South lets Austinites experience some Texan hospitality. Photo by Deena Atkinson

If you live in Brooklyn, chances are you once came from someplace else. And in this dog-eat-Crif Dog city, sometimes it’s hard not to give in to all those “Go back to Ohio!” taunts. Luckily, scattered amid Brooklyn’s zillion bars and restaurants, the borough’s got a few spots reminiscent of your hometown hangout you can escape to next time you’re homesick. Here are five bars and one eatery modeled after the place from whence you came. (more…)

The fish sandwich at Handsome Hanks is quite a looker. Photo courtesy of New York Magazine.

It’s been a fish sandwichy, porky bunny, crazy pizza-ish food year in NYC, thems being the big trends highlighted in the New York Magazine 2012 Cheap Eats list released yesterday. The roster of Brooklyn places confirms Crown Heights as a rising chow hub, with Prospect Heights still still going strong. Our pick of their picks is the pizza at PeteZaaz, where you can choose from garlic-chip béchamel, fried chicken, creamed corn, pickled jalapeños, and pulverized Cheez-Its as toppings. Or order a Gourmet Stoner, which has purple Peruvian potatoes, crème fraîche, bacon, Cheddar, and green onion. We get that funny feeling in our eyes just reading it. Here, in no particular order, the 15 new-ish places that made the cut. Which ones did they miss? (more…)