a late c18 house decorated accordingly.

a little sparrow showed up to share some cake with the other patrons.

if you're willing to travel locally, porvoo is a perfect day trip destination on one of these hot summer days. the most idyllic way to travel is by boat, but if a three-hour cruise feels too long or you're prone to seasickness, you can get there quickly by car.

go enjoy a little fairytale of yer own.