In the no-mans land smushed between Sunnyside and Woodside on 50th street and Skillman Avenue resides a gem of a cafe that has Paul and I going back again and again. The Aubergine cafe, which I believe is Irish owned and operated, features fresh coffee drinks, sandwiches, quiche, paninis, pastries, and salads.
Exposed brick lines one wall which also features newspapers and magazines that make ones' dentist office look under stocked. The small space is big on personality and flavorful food. A favorite of mine is the roasted red pepper, mozzarella, basil and olive tapanade sandwich and side salad. The quiche of the day are also delectable.
The only flaw we found in our latest trip, which is no fault of the establishment's, is the Park Slope nature of the clientele. On our latest Sunday afternoon jaunt we found the place to be filled with parents who couldn't care less that their toddling children were running around, screeching at the top of their lungs and at one point even banging on the glass of the pastry case. While we're all for family friendly dining, I wish that parents of rude children would realize that not everyone wants to be friends with their family!
So take a stroll to the outer limits of Sunnyside and partake of what the Aubergine has to offer, but if your kid is not well behaved, do us all a favor and get your coffee and sandwich to go!
Exposed brick lines one wall which also features newspapers and magazines that make ones' dentist office look under stocked. The small space is big on personality and flavorful food. A favorite of mine is the roasted red pepper, mozzarella, basil and olive tapanade sandwich and side salad. The quiche of the day are also delectable.
The only flaw we found in our latest trip, which is no fault of the establishment's, is the Park Slope nature of the clientele. On our latest Sunday afternoon jaunt we found the place to be filled with parents who couldn't care less that their toddling children were running around, screeching at the top of their lungs and at one point even banging on the glass of the pastry case. While we're all for family friendly dining, I wish that parents of rude children would realize that not everyone wants to be friends with their family!
So take a stroll to the outer limits of Sunnyside and partake of what the Aubergine has to offer, but if your kid is not well behaved, do us all a favor and get your coffee and sandwich to go!
(Photo credit: Paul Grove)
10 comments:
aubergine came along a few years back like a pioneer in the wilderness. like a flower along the barren lifeless stretch of skillman ave. back then i never imagined aubergine would serve as an anchor among the influx of trendy upscale-ish spots that now line skillman (quaint, stray, and the soon to open sushi bar one block up from aubergine) five years ago the corner where aubergine stands was home to a crowd of scary thugs loitering in front of the filthiest bodega you ever did see. i used to go out of my way to avoid that corner. it must have been a real leap of faith when they opened up aubergine, they deserve a medal for leading the way.
Sunnyside is a family oriented community. If you are looking for tea and crumpets visit Madison Ave. Get the panini out of your butt.
Tiffany - there's a difference between families out and about, in movies and eating establishments who are well-behaved and those who are not. The children and parents we witnessed this morning we most certainly NOT well behaved and the parents could not care less about their shrieking children running wild around the Aubergine. The Aubergine is much beloved by myself and Lynn and it is a place we like to go for peace and quiet, to sip coffee, read the paper and relax. It is not a Chuck-E-Cheese.
Having a child does not entitle one to special privileges outside the realm of normal polite behavior in society. We're not looking for tea and crumpets Madison Ave style, we just would appreciate parents being parents and controlling their children.
Manage your brats or I'll manage them for you.
Wesley, I can sense that you have no experience with children of your own. And based the experience that I have, I can guarantee that with your attitude, if anyone irresponsibly decides to procreate with you, that you will have that child that you so boldy and arrogantly describe as a brat.
Good luck! And it would be interesting to see you attempt to try to discipline someone else's child. That I would pay to see!
I should be careful, then, because I'm in imminent danger of procreating with Wesley.
im afraid i have to agree, we cant use places like that to let kids run wild and free. kids will be kids, you cant blame them for the energy that they have but you also need to assume responsibility for them and keep them under control. i live in the 40's and skillman, and i love the fact that theres plenty of non-trashy,family friendly places to grab a bite to eat, including bliss on 46th & skillman. however it wouldnt be right to have kids disturbing the meals of other people, its just poor manners, and it inevitably reflects badly on the parents.
Let's see: tired menu, wilted salads, stale cookies, mediocre pastries, instant hot cocoa. Surprising how little it takes to impress you; I would have expected you to be pickier, given how pretentious your blog voice so often is. (Yes, Aubergine certainly was a godsend when it opened, and yes, I still go there, but they sure could use a few menu changes and some better, fresher food, don't you agree?)
And am I sensing some hostility towards the younger generation? I'm guessing there were some unhappy childhoods here--Paul, it must have been bad, and Wesley, even worse (are you threatening Tiffany?). Boy George once said, "anyone who can say that they don't like children has got to have something wrong with them, because we were all children once." So I'm sorry for you, and for your lack of understanding and compassion (Clare, where will you go for a break when you procreate, when you are desperate to get out of the house with your crying baby? Will you go to Chuck E. Cheese?). And for the record, I've had more meals and coffeebreaks disrupted by loud, obnoxious adults than by overexuberant children.
Rachelle, loud & obnoxious adults are a problem, too! The rules of public behavior are breaking down all around us. Have you been to the movies lately? It's a nightmare!
The problem is larger than just differences of opinion over discipline techniques for children. The problem is that we live in a "me-first" society where people do what they please without considering their action's impact on those around them. This goes for parents who let their children run free to bother other people, teenagers who cuss at you when you ask them to stop talking on their cell phones while the movie is on, and grownups who conduct loud cell phone conversations on crowded trains. I could go on.
Show me a child who says "please and thank you." Show me a teenager who gives up her seat for a pregnant woman on the subway. Show me an adult who doesn't use elbows to pry himself onto the subway in front of people who were there first. This is what warms the cockles of my jaded heart.
Listen, I LOVE kids- when they're cooked properly. (Aubergine - are you listening??? I see an opportunity to kill the two birds of noisy kids and a menu change here with one well-aimed stone!)
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