In a place like New York, it's so hard to decide where to eat. Every few steps you take outside, a new option is presented to you and you start the decision process all over again. I've started to recognize the types of cuisines I like the most and which ones are worth writing about. In doing so, I realized Brooklyn is where it's at. The types of food you can get in Brooklyn for an agreeable price doesn't compare. So far I've gone six months strong with just eating in Brooklyn. It's so hard when you work in Manhattan and many of your friends prefer outings there. I feel like my first year blogging was spent mainly in Manhattan. Most blogs and food sites at the time were pointing me in that direction and gave me the impression that finding where to eat in Brooklyn was a nightmare. But there are so many gems here!
It wasn't until moving to Bedstuy did I gain so much appreciation for Brooklyn! Now, I've only explored a select few neighborhoods at this point, but I have places like Red Hook, Bay Ridge, and Coney Island on my list for future visits. By walking to the train one morning on my way to eat tacos from our local bodega, I looked up and found Butch & Coco. There are very few things I consider when looking for a place to eat. The menu, price, and ambiance. With one glance at the menu, I knew this was the spot. The weather was so cloudy and rainy, yet a seat by the window was perfect for the first visit. By the second time, the weather was beautiful and sunny! So a table outside was calling my name. Both visits the main dining area was full of guests waiting for their meals.
Art hand painted by a local artist hung all over the walls with little for sale signs. The tables and chairs were rustic and wooden and the menu, detailed in chalk, hung behind the counter.
The Food
Butch & Coco's brunch menu is full of many, many options. Waffles, french toast, egg and meat combos, fish & grits. This is the type of place you go to for the food.
Butch & Coco Signature Chicken & Waffles, $13
Crunchy, fried, seasoned chicken on a fluffy, red velvet waffle. The two flavors came together so well and left me wanting more. The waffle was very soft and did not taste dry. The perfect bite includes a crispy piece of the skin and a corner of the red velvet sweetness. No syrup or butter added.
French Toast Deluxe, $11
Fluffy french toast, garnished with powdered sugar and fruit, and served with eggs and your choice of chicken sausage or turkey sausage or turkey bacon (shown above). This one is pretty self explanatory and DELICIOUS. Eggs were perfect. Having turkey bacon on the menu was amazing and the french toast didn't have any soggy, not fully cooked parts. Thank you.
Fish & Grits, $13
Crispy, fried fish and southern style grits. When you find a place that gives you good fish and grits, you never let them go. Too many times I've ordered fish and grits or fish and chips from a restaurant only to be disappointed by the fish. Unseasoned, breading too thick, fish half cooked, are all the things we don't want in our fish. Seasoned and spiced, crispy, cooked all the way through and added to a meal for completion is what Butch and Coco gave us.
Shrimp Wrap, $14
First glance, I thought that these wraps were missing some shrimps. However, that is far from the matter. The way that they are rolled pushes the roughly, chopped shrimp to the bottom of the tortilla. These wraps were an enjoyable mixture of sweet and savory plus they were served with salad, sour cream, and salsa. The perfect light meal.
There's something about purchasing from a local business. I don't know if it's the pure satisfaction on the worker's faces when you complete your transaction or the homey feeling you get being in these spaces. Or is it that many of the owners and supporters look just like you. Giving you that feeling of "wow this could be me." I've been to Butch & Coco twice now and it didn't take long to realize it was a woman owned business. A BLACK WOMAN OWNED BUSINESS. (okuurrrrrrrrrrr) And the owner, lovely woman, bussed our table! Name another restaurant that has that... I'll wait.
Feeling that personal connection from a business you're spending your hard owned dollars feels really good! Makes you proud of that family, not that I know them at all, but in a way you feel a part of it. Most independent businesses are not run by boards or stockholders, but real people. You want to shop and live near these places that actually mean something to someone.
...and that's why I love Bedstuy. It's full of that feeling.
Butch and Coco
153 Howard Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11233
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